Every year on November 15, the Kalabari Kingdom witnesses a phenomenon its people regard as nothing short of sacred—apowerfultidal surge, a uniquekind ofharmattan thatsweeps through their saline territorialwaters, flushing out every trace of pollution carried in from the Sombrero River. To the Kalabari, this cleansing is far more than an environmentalevent, but a spiritualreset that closes one year andushers in thenext as at exactly November 16, a new calendar begins, symbolising renewal, rebirth, and thereaffirmation of identity, writes Blessing Ibunge
