22/09/2022
Overdo
In 1840, Queen Victoria wore a white gown during her wedding to Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg. That white gown she wore set the tone for what we have today as wedding gowns.
It has become so normal that it is almost impossible to think of any Bride today (especially in the church) without thinking of her wearing a white gown.
But I digressed. . .
What Queen Victoria did many years ago became a standard. People copied it, and in fact our people today not only copied but kept adding unnecessary "jara" to beat the already existing record. By so doing, they keep putting lots of unnecessary burdens on themselves.
Apart from weddings, take another example on funerals. . .
As I watched the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II, one could see clearly where most of those who claimed to be rich in Africa copied the funerals they give to their loved ones.
You could see where they copied the style of suits those funeral planners wear, the oxcarts used in carrying the caskets, the parade with trumpeters and drummers, etc.
There are people who think the idea of a befitting burial is for it to look like the way Queen Elizabeth was buried. So, they empty their accounts to achieve that.
Then, after copying, we will still add our own Jara.
. .We will spray money during the burial and watch people scramble to pick them in the name of what we call "doings".
. .We will sew asoebi and get angry if people don't buy.
. .We will kill hundreds of cows as though we want to make up for our protein deficiencies in one day.
. .We will have an after-party where women will dance and get drunk.
. .We will invite DJs and MCs and litter the entire village with posters.
. .Then in church during the funeral, we will turn it into a fundraising occasion.
It is not the copying that is usually the problem, the problem is that after copying, we will still garnish what we copied with 50 bottles of "Overdo curry" and 2 litters of red "Jara".
