Popular Nigerian singer, Cynthia Morgan, has recounted her meeting with veteran Nollywood actor, Pete Edochie in 2016.
After a video of Pete exchanging pleasantries with the revered Yoruba monarch, Ooni of Ife, surfaced on social media and sparked reactions, Cynthia Morgan recounted an incident on her Instagram page where she claimed Pete coerced her to do something against her tradition.
The video showed Pete Edochie shaking hands with the Ooni of Ife instead of prostrating or bowing as is customary in Yoruba culture.
This action by Pete Edochie drew criticism from some social media users on the internet and many considered it disrespectful to the king.
In response, Cynthia Morgan praised Pete Edochie for respecting Igbo tradition during the exchange but accused him of disregarding the traditions and beliefs of other tribes.
She recounted her own experience in 2016 in Okrika, Port Harcourt, where Pete, as a titled man, allegedly forced her to give him an ‘Osiba’, which is against her Benin tradition.
“Osiba” simply means to bend slightly in front of an elder to pat him or her on the back. It is a sign of respect in Benin.
She said that as a Benin woman, it is taboo for her to give a titled Igbo man like Pete Edochie an Osiba, but she claimed he forced her to do it against her will, thereby disrespecting the Benin tradition.
Cynthia Morgan noted that she hopes the veteran Nollywood actor would learn to respect other people’s traditions as he had respected his own.
“I like the fact that Pete Edochie’s tradition is being respected today, and I hope he learns to respect other peoples’ traditions too moving forward. For example, that Benin women cannot give a common or titled Igbo man an ‘osiba’ for no just reason. Unlike when he forced me to give him an ‘osiba’ in 2016 in Okrika precisely. Cheers,” she wrote.
