AFTER GOD IS DIBIA VOL. 1 BY JOHN ANENECHUKWU UMEH

FrOM ThE SACRED TEXT

IN IGBO AFA Language, THE DIBIA IS CALLED OBALA OTULE NA-EBU OBALA AkWU which translates as: the Mouthpiece of the God of Light who commands the elements and all in the world and whose pronouncements come to pass and take effect. It is because of this that the last act of the Dibia in giving life and potency, through putting his or her breath of life once, to the Ogwu he or she creates before handing same over to the client, is to imbue it with At mouth-seal twice and complete the mystic creation with the sacred and divine invoca-tion: Onu Dibia. bu Onu Mmuo, the mouth of the Dibia is the mouth of the Spirit, i.e., the Voice or pronouncement of the Dibia is precisely that of the Spirit...

Being blessed with Agwu, the Holy Spirit's possession, the Dibia is sometimes so taken with complete possession that he or she virtually becomes Agwu. He or she speaks the voice of the Holy Spirit, thinks the thoughts of the Holy Spir-it, performs the skills, miracles and feats of Agwu, sees with the vision of the Holy Spirit and hears with the divine Ears of the Holy Spirit... It is this divine, mystical or miraculous performance of the God of Light / Agwu [which constitutes the efficacity of a good Dibia].

THE AUTHOR

John Anenechukwu Umeh is Professor of Estate Management in the Dept. of Environmental Studies at the University of Nigeria, Enugu. He has served as Dean and Vice-Chancellor on several occasions. He comes from a long tradition of Dibias and is an internationally renown practitioner. His uncle is the present Chief Priest to Idemili shrine in Nnobi. Umeh is the author of Okponku Abu, a collection of poetry.