John Adeseewo
The SUN, the MOON, the STARS
The SUN,
The MOON,The STARS
Novel by John Adeseewo
John Adeseewo
The SUN, the MOON, the STARS
Facts
-This novel is based on a true story.
-The languages spoken in this novel are all authentic.
French, Swahili, Afrikaans,Portuguese,Hausa,Yoruba and Efik.
-The Rademo and Lasunwon ruling family have been the two most
powerful houses in Ikorodu, Lagos State, Nigeria from the time
it was found by Oga. The stool of kingship and kingmakers
attaches to these two families till today.
-Mungiki, the Kenyan mafia or Cosa Nostra exists in reality. The
syndicate is notorious for its perpetration of organized crimes
such as drug cartel, loan sharking, human trafficking and
extortion racketeering since 1980 in Nairobi.
-The eruption of Nyiragongo and Nyamuragira is a replication of
the volcanic eruption of 2002 and 2004 which left over 200,000
people homeless in Kivu, Democratic Republic of Congo.
-The names of some of the characters belong to rebel leaders in
the eastern region of Africa, though description is a mixture of
facts and fictions.
THOMAS OKOT ODHIAMBO
Also known as Two Victor is a senior leader of the Lord’s
Resistance Army, the rebel group in Uganda. The International
Courts issued its first warrant for his arrest in 2005. He is
wanted for mass murder and sexual enslavement after attacking
John Adeseewo
The SUN, the MOON, the STARS
two diplaced person’s camp and ordering that over 300 women and
children be burnt to ashes.
RASKA LUKWIYA
He was the third highest ranking leader of the Lord’s Resistance
Army. He died on august 12, 2006.
MUKENGA SULTANI
Military Chief of the M23 movement in the Democratic Republic of
Congo. He surrendered with hundreds of M23 fighters in Mgahinga
National Park, Uganda. He’s presently being incarcerated in
Kisoro.
-The character of Turaki Abu exists in reality though I took the
liberty of uttering the identity of the character so as to save
him from any humiliation of any sort.
-The Character of Dada Kilani exists in reality.
-The Character of Edet OMaji exists in reality though I
developed some parts of the character for fictional purposes.
-The Character of Ute Sanna is a pure work of fiction.
-Places and descriptions in this novel are real and exact.
-Democratic Republic of Congo
-Kenya
-Namibia
-Nigeria
-Uganda
John Adeseewo
The SUN, the MOON, the STARS
Prologue
ABU TURAKI heard the godly whisper of the monk echo in his ears "The world must see it
Bishop, they must know the truth". He turned to face the three disciples standing before him.
The first; cunning, poisonous
The second; foul, violent
The third; noisy, sly. Turaki gazed at the giant crucifix hanging on the wall and nodded. Things
were not supposed to be like this.
“Strike at first light but kill no one” he commanded
“Yes Bishop” they chorused and knelt before him. The secret is safe now, the truth hidden Abu
Turaki thought. No mortal would ever know.
*
DADA KILANI was rumoured to be gifted with an intellectual capacity of 190 by the gods.
He was a man of integrity. He never lied or stole. He waited his turn on the cue and never asked
for more than he was entitled. However, Dada Kilani never allowed a person escape punishment
for his crimes; for his dirty little secret; be he a subject, noble, priest, landlord or merchant. He
gazed at the chessboard before him and beheld the naked secret dangling before him. The secret
that threatened to change the whole of Africa. Dada made a Berlin Defense, under the style of
the Russian Grandmaster Elmar Magerramov. He weighed the consequence and grinned with a
heavy heart. There and then, he made his decision. He moved a white Pawn to the front of a
deadly black Knight and sat back to watch. Let the game begin.
*
UTE SANNA watched the flames, smoke and blood in horror. Hundreds of thousands of
Nigerians stormed the streets across the country, screaming profanities and cursing.
John Adeseewo
The SUN, the MOON, the STARS
“She is a bloody whore, a heartless murderer, the daughter of the abominable Jezebel!” a bald
Priest incited the mob.
“How can one single woman, fair and comely; slay seven men in one night without a gun, dagger
or Juju” an old man with grey beards growled at the mob. The mob pulled down every poster on
the street bearing her seductive face. They set the billboards displaying her perfect body on fire.
A young woman stomped repeatedly on a poster bearing her face. Another spat on the floor and
cursed angrily. The same public protest and demonstration was going on all over the country. In
Lagos, the residents were cursing in front of the Governor’s office, in Port harcort, the indigenes
were threatening thunder and brimestone. In Bida, the Etsu was pacifying the angry mob who
raged excruciatingly and asked for her to be stoned to death. Journalists were running helter
skelter. CHANNELS, Galaxy TV, the National Television Authority, the African Independent
Television. The whole of Africa was watching.
You fools! You don’t understand Ute cried in her heart, you are all wrong. Nobody heard.
*
EDET OMAJI turned restlessly. He beheld the newspaper his personal valet had handed him
seconds ago and shuddered. The message was clear. The ghosts were coming. The ghost of
Sultani Mukenga, the brutal Congolese General who had watched his own son burn in the black
and scalding volcanic flames of mount Nyamulagira. The ghost of Thomas Odhiambo, the
Ugandan Colonel who had led guerilla soldiers to shoot to dust, nineteen fetuses; all expelled
from the womb and gaping entails of mothers in death agony. The ghost of Simbe Bulega, the
black teethed gambler, and the deadliest ghost of all; Rono Akina, the seductive daughter of Issa
Akina, godfather and Bwana Juu Mabwana of Mungiki, the Kenyan Mafian who nailed a thief to
the wall. The ghostly faces chorused vengefully in different tongues. “Je vais te baiser!"
“Socorro!” “Ebn el shermoota!” "Unatombwa na farasi, basha! Kuma nina!" Edet sipped a
glass of Chardonney. His hands were trembling terribly. The ghosts of East Africa were coming.
Suddenly, his eyes caught a face on the screen before him. It can’t be this simple he thought but
the radical idea continued to possess him. Deus ex machina he thought ironically. The Masters
were about to dance in the battle of wits. Blood would flow. It was for the greater good. He Edet,
never losed.
John Adeseewo
The SUN, the MOON, the STARS
The SUN, the MOON, the STARS
Based on a true story…
John Adeseewo
The SUN, the MOON, the STARS
CHAPTER 1
It should have been a simple execution.
