By Daniel Abia
Port Harcourt
At any time and forum, the mention of Ogoni evokes dangerous reactions. The name Ogoni sparks a deep seated anger, not against the natives or leadership of the community but against the multinational oil companies doing petro-dollars oil and gas business there.
These companies, some of them have ended their business sojourn, leaving Ogoniland with traces of deadly environmental devastation and degradation. Natives now die by installment. The benzine chemical which dots the face of rivers, streams, rivulets and tributaries increases the daily danger the Ogoni people are left in.
But that was many years ago. The Ogoni people may still be groaning from the devastation and gross abuse of their environment which led to the killing of their illustrious sons, including rights activist, Ken Saro Wiwa, there is now a booming lifestyle with the discovery of palm wine business in Ogoniland.
A trip on that fateful day of Wednesday, April 22, had nothing to do with the search for a palm wine depot. But it was for a confirmation of a story of a family which had been battered by the aftermath of the worst oil spill from Shell facility on their farmland. The farm was meant for a mixed cropping. It was a devastation in its most brutal form and shape.
Our guide, Baradilo Gbarakua, led the team into the forest. In less than one hour, we had passed Bomu community. The name Bomu should naturally strike one’s knowledge of how that community has come to assume some prominence in the history of Ogoni.
Shell’s facility in Bomu was reported to have had a deadly accident some years ago. That resulted in a faulty pipe-head emptying its substance into the environment: streams and rivers, destroying anything on its track.
That oil spill destroyed flora and fauna in Goi community of Gokana and caused skin and other bodily diseases. “Our people die every day from contamination. Pregnant women have miscarriages almost on daily basis,” relived Alhaji Mohammed Kobani.
Somehow, we had to put behind us the sad story of Bomu and the Ogoni environmental disaster. Our anxiousness for the day was in desperate search for palm wine depot. The search was driven by the curiosity to know how much the oil spill contamination had also affected the natural taste of “up-wine” and other products.
Suddenly, we landed at Lewe community in Gokana Local Government area. The sounds of the birds will inform that no residential homes are anywhere nearby the depot. On both sides of the one lane tarred road is a green forest divided apiece by the road which our guide called a trans-Ogoni road. It connects most of the three out of four local government areas that make up Ogoni.
Barely 32 metres from the narrow road stands a distinct thatched structure. Bamboo trees and raffia products are the only materials in constructing the hut which can hardly accommodate 10 people at a time.
Inside the hut was Madam Grace Baridam, a 62-year-old farmer. The time was 11.23 a.m. She was busy sipping from a plastic cup. She enjoyed her delicacy and would have loved to take more. Madam Grace was at the depot to actually pay N500 debt she owed the dealer from the “product” she bought the other day.
“I enjoy drinking palm wine”, she confessed through an interpreter. “As I drink, you see sweat coming out of me”. She believes that palm wine “cures malaria” and “it makes me feel very comfortable any time”, she said.
Madam Grace takes the wine any time she goes to the farm. “I take the wine before I do anything on the farm. It gives me more energy to work”.
Grace who lost her husband 20 years ago with five children to cater for all but alone revealed that she took to drinking the wine when the husband died “to relieve me of the agony of his death. Sometimes I just come here and spend the whole day with these people (wine dealers)”.
But for Barinua Benjackson, 46, the story is even more interesting. He has been in the palm wine business for close to 30 years now. “What I keep thinking everyday in this business is that we palm wine tappers are not helping in cross pollination”.
He regretted that wine tappers kill thousands of bees on daily basis and this gives a cause to worry that if bees are eliminated, trees may not be planted again in the world. “I sympathise with bees. We tappers kill thousands of bees everyday. If bees are eliminated, will there be cross pollination again?” he asked.
Benjackson has two giant drums where he stores the palm wine. Those drums are equally filled with thousands of dead bees. He filters the wine before putting them in bottles ready for consumption. Those bees explain the originality of the wine.
Being the only dealer in that part of the forest, Benjackson still insists that there is no gain in the business. “It is not profitable. I am just doing this to wade off idleness. It is also better than not doing anything at all.
“I have five children and that include my late brother’s children. It is what I make from here that I use to take care of them and my wife here (pointing at the direction of a dark complexioned lady who was tending to something on fire). It is the only work that I have. That is why I have to come here every day”.
He explained that the business gets a boost only on weekends. “People come here on Saturdays and Sundays to buy and go. In most cases they don’t stay here to drink because they are afraid of kidnapping or cult boys harassing them. As you can see, here is very lonely and there is no security here”.
But the case of insecurity can never deter Benjackson from doing his business as “I have never been harassed by anybody. I am from Bowe community here in Khana Local Government area. Why should anybody intimidate me in my business!”
In the African tradition, especially in areas where it is most treasured as one of the best consumables of traditional cuisine, palm-wine is one of the best drinks which also plays a key role in cultural setting.
Chief Adi Wali, a social commentator, said in a typical Ikwerre traditional setting, “you can’t afford not to add palm wine in the menu of a traditional wedding. No amount of money, no quantity of assorted drinks you will present, if you don’t add palm wine, you are wasting your time”, he said.
“In this part of the country (Ikwerre), we treasure palm wine a lot. It is one of the wonders of nature just like coconut drink. Palm wine is completely African. It gives you the pride of coming from this great black continent which some historians traced as the root of mankind”, Adi said.
Besides being a lovely drink, what other value can one add to this nature’s one of great wonders!
“Palm wine has a lot of yeast in it. As you know, yeast contains vitamin B which is very good for the eyes”, said Dr Jerry Ibavboa, a Port Harcourt based pharmacist.
When distilled, in palm wine, one can extract ethanol and this is used as a solvent in some industries and factories. Ethanol is equally used as preservatives. Its function has a long line of interest.
Palm wine is believed to have the capacity to boost the mammary gland thereby increasing the milk. Even though this has not been proven medically, many natives hold this belief very strongly.
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