As one born and duly brought up in a typical Nigerian society it is a matter of fact and needless to say that this has to be one of the most peculiar nations on the face of planet earth. Also, we are a most peculiar set of people, our way of life is it political, social, and economic or whatever you might think of is one that is sure to baffle a total stranger to the country. Despite socio-political and economic issues bedeviling the country and its citizens, sociologically, an aspect of the Nigerian life that keeps beaming is its organic solidarity. In other words, the social life of Nigerians in terms of rallying for one another when it comes to occasions that bind or creates an avenue to gather, share and celebrate.
This is basically talking of the way we socialize traditionally or culturally coupled with contemporary trends it is assuming, ways of socializing and all. Using the South-West part of the country as a case study, one would evidently notice that socilization is very rife at different levels be it ceremonies like weddings, birthday parties, burials and all sorts including other social groups and organization. It is an on-going norm these days to spot individuals and groups at occasions in uniform costumes or what is popularly called in Yoruba local parlance as Aso-Ebi.
For starters, Aso-Ebi is a phrase coined from two Yoruba words. ‘Aso’ simply means cloth or garment while ‘Ebi’ means family. The term always comes to fore at the planning stage of upcoming ceremonies- burials, weddings, birthdays and all. It begins usually with the host or celebrant and sometimes the event planners deciding on a certain costume material to be worn by invited guests and other attendees on the day of a particular ceremony. After this has been chosen, invited guests are notified of availability of a chosen material for that event while those interested go ahead to purchase the given material. The guest have to part with a ‘token’ being the cost of Aso-Ebi which usually varies in quality and size.
While this seems interesting, this societal norm that has taken root among Nigerians calls for critical analysis. This is because the Nigerian society is highly stratified in nature which then goes on to have economic implications on people in relation to their level within the socio-economic strata. For a country where over sixty-percent of its population lives in poverty, according to a 2016 UN report on Human Development Index, it is important to find out intervening factors that has made this a real syndrome. A situation whereby many who find themselves in the lower rungs of the society can’t even afford a standard fee for their wards education will go to any length to be part of an ‘Aso-Ebi’ event says a lot. On the other hand, those who can easily afford them often do so as a demonstration of Organic Solidarity pointed out earlier rather than of necessity.
As Nigerians, it’s time for us to begin to get priorities right which is critical for progress and development. Individuals need to fashion out ways of curbing unnecessary excesses through several means not least the focus here which is Aso-ebi. Though an individual has the liberty to spend resources on whatsoever they wish but there has to be a point where the line is drawn between showing solidarity and going over board at every given chance.
Op–ed pieces and contributions are the opinions of the writers only and do not represent the opinions of Y!/YNaija
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