It would become a proverb, an epic tale twisting and turning through intrigue, smoke and mirror.
Poets would write about it, music artist would compose songs on it; novelists would create all
sorts of fictions but none would understand it.
Ahmed Musa, the old and grey haired Chief Warden of the Minna Medium prison in Niger state,
Northwestern Nigeria adjusted his suit and gazed at the clock nervously. It was exactly 9:00am
that cold morning in Minna. Ahmed Musa was a big and tough man from Nupe, the dominant
tribe in Minna. He had been the Chief Warden for twenty three years. Today was his last day, his
final duty. Suddenly, a guard came inside with an elegant bouquet of white lily flower.
“What is this nonsense boy?” Musa growled at the young guard trembling before him
“It’s from the Vice President. It’s a farewell gift for the inmate sir”. Musa snatched the flower
and examined it. There was a farewell note with an inscription attached to it:
“O tempora! O mores!”
“Get me to his cell now!” he barked in fear. Moments later, tons of guards were running to the
cell of the inmate with their rifles drawn.
Outside the tall walls and the 15th century gates of the Minna Medium Prison, thousands of
Nigerians were gathered with placards bearing inscriptions of all sorts. Some placards had
inscriptions such as “Uwaka!”, “Shege!” “Koni da fun e!” “Onye oshi!” other placards bore
inscriptions such as “Death upon you!” “Burn in hell you bastard!” Reporters from BBC, CNN,
African Independent Television, CHANNELS, the National Television Authority and other
media houses reported live from Minna. A local Journalist was reporting live when the angry
John Adeseewo
The SUN, the MOON, the STARS
mob burst her head with a flaming bottle. Other Journalists hid behind the soldiers resisting the
mob, from where they barked and screamed at their Camera men to focus on the raging mob.
Minna was at the center of the action. The whole of Africa was watching.
The Nupe, Mende, Tutsis, Nubians, Ambundu, Bantu, Arabs, Asians, British and other ethnic
groups across the globe were observing and following the proceedings from their workplace,
banks, restaurants and schools live. Wherever there was a television, people sat to watch. Each of
the viewers felt part of a common experience. The execution created a diversity and festive like
atmosphere, one comparable to the Festival of Arts and Culture. Millions of Africans from
different tribes, languages and tongues around the world were screaming into the television
“Kuchoma haramu!” “Gee tweede kans!” “S’il vous plait donner la vie”. Some of the
spectators were watching to see whether the inmate would try to escape or show any remorseful
expression; others were praying that the inmate would escape. Regular television programs had
been interrupted by the execution. Africa alone was going to lose a workforce input running into
billions of Pounds Sterling from workers who stayed glued to the television set that day. The
shared attention gave billions of viewers a vested interest, a sense of participation, a feeling of
being on the inside of a global drama in the making. Years from now, people would tell the story
to their grand children and generations unborn. Poets would write about it; they would tell tales
of tragedy, of starcrossed lovers, of passions and matters of the heart. Politicians would scream
about state conspiracy and yell about political propaganda. The story would become a proverb of
sorrow yet, no single mortal would understand it.
Far away in the Embakasi surburb in Nairobi, Kenya, some Kichwa and Kamanda of Mungiki,
the Kenyan Mafian and Cosa Notstra were toasting around their Bibi wa Bibi. The woman
grinned furiously at the screen. She seductively lifted a baccarat glass of Sazerac whiskey to the
screen and savoured the taste on her tongue. Got you now you bastard.
In the Disciples of Mount Carmel Cathedral in Johannesburg, South Africa, hundreds of nuns
were kneeling and praying in a large dark chamber. Each of them lighted a candle and held a
vigil for the inmate.
“Angels and minsters of grace defend thy servant!”
John Adeseewo
The SUN, the MOON, the STARS
“Holy virgin of virgins pray for us” they chanted endlessly.
Somewhere in Uganda; in a secret military detention camp were the foulest and vilest of men
were tortured, Thomas Okot Odhiambo, a Colonel of the Lord Resistance Army, the rebel group
that had terrorized Uganda for decades, was led before a screen. Both of his legs had been
amputated in unequal lengths. The interrogator clutched a cup of Waragi and gazed at Colonel
Odhiambo in pity. The once powerful warlord had been broken in this hell, this dungeon which
was the mother of all torture. His once powerful eyes were filled with emptiness and
hopelessness. The interrogator turned a screen to Colonel Odhiambo. Thousands were screaming
at an inmate in Nigeria; but it wasn’t the inmate Colonel Odhiambo was grinning at. It was the
man being accused as his accomplice.
“Yes!” Colonel Odhiambo growled and clenched his fist in anger
“Are you sure?” his interrogator asked again
“Yes, I’m sure. He is the one”.
Ahmed Musa walked over to the category A men’s prison.
“Open the gates” he barked to the guard stationed at the gate of the cell. A metallic sound
followed and the corrugated metal gate lifted. Musa gazed at the inmate suspiciously and saw
him sweating nervously. Suddenly, Musa’s eyes beheld a faint inscription on the floor. It was a
poem written in blood. He looked at the bloody fingers of the inmate then turned to look at the
poem. It was written in old Elizabethan English:
Ha! Thou hath fair my lady,
Ha! thou hath fair,
Wouldest thou that we be wed again?
Pray tell, pray tell,
Wouldest thou spit o’er me?
Pray tell, pray tell,
Whence thou hath Juliet, thy servant wouldest be Romeo,
John Adeseewo
The SUN, the MOON, the STARS
Whence thou hath Guinevere, thy servant wouldest be Lancelot,
Whence thou hath Gaia, thy servant wouldest be Gaius,
Wouldest thou that we be wed again my lady?
Pray tell, pray tell.
The old Chief Warden read the poem in confusion. Something wasn’t right.
“It is time” he said. Moments later, Musa Ahmed was walking the inmate with a bundle of
soldiers to the firing squad. The spectators hurled stones and bottles at him as the soldiers
massacred the crowd and kept them under control with their rifles and wooden batons. Just as
they were about to veil the inmate; he turned to Ahmed Musa and whispered with a broken voice
to the old man
“A priest, a godfather, a seductive actress, an honorable man and a politician find themselves
entangled in a war of kings. It is a tricky riddle but who lives and who dies?” he asked.
