Nigerians love to party and that reason may be why we are regarded as some of the happiest people in the world. Owambe is basically a Yoruba word which means ‘I was there’ but has come to mean a generalised term for attending parties and social gatherings in Nigeria.
Every weekend is an opportunity for people to celebrate and have fun with their friends and family and as such, every weekend brings one owambe or the other to attend. This is particularly so in the south west region of Nigeria as you can see people colourfully dressed in their aso ebi hurrying to one wedding, burial, house warming or child naming ceremony.
It is even more prominent in the city of Lagos as women gaily dressed and adorning a particular ankara or lace material with matching geles and men with their agbadas and caps can be seen on okadas and in private vehicles, Taxi’s and commercial buses rushing to ceremonies.
Among these people rushing to get to party venues are four groups that are uninvited but add colour to the event.
The Gate Crasher(s)
It is almost impossible to attend an owambe in Nigeria and Lagos particularly and not meet people who simply walked into the event venue with no form of invitation. As a matter of fact, some people scout event centers on weekends looking for parties to attend even though they have no idea the purpose of the ceremony.
These people stick out like a sore thumb as they have no care in the world if their outfits match the the ‘aso-ebi’ most people are wearing at the event. As a matter of fact, some of these people are passers-by simply decided to take advantage of the free meal the event provides. These people have no care in the world for what you say to them and you may as well give them food and drinks to get them out of your hair.
Friends Of The Invited
This is another common guest you’d find at an owambe party. They usually follow a friend who doesn’t want to attend a party alone or tag along uninvited. They stay close to their friends since they most likely won’t be wearing the general ‘aso-ebi’ materials.
They eat and rejoice gleefully but will hardly stand up to deliver a gift or spray the celebrants with money.
The Drummers
If you attend an owambe in Lagos, these people need no introduction. They are said to have associations and mostly go uninvited to parties. They can be seen in twos and threes carrying talking drums of various sizes.
They accost invitees from the gates of the event centers and beat their drums joyfully while singing the praises of the men. They do this in hopes that you will recognise their efforts or you’d be carried away with their dexterity and spray them with wads of money notes. They also get free food from the events and add a bit of colour and entertainment.
The Take-Everything-Home Mama
These ones can be invited or uninvited but they make it a point of duty to take everything served at the party home. It is not restricted to any particular sex but these people ensure that they have something they will give to their children and grandchildren who knows they went for a party.
You can easily identify these people with their trademark black polythene bag which they put in every bit of food, drinks and souvenirs served at the owambe. These people are usually very confident and they can walk up to food servers or someone who appears close to the celebrants to get them food they can take home. They have no care in the world if you become annoyed as long as they can get to take some food home for dinner.
