PARTY BOMBERS; life of the party
Party bombing; as in photo bombing simply mean attending a party without invitation. In Yoruba language, these individuals are called, ‘mo gbó mọ yà’, literally meaning ‘I heard and I came’. Parties in Nigeria are commonly called ‘Owanbe’ and Owanbes may include weddings, birthdays, burial ceremonies, house warming and naming ceremonies.
Sincerely, these set of individuals called party bombers could be anyone; young, old, male or female. However, this trend is particularly common in recent times (before Covid19 of course) among the millennial population. They know absolutely nothing about the event or the celebrants but are always present at every ‘happening’ events not restricted by invitation. What exactly is happening? Plenty of food and drink, a well decorated event center and backdrops great for taking pictures fit for the gram.
Party bombers could actually pass for the best dressed and could be mistaken for the celebrants or the immediate family members of the celebrants. They could even go as far as sitting in seats reserved for the VIPs (very important people) and going by the quote; ‘you are addressed by the way you dress’, bouncers usually are not likely to question them. They just assume they are actually VIPs. Looking extra glamorous, dope and adorned with expensive accessories, well-tailored dresses and made up faces, of course, they could pass for the guest of honor and get away with it easily.
Even the celebrants on sighting these ‘slay queens’ and ‘Yoruba demons’, may tend to become delusional. They start to imagine knowing them from way back and probably not recognizing them at that moment. So, the mother of the bride or the 60 years old grandma who is celebrating her birthday starts thinking ‘oh! Maybe that’s Jason, Margaret’s son that just got back from the United State, maybe she sent him to represent her and he decided to come with his friends’ and the bride begins to wonder ‘that is probably the guy Shalewa told me about. Well, he and his friends look cute’. Guess what? They never move singly, always in ‘gangs’ and ‘squads’ and this brings about a different dynamics to the party bombing game. Party bombing also happens when one person who was legitimately invited, goes ahead to invite their friends and family.
Therefore, for a Nigerian party to qualify as an owanbe, there must be a perfect blend of; food and drinks, good music, show of beauty, fashion, elegance, ‘aso-ebi’(this deserves an entire story of it’s own) and all ’em party bombers. These form the vitals of any owanbe.
The relationship between owanbes and bombers can be compared to just how a pot of Nigerian soup might not taste perfect without ‘maggi’ (seasoning cube).
