Gwo Gwo Gwon Gwo: A Dance Of Deception – Oseni Rufai

For days now, this dance has been in style. The dancing moves are widely visible on all the corners of social media sites. Everyone wants to perform the waist-twisting, one-leg-raising dance. turning around and going after themselves in an extremely funny way.

When I sat down to examine the logic behind Brain Jotter’s popularized dance, all I saw was the public’s natural tendency toward gregariousness and a desire to jump on the bandwagon.

What is Gwo Gwo Gwon Gwo? The last line of the song, “Gwo Gwo Gwon,” replete with moral lessons and profound meaning.

Tired of the hullabaloo of the Gwo Gwo Gwon challenge, I took time to listen to the lyrics from the beginning to the end.

Gentleman Mike Ejeagha is indeed a maestro, who knows his onus with a dexterity and sagacity that are legendary.

I wouldn’t know what he had in mind telling such a story, as irredescent as that story is, it shone to my mind with a lesson that made me shed tears.

Listen to the story line. There was a bet from a King that anybody that brings an Elephant to Him would marry the King’ Daughter.

Bringing the Elephant was no mean feat. This made other animals shy away and saw the demand as a tall order. The Tortoise in its crafty and deceptive nature went and told Elephant lies. Lies were too pleasant, the Elephant could not but fall for it.

What was the lie? That King wants to make the Elephant the Chairman of its Ofala celebration. Ofala celebration is an elaborate celebration of festivity. It sounded too prestigious an offer to be the Chairman of such a festival.

On the appointed day, the Tortoise went to the Elephant. The Elephant got ready and they set out on the journey. At a point the Elephant got angry over the Tortoise snail paced movement and feared they would miss the festival. So when the Tortoise requested that it sat on the Elephant back to facilitate their movement, the Elephant didn’t hesitate.

While on the Elephant’ back it requested the Elephant to allow it tie rope around its neck for stability.

The Elephant allowed it, being too obsessed to be the Chairman of the Ofala, anything that would be an obstacle to it must be dealt with.

As they got close to the king’ Palace, the Tortoise raised his voice and sang

Nnam eze akpatam enyi, Nnam eze akpatam enyi.

( My King I have brought the Elephant)

Nwa mbe isi na ikpata onye, Nwa mbe isi na ikpata onye.

( Small Tortoise who do you said you have brought? The Elephant queried)

Asim ana ya chebe enyi dube enyi, odikam si na akpatam enyi.

( I said let the earth protect and guide the Elephant. Did I said I have brought Elephant?)

Asim ana ya chebe enyi dube enyi, odikam si na akpatam enyi.( I said let the earth protect and guide the Elephant. Did I said I have brought Elephant ?)

Okwa enyi ga abu isi oche, okwa enyi ga abu isi oche.

(It is not the Elephant that will be the chairman?)

Enyi na aga ayi so gi na azu

gwo gwo gwo gwon ( Elephant continue to go we are behind you, gwo gwo gwo ngwo)

What do you make out of this story? So many? For mine it is a reflection of the deception the Nigeria poor masses experience in the hands of our tricky political class.

The Elephant represents the poor masses and the Tortoise the political class that comes with all manner of deception, tricks and manipulation. They come to us, the poor masses like the Tortoise came to the Elephant every election year with hopeless hope, fake promises, manipulative tendencies, while leading us to places of doom, destruction, hardship, shame and economic slavery as we dance gwo gwo gwo ngwo not knowing we are being led to our destruction pools and points.

By size just as the Elephant is 30 times bigger than the Tortoise so are the masses bigger than the political class. Same way Tortoise deceived the Elephant, the political class has been deceiving us. Shame!! Gwo Gwo ngwo as we sheepishly meet our Waterloo.

May God help us to realize our might and power over the minion political class of deceptive intents and use it to liberate ourselves from their claws of manipulations and slavery .

Until we rise above their lies and deception, the same way the Elephant was tied at the King’s Palace for shame and ridicule, same way we would continue under their suppression and subjugation.

The ball is on our court!!

Live with Purpose, Love with Passion. Remember to be happy

One ❤️❤️❤️

Rose Ajieh