Our neighbour, the Oguntade family have migrated to another village after the death of their only son kaka, a twenty-six year old aspiring commander in the army who was well known for his incredible fighting techniques on the battlefield. He helped conquer the stubborn AKEPULO people; their strategic location right on top to the ONDO Mountains means that if they were ever defeated in battle by any powerful empire, our survival would be in danger because KUKUTA is beneath the ONDO Mountains.
Well, after two infamous wars with no victor between the two villages, both kings in their old age decided to sign a peace treaty.
This lasted for seven years until a disagreement broke out between our new young king, Oba AIYELABOLA who was supposed to marry the beautiful daughter of the aging AKEPULO king as part of the agreement signed in the treaty between him and Oba AIYELABOLA’s father. Oba AKALA of AKEPULO didn’t want to give his daughter’s hand in marriage because he thought Oba AIYELABOLA’s reckless, irresponsible and arrogant behaviour wasn’t fitting for his precious daughter. Oba Aiyelabola was very upset by Oba Akala’s decision. It was disrespect not just to our new king but to the whole KUKUTA people.
Oba Aiyelabola was advised by the council of minister not to declare war on AKEPULO but wait until when they are most vulnerable. Everything still carried on normally, we still continued to trade with them and even, Oba Akala’s third son, Prince Sango visited our king to extend military ties between the two villages. A very wise move by the AKEPULO royal family in enabling that the two villages remain at peace with each other.
The yam festival is fast approaching. Ours is a month after because we believe in a slightly different deity. We celebrate the existence of Orisha, our god of vegetation and fruitfulness while they worship Azazel, their god of fertility. The same period there is an abundance of yam in both villages. It is a long oral tradition that every household to offer a tuber of yam to the temples of these deities.
So at the darkest hour of the night when they were making preparations for their yam festival, our soldiers struck.
Oba Aiyelabola was advised by the council of minister not to declare war on AKEPULO but wait until when they are most vulnerable. Everything still carried on normally, we still continued to trade with them and even, Oba Akala’s third son, Prince Sango visited our king to extend military ties between the two villages. A very wise move by the AKEPULO royal family in enabling that the two villages remain at peace with each other.
The yam festival is fast approaching. Ours is a month after because we believe in a slightly different deity. We celebrate the existence of Orisha, our god of vegetation and fruitfulness while they worship Azazel, their god of fertility. The same period there is an abundance of yam in both villages. It is a long oral tradition that every household to offer a tuber of yam to the temples of these deities.
So at the darkest hour of the night when they were making preparations for their yam festival, our soldiers struck.
Kaka and the others took them by surprise, the strong AKEPULO soldiers who were having the time of their lives could not rally around to defend their beautiful village. They were completely massacred, only the women and their children were pardoned. Oba Akala of Akepulo with his family is now prisoners in the king’s palace. YETUNDE, his beautiful daughter will continue to be a field-slave at the palace until she accepts to marry the king. That is because it is against the tradition to have sexual intercourse with a woman outside wedlock, a tradition the king has tried desperately to overrule. Marrying Yetunde would mean that he would be the first king in KUKUTA’s history to have more than six wives, a record he is attempting to break to show the superiority he has over his predecessors.
Kaka’s death is still a mystery; nobody knows what or who killed him. His body was found lifeless on a narrow road which leads to his house. Kaka never lived with his parent after he joined the army at the age of fifteen, that’s because as a junior soldier, you would have live near the main entrance to the village. The young soldiers are our first line of defence in case of an invasion. Then as a soldier moves up the rank, his resident is only known by the king, his personal officials and the council of ministers. There is also an arm of the army who dress and act like ordinary villagers. Their purpose is to detect spies from other villages and report them to the army. Commanders live not too far from the palace; they are our last line of defence.
Kaka’s death is still a mystery; nobody knows what or who killed him. His body was found lifeless on a narrow road which leads to his house. Kaka never lived with his parent after he joined the army at the age of fifteen, that’s because as a junior soldier, you would have live near the main entrance to the village. The young soldiers are our first line of defence in case of an invasion. Then as a soldier moves up the rank, his resident is only known by the king, his personal officials and the council of ministers. There is also an arm of the army who dress and act like ordinary villagers. Their purpose is to detect spies from other villages and report them to the army. Commanders live not too far from the palace; they are our last line of defence.
They ensure that our king and his officials are protected at all times. No one is allowed to visit the area given to them unless; you are one of the king’s officials.