Ahmed Musa pondered on the riddle in confusion as the executioner strapped the inmate to a
pole. Then it came to him. The story wasn’t complete. He turned to face the inmate again as the
executioner lifted his rifle. That was when it dawned on the old man. This was all wrong. They
had missed something.
John Adeseewo
The SUN, the MOON, the STARS
CHAPTER 2
Dada KILANI
IKORODU, NIGERIA 1991
In the name of Allah,
The compassionate, the merciful,
All praise unto Allah,
Lord of the worlds,
Sovereign of the day of reckoning...
Kilani Dada stared at the vast foreground of his family's empire as the muezzin chanted from a
local masjid nearby late in the evening. He was standing at the balcony of the tower of his family
house with a chess board before him. He made a flanchetto bishop under the complicated style of
the Russian grandmaster Aron Isayevich Nimtsovich. He weighed the consequence of the move
and nodded in pity. Things were not supposed to be this way, he thought. Someone was betraying
him; a servant, a subject, a merchant, a landlord, a noble. Who ever you are, you'll pay he swore.
The family house of the Kilani stood like a monumental piece at the center of Ikorodu, Lagos. It
was the sit of power from which they controlled textile factories, cocoa plantations, oil blocks in
the creeks of the Niger Delta and other companies. The vast compound was surrounded by
extremely tall sand walls. Soldiers were at the gate, searching every single person who stepped
inside the tall sand walls. There was an overwhelming statue at the heart of the compound. The
statue of Oga, the first settler and ancestors of the indigeneous family of Ikorodu of which the
house of Kilani was one. The statue was raising a dane gun with a slain elephant before him. The
John Adeseewo
The SUN, the MOON, the STARS
same statue was carved in the heart, centre of Ikorodu. The height was 60 cubits and the breath
six cubits with an inscription "Ilu kekere oko ilu bantata". On the sand walls of the compound
were murals of the Aroko, symbolic messages. There was a painting of Aare Latosa and the Kiriji
wars. The painting was covered in carnauba wax. The compound was like a private museum
harboring the history of the yoruba people. There was a chronological relief of the yoruba people
fleeing from the fulani Jihad that plagued the whole of west africa in the 19th century. There
were red clay figurines of every Oba of Oko Odu. There was a building which housed cultural
masks all over Africa. The Sande mask, the Baule mask, the Chi war headress of Mali and the
wooden figurines of the Mende women wearing masks. Dada Kilani gazed at the red sun with a
heavy heart that evening. A tragedy was lurking around. No mortal or demon would stand in my
way. I shall sacrifice a thousand heads should the gods require it.
The house of Kilani were respected and greatly feared in Ikorodu and beyond. They were feared
because of their long line of power and affluence. It was rumoured that the house of Kilani was
richer than the Government of Lagos State. However, they were respected because of their
integrity. There was a common proverb in Ikorodu. "The House of Kilani does not lie". Hence,
every heir to the sit of authority of the house of Kilani was groomed and tried in the burden and
pain of honor. When Dada Kilani was born 37 years ago, his father Lagata Kilani, a greatly
feared and respected man had called Abdul, the man who was chosen as Dada's tutor. He sat him
down in dead of the night when it was rumoured that the spirits walked
"Listen to me Abdul, my son would have to learn, I know, that all men are not true
But teach him also that for every scoundrel, there is a hero,
That for every selfish politician, there is a dedicated leader,
Teach him that every penny earned is of more value than five pounds found,
Teach him the secret of quiet laughter,
Teach him the wonder of books but also give him quiet time to ponder the eternal mysteries of
birds in the sky, bees in the sun and flowers on a hillside,
Teach him that it is more honorable to fail than to cheat,
Treat him gently Abdul but do not cuddle him because only the test of fire makes fine steel"
Lagata ranted on till late in the night. So Abdul had taught Dada to have faith in himself, in his
own ideas even when everyone told him he was wrong. He taught him to be gentle with gentle
John Adeseewo
The SUN, the MOON, the STARS
people and tough with the tough. He taught him to listen to all men, to all his subjects and
servants but also to filter what he hears and take only the good. He taught him that it was not for
Kings and rulers to give themselves to wine and women. He thought him to always laugh when
he was sad but also to realize that there is no shame in tears. Dada had learnt under several
tutors. He had learnt to speak French, to speak German. He had learnt the art of the Greeks, the
philosophies of the Romans. He had mastered the shrewd business ethics and strategies of the
Chinese, and meditated on board room wars in a bid to one day sit on top of the conglomerate of
the house of Kilani. Yet, Abdul was his greatest tutor. The old man had taught him mores, had
taught him the ancient landmarks of his ancestors and the secrets of power. Now, Dada was a
man grown of thirty and seven years, watching his father age gracefully and carefully bidding his
time before he ruled one of the most powerful families in Nigeria from their ancient house in
Ikorodu. Lagata was proud of his son, Dada was a bundle of intelligence. He was rumoured to be
gifted with an intelligent quotient of 190 by the gods. During the Biafran Civil war, the Nothern
and Western leaders had called a meeting to break the resistance of the Eastern Nri Igbo ethnic
group. Lagata had argued that they could not win the war with weapons, the Biafran troops
possessed millions and were solvent enough to keep purchasing all sorts of ammunitions to fend
of their attacks. The council had agreed with him yet, they did not know the way forward. Lagata
had discussed the situation with Dada simply to honor the long tradition that the head of the
house of Kilani holds no secret from the son who would succeed him. Yet, Dada had simply
blurted out to him
"Then change the currency of Nigeria". Lagata had stared at his son in utmost wonder. He
advocated the initiative to the Nigerian Government and the currencies was changed. All the
wealth of the opposiing belligerent forces, the Biafran troops became useless in their hands and
worst of all, they could not get access to the new legal tender. It was a perfect checkmate, an idea
that had come from a boy who could hardly be regarded a man grown. Lagata believed like
everyone else that Dada's reign would be great. He was loved, respected and he had the right
mind. Now, one problem, one tragedy threatened all that. The fate of the house of Kilani hung in
the balance. The fate of their survival.
