The village attends the wrestling matches. One boy stands out – Maduka, son of Obierika. He defeats his opponent so quickly that most of the audience couldn’t even see his winning move. Between the boys’ and men’s matches, Ekwefi speaks to Chielo, the priestess and voice/oracle of the spirit of Agbala. Chielo is good friends with Ekwefi and very fond of Ezinma. Their conversation hints that something threatened Ezinma’s life as a child, but it has since been overcome. The wrestling ends with a rematch between Ikezue and Okafo, two men who had fought to a standstill the year before. Just when it seems this year will end with another draw, Ikezue makes a miscalculation out of desperation, and Okafo throws him – much to the crowd’s delight. The chapter ends with the villagers singing a song of praise to Okafo.
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