HISTORY OF UNGBEMGBE

HISTORY AND ETYMOLOGY OF UNGBEMGBE

Ungbemgbe is one of the tropical plants, which bears "flavour-tripping" fruits, which taste several  hundred times sweeter than sugar. Ungbemgbe bears areal fruits just like guava, mango, orange, etc. trees.

Through the years, Ungbemgbe has been used for drinking garri (a powdery substance obtained from cassava tubers) instead of fish. It is also used for drinking overnight palmwine to improve the taste of the palmwine. The moment you eat Ungbemgbe, every other thing you eat or drink, including water, becomes sweet. Its after-taste is very strong and long-lasting in the mouth. It has been proven scientifically that Ungbemgbe is sweeter than sugar and honey.

There is also another fruit called Ukalabem, scientifically called Aframomum, which is used to complement Ungbemgbe.  Ukalabem is a red fruit (when ripe), of a ginger-like underground stem. These two wild fruits, i.e. Ungbemgbe and Ukalabem, are used to show affection between two lovers or love birds who cannot do without each other. 

The unique feeling of love between two young adults or even married couples is referred to as Ungbemgbe nu Ukalabem (Ungbemgbe and Ukalabem) in the Usokun variety of the Degema language spoken by the Usokun-Degema community in Degema Local Government Area of Rivers State of Nigeria.

Information Source: Professor Ethelbert Kari, Professor of Linguistics, Progress Igolima (aka The Young Dangote of Usokun), Mr. Misweite Kari, Hon. Oso-omeseasu Osima 

UNGBEMGBE STORY

Ungbemgbe is a #gbeduPoetry inspired by the story of a First Class graduate who did not get a job for 7 years after series of interviews. On attending the last interview, he vowed to tear-off his certificate if he lost the interview. Unfortunately, he lost the interview. When he was about to tear-off his certificate, a girl stopped him from doing so. Finally, he fell in love with the girl and the girl became the Ungbemgbe (sweetness) in his life and spiced up everything in his life. That is the short background story of the jam, #Ungbemgbe. He found his #Ungbemgbe while in depression and #Ungbemgbe changed the narrative in his life. This story is an excerpt from a novel "Dis First Class Tin Set", Coming Soon. The novel is written by Otatane-oso "2'WYTH" Andrew.

However, indirectly, the story above inspired #Ungbemgbe but directly, what inspired #Ungbemgbe is my story at the moment between April-September 2019. I was in depression after losing my source of income as a Photographer, due to my relocation to Lagos accompanied by my Jumia Scam Story that broke the camel's back. I was scammed of my last savings I wanted to use to buy a new camera on Jumia Online to start up my business again. Unfortunately, a fake online Jumia official duped me. I was so broke and frustrated; someone who makes 5-figures in a month ended up making no income for a period of 5 months, just expenses from the little money remaining on me. Most times, I literally ask for financial support from friends; some oblige, some do not, even after series of promises. Some stopped picking my calls, while some ignored my chats. I wrote series of applications for jobs, all to no avail. Now, that is the period in Nigeria when we recorded high rate of suicide cases from different parts of Nigeria. Although, I thought about committing suicide but Poetry was there for me to nudge me, whispering to me that all hope was not lost; there is a brighter, better tomorrow, if I hang-on on hope and have faith in God and fall in love with a girl. 

UNGBEMGBE: MY DEPRESSION THERAPY

The four things that made me scale through my period of depression (my depression therapy) are:

1. Hope and Faith: Hope for a brighter tomorrow and faith in God inspired by the story of the Biblical Job.

2. Love: When I had not fallen in love, my predicament was always consuming me but the moment I made up my mind to fall in love, love lightened the burden of depression in my heart. Every moment I spent with the one I love was Balm of Gilead to my life in general.

3. Poetry: Writing Poetry of encouragement to myself, denouncing the evil thoughts of suicide and others and also writing to encourage others helped me pull through.

4. Evolution: This moment of my life was a time of constructive evolution for me; it built my character, my career and my relationship with God and a girl. 

#Ungbemgbe is directly a #gbeduPoetry inspired by my experience in depression, it is part of my Port Harcourt (PH) to Lagos (Eko) Story. But, thanks to God that this depression did not end in suicide but it ended in a testimony with a Love Song/#gbeduPoetry jam that is now a creative solution to tackling depression. In conclusion, #Ungbemgbe is my Therapy Story for my Moments of Depression.

