The dramatic scene, staged on Monday, September 29, 2014 in Limbe, has left many spell-bound, as they make the conclusion that in deed, the world is at its end.
The actors were youths of new town, joined by a handful of prostitutes, commonly referred to in the city as “Ajajahs”, and the event was the funeral of a dear friend of theirs, popularly known as Esonoh, who passed away a couple of days ago after an illness.
Esonoh was very popular due to his notorious pick-pocket nature, but most of his friends who turned out for his funeral narrated to The Sun that he had a very good, friendly and loving nature, and his only ill was the fact that he was a pick-pocket, which most of them held must have been a curse, as he was quite energetic and could make his own living, but still could not help stealing.
With most of them in black, more than seven-hundred youths turned out at the funeral, and the drama began at the mortuary, when the youth decided to carry the casket on their shoulders, to the view of all who had the opportunity to see.
This might not have been very strange as such an act has been witnessed a couple of times in the city, but the strange aspect of it was that, unlike the others, the casket was not taken directly to the place where it had to be laid in-state, but instead, the mourners stopped severally at certain points, put down the casket, opened and danced around. This could be considered as the first part of the display, as the second was to follow at Church.
Later at the funeral mass at Catholic Church new town where the deceased was a communicant, the mourners filed in, in their numbers, but some of them who could not help it, managed to smoke their cigarettes right inside the Church as the service was on, as they struggled to hide it, away from the Priests and Catechists.
Though the announcement was made that only Catholic communicants had to come up for communion, a host of the mourners still went and took communion, with most of them, being non-Christians and non-communicants, some saying “Let me go and taste this thing today”.
But the high point was when the Catechist asked if there was a friend who wanted to say something about the deceased, and one of the guys responded to the hearing of all, if he meant a boy or a girl friend?
The Catechist who could not help it, said that was not a right question to ask, and what followed suit, were terrible insults poured out by some mourners in very reckless manner, and that scene concluded the funeral service, as the casket was again carried off, by the mourners, to the grave yard.
But what actually got many present at the grave yard to make the utmost conclusion that indeed the world is at its end, was the final display, which this time, was spearheaded by the Ajajahs. Tears were far-fetched, and were instead replaced with drama.
As the burial was taking place, the girls went wild, carrying out all sorts of gymnastics, and in the twinkle of an eye, they started striping off. Within a while, under-wears were off, and the guys were called to pay FCFA 100 to suck breast and FCFA 2000 for immediate sex. A couple of the guys anxiously went for the former, good thing none was bold enough to go for the latter.