THE LEGEND OF KIWAKAAZI

Asempa TV’s reporter continued to report. “It has been confirmed. Kiwakaazi, son of Obenfo Molade is the terrorist. He is responsible for everything. Reports say that close to a thousand people infected have died and several thousands are screaming in pain. One of the two agents whom were escorting him out of the palace into Nyansapofie’s prison had been shot by an angry man who wanted to kill the culprit. The agent is currently hanging on to life in Attawaazi Memorial Hospital. Meanwhile, Kiwakaazi has been taken back into the palace where he is probably being held in the lower dungeons of Nyansapofie dan kese (the great house of Nyansapofie). What fate awaits this evil man?”

One of the top generals in Nibooman’s army expressed his opinion. He laid down his thoughts on the appropriate punishment. According to him, what Kiwkaazi had done is beyond devilish. He should be killed. Draco Kalala disagreed. Killing Kiwakaazi will be showing him mercy. He should be tortured for many years before he is killed. Obenfobaa Frema, a mother, advised that it would not be wise to kill Kiwakaazi. So far all the evidence suggests he is responsible but what was his motive. Why will the man responsible for the tsofako (cure of a thousand ailments), a miracle drug all of a sudden decide to wipe Nibooman off the surface of the earth? It all did not make sense.

It was Prince Dzifa who convinced everyone that the man he considered a brother was truly guilty. He knew Kiwakaazi. They were friends. He knew how the people of Tumushie chased his parents out of that village. His parents Obenfo Molade and Naa Lamle both originated from Tumushie. It was where they were born and bred. It was their home and they both loved Tumushie. But they had to leave it to protect their son. Kiwakaazi hated the people of Tumushie for that and more. He wanted to punish them. Prince Dzifa knew Kiwakaazi did not have the stomach to kill. All he probably wanted to do was to punish them. Kiwakaazi wanted them to feel pain and to be saved from the pain by the one person they discarded – Kiwakaazi himself.

Prince Kuame asked, “So all this was to teach Tumushie a lesson. I still don’t understand why he had to infect the entire empire.” Prince Dzifa continued to explain that Kiwakaazi probably did this under the influence of booze and drugs. He planned on infecting only Tumushie but what he was not aware of at the time was that, the water supply in Nibooman is complexly linked. The poison found its way into the water supply in the other villages after being first introduced in the water at Tumushie. This is how it spread to almost every part of Nibooman.

After Prince Dzifa’s explanation, people of the court like Obenfobaa Frema who still believed in his innocence started having doubts.

One chief said, “We now know why he did it. Now, how do we handle this situation?”

Obenfobaa Frema still wanted to save Kiwakaazi. She suggested that a special laboratory be built for Kiwakaazi where he will work to synthesize the cure for the poison he created. After curing the infected people, punishment can be discussed. Some members of the house did not agree. Kiwakaazi was not the only brilliant scientist in Nibooman. A team of the best can be assembled to find a cure. Allowing Kiwakaazi to continue to breathe in and exhale air will be an act of betrayal – they will be betraying the people of Nibooman argued one King.

The internal discussion began and the court became noisy. The argument was becoming fierce. There were two ways to resolve this issue. Prince Kuame who will soon be Quaazi Kuame because his father had been killed by the same poison can veto a decision or leave it to a vote. But that was not going to be necessary.

One elder cleared his throat. He just cleared his throat and it sounded like a wild animal had roared. Of course the ceiling of Nyansapofie dan kese was considerably high to amplify sound but not as loud as this man’s sound. The entire court became silent. The elder opened his mouth. He moved his lips and spoke just one word, “Nomposuro.”

Nuumo Tsuru (The Old man whom loves red) was an elder from Nnamta. Nnamta was a fishing village along the coast of the Western Empire around the south western region of Nibooman. He was named Isumbe. Since his childhood, Isumbe longed to understand the universe but the universe described by science was always changing. Today they say the earth is a flat and the next they say the earth is spherical. He wanted a description of the universe that did not change every time someone felt like changing it. He was born in the West. He was born in Nnamta but he left Nnamta to find answers.

They say he first travelled to the south and learned the ways of the spiritual herbalist. He learned to communicate with herbs, shrubs and trees. He learned to listen to the voice; the unheard voice of plants and use the knowledge they share to help others. He later went to the East and studied the ways of the priests. He learned to communicate with man-made statues people call gods and finally, he spent some time with the wise men of the north and learned the ways of wisdom. He learned to tell about past events and foretell the future by just studying the sky or earth and things like that.

