The Tale Of An African Virgin

It was the end of another festival and it was a terrifying experience as always, she felt really weak and the pain she experienced was one she could not describe she was just tired of this annoying culture. Is it a crime to be a virgin?

It was usually a yearly festival where a female chosen by the gods will have to walk around the whole town with a calabash on her head and a white piece of material tied around her chest, during those periods when the calabash is on her head she usually gets unconscious whatever she does at that point are things she would not do on a normal day.

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She moves from one position to the other in different postures, she jumps kneels and crawls without the calabash dropping off her head, she is usually happy at that point but immediately after the calabash is taken off her head, she becomes her normal self again and she feels sad about it.

After that festival, her peers in school were always careful with the words they will say to her or the things they will do around her because they are usually sacred of what might happen to them; this usually gets her bothered because she wants to be free like every other lady and not given any special treatment what so ever.

On several occasions she has considered getting herself dis virgin but no guy was even bold enough to walk up to her because they were all scared of the strange spirit that usually engulfed her during the festive periods.

Some days back she clocked thirty and still had no suitor, she had to attend a school that was within the environment as tradition will not let her stay away from constant rituals and rites, whenever the spirits wanted to communicate with her or send her on an errand; the color of her eyes changes and she begins to move her body in a strange way that will make everyone around her run away, the only person who can calm her down during such period is the priest that stays at the shrine. So any one around will contact the priest immediately and she will come to the location because nobody else can touch her or even get close to her.

On her birthday, she was moody all through and her mother became worried; she tried to express her bitterness to her mum, she stated that she wanted to get married and have kids of her own; she added that she was tired of the constant embarrassment. Her mother quickly shut her up as she mentioned the word embarrassment. She said to her: My Darling, it is an honor to be chosen by the gods. You are an example of modesty and good virtue to every young maiden around.
But Mama, I am thirty years old can’t the gods find someone younger than I am? The gods have taken special interest in you and it is a great honor for you and our family. Most of those Ladies you envy envy you back in return because they are not even happy with their marriages as they get constant beating from their husbands and are even often disrespected on several occasions. Have you seen any man who dares to disrespect you? No my child, can’t you see how much blessings and honor the gods have bestowed upon you, it is a rare one that people wish for but do not get so you are very lucky my dear and trust me when I say you do not need any man in your life.

This day was another of such unpleasant experience and the calabash was just taken off her as she slumps as usual with everyone cheering with loud voices. Local beats started and women and men began to dance around, eating and drinking commenced and everyone was happy as she was carried gently into the usual dark room she stays after the sacrificial act, those are the periods she will be left alone to regain her strength. She woke up and tears flowed down her pretty face as she watched herself in those white wrappers again, she knows the deed has been done and they have come to the end of another festive season.

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Why this god won’t let me be and choose another maiden for itself, I wish I was never born into a community like this, where the thoughts that ran through her mind as she sobbed quietly.

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