The sound of the drum from the village square is so loud, and as we drove past the village square, we saw a large crowd gathered. I began to wonder what was going on. I could see the excitement on the faces of each of the villager as they walked into the village square. The children were dancing and running around the big avocado tree by the entrance of the village square.
I asked Uncle Eddie, "What is going on in the village?" He smiled and didn't say a word. I asked him again, "Why is everyone trooping to the village square?". Uncle Eddie looked at me and said, "Today is the annual village wrestling championship." I was quite confused at that point. I had to be sure I heard him correctly. I said, "So the WWE is here at Bonija Village; that is great." Uncle Eddie laughed, and I began to wonder if I had said something wrong.
Bonija village is a farming settlement, and the community is known for cultivating yam, and they have the largest yam market in the Ginha region. The villagers are mostly farmers. I was shocked to hear that a wrestling championship was going on.
We got to our family compound, and it felt like a ghost town. I asked Uncle Eddie, "Are you sure anyone still lives here?" He smiled and said, "Yes, they are all at the village square." His answer made me more inquisitive, and I really wanted to see the wrestling championship that made everyone live their house.
Uncle Eddie is my best uncle; he practically takes me on road trips every end of the month and to the community sports center. Uncle Eddie is one person who has traveled to more than 15 countries. I love hanging around him because I get to learn new things and better ways of improving myself. I am one person who loves to learn new things and experience life from a different perspective.
"Uncle Eddie, can we go to the village square and watch the wrestling championship?" He smiled and nodded in the affirmative. I was so overwhelmed with joy, and I thought to myself, This is the perfect time to meet all the WWE champions. As we walked towards the square, the air was so clean, and the green vegetation was a thing of beauty. I remember the noise and air pollution in the city.
Uncle Eddie and I walked through the crowd, and as people saw him, he bowed and some knelt. At this point, I was confused. We got to the front, and Uncle Eddie bowed, and the king placed a big hand fan on his back. Everyone stood as Uncle Eddie took his seat. I sat there wondering why Uncle Eddie was treated like a god. I was disappointed that the wrestling uncle Eddie talked about was not WWE but young children dancing and jumping.
Some beautiful ladies came out and started dancing. They moved their bodies like the waves of the ocean. I was shocked at how flexible they were. It was as if they had no bone in their body. The crowd clapped and cheered as they danced to the sweet rhythmic drum beats. A man with a big stick came out, dressed like a warrior, raised his hand, and the music stopped. He chanted some words, and I could feel the tension in the crowd. I was confused as everyone kneeled. Uncle Eddie stood up and addressed the crowd, "Welcome to the annual wrestling championship. I hope you guys have fun and may the best man win."
The drummer played the drums so fast, and I was asked to dance. I entered the sandy circular ground and danced, but I was not following the rhythm; when everyone danced to the left, I was dancing to the right. I did the completely opposite of what everyone was doing. I felt embarrassed, but I wanted to get the dance steps. I looked quite different from everyone else, as they were all dressed in beautifully beaded clothes. As the tempo of the music increased, the dancers increased their dance steps. At this point, I just stood there looking at them. Uncle Eddie saved me by raising his hands, and the music stopped, and all of us returned to our seats.
Some young men came out and bowed to the crowd, and everyone clapped. They were wrestlers, and all could see how muscular they looked. Their wrestling was different from what I knew. The rule of wrestling is simple: if your back touches the ground, then you are out of the tournament.
The first fight lasted for just two minutes; the crowd booed as they had wanted to see more. The second fight was interesting. The two wrestlers were so smooth and looked like they were cats. The way they maneuvered themselves out of a strong grip was captivating. Uncle Eddie pointed at the wrestler with a red knicker and said, "He will win this competition." I was confused and asked, "How do you know he would win?" Uncle Eddie smiled and said, "Look at the way he moves his feet and hands; it is unique and smooth."
Uncle Eddie had not finished talking when the guy in the red knicker pinned his opponent to the floor and the crowd erupted with cheers.
It was the final fight, and the guy in the red knicker had made it to the final. I kept wondering how Uncle Eddie was able to predict that he would get to the final.
The hitting of the gong signaled the beginning of the wrestling championship match. The crowd went into frenzy and I could feel the tension in the air. The fighter started, and I could see how skilled the guy and the red knicker were. His movement was different from that of the other wrestlers. He was constantly moving in a zigzag manner, which was quite confusing to everyone, and I guess this movement confused all his opponents.
No one could get a grip of him. It was beginning to look like Uncle's Eddie prediction would come true. But I wanted the guy on the red knicker to lose just so I could tell Uncle Eddie he was wrong about the prediction. The guy in green knicker moved in to grab the guy in red knicker. The guy in red quickly twisted his body and grabbed the guy in green, lifted him, and placed his back on the ground. The whole crowd went into overdrive, and the screams were so loud.
Uncle Eddie looked at me and smiled. I couldn't say a word; I was just captivated by how smooth and fast the winners are.
The king stood up, and everyone kept silent. He said, "Let us welcome the 10-time champion of this competition, Eddie Eze." Everyone clapped and cheered as Uncle Eddie walked the middle of the square with a belt in his hand.At this point, I realized why he could predict the winner of the competition. I was proud of Uncle Eddie. He crowned the champion, and everyone clapped as the winner got his belt.
We drove back to the city, and Uncle Eddie laughed at me for not knowing how to dance. He said I did the opposite of what everyone was doing. I smiled and said to him, Next time you will be shocked by how well I would dance. He smiled and said, "Please, I don't want to be shocked." I shook my head and told Uncle Eddie, "I know my dance steps were different from the others, but I know they were unique." He smiled and said, "Yes, it was quite different from the rest." I was happy with the whole wrestling experience; at least I have learned something new.