He returned to the West a different man. He became a man of few words. He treasured silence and talks only when it is very necessary. He grew older and wiser and was made an elder of Nnamta. As an elder, he remained quite whenever the elders met with their chief until the first time he spoke saved the fishing industry of Nnamta.

Nnamta of Nibooman (Western Empire) was known all across the continent for its fishing industry. It was the home of fishing, fish culture, canned fish, grilled, roasted, fried and the best cooked fish in all over the world. Fish and fish products was the source of revenue and income for more than eighty percent of the inhabitants of Nnamta and most of the fishing business was done along the coast. The Quality and Standards department of the Agricultural Board performs routine tests on fish and fish products from Nnamta and discovered dangerous levels of toxic chemicals in fish and fish products from Nnamta. All fish related businesses were brought to a stop in Nnamta for two long weeks and the chief of Nnamta, Nana Ato Kwamena V did nothing about it. Odomna Eja Bentum III, king of Jomoro, the kingdom of which Nnamta was part also did nothing.

Nana Ato Kwamena V was a short man. He was not particularly muscular nor was he even strong but for some reason he was the most feared chief in the kingdom of Jomoro. He was a bully and no one ever tried standing up to him. When his elders met with him, he emphatically commanded them all to do nothing. “To do nothing will be an act of betrayal to our people. I am sorry, Nana but I just can’t sit idle and watch our village be destroyed by the greed.”

It was the first time anyone stood up to Nana Ato Kwamena. He was stunned. His elders were stunned and later, the entire village was stunned when it was revealed that Nana Ato Kwamena V and Odomna Eja Bentum III were the ones behind the poisoning of the fish in Nnamta and Nuumo Tsuru was right. They did it for greed.

A very rich estate developer was interested in transforming Nnamta from the village that smelled like fish into a tourist destination. He wanted to build world class hotels and recreational centers along the coast of Nnamta. He bribed the chief and his king to do everything and anything possible to make that happen. They will get more profit and share. Nana Ato Kwamena hired some rascals to poison the fish with chemicals that are used for fishing and fish treatment before it is canned or preserved. They’d hoped that will bring an end to the fishing industry in Nnamta. It would have been a new era in Nnamta; the era of hotels, beaches and tourist sites. But Nuumo Tsuru’s first words changed everything for Nana Ato Kwamena V and Odomna Eja Bentum III. The King of Jomoro and the chief of Nnamta were stripped of their titles and while they were being disgraced, Nuumo Tsuru was rising.  

He was appointed to the court of the Emperor to provide wise counsel to the Quaazi. Here too he remained silent always. He never spoke. No one had ever heard his voice until that first time when he mentioned the word, “Nomposuro.”

The elder sitting next to Nuumo Tsuru on his right asked, “How can a mythical forest help us at a time like this?” And Nuumo Tsuru answered with just another word, “Guanvibushi (the plant of eternal health).” Then, the elder on his left asked, “Please explain!”

Nuumo Tsuru took his time to explain choosing his words very carefully. He explained, “What Kiwakaazi had done even though catastrophic has presented Nibooman with an opportunity – a glorious opportunity to resume their search for the guanvibushi; the plant believed to bear the guanvi (the flower of life). If Nibooman had not abandoned their search for the guanvibushi, perhaps about a thousand people would still be alive.”

One king asked, “Let us assume you are right. Let us assume the guanvibushi is the answer to our current predicament. What about all those who have been infected? And who will we send into the forest?”

Nuumo Tsuru answered, “I can cast a spell that will put all those who have been affected to sleep for fifteen days. They will fall into a deep sleep and not feel any pain. The sleeping spell has side effects. Some may die in their sleep. Some will be trapped in their dreams. However, majority will be saved once we have the guanvi. Meanwhile, our scientists will also be working around the clock to find a cure. And as for the one who will go into the forest, it will be Kiwakaazi. If he succeeds, we get what we have always wanted and if he fails, then he dies and he gets the punishment he deserves.”

A chief said, “We have sent warriors. We have sent magicians and we have sent magicians who are warriors and they all failed. Now, we send criminals and still no luck retrieving the guanvibushi. What makes you think Kiwakaazi, a thin clueless boy, can do it?” Nuumo Tsuru answered, “A gut feeling.”

Prince Dzifa spoke saying, “I like Nuumo Tsuru’s idea.” “It is decided,” spoke Prince Kuame.