Long before the west, as exemplified by Catholic Church, introduced their own notion of Godfather into Africa, an indigenous form had ample space in the cosmology of ethnic groups such as the Esan people of southern Nigeria. In Esan world view, a godfather called oro was an alternate-father, a mentor, guardian-angel personified and a fortress at times of trouble. In defending and protecting the godson or goddaughter, he was expected to succeed even where the biological father had failed.
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Usually, as soon as a child was born in pre-colonial Esan land, a god father was chosen intuitively and sometimes through divination. Only males were chosen because of their masculinity and perceived capacity to provide security for the god child. So deep-rooted was it in the history of the people that the godfather was a ubiquitous character in Esan folktales, where he was, in all cases portrayed as a hero. In such tales, he tackled assailants and even spirit entities to ensure the well being of his godchild. Indeed, the business of a godfather was a serious one. It engendered a life-long bond between him and his godchild. It was a way of ensuring that parenting endured, even at times of adversity. Was there something similar in your community?
