Ovbi Edo Series (1)

Sitting at a party;  bored and starving yet not wanting to seem hungry?

The ushers keep passing you by and you’re starting to get pissed because you didn’t leave home to stare at the reception menu or are you home having a lazy Saturday?

Well… Look no further. This post is a welcome distraction.

All you have to do is look down at your phone and open the link.

Despite how classy I am, I sometimes pronounce EBA as “ebai” and I may have slight H factor… Hell-O . It’s in the blood, I guess.

You can take the girl out of benin but you can’t take bini out of the “Geh”

Despite how classy I am, I sometimes pronounce EBA as “ebai” and I may have slight H factor… Hell-O . It’s in the blood, I guess.

You can take the girl out of benin but you can’t take bini out of the “Geh”

Proud to present the first part of our new & amazing series; “Ovbi Edo” (child of/from Edo state).

The Edo/Bini people are an ethnic group primarily found in Edo State and spread across the Delta, Ondo, and Rivers states of Nigeria. They speak the Edo language and are the descendants of the founders of the Benin Empire – Google.

I am mostly mistaken for a Yoruba girl and I basically grew up in Lagos state so it’d make sense if I was.

But No, I am a proud and beautiful (if I say so myself *batts lashes) female of Edo soil; specifically Benin city.

There’s so much miseducation about my people, so i thought to shed some light (and laughs) on my folk.

Sadly, I can’t claim to be an ovbi’edo kpataki (real Edo child/pikin) regardless of the fact that both my parents are from Edo state – Benin; because it is not just about loving pounded yam and egusi…

Here’s the story…

I was born in benin city (UBTH to be precise) and I stayed there till I was three (3) years old with my grandmother.

Then my mother moved me to Lagos City. Here’s the thing though, when I got to Lagos, I could only speak Bini and pidgin and a bit of French, from what I’ve been told. I couldn’t even spell my name yet I always had the first position in my class at the time.

Miracle working God?

My mother took it upon herself to flush out the benin from my system and now I can hear my language but when I attempt to speak it fluently; it sounds like a calabar man speaking Italian…

#IsItTooLateNowToSayLahor?

Edo state is a compilation of various cultures and people but I believe the most common misconception is that the “Esan” people and “Bini” people are exactly the same.

These two tribes are arguably the most popular in Edo state yet there is an odd rift between them.

All my life; I’ve been told “Esan people are evil” yet no one has ever told me why.

I have come to the conclusion that this is based on ancestral issues between esan and bini clan.

There are good and bad people in every household; much less tribes. It is unfair to judge an entire tribe based on misunderstandings we do not completely understand.

I have come to the conclusion that this is based on ancestral issues between esan and bini clan.

There are good and bad people in every household; much less tribes. It is unfair to judge an entire tribe based on misunderstandings we do not completely understand.

In a sense; we are all one but we have different cultures and although the languages are similar yet they possess noticeable differences.

Believe it or not, so many people have the wrong idea about Edo people. Most believe that we are a fetish lot.

I met an ignoramus in the past that claims he could never date an Edo girl because the family was against it due to foolish assumptions and traditional differences.

Good riddance.

Undoubtedly, Bini people are downright honest. An average Bini person will tell you as it is regardless of how you may feel about it.

“Honesty truly is the best policy”. 

There is still so much more to explore; Edo people are rich in culture, talent and attitude.