Wakrike tv (2024)

25/01/2024

Some sights from okrika

13/01/2024

Guess the location

11/01/2024

MY SON QUESTION WAS UNANSWERED TILL DATE

It is time honestly as a people we begin to intentionally look for creative ways of making the Wakirike society better.

During the festive season, l visited Okrika alongside my first born and as part of my responsibility to culture him with the ways of our people. I took him to visit all the Biris (14 or 12 quarters ) on the island, telling him their names and specifically telling him the traditional quarter is from. I went further to educate him on our War Canoe system of administration and structure, he smiled and was enjoying the lecture as we walked past friends, elders and youths on the busy street of Kirike amidst noise from riders of motorcycles.

"Ibasa, iya toku, an elderly man asked, pasisi ini se bo bo, me mina ama ina.

Interestly, he asked l take him to the waterfront where l used to swim as a child and where l spent my childhood playing. I took him to Agbabiri waterfront, and approaching the area although now almost a shadow of itself.

The unexpected question occured - Daddy, is this how your fathers kept the waterfront for you when you swim in it? I was dumfounded, and he intelligently asked if l expect him to come and swim in these rivers, it is better for me to follow my friends to swim at the swimming pools in Port Harcourt than here dad, he said.

While there is nothing wrong about our visit to the waterfront l once cherished, our visit clearly shows how my generation had intentionally disconnect the next culturally and environmentally wise. My son will never be interested at that waterfront again but it was the place where l was taught how to swim, the place where we do community service by pouring sand on the tracks leading to the river at low tide, it was the gathering place of all children enjoying the sweetness of the river, where the elderly taught us how to cast net and other fishing activities, these activities l cannot teach my son at the swimming pool of hotels even though they are bea