THE LEGEND OF KIWAKAAZI

Obenfo Kayode: “Good morning sir! How are you doing this morning?” Subject 1: “I am fine. Thank you.” Obenfo Kayode: “What is your name?” “Subject 1: Ibele.” Obenfo Kayode: “What brings you here?” Subject 1: “What kind of question is that?” Obenfo Kayode: “I mean why are you here?” Subject 1: “Did someone tell you I am crazy. Is that why you are asking me this question?” Obenfo Kayode: “I am sorry sir but I think you are not qualified for this test.” Subject 1: “Not qualified! You are not qualified! You fat old fart!” Obenfo Kayode: “Guards! Remove this man from my office immediately!” Subject 1 began to fight the three guards and it took an injection to calm him down. He was immediately admitted to a psychiatric hospital.

Obenfo Kayode: “Welcome sir!” Subject 26: “Thank you.” Obenfo Kayode: “Why do you want to take part in this test?” Subject 26: “I want to show her.” Obenfo Kayode: “Show who?” Subject 26: “My ex-girlfriend. Can you believe it? She says I am not dangerous and adventurous enough. Like what she did to me the last time we had sex was not dangerous enough. Do you want to hear it?” Obenfo Kayode: “I am not particularly interested in your sex life.” Subject 26: “So why the heck did I come here!” Obenfo Kayode: “I am sorry but I don’t think you are the kind of person we want.” Subject 26: “Sorry I lost my temper there. It is just that I feel so stressed after that last sexual encounter with my ex.” Obenfo Kayode: “Sir, for the last time I am not interested in your sex life.” Subject 26: “I am going to tell you anyway.” Obenfo Kayode: “Guards! Remove this man from my office!” Subject 26: “Wait… but I was just about to tell you what she made me do.” While the guards dragged him out of Obenfo Kayode’s office he shouted something. [I don’t think the words are appropriate for young readers so I won’t use them here.]

Obenfo Kayode: “Good afternoon sir. What brings you here?” Subject 121: “I care about my health. I exercise my body and wanted to know about my mental health as well.” Obenfo Kayode: “What’s your name?” Subject 121: “Kuma.” Obenfo Kayode: “Whom do you love the most in this world?” Subject 121: “My wife, Sama.” Obenfo Kayode: “What will you do if you found your wife in bed with another man?” Subject 121: “I knew it! She is sleeping with another man. Tell me, do you know who this man is?” Obenfo Kayode: “No sir…it’s just…” Subject 121 interrupts: “You probably don’t know but if I did….” He grabbed Obenfo Kayode out of his seat and threw him over his desk. He climbed on top of Kayode and started punching him in the face. The guards heard noises and rushed in to save Obenfo Kayode. Obenfo Larbi, Kayode’s colleague continued with the evaluation the following day because Kayode was hospitalized.

Obenfo Larbi: “Good morning sir. Why are you here?” Subject 304: “To win the prize of a thousand gold coins of course. What else?” Obenfo Larbi: “Have you heard about Nomposuro?” Subject 304: “Yes I have.” Obenfo Larbi: “And did you know that those who will pass this test will be trained to enter that forest?” Subject 304 suddenly became mute. “He started sweating. He rose from his seat and stuttered while he spoke: um… I have this… thing. I have to go… and… do now, like right now. I guess I will see you around.” He opened the door and disappeared.

Obenfo Larbi: “Good afternoon sir. Why are you here?” Subject 311: “I heard about this test and I wanted to take part in it.” Obenfo Larbi: “Whom do you love the most in this world?” Subject 311: “My mom.” Obenfo Larbi: “If someone threatened to kill your mother, what would you do?” Subject 311: “I will report the case to the authorities and leave it to them to handle it.” Obenfo Larbi: “And what if they fail to handle it? And your mother is murdered.” Subject 311: “I will make him feel pain. How? I will first kill this person’s entire family. I will proceed to kill his friends.” Obenfo Larbi: “Ok.” Subject 311: “I will kill his dog, his cat and his bird.” Obenfo Larbi: “That’s enough.” Subject 311: “Then I will kill his doctor, nurse, and all his colleagues at work.” Obenfo Larbi: “I understand. You will turn into a mass murderer.” Subject 311: “I will kill his enemies and their enemies.” Obenfo Larbi: “Guards! Throw this man out immediately.” While he was being dragged out, he continued the long list of people he will kill.

 Obenfo Larbi: “Fine. You’ve passed.” Subject 384: “Thank you. Where do I go to collect my gold?” Obenfo Larbi: “You will be prepared to take a trip to Nomposuro first.” Subject 384: “Nomposuro… Wait, is it the Nomposuro I know or some other Nomposuro?” Obenfo Larbi: “How many Nomposuros do you know?” Subject 384: “I think I heard something.” Obenfo Larbi: “I heard nothing.” Subject 384: “Are you sure? I can definitely hear something. I have to go check it out. I will be right back.” That was the last Obenfo Larbi saw of him.

Obenfo Larbi: “Good evening sir. What brings you here?” Subject 587: “I heard people were being interviewed here. I heard those who will pass will have front row seats to Nomposuro and a thousand gold coins as prize. And that is why I am here.” Obenfo Larbi: “Does Nomposuro not scare you?” Subject 587: “When you have lost your wife, kids and dignity to an accident, nothing scares you anymore.” Obenfo Larbi: “Don’t you have any friends or family?” Subject 587: “No. All I have has been taken away from me.” Obenfo Larbi: “So you simply want to die and join them.” Subject 587: “Yes! But I want my death to have meaning. I want to be a hero for my family.” Obenfo Larbi: “Proceed to room 13. You will be given further instructions there.”

