Once upon a time, an Igbo man’s prosperity was gauged by the magnitude of his yam barn.
I adore the meticulous arrangement of those yams; it conjures images of Okonkwo’s yam barn in Chinua Achebe’s timeless “Things Fall Apart.”
The traditional Igbo man takes immense pride in displaying his yam barn, meticulously stacked with tubers from top to bottom. It symbolizes affluence and accomplishment.
In the bygone days, a common query posed by a prospective father-in-law to a suitor was, “How substantial is your yam barn?” A sizable yam barn indicated diligence and the ability to provide for his daughter.
Even today, my father maintains a yam barn of considerable size.