Dada gazed at all the merchants, landlords and politicians who were waiting to see his father
tonight. He would one day rule them. The thought always left him weary and frightened but
John Adeseewo
The SUN, the MOON, the STARS
Abdul had assured him it was a good feeling. His father Lagata was sitted on a huge stool in the
courtyard. There were at least a thousand people in the courtyard, each of them still waiting to
resolve a dispute, for Lagata sat only once a month and his judgment weighed more than that of
the Oba, king and the courts combined. Afterall, even the King regarded his counsel. Senators,
honorables and politicians sought his consent before passing a law. Unto Lagata, merchants,
landlords, chiefs, nobles, sheikhs, cardinals and men of eminence from far and wide, both
Nigeria and beyond gave ears, and waited, and kept silence at his counsel. After his words, they
spoke not again. His counsel dropped upon every bone. Lagata was a tall lean man with a long
face and a sharp set of eyes that rescinded. He had a hoarse voice that sounded like a godly
whisper. He believed that a good leader was one who knew how to use the balance of good and
evil to compel obedience. Dada watched as a man in turban knelt before his father in the
courtyard. The man was Alhaji Koko, the employer of over 1,000 employees in Lagos. He had
recently disparaged the name of Lagata on National Television.
"Koko, I allowed you a monopoly on the textile market in Ikeja, all I asked in return was
allegiance". The man kneeling fidgeted. Lagata had a eyes that could see inside of you, it could
tell how weak, worthless and ugly you were deep down. When he gazed at you, you knew that he
knew your secrets.
"I'm sorry Baba" Alhaji Koko fidgeted
"I like long walks Koko, especially when they are taken by traitors"
"Please Baba I don't want to take a long walk"
"Shettima!" Lagata barked and a Colonel in full military regalia stepped forward and saluted.
The Colonel had a bushy eyebrow and a feminine voice
"See to it that Koko here takes a long walk"
"Please Baba, I've a wife and four children" Koko begged as he was dragged away. Dada knew
he would never be found and no one would be stupid enough to ask questions. Abdul had taught
him
"One day you would rule this house my lord. Know young lord, let it burn in your heart that a
good leader is one who appears to be good but one who is feared by his close subject for there
are nobles among your subjects who would only respond to fear. Yet, you must always use your
conscience as a compass to deal with the tough with a heavy hand but also to be lenient with the
weak and loyal". Another man stepped into the courtyard and knelt
John Adeseewo
The SUN, the MOON, the STARS
"General Ibrahim"
"Greetings Baba"
"You wrong me Ibrahim, you wrong humanity and the Fulbe, Fulani tribesmen who migrated
from Cameroon whom I'm sworn to protect. I gave the Fulbe Chief my word that his people
would be protected. I collected tributes and payments from him for my oath. Now, I asked you to
protect the Fulbe tribesmen in Mushin, to save them from the hands of unrepenting tribal
extremists, yet I hear that over hundred Fulbe tribesmen were massacred, shot to death in Mushin
yesterday"
"Baba, we were out numbered. The ranks of the tribalists are growing; they don't want the Fulbe
in the west. The situation is worse because the nomadic Fulani in the north are actually paying
the tribalists to kill the Fulbe tribesmen so that they can maintain the monopoly on the cattle
market in the country"
"Yet you stand before me living and breathing. I asked you when I gave you this job whether you
could protect the Fulbe tribesmen in Mushin. I told you the government of Shehu Shagari could
not protect them, not under this corrupt infested and nepotic administration. You said to me in
your own words, "give me a child before seven Baba, and I'll make of him a saint or devil for my
cause". I didn't give you children Ibrahim, I gave you soldiers, soldiers that are paid to die saving
civilians yet, the civilians are dead and the soldiers yet live. Ibrahim, you would go back and take
control of the underground operations of Mushin. You would break the ranks of whatever
extortion racket or tribal movement that seeks to gain grounds in my state. Abdul would see to it
that you have anything you need, don't fail again Ibrahim" he cautioned
"Yes Baba". As General Ibrahim stood to leave, Lagata said
"Never forget Ibrahim; in the war of wits, it's soldiers who die not civilians". A man in his forties
wearing a cap knelt in the courtyard
"Who is this that kneels before me?"
"Mallam Issouf Yadakpa, first child of Oumar Yadakpa" the man said
"You look like my god son's horse" Lagata said and everyone roared in laughter
"I'm sorry Baba" the nervous man said
"The gods are cruel to have taken your father from us, yet I wonder how Oumar in his wisdom or
lack of it, made you heir to the house of Yadakpa". Mallam Issouf began to sweat profurously
John Adeseewo
The SUN, the MOON, the STARS
"You Issouf have wronged me. A wrong which sacrifices cannot appease. You do not bring me
tributes, you do not worship me with obesiance. You do not venerate me with the fats of your
cattle, nor your produce of sugar from your sugar cane farm. You do not praise me with oil or
palm kernel as homage from the house of Yadakpa. Now you come before me to burden me with
your iniquities and make me weary with your sins"
"Ema binu baba" Mallam Issouf said in a funny yoruba dialect and fell postrate on the floor
"Issouf, you misunderstand me. I do not want you to appease me with cattles, sugar and oil. I
simply want you to want to honor me of your own accord, to put me in rememberance. I want
you to bow to me on the streets, to invite me to feasts in your home, to honor me with my
rightful share of your farm produce. I want to you to make me godfather to your children, for you
and your father's house to call me Baba and Aboki. That we might sit together as friends and
plead our cause one with another. I'm a good man Issouf, a forgiving man. Legends of my
charity spread to the Igala in Kogi state, to the Shuwa Arab in Borno. It extends past the river
Nile to the saharan desert. The sheikhs in north africa sing about my benevolence. The griots and
soothsayers compose proverbs in my name; the tutsis of Rwanda call me Imaana, the drums of
Nakem in Mali echo my greatness. I'm a forgiving man Issouf, that's why I've forgotten your
transgressions. Now rise a man and see your troubles solved".
Dada beheld the power his father wielded and moved a Knight forward, making a strategic open
gambit on the chess board yet, his heart was in turbulence. He had been married for ten years
now and his wife Olabisi was yet to birth a child. His problem was further compounded by the
fact that the new Oba, king of Ikorodu had just been coronated. The next Oba was supposed to
come from the Lasunwon ruling family from the house of Kilani. There was just one problem.
