Agency Empowers Youth to Preserve Efik Marriage Traditions

A non-profit organization called Gender and Development Action (GADA) has trained 25 young individuals interested in learning how to officiate Efik traditional marriages.

The training, organized by the GADA School of Traditional Marriages and Relationships, aimed to equip future counselors and Efik Masters of Ceremonies (MCs), locally referred to as Esukwa (for females) and Ekwado (for males).

Several of the young participants, aged 12 to 18, were especially appreciative of the one-week intensive training program, which will be followed by an internship lasting six months to a year under the guidance of renowned MCs and counselors.

One of the participants, Miss Blessing Bassey stated, “the training went well and the demonstration was not perfect, but with more exposure I hope to get better in this profession. This is a skill that gives income and I hope that in future I will be able to train others.”

Another participant, Oqua Mbofon said, “this training is an eye-opener for me. I have attended Efik marriages before, but did not know that as an ‘Ofiori Ndo’ or Esukwa the job included counselling the couple and family. I am very passionate about my culture and learning from the older ones is the best to carry on our tradition.”

Another trainee preparing to become a marriage facilitator, Master Victor Edet, stated,

“on a scale of 1 to 100, I will give this training 101 because it is totally a one week rewarding experience. I am learning to speak Efik language in public and I noticed that our culture is gradually dying and this is a step towards preserving our tradition.”

In an interview, Mrs. Nfreke Asibe, the Programme and Research Manager at GADA, who also manages the school, stated “when this school started last year, we trained older traditional marriage facilitators and counsellors. So, this year, we decided on the young people between ages 12 to 18 years for training and mentoring as part of efforts to preserve our tradition and culture for the future.

“In the next 5 years, we expect the young ones to completely establish themselves and be ready to take over from the older Ekwado and Esukwa when they retire. So, we saw the need to fill in the gap by organizing this training.

Similarly, the Programme Officer of the school, Mrs. Mbang Effiong, who reiterated that the training was organized with funding by the Ford Foundation, hinted that the training and mentorship programme were offered at no financial cost to the participants.

Effiong explained, “the participants have been paired with different facilitators so that they can in addition to the theoretical, they can have firsthand experience of how the marriage is conducted and in a short time create impact in their chosen profession. We are partnering with our traditional institutions to create support for this programme. We have been to visit the Obong of Calabar, Edidem Ekpo Okon Abasi Otu the 5th, the paramount ruler of the Efut and Ndidem of the Quas.”

She emphasized that GADA encouraged traditional leaders to advocate for the reintroduction of the Efik language into the Cross River State school curriculum, rather than focusing on languages unrelated to the local culture.

The week-long training program included participant presentations and a reenactment of a traditional Efik marriage ceremony, complete with all the necessary elements for an authentic cultural event.

Oluchi Okwuego