By Izunna Okafor, Awka
It was a dramatic scene in Eke Awka market in Awka, Anambra State capital, as some women of Awka extraction confronted a female trader over the sale and display of dried monkey meat, particularly monkey heads, among other items, in her shop.
The incident, which has sparked off a chain of reactions and counter-reactions on social media, was captured in a video circulating online, showing the women engaged in a heated argument with the trader in front of her shop.
Although, the identity of the trader could not immediately be ascertained, she was reportedly a female traditional practitioner (Ezenwaanyị), and items displayed in the video suggested that her shop dealt largely in traditional and sacrificial materials.
The women were seen demanding that she immediately remove the monkey parts from her shop, insisting that such items must not be sold in Eke Awka Market or anywhere else in Awka.
According to the women, it is forbidden, a taboo and even an abomination to kill a monkey in Awka, let alone proudly sampling and selling its meat in any part of the town, talk more of the town’s central market.
Their objection was rooted in the long-standing cultural belief of the Awka people that monkeys should neither be killed nor eaten.
Awka is traditionally known for the expression “Awka na-asọ enwe”, loosely translated as Awka, a town that forbids or does not eat monkeys, which is a cultural identity that remains strongly held by many indigenes.
According to the tradition, monkeys are believed to have played a significant role in the ancient history of Awka by alerting members of the community to the approach of enemies and invaders. Their protection subsequently became associated with the town’s cultural values.
Buttressing their assertions, some of the women said they had earlier warned they had earlier warned the trader about selling such forbidden items in Awka market, while also threatening to report her to the market leadership. Storming her shop that fateful day, they insisted that she must remove the items.
During the confrontation, the trader initially resisted the women’s demand but eventually yielded after the pressure mounted and removed the monkey parts from her shop.
She further threatened the women not to post the video of the encounter, as they insisted they must do so. The video has, however eventually surfaced on social media, attracting a chain of reactions and counter-reactions from netizens.
In their separate reactions on social media, some netizens supported the women’s position, describing the sale of monkey meat in Awka as a violation of the town’s cultural sensibilities; while others condemned the enforcement of traditional customs in a modern commercial environment.
Watch the video below:
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