The new Oba was a year older than Dada. By the time he was old and dead, his own father
Lagata would be long dead. He Dada would be either dead or too old to rule. The heir from the
house of Kilani had to be his son and he had none. Each time he walked past the fore ground of
the edifice, he saw the look of anticipation in the eyes of his subjects, servants and relatives. He
was the only son of Lagata, the only son with six sisters. His father had not said anything but he
could see the ambition in his father’s eyes to have a grandson that would ascend the ancient
throne of Ikorodu, after the order of Salako the Great. Dada knew that they didn't need the
power, they already had it. His father was more powerful than the Oba and Governor combined
John Adeseewo
The SUN, the MOON, the STARS
but his father wanted the honor of his house sitting on the ancient throne of his homeland, a
honor which the Orisas, gods and Olisas, cult of kingmakers bestowed upon a house from the
ruling family once in a millenium. The last bloodline of the house of Kilani that had sat on the
ancient throne was Salako the Great. His statue was erected at the anti room before one stepped
into the largest chamber in the house of Kilani. Every member of the household of Kilani kept
anticipating the birth of a boy king. Then nine months ago, his wife Olabisi had become
pregnant. Now that the time of joy was nigh, the doctors were speaking about certain
complications. Every member of the house of Lasunwon were waiting, holding their breath,
awaiting the birth of the one who would continue the royal lineage of the house of Kilani. His
father Lagata was waiting, the house of Amoko, Oladapo, Sekunmade, Osonusi and even the
Rademo ruling family were also watching. The Olisa, kingmakers were watching. The house of
Rebugbawa, the house of Lapele, the house of Kamoju Olowoto watched in silence, all awaiting
the eventual outcome. His wife Olabisi had long been confined to a chamber for proper
medication and for her own protection. There were many who did not want the baby to come to
term and thousands who would die before they let that happen. Most were afraid that should the
house of Kilani sit the throne; they would never leave. Afterall, what is honor compared to
pleasure, or the warmth embrace of a loved one. Honor is smoke and dust even for a family like
the house of Kilani. Dada Kilani didn't care about the throne, all he wanted was a child; the
gender did not matter to him, neither did the throne. He gazed at the yellow moon again and
longed for the touch of Olabisi, his wife. My child would come to term. I would kill for it. I swear
it he thought and braced up for the ritual that was about to take place later that night. Tonight
would be long.
CHAPTER 3
Turaki ABU
KANO, NIGERIA
Tsa mina mina, eh eh,
John Adeseewo
The SUN, the MOON, the STARS
Waka waka eh, eh,
Tsa mina mina zangalewa,
Ana wah ah ah...
A local band sang aloud the 1949 Makossa classics of the Cameroonian band, Golden sound; the
song had been made popular by the Nigerian Army during the Biafrian Civil war. They sang
happily with local tambourines in the open Kurmi market in Kano State. Assibi Abu, a young
girl with an enchanting smile from the Fulani tribe throbbed to the beats of the hoddu, a skin
covered flute, the riiti and traditional drums like one possessed with a million demons.
Zambo eh eh,
Zambo eh eh,
The drummers and troubadours of Sabon gari shouted and accelerated the tempo of the drums in
rhythimic cadence. A small crowd of women in hijab and purdah who were returning from the
hectic day work, began to gather that evening. Old men watched with smiles on their wrinkled
faces as Assibi throbbed with so much energy and brilliance. She was a spectacle, a work of art.
The drummers intensified their beat as sweat dropped from their faces.
Jango eh eh,
Jango eh eh...
Assibi danced the bori, the spectacular but complicated hausa spirit possession dance. She
blended it with a slow serpentine dance, letting her steps flow with soft cadence to the pulse of
the drums then quickly switched to the Yaake dance with profound brilliance like a goddess of
dance. The crowd began to applaud. Fifty Kobo coins and One Naira coins found their way into
the hula, cap of the drummers and troubadours. The coins were the lowest denominations of the
Nigerian currency. The civil war and consistent miltary coup had devasted the economy and oil
boom of the Nigerian oil sector. Resources were relatively scarce. Suddenly, some soldiers
patroling the area heard the noise. They drove down with their rifles drawn. The leader of the
John Adeseewo
The SUN, the MOON, the STARS
Government soldiers, a man wearing green beret on a thick khaki uniform jumped down from the
van with his boots. He walked straight to the head of the local band.
"Where is it?"
"Ban gane ba" the head of the band replied. The soldier pulled out a pistol and levelled it on his
head
"I would not ask two times, where is it?" The band leader faced his comrades. They all nodded to
him. He removed the hula, cap from his drum and handed the coins to the soldier.
"Where is the rest?"
"That is all". The soldier pulled back the hammer of the gun
"Don Allah aboki, I swear, that is all" he begged
"Last chance me is giving you" the soldier growled in a guttural voice and pressed the gun to his
forehead
"Sannu barka!" The band leader yelled in fright. The soldier fired into the air. He and the other
soldiers burst into laughter.
"Me know that you are say truth, that you not dare lie to me" he said and patted the band leader
on his back, entered the vehicle and drove off. Corruption was arrogant and blatant in Nigeria.
Though President Shehu Shagari had succeeded in ushering a democratic government, his
administration was laden with corruption.
Assibi was trembling in a corner when she turned to see her father Turaki Abu.
"Baba" she exclaimed and ran to hug him. He lifted her and threw her into the air several times
then said
"You are going to be famous someday Assibi but if you keep sneaking away each time we come
to the market, your Mama and I would never get the chance to see you famous. Kano is
dangerous now" he said with a tone of seriousness. She smiled with bright white teeths . Turaki
would have kept venting and spitting fury on a normal day but today was their last day in Kano.
He decided to allow her to enjoy herself. I would miss this place and it's people Turaki thought
as a brief tear clouded in his eyes. I shall return a king someday.
Turaki Abu watched his daughter's enchanting smile and found himself smiling too. Assibi had
been a blessing to him and Jumai. She had the fair Fulani skin and beauty of her mother and his
John Adeseewo
The SUN, the MOON, the STARS
own hausa stubborness. Everyone knew that his daughter wanted to be a Music artiste. She
dazzled the young with the songs and dances of Funmi Adams and Onyeka Onwenu's One Love
and baffled the old with traditional ritualistic dances. Turaki wondered how his daughter had
become like this. He was a conservative Priest while his wife Jumai was a business minded
Economist yet, Assibi was tending towards the extravagant and flamboyant life. Now, each time
they came to the market, she had a knack for always disappearing. It wasn't difficult to find her
though, one simply had to look for the closest music band.
