SOMEWHERE IN AMANFRA ( 2 )

Some of the men who came back from Beyin had had a change of mind. They had begun to feel that they had to make a choice of lesser evil. Both Ngutan and their own Chief Bua were Leaders who looked out for themselves first. And after the men of Amanfra were summoned to Beyin to meet Ngutan the previous week, they began to consider saying YES to Ngutan`s rule over the people of Amanfra.  Despite his tyrannical tendencies, Ngutan had managed to provide the people of Beyin with a number of basic amenities like Pipe borne Water and Electricity, such that the life of their brothers in Beyin appeared to be far more advanced and prosperous.

Moreover, these men of Amanfra felt that Ngutan`s political expertise and back up Army from Cote D`Ivoire was not one Amanfra could contend with. If there was going to be a change of power, they wanted it the peaceful way. They were not going to lose their lives in a useless battle, because after all, their Chief Bua had failed them and he did not deserve the support of the people. Since he ascended the throne seven years ago, there had been no Pipe borne Water, no tarred road and no electricity supply. The only light that shown in the Village at night was the one in the Palace and in Chief Bua`s "presidential Apartment"… The murmurs circulated at the palmwine joints: Chief Bua must step down within this period of 30 days and surrender to Ngutan`s reign over both Beyin and Amanfra.

In moments like this, it was Officer Somebody who dealt directly with the people. As Chief Bua`s spokesperson, he went on a door to door address on behalf of his Chief to get the people to believe in the fight for freedom. He implored the people to get ready to stand for Amanfra and claim its autonomy and freedom from the hands of the dictatorial rule of Ngutan, and then backing his pleas with emotional historical facts, he would say

“Our predecessors settled in Amanfra after being bullied and cowed by the Chief and Warriors of Beyin to quit and surrender the large stretch of land they had discovered along the N`zi River. Our fathers embraced them as brothers but they betrayed us and took the best of the Land. Our fathers remained colonies and a sub-community because they did not fight, they did not stand for their right. But our Chief Nana Bua, has plans for this Village, he sees an Amanfra that is free from Beyin`s control, ready and able, to manage its own affairs and I implore every real Man of Amanfra to prepare himself fearlessly to defend this beloved Land so that together we can rebuild Amanfra.” After this heartwarming speech, he gave a round fisted handshake to the eldest member of each family from which they plucked a note of 50 or 20 depending on the size of the family. 

Immediately after the thorough campaigns everybody in Amanfra was smiling and dreaming again. Children went out to play hide and seek without the fear of exceeding a curfew, the young men guffawed over the palm Wine pots with the confident taste of war jokes on their tongues and the old folks played draught recounting again and again the Victories of states in their time who took up arms and fought for their land. Amanfra`s hope was soaring and why wouldn`t it? They had heard that Chief Bua`s Belgian friends were on their side and their huge Military Tracks in front of the Palace was a sign of great consolation.

By the break of day, the whole Village had heard that Whitemen were in Officer Somebody`s house. Neighbors stood around whispering in curiosity. Some of the children giggled and waved ‘Obroni ha wa yiw” to mean “How are you Whiteman?,” whilst others stood simply perplexed and petrified.. Maame Nzeh was the Star of the moment. She enjoyed the attentive eyes of the neighbors on her and she made it a point to relish the opportunity. She brought stools for them to sit, and spoke to them in ‘english’ and she was so proud when they took a respectful sip of the bottled water she served. Finally, her husband came out, prepared to show them the lands and the quarry sites. It was a matter of barter trade between the Whites and the people of Amanfra. The Belgians had shipped in the sophisticated war weapons for the battle against Beyin, now it was Amanfra`s turn to fulfull their side of the promise and give them what they desired. Officer Somebody signaled to the Old Professor`s nephew Acka, a secondary school graduate, to come along and help him with the translation and then, they drove off on the Belgian Wagon amidst the waves and acclamations of the people.

Within just five days, intensive training for the Beyin war had started. The youth of Amanfra who had not had jobs in a long while now wore tags on their chest that said they were “Army Officers”, all of them were now fighting for a place in the Village army. They had seen how the Belgian patrol team flaunted their attractive arms and as every one of the new recruits received their new pair of boots and Uniform, the hesitant ones could not resist the temptation. To the ordinary youth it was paradise to eat the kind of food the Trainees ate at the Palace after their training and orientation session, plus a note of 10 after jumping around each day was too good to be true. Many mothers cajoled their sons to join, even the mothers of the younger ones who were ordinarily not of age. And because it was not ‘allowed’ to recruit the younger ones, those mothers had to go and “see” Officer Somebody. Even the Professor went to “see” the officer to allow his nephew into the Army and before long, Chief Bua had a long line up of men who were ready to fight for Amanfra in the Battle against Beyin and the Almighty Ngutan. The longer the line got, the heavier the Pocket of the Local recruitment Officer became. It was a great time to be Officer Somebody.

