Young Nigerians are never too busy to party, any day of the
week is good enough and any time of the day is just right. It’s the most
unconventional party you may ever imagine. The energy levels are so high that
it must be staged outdoors. Usually, the celebrant ends up exhausted and
gasping for breath.
On your birthday, your friends volunteer to make your day,
even on the shortest notice. They abandon every engagement, not just to join
the party, but to increase the tempo generously.
It happens a lot amongst students in the hostels of some
Nigerian secondary Schools and Universities. Sometimes it kicks off at the
break of dawn, other times at mid day.
All it takes is for one of your friends
to throw a bucket of water at you, then anybody close by will definitely catch
the vibe and respond with two or three more buckets of any liquid within reach,
then you’re in for a day-time nightmare!
I’ve been privileged not to have been celebrated in this
manner. But I’ve watched a couple of these wild parties that leave every
participant (especially the celebrant) excited, drenched and hungry.
In the photos, Orode (on black T-Shirt) is celebrated at the Ekehuan Campus of
the University of Benin. [Photos by Nnortuowa Abi-Bezam]
