Calabar Mgbè

Calabar Mgbè is a multi-ethnic assembly from the Cross River region, whose membership is  by  Ékpè (or Mgbè) lodges, of which there are hundreds in the region, each one signaling the existence of an autonomous community (i.e., clan or principality). Ékpè is the traditional government in the region, and from the 16th to 20th centuries served to create trade networks throughout the region, even into Cameroon and Fernando Po. Enslaved Cross River peoples taken to the Americas established in Cuba a variant of Ékpè called Abakuá. Being an ancient, multi-ethnic cultural and political fraternity, Ékpè is an effective vehicle to address issues related to the identity, history and culture of this trans-Atlantic community.

Calabar Mgbè grew out of the experience of organizing the International Ekpe Festivals in Calabar, and specifically in reference to the contact with Cuban Abakua members in 2004, whose culture is descended from Mgbè. The group was formally organized in early 2007 in response to the invitation by the Musée Quai Branly to perform with Cubans in Paris.

The Constitution of Calabar Mgbè explains their mission, which includes reunion with all Ekpe in the world, including the Abakuá in Cuba.

The term Mgbè is Ejagham for leopard.

Ekpo Ekeng, Youth leader of Cobham Town and member of Calabar Mgbe, is interviewed on the recent events in Calabar, 8/08

Ekpo Ekeng, youth leader of Cobham Town, Calabar and Member of Calabar Mgbè, on the Paris Cuba-Ekpe Encounter, 5/08: "The Cubans were to be known as our brothers, because we did not know how to differentiate between the Cubans and Nigerians, because we interacted from the beginning to the end . . ."

Chief Ekon Imona, President of Calabar Mgbè, reflects upon the impact of the Cubans in Calabar, 2/08

I  am Chief Ekon Effiong Ekon Imona, I am a native of Big Qua Town in Calabar. I am an Ekpe initiate; the holder of Ntoe Mabo in Big Qua Town lodge. Currently I am the secretary of the Big Qua Clan Mgbe (Ekpe). I am equally the President of Calabar Mgbè, comprised of Efiks, Efuts, Okoyong, Quas, Umon people, etc, etc.; we are actually making efforts to make sure that other areas which have Mgbe are equally registered in Calabar Mgbe.

At one time in my life, I did not associate myself with Mgbe, even though I was a title-holder. But the advent of the coming of the Cubans into Calabar for the International Ekpe festival in 2004 awakened a revival in my life. I asked myself: if the Cubans, who were taken from the soil of Africa to where they are today, could sustain Mgbe for over 200 years, why should we in Calabar allow Mgbe to die?

There are a lot of things fighting Mgbe, wanting it to die, for instance the Churches around us here, they say Mgbe is fetish, and they preach against Mgbe. But if people who left here centuries ago, were able to keep Mgbe for so long, and they are still wanting it to exist, then there is something in Mgbe.

I am so happy that a person like Dr. Miller, who has other areas to study, has decided to drop all that to come and study Mgbe, because it means that there is something in Mgbe which God has put in it, and we must make sure that Mgbe does not die.

If I had my way, we should modify Mgbe to bring in women, because they are the people sustaining the Churches today. Women have been made Bishops, and because of that people are going to church. But here, we are keeping Mgbe secrets away from women, and they are the mothers, they are the first teachers of the child, and the first teacher calling the child to say, “look, my friend, that Mgbe you are going to is not good,” and the child will follow the mother’s advice.

I can remember even my wife when I was chanting in Mgbe, we say, “Mbanma nsin owó, nsin ndi to,” (meaning: I have reached the peak of Mgbe, I have initiated people, and also my own children into Mgbe), and my wife would say, “go to orphanage, and look for the children you will carry and give,” because they believe that when you say “Mbanma nsin owó,” you are offering a child as a sacrifice to Ekpe. That has been our belief in this part of the world. With this situation, if we have a way of bringing in women into Mgbe, you will see that nothing will happen to Mgbe in the near future.

Ekpe in fact is an important vehicle to maintain peace in the region, and we have recently formed an association called Calabar Mgbe in order to bring all Ekpe groups together. Since the Efiks, the Efuts, and the Quas are always fighting each other, we felt that we could use Ekpe to bring unity between these groups. Calabar Mgbe started at Eyo Ema’s shrine; the birth of Calabar Mgbe is meant to unite these three ethnic groups in Calabar. Because we have everything in common through Ekpe. And the rules in Mgbe, the laws, what happens in Qua land happens the same way in Efik and Efut land. Forming this association is a means of bringing in peace which the Church cannot give us.

Among many other achievements, last December 2007, Calabar Mgbe sent a contingent to Paris to perform with Cuban Abakuá, and that trip has brought some awareness amongst our people, and with this a lot of people are wanting to become members of Calabar Mgbe, because they have seen that Mgbe is now an international phenomenon.