Acrobatic dance, otherwise known as ‘igbabonelimi’, is synonymous with the Esan ethnic group located within Central Senatorial District of Edo State. This dance has remained prominent, widespread and regarded as sacred among the people of this ethnic group. Today, isolated performance of this dance draws many who are apparently attracted by rare displays that characterise every move by the dancers. In fact, it is quite easy to reach a conclusion that none of its kind had ever been seen not only in Nigeria, but elsewhere in the world.
Because of the reverence accorded this dance, our fore-fathers made some attempts not only to preserve but also to showcase the beauty of this dance to the outside world. One of such attempts gave birth to the Esan Acrobatic Dance Exchange, a vehicle of social interaction which ultimately helped the past generation of Esan maintain peace and socio-cultural harmony. The exchange usually involved two Esan towns hosting each other in turns every other year. The men from the towns were expected to choose a regular friend known in local circle as “osho” from the other town, who will be saddled with the responsibility of accommodating, feeding as well as general care of such friends throughout the duration of the festival.
The acrobatic dance fiesta, organized between the months of September and November, usually left participating communities with unparalleled merriment and excitement. It was a time characterised by emotions as people engage in several activities in preparation for the D-day. Such activities included shopping, harvesting of yams, soliciting for kegs of palm wine, hunting of games and many more.
It was also a time for entertaining of relations, in-laws, friends and well-wishers. Majority of these friends and relations did not visit empty-handed. They usually presented kegs of palm wine, tubers of yam and money to their hosts. During the one week of acrobatic display, there was always a lot to eat and drink irrespective of the number of guests who had come from all walks of life to catch a glimpse of the occasion and the accompanying action.
It was always a stiff competition which left the hosts and the community with the mandate to provide the best for their “oshos” from the visiting community. Attention was given to the level of reception received and this usually determined the level of reciprocity as each community tried not to fall below standard. Although there was no benchmark in assessing such reception and entertainment, one thing was quite obvious: the Esan hospitality.
Apart from the noticeable excitement everywhere within the hosting community, the period usually afforded people from the participating communities the opportunity to strengthen bilateral agreements, some of which developed into marriages which had gone a long way to forestall inter-community squabbles or outrights wars. It also helped to boost cultural interaction and the overall economic value to Esanland. Thus, everyone concerned awaited the period with a lot of eagerness and great expectation.
It is rather disheartening to note that for the past thirty years or so this once-important and highly cherished acrobatics fiesta appeared to be fading away. The million-naira question now is: what has happened to this once highly revered aspect of the Esan culture? It’s high time the people of Esanland woke up and made concerted efforts to ensure an immediate return to the festival which gave our fore-fathers unimaginable recognition and fame.
I am quite certain that the majority of the Esan people and their friends would want the dance exchange resuscitated and continued on a sustainable basis. In this modern era when a lot of people are reaping the dividends of their tourism potential, some of which find expression in dances, carnivals, etc., Esan land, and indeed Edo State, may well be on the part of becoming the tourism destination in Nigeria if deliberate efforts are made to package the Esan dance exchange and make it more attractive to the uncountable guests that delightfully form part of its beauty. Like the popular saying goes, the object being sought for in Sokoto could well be inside one’s shokoto.
Finally, successive governments have been battling with the problem of rural-urban drift coupled with its attendant underdevelopment. With this dance sustained and adequately mirrored to the outside world, many of the middle-aged men with emotional attachment to it would prefer to stay and work in their locality where they could have constant opportunity to perfect their dance steps. The overall implication of this is the countless benefit derivable thereof. First is the opening up of the localities involved to the outside world. Secondly, it could help to stem rural-urban migration with its inherent problems. Again, with the kind of unity which the practice affords, inter-community bigotry and blood clashes would certainly become a thing of the past.
It is therefore the fervent opinion of this writer that the once cherished and highly patronised Esan Acrobatic Dance Exchange among the Esan communities be revitalized, modernized and properly packaged and placed on the world’s radar to compete with other carnivals elsewhere in Nigeria, and even beyond. Edo people in general stand to reap the dividend if this is done.
