Beauty they say is in the eyes of the beholder but in all sincerity, there are just some things we cannot deny. Spirit and soul defines beauty but when it also involves the physical it becomes a perfection of beauty.
A clear and undisputable definition of perfect beauty is the Am-Pidong Crater Lake situated in Mangu Local Government Area of Plateau State, Nigeria.
The reception was warm, the rocks and trees welcomed me so well that I slept through half the journey. The landscape, the hills and even the grasses so perfectly arranged you just can’t help but fall in love. A wise man, Ralph Waldo Emerson once said “nature always wears the colors of the spirit”, I will be a fool to dispute that fact. The landscape was so beautifully arranged that so many times, if you look well enough, you could see the hills kiss the sky.
As we drove into Am-Pidong, the sounds of drums awoke something in me, my soul merged with the sounds of music and I came alive. The drums reminded me that I am African, I am Nigerian and now I am Plateau. Stories like these cannot be fully told with mere words, words cannot describe it enough; it was the Kopshu festival of the Am-Pidong people.

The Kopshu festival was traditionally created to celebrate the end of one hunting season and to usher in a new season. The festival was believed to bring good luck to the hunters and any lady who gets married on that day is believed to be good and ‘authentic’.
According to Mr. Philemon Longdet the Secretary to the District Head of Pidong, Kopshu day was the day the hunters choose their wives. It is usually a day where there is plenty to eat and more than enough to drink. Celebrated once every year, this year’s celebration featured several cultural dancers from Kanke and Bokkos Local Government Area. It was a tale of ‘blink and you’ll miss’.

Located about 88km from the city of Jos, Pidong Lake or Crater Lake (as it is also called) lies between Kewang and Ampang (both in Mangu LGA), the lake has a height of 1200m above sea level. Worthy of note also is the fact that there are only 200 of its kind in Africa.

According to folklore, some wealthy giants who possessed gold once occupied the area that surrounds the lake before a volcanic eruption engulfed them all in flames along with their gold. It is believed that this same volcanic eruption created the lake. The lake is fed by rain water and underground water. Due to the unstable climatic conditions, Pidong Lake exists mostly during rainy seasons.
Pidong Lake is not without its share of myths, traditions and customs. Although the Am-Pidong people and people from surrounding areas use the Lake as a source of water both for drinking and farming, no one is allowed to swim in the water as it is believed that anyone who does will die. It is also believed that anyone who cuts off weed from the lake area will suffer great misfortunes in the form of sickness and bad luck.

The struggles of Plateau State is definitely no new story to anyone who has been keeping up with her stories, but Crater lake speaks of something different, it speaks of peace, warmth and hospitality. I will be correct to say the lake smiles at its visitors. A symbolism of a thousand shades of happiness, it speaks peace.

They want to keep us down but we’ll raise our heads back up, our voices will grow louder with each blow and we will bloom like a sunflower in summer. One with nature, a majority, our beauty reaches the far ends of the earth.
Keep your fingers crossed May brings something exciting!!!

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