MNEMONICS OF UNGBEMGBE

U for Usokun

N for Natural fruit

G for Gladness

B for Beauty

E for Emotions

M for Motivational

G for Global

B for Boldness

E for Expressive

U for Usokun

Usokun is a community in Degema Local Government Area of Rivers State of Nigeria. Usokun is bounded by Obuama (Harry's Town) and Degema Town (Atala). Usokun is one of non-Kalabari speaking communities in Degema Local Government Area. However, some aspects of our culture and traditions are similar to those of the Kalabari people. The Usokun people and the Kalabari people are neighbours. The Usokun people and Degema Town (Atala) people migrated from  Akinima/Engenni in the present-day Ahoada West Local Government Area of Rivers State of Nigeria. Usokun is a beautiful community with a rich cultural heritage, as well as a rich topography. The Usokun people are a peace-loving people endowned with the DNA of hospitality. Usokun is home to some of the sweetest fruits in the world. These fruits include: Ungbemgbe, Osikiri-uto (scientifically called Thaumatococcus Daniellii), Ukalabem, etc.

For the sake of this article, I will concentrate on Ungbemgbe. Ungbemgbe is a sweet fruit, sweeter than sugar and honey. Once you eat Ungbemgbe, every other thing or drink, including water, becomes sweet. You will find more details about Ungbemgbe above where I wrote about the History and Etymology of Ungbemgbe.

N for Natural fruit

Ungbemgbe is a natural, tropical fruit that grows on the soil of Usokun. Some of its uses are outlined in the "History and Etymology of Ungbemgbe". Ungbemgbe is an organic fruit, not a genetically modified fruit.

G for Gladness

Whenever you eat Ungbemgbe, you will be glad because gladness comes with a beautiful experience. You cannot taste something sweet and squint your face in bitterness. Once you have Ungbemgbe in your life via God's miraculous ways of changing your story or falling in love with that special One, you naturally invite gladness into your heart.

B for Beauty

Ungbemgbe is beautiful. Beauty comes in different shades and hues. When Ungbemgbe is part of your life, your life will automatically become beautiful and beauty will spring out of your life from every nook and cranny, even during the rockiest part of your life.

E for Emotions

Ungbemgbe comes with a full blown emotion of joy that takes you from sadness to gladness. Whenever you have Ungbemgbe, all you drip is melanin of sweet emotions - good vibes everywhere.

M for Motivational

The Ungbemgbe Story alone is motivational. The Ungbemgbe Story admonishes you that all hope can never be lost, just keep believing and doing the needful. Someday, your day of reckoning is coming. There is no point commiting suicide; life is full of ups and downs. The way you manage your ups and downs is what makes some heroes and others villains. Never say never, keep believing in yourself and dreams, keep doing it, keep loving, keep falling in love, keep believing in God. God is not done with you until you fulfill your purpose here on earth. You are here for a reason. You are a puzzle piece that needs to add beauty to the artwork of the puzzle. If you do not fulfill your purpose, you are damaging the beautiful artwork of the puzzle of life. 

G for Global 

Ungbemgbe is a fruit that is not just local to the Usokun people but it's also global to the world's citizens. The figurative expression of Ungbemgbe is a feeling that has no tribe. When that Special One comes into your life to give your life "Ungbemgbe" you don't need to be an Usokun native to express that sweet feeling of sweetness.

B for Boldness

Boldness is a feeling that comes with high self-esteem. And you know that once you're yoke with that "Ungbemgbe" of your life, low self-esteem dies naturally; you become so bold as if you're high on drugs. Having that Special One "Ungbemgbe" in your life makes you bold in life, bold to introduce her to friends, bold to kiss her in public, bold to do what you'll do in the closet because whenever you're in her presence, you feel like a baby; clothed with the innocence of fearing nothing.

E for Expressive

Whatever touches your heart, touches your subciousness mind which command expressions according to what you feel. You can't be yoke with that Special One "Ungbemgbe" and be cold with expressions. The Ungbemgbe in your life has his/her ringing tone that makes you vibrate whenever she calls you, calls your name, touches you. The Ungbemgbe has a way making you express what you feel without pretence.

© Otatane-oso "2'WYTH" Andrew

Contributing Sources: 

Prof. Ethelbert E. Kari, 

Professor of Linguistics;

Mr. Progress Igolima,

MD/CEO, Joan Sea Foods World;

Mr. Misweite E. Kari;

Hon. Oso-omeseasu Osima,

Councillor, Ward 13, Usokun