There are a some questions that typically comprise a
conversation about mbopo; these are usually questions that answers are often not very clear.

Because of the innumerable variations and styles of this ritual throughout Ibibioland, and over the course of recorded Cross River history (about one hundred years), it is usually difficult to find any one specific, satisfactory answer to a question.

How long would a girl stay in the
“fattening house”?
Well, the answer to this question is varied. Depending on the situation (the constitution of the girl, the wealth of her family, whether or not she was the firstborn daughter, etc a girl could be in seclusion anywhere from two weeks to upwards of two or three years.

These numbers, however, also shift depending on the generation of initiates to which one may be referring (the further back
in history that one tracks mbopo ritual, the more frequently one sees
that girls had longer tenures in ceremonial seclusion).

How fat was the secluded girl expected to become?
There is no precise way to answer this question, as each event of seclusion is related to a host of variables.

In conversations with people who grew up within mbopo culture, there have been many different ideas
regarding this question. In some instances, a girl’s family hoped that she would become as fat as possible—the bigger the better, fatness with no bounds.

However, there are situations where a level of moderation was discussed, especially if the ritual weight gain was seen as something that could cause health problems for the girl.