Few days back, Oba
Ewuare ll N'Ogidigan ascended the revered throneof his ancestors to become the
39th Oba of Benin, succeeding his late father, Omo n'Oba n'Edo Uku
Akpolopkolo,
Oba Erediauwa.
The photo of the newly
coronated Oba puzzled many people with some social media users ridiculously
claiming someone must have polluted the air at the moment.
Well, why was the
Oba covering his mouth? It was obviously a cultural act but what was the
significance. Even his wives covered their mouths.
An indigene of Edo
State, south-south part of Nigeria embarked on a fact-finding mission and got
the feedback below:
(1) THE OBA USUALLY
COVERS HIS MOUTH BECAUSE WHEN HE TALKS HE IS THE SUPREME AUTHORITY AND WHATEVER
HE SAYS IS FINAL.
(2) PEOPLE TALK ON HIS
BEHALF MOST OF THE TIME AND WHATEVER THEY PROCLAIM BECOMES THE LAW WITH
IMMEDIATE EFFECT.
"A friend of
mine who is a painter said he did a painting of the old Oba and it was rejected
because it depicted him smiling. According to tradition, people are not
supposed to see the Oba's teeth so he doesn't smile" the unnamed
investigator concluded.
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