This ceremony which ushers the baby into the world is performed shortly after a woman is delivered of her baby. In olden times, when women were delivered of their babies at the back of their huts, it was performed before the baby is taken into its mother’s hut.
However, with the introduction of western medical practices, the ceremony is performed immediately the mother returns from the hospital with her baby.
Women of the quarters as well as children would sing and make music with cooking utensils and farming tools. They would sing the ma-a- ma song, urging the baby to be obedient, hardworking and generous. These are attributes expected of a child in society.
The essence of this ceremony is to spell out to the baby, the ethics of the new society where it has come to sojourn and what is expected of the baby as it grows up.