"Baba, Abubakar said he would marry me" Assibi said
"Who is Abubakar?"
"Abubakar, the son of Sheikh Aminu"
"You are five years old" he said intentionally
"Six!" She barked, giving him an angry look
"Six? You are already an adult" he said and she beamed with satisfaction.
"So, he said he would tell his father to prepare for the bethrotal"
"Did you tell him you are moving to Lagos permanently tomorrow evening?"
"A’a, and he made all kind of promises. He promised to seek me out in Lagos and that our love
would be like that of Princess Hadejia and Bayajidda, the hero who in hausa mythology slew
Darki, the ancinet snake of Daura with a knife forged by the blacksmith. He told me he would
build for me, a house bigger than the Gidan Kumfa. That he would become great and adorn
himself with the purple robe and ride on a brown stallion side by side with the Emir during the
Durbar Festival. He promised that he would slaughter a thousand cows every Ramadan festival.
That he would marry ten wives with me as his first. He swore to me that his gates would be a
refuge for the poor to kneel and beg for alms. That I would sit with him in the front of the
Makama Mosque, all clad in purdah while men would be tortured by the imagination of the
beauty that lay beneath my veil"
"So what was your reply?" Turaki asked
"I told him I intended being a nun" she said and Turaki burst into laughter. "Don't listen to the
empty promises of Abubakar". Suddenly they walked through the broken dye pits and were
greeted by the offensive ordor oozing from the black waters of the Jankara stream. Turaki
spotted Jumai across bargaining with some old women. She was wearing a tightly fitted gown
that hugged her body and actuated her curves. His eyes fell on her hips and he was filled with
John Adeseewo
The SUN, the MOON, the STARS
vain desires. The other side of the Kurmi market was filled with traders hawking suger cane and
tomatoes. A group of soldiers were slapping the buttocks of all the maids who moved to and fro
with fresh milk. The scents of fresh fruits saturated the dusty ground. A groundnut maid was
fighting a soldier who had eaten her wares and refused to pay. His comrades were roaring in
laughter from a military van nearby. Suddenly, Jumai surfaced and barked angrilly
"So where did you find her this time?"
"In a pot of Tuwo shinkafa" he replied but she, Jumai didn't smile. Turaki became aware of
people staring at Jumai. She had this cuteness that enchanted people. Many who saw her where
shocked whenever she introduced him as her husband. No one who beheld Jumai and her
captivating fair skin would ever believe that she would marry a person who dressed so
conservatively like him. The same effect appeared on people's face when he introduced Jumai as
his wife with the exception of course that people tended to respect him and behold him
differently when they met Jumai. Many wondered why a beautiful woman like Jumai had settled
for a struggling Priest when any Politician, noble or General would kill to have her but few knew
the story. Even after what he had done, Jumai's father had reluctantly given Jumai's hand to him.
Turaki understood that her father had been inhibited by religious and tribal obstacles and in
Nigeria, those two things meant a lot. Most parents of a tribe were wary of other tribes.
"Baba, I want to eat Suya" Assibi said as she saw a vendor deeping the Suya, a dried pepperish
kind of meat in tomato sauce.
"We can't afford it" Jumai replied flatly
"Ehn ehn, and I'm not supposed to listen to the promises of Abubakar" Assibi said
"You've finally told your Baba about Abubakar?" Jumai said
"Wait, you already know about Abubakar?" Turaki said and he watched the two women he loved
most burst into a conspiratory laughter.
"I'm going to eat you both" he barked and they both began to run. He caught Assibi and jerked
on his left shoulder
"Ha! Run Mama" Assibi barked and Jumai ran. He chased her and caught up with her too. He
tickled her and she giggled in loud laughter. He jerked her on his right shoulder
"I'm going to eat both of you. Raaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!" he exclaimed and they both laughed
hysterically. He dropped them back on the sandy floor and watched the smile ebb from Jumai's
face.
John Adeseewo
The SUN, the MOON, the STARS
"I know that look, it's been on your face all day"
"What look?" Jumai asked
"You don't want to go to Lagos"
"Of course I don't. Look at us Abu, we are happy and contented. Lagos is the city of Politics,
godfathers, cabals, greed and lust"
"I told you what I saw" he insisted
"I love this place. My family and people are here; I don't want to leave"
"Neither do I but you know what I saw" he said and kissed her forehead, then placed a delicate
kiss on her lips"
"Should you be doing that in my presence?" Assibi asked and they both laughed as Turaki swept
her into the air. Assibi seemed to be the only one excited about the prospect of going to Lagos.
She wanted to be closer to the Celebrities and Superstars of Nollywood.
"This is Lagos Abu, are you sure?"
"I am, Assaida" he called her fondly
"Swear to me that nothing would happen to us" Jumai asked with fear in her eyes
"Nothing would happen to this family" he assured her.
The angels were turning restlessly.
CHAPTER 4
Dada KILANI
Dada Kilani stood with Abdul, the most loyal subject of the house of Kilani. Abdul was always
clad in a turban like the Sultan of Sokoto. He was the only servant privy to the dangerous secrets
of the house of Kilani. He presently stood with Dada at the Orita meta, Onigun meta, the altar of
the god, Esu which was signified by any junction were three pathways meet. Dada wasn't a
religious person but the last ten years had changed his perspective. His religious belief had
changed after one of his uncles, an Olotu, had suggested that the barreness of Olabisi had been
caused by relatives of the house of Kilani who were disgruntled with his marriage with Olabisi.
John Adeseewo
The SUN, the MOON, the STARS
The house of Kilani had a long history of marrying only from the indigenous family in Ikorodu.
Dada had Folake, a beautiful ebony lady from the house of Arogundade, in the family of
Lasunwon bethrothed to him but everything changed when Dada had proposed to Olabisi.
