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Event Details |
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This trip is,
unfortunately cancelled. It seems that
one part of the Nigerian culture with which we are all too familiar has made it
impossible for us to learn about another, more important and interesting one.
The Saga of the Cave and the Chief
It all started because a friend of a friend of mine found
out somehow that there is a cave somewhere in the vicinity of Ushafa which
President Clinton was supposed to have visited when he was here, oh so many
years ago. I did some research and asked
around, but no-one knew about any cave there, or
A group of us, some time later, went to visit the two
potteries at Ushafa, and, while I was there, I decided to ask about this
reputed cave. Yes, came the answer from
one of the Youth Corps young men at the Government Pottery & Ceramics
center, there is a cave. He said that
the cave is near a village nearby. I
asked if we could visit it sometime. He
said he would have to talk to the Chief of the village, as it was a place where
they used to hide their families during times of strife. Fine, I said, we’ll even be willing to bring
a token gift, say, a bag or rice, for example, to the Chief and the village, as
guests should do.
So, the young man went off while we toured and shopped at
the potteries. I was sure it would take
days to get an answer, but lo and behold, comes the young man back before we
have even finished, and says the Chief will be glad to accept a bag or rice and
will assemble the elders and will tell us the lore and history of the cave and
will take us there. We just need to call
ahead and arrange a convenient day.
Well, that was easy enough!
A few weeks pass and I make enquiries to see who would like to join us
and when. Once I have a date in mind, I
call to Ushafa to the young man and tell him the date and ask if that would be
convenient for the Chief et alia. The
next day, the young man calls me back.
He says the date and time I picked would be just fine. The Chief will gladly accept the bag of
rice. He also wants a bag of millet, a
bag of sorghum, a bag of maize… oh, and some bottles of rum… oh, and a fighting
cock… oh, and…
It was at this point when I finally recovered my tongue and
stopped the young man. I pointed out
that the initial bargain was a token
bag of rice. He concurred, but said
these are the things the Chief said. So,
I said to the young man that he should go to the Chief and tell him that,
alright, we are willing to come with a few bags of grain. Certainly, however, nothing else.
Two days later, I receive a call from our kind negotiator
who tells me the Chief wants the 4 bags of grains, and 20,000N.
I said, no, we will bring some bags of grain and that is all. The Chief can take it or leave it. I also sent a message about how a host in
A week later, I asked again, and was told the Chief stands
by his last request. And, that is where
the matter stands now. So, the trip is
cancelled.
Come, meet the
elders of Ushafa and hear the lore of the cave where they and their ancestors
used to hide in times of invasion and tribal conflict. Once we have presented our gifts to them and
have had audience with them, we will be led to the cave for a viewing. Later, if you wish to stop by the pottery, we
will have some time to do so.
Attendance:
This is a
members-only event.
Contact:
Roman: romanszlam@earthlink.net
Rating:
Moderate as some
climbing up a hill may be required.
Security:
No known
security issues. There was one police
road block just after the ring road merges into the road out of town.
Gear:
We will be
outside – be sure to bring mosquito repellent and sunscreen as needed.
Bring your picnic lunch. Wear suitable footwear for
traipsing about. Be prepared for changing weather conditions.
Costs:
We have agreed
to provide bags of rice and other local staples to the elders in exchange for
their time and trouble. Bring one or
help offset the cost of one.
Fuel – approximately
¼ tank—depending on vehicle; consider contributing to help offset the driver’s
expenses if you’re riding with someone.
Bring whatever money you may want to spend on the wares.
Timing:
We will meet
just after 10am at our compound – directions by response. It takes about ½ hour or so to travel to
Ushafa. We should expect at least a couple of hours to hear the elders
and visit the cave. Let’s have a picnic
lunch, too. Allow about 45 minutes to
visit the women’s cooperative and government ceramic center. We should return by mid-afternoon.
Directions:
Meet at Roman
& Kyle’s compound just after 10am – directions by response.
Alternately meet
in Ushafa at 11am:
From the Hilton
hotel:
Shehu Shagari
north to Maitama past the British Council roundabout
At the end, turn
right onto the ring road.
At the end, turn
left on the road out of town.
Go about 15
minutes, and look for a large green directional sign for
Turn right
toward
At the gate,
turn left (do not go into the Biwater area)
At the next
large intersection (vendors selling honey, pots, etc.), proceed straight into
Ushafa.
Take the first
right (just over the bridge) and continue all the way into the facility, across
the dirt road.