The Story of a Woman Who Destroyed the Dwelling Place of Her 'god' in Nnewi, By Anayo Nwosu

Madam Udekwe had done the unthinkable. 

She had ordered that her Ohachi (i.e the tree that housed her personal god) to be felled to spite her personal God. 

On the eve of the day she was to be taken home by her husband after completing all marital rites, Amanambu, Udekwe's mother had an important rite to perform.

Only the mother of the bride alone would be performing the solemn traditional ceremony for her daughter.

She would be giving a personal god to her daughter through an act referred to as "ihanye chi" or "to apportion a god".

Only mothers give life and could also apportion a god to their daughters.

Igbos know that no two persons have the same god, a belief that has been corrupted by the foreign religions.

It was and still is a general belief in Igboland that "ofu nne na-amu mana ofu chi adaghi eke" meaning that "even though siblings may be brought forth by the same mother but they were created by different gods".

A mother would cut off a stem from her ohachi tree and give her daughter, the new bride, to plant behind her kitchen in her new husband's compound.

The tree would grow to become the dwelling place of the daughter's personal god and it is called Ohachi.

The leaves of oha tree are used to make a popular Nnewi soup called "ofe oha".

No true Nnewi man would go for another delicacy if Utara Ede (i.e pounded coco yam fufu) with Oha Soup is on the menu.

But the later day events in her life made Udekwe believe that either that her mother gave her a wrong ohachi or that her chi or personal god was a saboteur.

She would not suffer the shame alone. It must be shared.

Why won't she cut down the ill fated tree, uproot its roots and set them all on fire?

To hell with that kind of god or destiny.

If Udekwe succeeded in felling her ohachi, what about the unique marks or "akara aka" on her palms said to contain the destiny codes of all humans?

But she needed to deal with her personal god first.

The story of the ill fortunes or "akara aka Udekwe" was known all over the town and beyond.

It all started 10 months into her marriage and one month after the delivery of her first child.

Her husband's big yam barn got burnt while they were away at a traditional wedding ceremony of a relative.

Just few weeks after the general harvest, some rascally boys had set a nearby bush on fire while hunting for rodents and the fire spread and razed down both their yam and coco yam barns.

The fire incident was a bad omen as they had to rely on charity for feeding and for new seedlings for the next farming season.

Six years later, her hardworking husband, Onwuamegbu fell from a tall palm tree and died leaving her with two young boys to raise.

Udekwe was inherited by her late husband's brother after her mandatory mourning period.

She was to be the third wife.

Udekwe had chosen Mazi Ochiliozuo (amongst other contending male relations of her dead husband) the day her head was shaven, the third day after her husband was buried.

After the shaving of the widow's head by the husband's sisters and senior wives in the extended family, the shaving knife would be handed over to the widow to give to a man she believed could take good care of her and her children.

While the wives of the losers would have a muted celebration, those or that of the winner would have to contend with the reality that a new wife had joined the fray.

Ochiliozuo was so happy as Udekwe possessed what his other two wives lacked. She had big and well rounded breasts so unreal for a mother of two.

The new husband didn't need to wonder for so long what type of honey was contained in the cavelike waist of his late younger brother's wife.

All became his when Udekwe placed the "aguba" or shaving knife in his expectant hand.

Three years down the line, her new husband, Ochiliozuo collapsed in his farm and died before help could come.

Udekwe was still in the mourning mood over the death of her new husband when she received another bad news.

Her two sons had been drowned in the river.

The circumstances of the incident had been eclipsed by the impact of tragedy.

The grief was too much for her to bear.

She couldn't be allowed to grieve alone as her sisters relocated to her house and would always have her within sight.

They feared that she might commit suicide.

Udekwe was a very beautiful woman from a good home who married a virgin. She was also very well behaved and compassionate.

The source or the cause of her ill fortunes couldn't be readily fathomed.

To the surprise of her relations, Udekwe pulled through, though she didn't regain her cheerful hallmark. Sorrow was etched on her forehead.

Who else would Udekwe blame other than her "chi" or personal god for her misfortunes hence her decision to fell her ohachi?

Udekwe adjudged that by losing a dwelling place in the oha tree, her personal god would also feel the pinch of her sorrows.

Nobody blamed her for deciding not remarry any other man from former husband's kindred. But, such a rash decision by a young woman wouldn't go without a penalty.

She was still the property of her late husband's family.

Udekwe's family had to refund her bride price to enable them take her back home.

Her marriage into Onwuamaegbu's family was a disaster.

Any young woman of marriageable age would pray against "akara aka Udekwe" or "Udekwe's kind of destiny".

It was a killing experience.

Udekwe's experience was a case of "omebelu ma chi ekwena" meaning "one who puts in her best but would be sabotaged by her personal god".

Do not be perplexed when an Nnewi woman murmurs "akara aka Udekwe" whenever she feels betrayed by an unfavorable outcome after her well meaning efforts to achieve the opposite.

Till date, no family dares give their daughter "Udekwe" as a name just like no Nnewi man would be allowed by his kinsmen to marry any lady named Udekwe.

Akara aka Udekwe was and is still that bad!