Olabisi was neither from the two ruling house nor was she from the family of kingmakers nor
was she a noble or indigene of any sorts. Her father was simply a foreigner who had settled in
Ikorodu. Many family members challenged the union on the ground that the heir of Dada would
be contaminated with foreign blood, a violation of the pure descent. Dada threw caution into the
wind and Lagata supported him. He refused Dada nothing. Even Folake, the noble wife bethroted
to him had refused the bethrotal. She had told her father
"I can't marry a man who does not love me". When Dada heard, he had saluted her courage and
that had been the beginning of a friendship between him and the woman he should have married.
Both families could not force a union between two unwilling adults. The friendship between him
and Folake thrived and many hoped that he would take her as a second wife but Dada simply
loved Folake for her intelligence and bluntness besides, Folake was a feminist; there was no way
she would settle for being the second wife of any man. Now, at age 34, Folake was a successful
lawyer but she had never gotten married much to the bitterness of her parents who felt her beauty
and success intimidated suitors. Folake simply felt any man that felt intimidated by her success
probably didn't deserve her. After Dada's marriage of five years had refused to yield an issue, his
father's younger brother had accused some relatives of attacking Olabisi spiritually and shutting
her womb. They denied it vehemently and Lagata believed them. He did not believe for one
second that any member of his household would dare betray him yet, as the years spanned, the
paranoia and inquisition increased and the witch hunt which led to the death of many members of
the house of Kilani changed nothing. Eventually, Lagata was convinced the attack was from the
Rademo ruling house. Olabisi was sent to Osogbo. She drank from the medicinal waters of Osun,
the goddess of fertility but nothing happened. She venerated Oya, the goddess of wind and
tempest whose skirt whirls like tornado when she dances, who breathes hurricane but nothing
happened. She plaited the hairstyle Suku, in veneration of Sango and drank all sorts of herbs but
nothing changed. Then nine months ago, a miracle happened. Olabisi conceived. Four months
into the pregnancy, the doctors diagnosed her with preclampsia, a condition that prevented her
from carrying the baby to term. They warned her she could die or lose the baby but Olabisi
would not listen. Then last month, a month before the month of birth, Olabisi suffered a temporal
John Adeseewo
The SUN, the MOON, the STARS
stroke. The doctors called this a warning and begged Olabisi to terminate the baby but she
refused. Dada was advised to convince his wife but even he could not bring himself to speak to
her. For the first time, he became convinced that there was a spiritual plot against him. He
became a devout believer in polytheism. Dada found himself carrying Ebo, sacrifices to the gods
in the dead of the night to appease them. During the day, he went to church and prayed to the
Christian God. He gave heavily to the Church and attended vigils. He bore the embarrassment as
Priests rained holy slaps on his head in the name of prophetic declarations. At dawn, he headed
to the Mosque. He chanted the "Allahu Akbar" hundred times daily and did whatever act
gruesome or otherwise that the Imam commanded. He prayed five times daily, not missing a
single day in the last one month. Whatever the case, a god had to hear his plea and intervene.
Dada had spent the last one month in Churches, Mosques and Shrines. He had lost weight as a
result of lack of food. He gave himself to prayer to the three gods. At least, one would be
inclined to hear him. Now, he was standing at the altar of Esu, the divine trickster, the disguise
artist and shape shifter who in African Traditional religion was regarded as the messanger of
Olodumare, the supreme god. Esu to the traditionalist was different from Satan; a misconception
painted by the late Bishop Samuel Ajayi Crowther. He was going to invoke Esu to strike with
vengeance all those conspiring against his wife. Esu, the god of mischief who visited punishment
on the recalcitrant. Esu who slaughtered without mercy down to seven generations. Abdul
handed him the adie dudu, black hen's egg. They were alone at the center of the three mouthed
pathways. The chirping of crickets did little to ease the tension rising within him. Dada whistled
three times to the right and the left. He shouted "Apeje!" Thrice then barked
"Ti aba ponso, imale aji" while holding his left hand in the boxer's form and using his right palm
to beat the top of his left hand three times. Then he began to chant incantations on the black egg.
Lagemo Orun Ooooooooooooooooo! Alaakalu! Elegbara!
Elekun n sunkun, Esu n sun eje
Esu is shedding blood when the owner of the problem is shedding tears
Onigbowa aye
The one who controls life
John Adeseewo
The SUN, the MOON, the STARS
Alara na ode Orun
The medium of heaven and earth
Eni mo o ko, eni ko, o o mo
He who knows him never meets him and he who meets him does not know him
Ogba iwaju wole, onile gba eyin jade
He came through the front door and the house owner ran out through the back door.
He smashed the egg on the pathway and condemned all the enemies who stood against his
unborn child to death by the hands of Esu.
When he and Abdul returned home, they learnt the baby had kicked and Olabisi had been rushed
to the hospital.
Every relative was present. His father Lagata, his sisters, his uncles and aunties. They waited one
hour but there was no news. Two, and they heard nothing. Three, and the nurses kept going and
coming. The moment of waiting almost killed Dada. He was trembling terribly but he was not
the only one. So was his father. Dada had never seen his father tremble that much before. He
realized that his father wanted an heir to the throne of Ikorodu, their ancient homeland more than
anything and for the first time, all his father's powers and influence could not save his wife. By
dawn, members from the house of Aroko, Oladepo, Sekumade and Osonusi had heard the news
and had joined them. All awaiting the birth of the child, king. By the time the sun had risen, the
Olisa, the cult of king makers were present in the hospital. They poured out in score. The
household of Rebugbawa, the household of Lapele, the household of Kamoju Olowoto. Outside
the hospital, the news kept spreading across the streets of Ikorodu. The news of the birth of a
king from the powerful house of Kilani. People clad in Agbada, Buba and Iro, types of native
clothings were gathering. They came with the Gangan, talking drum, with the Bata, the three
headed drum belonging to the raging god Sango; with Sekere, the beaded native tambourine.
Everyone in the hospital knew that a King was about to be born. Merchants, landlords, chiefs,
nobles and indegenous houses all came to pay homage, each seeking to establish their loyalty
John Adeseewo
The SUN, the MOON, the STARS
and support of the birth of the child who would reign. Each seeking to outdo the other as the first
to pay homage; all in a laughable attempt to score cheap favors. Dada clenched his fist and
waited. At a point, he thought he was going to die from anxiety. Late in the evening, just as the
red sun began to set, the Doctor suddenly approached. Everyone spontaneously gathered around
him, almost choking him to death. Dada realized that he was holding his breath
"I'm sorry, we lost the baby". Dada opened his mouth to speak but nothing came out. He stood
petrified in naked terror
"And my daughter in law?" Lagata asked; his face ghost pale
"I'm sorry" the Doctor said again. Everyone turned to face Dada. He was urinating on his body.