So it was subject 587 who passed; the first man to enter Nomposuro. Obenfo Larbi did not even ask for his name. No one knew his name but the data Obenfo Larbi gathered reached Osomafo. He studied the data and concluded that this man will have a strong affinity for air. He has no real ambitions in life. He had none before he met his wife. She and his children became his ambition and now that they are dead, he is looking for a new ambition. He could have killed himself or he could have lost his mind and become a serial killer, but he has maintained a cool head over his shoulder. He only seeks death for himself; he seeks a new ambition. Like the wind he moves in no specific direction. Osomafo Akwa recommended the yon-Nompogbeto (wind pathway) to be used.

The ingredients needed for this ritual were the blood of subject 587, the wings of a butterfly — not a moth — with only one color, the shell of a tortoise or turtle, feathers of a white dove, the youngest leaf of a plantain or banana plant, and some other herbs I know nothing about, are ground together in a small mortar using a small pestle. A virgin must grind these ingredients. She used her saliva as water and after grinding, she smeared the skin of subject 587 with the paste-like product. A wise man, a priest or an herbalist can perform the ritual. The wise man Omar transported subject 587 to Nomposuro. He closed his eyes and chanted some words over and over again. The wind blew and a whirlwind formed around subject 587. It moved around him and stopped. Subject 587 was gone, gone to Nomposuro.  

Later, an herbalist with the help of Osomafo prepared a concoction that provided an easier, quicker and more reliable way of predicting a person’s affinity to the elements. It was a colorless solution that changes either to red, white or orange, or, remains colorless when in contact with blood. Red is obviously fire, white is wind and orange is earth.

Nuumo Tsuru had come to the end of his story and they were already in Nuumo Tsuru’s home in Nnamta. He used a needle to prick Kiwakaazi’s left index finger and held a small test tube filled with the colorless liquid under his finger. After two or three drops of blood have entered the test tube, he shook it and said “now we wait for the color to change.”

While they waited for the color to change, Kiwakaazi hugged his mother. Naa Lamle was on a trip to the south when Kiwakaazi was accused and found guilty. She heard it over there and returned to at least bid him safe journey. While they hugged, Kiwakaazi whispered, “I am sorry, mother,” into her ears. She also whispered, “I love very much my son. Return to me… please promise me that you will return to me.” Kiwakaazi pulled back and was about to speak when Nuumo Tsuru shouted, “It is ready!” The color had changed and it was red. Kiwakaazi will have to burn and fade away.

The materials for the La-Numpogbeto (fire pathway) were ginger, the stem of pepper, the roots of garlic, and some other herbs. These plant parts were added to the bone of a black cobra, the claws of an eagle, the tooth of a lion and a few more drops of Kiwakaazi’s blood. It was ground in a small mortar using a small pestle by a virgin — Nuumo Tsuru’s niece — and mixed with her saliva.

 While the virgin ground the materials, Nuumo Tsuru danced around and repeated some incantations. He was bare-chested and wore large red shorts with black stripes. He held in his hand a grulba (a collection of horse tail tied together). He shook his grulba violently while he danced around and repeated the incantations.

No one guessed that quiet Nuumo Tsuru was that passionate. His body was soaked in sweat and his pot belly danced in front of him. The paste was ready. Kiwakaazi took off all his clothes. He wore only a pair of shorts. Nuumo Tsuru’s niece smeared the paste on Kiwakaazi’s body covering almost every part of his body with some of the paste. Nuumo Tsuru stopped the dancing.

He lifted his grulba to the sky. He laughed and shook it. Then he laughed again and shook it again. After a third time of laughing and shaking the grulba, he shouted “tsokootsa, tum-bala…tsa!tsa!tsa!Honestly, I am not certain but I guess it means “great dancing fire of the gods, dance! dance! dance!” He pointed his grulba at Kiwakaazi and his feet caught fire. Kiwakaazi was scared but soon realized this was no ordinary fire. It was cool, soothing and relaxing. He gave in to it. He felt his feet but when he looked down, it had disappeared. The fire climbed up his body. Slowly he burnt and was fading away.

Just before his face faded away, Nuumo Tsuru mentioned, “You have only fifteen days… “For what?” barked Kiwakaazi. “…to complete your mission,” answered the old man calmly. “Why!” yelled Kiwakaazi. Nuumo Tsuru just smiled and said, “May the gods protect you.” Kiwakaazi turned to his mother and said, “Goodbye mother.” Naa Lamle was in tears and whispered, “Return to me, my darling.” Kiwakaazi disappeared. Nuumo Tsuru remarked, “A speck of light shines in the dark. Will it grow and consume the darkness or will it succumb to darkness and die out? The last battle finally begins!”

Nuumo Tsuru later cast a second spell to put to sleep all those who have been poisoned.

So clearly, prior to his journey into the forest Kiwakaazi knew nothing about Nomposuro. He was clueless and weak. But one thing he knew for sure is that many people are counting on his return. And if not many people, at least his mother expects him to return home in one piece. He was surely not going to die inside this godforsaken forest. He looked down and touched the bead necklace around his neck. He played with it for a while and lifted his head.

He shouted to himself, “Move!”

The power of Zuulu (determination and strength) has been awakened! It is time to Move into action!