Then one hot afternoon, amidst all the “ Left,Right,Left” there suddenly erupted an alarm at the far end of the Village. A man in a mask rode through the village market into the sandy public square. He clutched unto a white Sack, oozing with blood and a young boy sat before him, maneuvering the Cart. He did not stop anywhere or exchange words with anyone till he arrived in front of the Palace. By then the whole Village was shaken by the wind of alarm. Mothers snatched their children like handbags and trooped to the Palace to find out what was amiss. The forgetful ones also left theirs behind. Everyone had heard of a man carrying a sack of human parts.

“ I have the head of Ngutan’ he announced to the Palace Guards, I have captured and killed the great Ngutan and I have in this very sack the head of the man Amanfra desires to subdue.”

“Who are you, young man, one of the old advisors of Chief Bua inquired. Take off your Mask, so we can all identify the fellow that stands before us. “

"I am like the wind he said. No one ever knows from where I come and no one ever knows where I go. The day a man sees my face is the day he dies."

"Well then, let us see what you have in your sack, if indeed it is the head of the Almighty Ngutan."

"It surely is". He said,"But it is only the King that I show it to."

So the message was conveyed to Chief Bua, who had been meticulously guarded by the guards. He was in a state of mixed feelings. If this man`s claims were true, then he had won the Battle hands down but if it turned out to be a prank, it was likely to disrupt his  plan of attack. He signaled to his Chief advisor for a tete-a- tete moment. After some minutes, it was decided that men be sent to Beyin, to spy and inquire and verify, if the Almighty Ngutan was indeed no more. In the meantime, the Palace Guards kept a close eye on the man and his assistant.  After what seemed to be an endless wait, the spies returned from Beyin saying that indeed Ngutan was no more, that he was said to have been captured from his palace whilst sleeping at dusk and rumours had it that his body had been found headless in the Tano Lagoon.

This piece of news was like soothing water in the dry throat of the King.

“But why will you go on such a dangerous quest on behalf of the people of Amanfra.” He inquired. "How did you even manage to kill the great Ngutan without any help?”

“ Well, I had help". He said. "The gods of this land heard the cries and libations of the people and appeared to me in a dream. And if you will agree with me, it will be easier for a man to be defeated by the gods and men than by men alone. Nguta could not have been defeated by your guns alone. The gods and Spirits of our Ancestors backed me in this quest.  Now my Lord can see for himself the head of his adversary.“ The whole Palace turned silent with suspense. With the nod of the King and the resounding acclamations of the Palace guards, Amanfra broke out into a fit of merriment and feasting that was ten times mightier than that of the Kundum celebrations. Ngutan had indeed been slaughtered. The dancing and eating and drinking went up till the following morning when the effect of alcohol got them yawning out of their rooms.

Even before the sun greeted their cheeks their ears received the horrible news. Their Chief had been murdered along with two of his Chamber guards and the man with Ngutan`s head was nowhere to be found. He had fled after receiving his huge compensation of 13 bags of diamond. Many speculated that he was sent by Ngutan to murder the Chief in order to avoid a Battle and gain easy control, others opined that the man was a Spiritualist from the East side of the Comoe River who used magic to dupe people and states.

Indeed, the Elders of society are regarded as authors and custodians of the land, but in a land where Elders are lost in the race for the fattest Calf, the rule of the Land is left for Faceless demons. No matter the tale Amanfra chose to believe, the unchanging fact was that Ngutan still lived and still ruled and had dispatched his men to take over the Amanfra Palace by the start of the week.

 Days after the burial of their Chief, the people of Amanfra not only suffered at the hands of Ngutan, but they suffered from their own small mindedness and greed, and from the chains of their own gullible minds. They nursed the heavy sores of their past mistakes only to cover them with bandages that reeked of the same nauseating smell of past ignorance; For somewhere in Amanfra, an Officer Somebody was collecting tolls for the memorial burial of their long gone Chief, somewhere in Amanfra, a woman rolled on the banks of the River Nzi, chanting her husband`s name, asking that the gods reinstall him in office as a Palace guard, somewhere in Amanfra, two women stood in a fight, tearing each other`s blouses into bits after a race of insults over whose turn it was to scrub the public bathroom, somewhere in Amanfra young men boozed and cursed apathetically at an old Professor’s funeral saying ”All of life is useless ”, somewhere in Amanfra, on the dusty  road leading to the refuse dump, a young boy stood boasting to his friends, “I will one day be a great Chief of Amanfra and I will be richer and more powerful than Ngutan himself and you will be my slaves.”

THE END.

Written By: Alice Blighton

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