‘The gods are punishing us because of our useless king; he has brought nothing but problems since he took the throne.’ That’s uncle dapo’s voice, Papa’s childhood friend. He is a very funny individual. Anytime he comes to the house, he tells my sister and I stories about their young days together. About how they went hunting with my grandfather, how they met their wives and the one that gets us laughing all the time is when Uncle dapo decides to joke about the lioness that chased them from the farm to the guava tree near my grandfather’s house. After sighting the locked door from about 50 metres away, they instinctively climbed up the tree. The tree was so weak that it bent backwards as they climbed for the top. The lioness seeing it’s meal coming back upon it decided to jump for a grab but suddenly fell dead on the ground after been shot at by an unknown stranger who heard them screaming and shouting for help.
ADUNI and I happily ran to greet them. ‘Welcome papa, welcome uncle dapo’ we softly greeted them. I was extremely happy at their return because I was tired of dealing with mama’s complains. Mama watched on as we approached her. Her face was full of sorrow. She has always told papa that we should move to a new village before things got this bad. Never seen her so unhappy, a dead spider can sense the burden she faces every day to feed us.
‘The gods are punishing us because of our useless king; he has brought nothing but problems since he took the throne.’ That’s uncle dapo’s voice, Papa’s childhood friend. He is a very funny individual. Anytime he comes to the house, he tells my sister and I stories about their young days together. About how they went hunting with my grandfather, how they met their wives and the one that gets us laughing all the time is when Uncle dapo decides to joke about the lioness that chased them from the farm to the guava tree near my grandfather’s house. After sighting the locked door from about 50 metres away, they instinctively climbed up the tree. The tree was so weak that it bent backwards as they climbed for the top. The lioness seeing it’s meal coming back upon it decided to jump for a grab but suddenly fell dead on the ground after been shot at by an unknown stranger who heard them screaming and shouting for help.
ADUNI and I happily ran to greet them. ‘Welcome papa, welcome uncle dapo’ we softly greeted them. I was extremely happy at their return because I was tired of dealing with mama’s complains. Mama watched on as we approached her. Her face was full of sorrow. She has always told papa that we should move to a new village before things got this bad. Never seen her so unhappy, a dead spider can sense the burden she faces every day to feed us.
During the good old days, she welcomes papa with a daylight smile while she gladly buries herself between his strong arms. Papa kisses Mama on her forehead. He bought us vegetables with beans on his way back home from the protest. Food prices have tripled so only the rich can afford meals like the one papa brought us. Papa is a rice farmer but because of the present circumstances, rice farmers haven’t been able to sow their seeds for the next harvest season. He lost all his twelve workers as a result of this.
Later that night, after we ate papa’s pinch-sized dinner, it was time for Aduni and me to go to bed. ‘Balogun, take the lantern and escort your sister to bed’ papa instructed. Uncle dapo had long gone to his house. As I walked the half awake, half asleep Aduni through our blacked out rooms, I heard mama whispering angrily to papa that she is going to leave with us either papa like it or not. Her place of choice is the Oyo also known as the land of plenty and the centre of excellence. We have all had wonderful things about Oyo since we were little. She has my vote on that one.
It is afternoon already, papa and mama have not returned from wherever they went. This is very unusual. We woke up to their absence. Aduni is starving and I have nothing to give her.
‘I have to go to uncle Dapo’s house to figure out their whereabouts, OK!’ I told Aduni as a tear slides down her cheek. She has lost tremendous amount of weight. Her body looks like it is struggling to hold up her head. After a slow glance at her very thin frame, I ran to uncle Dapo’s house.
END OF PART 1.....
As Written by Olawale Okunrinboye a.k.a Prince of Kemet
Later that night, after we ate papa’s pinch-sized dinner, it was time for Aduni and me to go to bed. ‘Balogun, take the lantern and escort your sister to bed’ papa instructed. Uncle dapo had long gone to his house. As I walked the half awake, half asleep Aduni through our blacked out rooms, I heard mama whispering angrily to papa that she is going to leave with us either papa like it or not. Her place of choice is the Oyo also known as the land of plenty and the centre of excellence. We have all had wonderful things about Oyo since we were little. She has my vote on that one.
It is afternoon already, papa and mama have not returned from wherever they went. This is very unusual. We woke up to their absence. Aduni is starving and I have nothing to give her.
‘I have to go to uncle Dapo’s house to figure out their whereabouts, OK!’ I told Aduni as a tear slides down her cheek. She has lost tremendous amount of weight. Her body looks like it is struggling to hold up her head. After a slow glance at her very thin frame, I ran to uncle Dapo’s house.
END OF PART 1.....
As Written by Olawale Okunrinboye a.k.a Prince of Kemet
1 comment:
stolen, tnx :)
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