The people of Ogongu were known for their strange ways of celebration. One of the odds festival celebration was the Alabama festival where pork oil was used to bathe the people and poured round the village with the belief that it would make them invisible to the spirit of disaster. It was held in the second half of the Year when the full moon appeared. Okonkwo chewed a kolanut and poured the grinded pieces on the ground
"Let me wet the ground before the festival begins in order for the gods to bless the land"
Okeke laughed, he had never believed in this superstitions, How could people who had rejected the white man's education ever grow he thought as he watched Okonkwo performing some divination. Okonkwo was still making an incantation when the chief priest arrived,
"The prayers of the people had been accepted, the festival can begin" he said while moving randomly as if his feet hurt.
The children in Ogongu gathered in the village square dressed in thatches. Their men wore a turtle mascot while the women wore inflatable violet Beauregarde with a facial clown costume. The atmosphere was saturated with sweet musical tones of flutes and traditional drums, masquerades dancing in the fields , and some women who were dressed with leaves weaving baskets. The dancing is expected to last until sunset after which the people would bathe with the pork oil. Okeke dressed differently, it was much of a British attire, a short knicker with a cross belt. He wore a hat and had just a few touches of red painting on his nose. Even though he felt the people of the village were primitive, the activities during the festival interested him.
It was a few minutes to dusk but the jubilation was still high. Alabama festival was a day of joy for the Ogongu people and everyone was expected to dwell in the spirit of this celebration and thus the costume to hide the identity of individuals except for Okeke whom everyone recognized without a second look. He was the only one who had gone out of their village to study and since his return forsaken the lifestyle of the people. At 7 o'clock, the children, women, and men gathered for the oil bath except Okeke, the priest had predicted his doom in a few days which Okeke had shunned.
Days passed and later weeks and months and nothing happened to Okeke to the astonishment of the villagers. The priest who tried to cover his shame claimed the costume Okeke had worn had some power that made him invisible. The people in their ignorance believed the priest.