My Neighborhood Watch #14 - Reporting Events Around us.
After coming back from school yesterday being Monday, I decided to sleep a bit due to a slight headache I was having. While sleeping, I was awakened by the loud noises and laughter of children in the neighborhood. Being an inquisitive person, I went out sluggishly to inquire the reason for the incessant uproar.
Stepping out, just opposite the house was what we normally refer to as 'Ekpo' roughly translated in English as ghost or masquerade.
Ekpo in one of the shops, trying to scare a child.
Ekpo, as I have grown up to know is an actual human mostly painted black and covered in masquerading attires. They are made to depict or represent the ghost of ancestors who come to the land of the living to take part in different activities or festivals.
While I was a kid, I truly believed they were ghost so I was always scared of them and avoided their way. Growing up to realize that they are just actual humans, I'm no longer scared of them being a ghost but still, something about the way they look and move freaks me out so I still avoid them as much as possible.
Seeing the scaring looking Ekpo, my first instincts were to run inside but then I realized I was an adult now and I knew better so went out anyway.
Even after telling myself "I was an adult", I still wasn't going to get close. I stayed just in front of the house from where I could see the Ekpo trying to scare the children while others were laughing.
Since everyone was having a good time, I decided to take pictures of it from afar and just then, it turned around running towards me.
A picture of the Ekpo running towards me while I hid to make pictures of it.
At that moment, I forgot I was an adult and ran inside. This made those around to start laughing, though it was funny, it was also embarrassing. 😅
My sister later got my phone and took pictures of the Ekpo for me and surprisingly, he/she was readily posing for the pictures.
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After a while of scaring some children including one adult which is me and making others laugh, Ekpo left our neighborhood to another.
It was a funny experience which I wouldn't forget in a hurry.
Thank you @xkool24 for organizing this interactive and creative contest. I'm inviting my friends, @bossj23, @basil20, @ynglu22 and @whizzbro4eva to participate and share their various neighborhood happenings.
Thanks for reading my post.
The masquerade is really a funny one
Nice write-up, goodluck
Lol...
Thank you!
You're welcome
Masquerade was like: Oh Adult, where is thy boldness!! 🤣🤣
Actually, I was super scared of them when I was a kid. I still remember one that pursue everyone but turned out to run in my direction. This thing pursues that I became a falling and rising tone😹😹. But, the story has changed now.
I'm glad the story has changed for you.
Can't say same about myself, I still get these instincts to run whenever I see them.😄
This is awesome and at the same time funny. I don't fear them at all. I don't know if it's because i don't like anything about them.
Well done
That's good for you. With time, I hope my fear fades away.
Thanks for reading through.
Hahaha...
It's funny forgetting that you're an adult in some instances. Wish you all the best, dear.
LoL..
Thank you!
You're welcome.
😂😂😂😂....jeez, what a way to start my morning. This one sure is scary.... I felt my heart twitch when I first saw the pictures.
And did you say you came back from school? I thought you were home preparing to spoil me next semester. 😌
😄
I was home until a fresher decided to be born.
Had to follow my sister to school to do the necessary screening procedures....then Ekpo decided to make my afternoon.
It is normally a Culture in this part of Nigeria Akwa Ibom State, Ekpo masquerade is playing well.
And so importantly when you was a kid you saw it and now that you are of age , it still playing I
That means your village still maintain the Culture
I couldn't agree more!
The culture is still very much in existence especially this aspect of Ekpo.
Thanks for reading through.
My Twitter share link;
https://twitter.com/UsoroEsther2/status/1704225939662533086?t=HH_1WkKF-kuXT7vFjevNmA&s=19