CHAPTER 5
Edet OMAJI
CALABAR, NIGERIA
"You pervert! You infidel!" His mother screamed on his father. She struggled to scratch his face
and peel of his skin but he restrained her with his hands. He knew something had been wrong but
he never knew it had gotten this bad. It seemed to him that all his mother wanted to do these days
was to kill his father.
"Edet!" His father suddenly called at him "come out from under that table now!" He slowly
crawled out from his hiding place. The evening was dark and the atmosphere tense. He could tell
that something devastating was about to take place. His father told him to go and put on the
hurricane lantern while his mother hissed and muttered profanities. He could hear his father
begging and trying to convince his mother about something but she wouldn't listen. Eventually,
his father came to meet him at the backyard and stretched the Okpompom, a long piece of
clothing worn around the neck by the Efiks.
"Da" his father says in the annang dialect
"Nso itibe? What is going on?"
John Adeseewo
The SUN, the MOON, the STARS
"Ekpri eyen, I'm going somewhere" his father replied but he knew something was wrong. His
father was a soldier and had always been called for missions at odd hours but this was different.
Edet wasn't too young to notice his father's absence during the Biafran war and the successive
military coups that followed. Now that there was a democratic regime under Shehu Shagari, his
father was fighting with the Nigerian forces against the Cameroonian forces over the much
disputed Bakassi penninsula. Yet, he was sure something was amiss.
"Edi sim ini ewe?" He asked
"I don't know when I'll be back" his father replies. "Take care of your mother Edet" his father
said and lifted a big bag. He began to wail.
"Please Papa, take me with you" he begged desperately
"I can't Edet" his father said, hugged him and barked
"You are Edet Omaji, my only son, it is not meet for you to shed tears. Now clean your eyes".
His father stood to leave then gave one final glance at the slum in which they lived. Edet was
crying profurously. His father simply walked out without looking back.
The next morning, he was sweeping the floor with a short broom when his mother passed by
"Mesiere" he greeted but she just ignored him and walked out of the house. He finished his
chores and waited from morning till the dead of the night for her to return but she didn't. The
next morning, he woke fatigued and hungry. He suddenly heard a creaking at the bamboo door
and ran outside to look out the streets, to see whether she was coming. She was nowhere in sight.
He kept checking every five minutes. Within the first six hours of that morning, he had gone
enough times to win a medal. Eventually, his stomach began to ache, his legs began to tremble.
He was beginning to feel dizzy and a strong wave of headache kept hitting him. He went back to
the backyard again to check whether there was food; there was nothing but onions in the kitchen.
He kept checking the kitchen, hoping that someone or something might have brought food
between the interval he left but that never happened. Suddenly, the ache in his stomach and head
became sharper. He immediately entered the backyard and finished the four big onions in the
basket. He ate it raw, onions had never tasted better. It gave him ease for about two hours and
then the aches returned, more stupefying than ever. He began to ransack the whole house for
food. He searched wardropes, clothes and corners for any consumption or money, and when he
found none, he sat again for about five minutes, but as the hunger hit him hard, he began
John Adeseewo
The SUN, the MOON, the STARS
searching the bathroom, shoes, books and the water pot for food. His breathing became whizzy.
His mother came back home in the afternoon. She just walked into the house, changed her
clothes and walked out. She didn't ask what he had eaten and he was only nine years old. He
burst into tears. He cried and cried until his eyes were sore. He wept until he slept off. Late in the
evening, he heard a knock on the door. He opened his swollen eyes but was too weak to stand.
The knocking continued and eventually, Madame Ekanem, one of the neighbors of the slums
pushed the door opened. She gaped in horror as she saw him sprawled on the floor like a dead
person. She moved closer and found he was running temperature. She immediately took him to
her shack and nursed him. His mother came to pick him up the next morning and kept quiet as
Madame Ekanem scolded her to a pulp. When they got home, she looked at him and said
"The next time you eat in another person's house, I swear to God, I'll kill you". She went to bed
without preparing anything. He was woken that night by cries of agony and an outpour of deep
emotion. The sound was capaoble of making the cruelest of men cry. He moved closer and found
his mother crying her heart out. She was pain. He didn't know when he began to cry and when
his mother saw, she pulled him closer and they both cried together until he slept. The next
morning, he woke up and found out that his mother had left again. He began to cry. She came
back four hours later, drunk to stupor. He watched her blab about how lazy and foolish his father
was. As the days turned to weeks, his mother started drinking at home and the bottles increased
weekly. She began to borrow to drink then later, she began to drink on credit facilities. By the
end of the month, she had become a habitual drunkard. When school resumed, she didn't pay his
tuition fees and even stopped him from going. She also prevented him from going out in the
evenings to join the other children of the slums in the Ekombi cultural dance and the Maobong
Oku dance. After a while, she stopped him from going out at all.
One day, his mother went out as usual and he snuck into Madame Ekanem's compound to feed
but she wasn't around. He entered the bush to find some palm kernel nuts. As he was searching,
he saw some of his friends about to play football in the distance. They had set four stones aside
to play. He suddenly forgot about his hunger and ran to join them. Suddenly, one Ekpenyong, the
only son of Chief Okon Nsabe, the head of the slums held the ball and said no one is playing his
ball unless Edet left the field. Edet stood shocked. He had thought he and Ekpenyong were
friends. He had always done Ekpenyong's assignment when he was still going to school and
John Adeseewo
The SUN, the MOON, the STARS
Ekpenyong had always appreciated him with fried rice, plaintain porridge or the native delicacy
made from dog meat. In the end, all the boys told him to leave and as he turned to leave, he said
to Ekpenyong
"Go and die with your ball"
"Tell your whore of a mother who sleeps around like a cursed dog to die first" Ekpenyong
replied. The curses annoyed him but he mastered it, afterall, his father had warned him never to
fight in public.
"My Mama is not a whore" he said
"Yes she is. She's been trying to sleep with my dog for a plate of tomato pottage an..."
Ekpenyong didn't get to finish. Edet pounded him into the earth. The other boys tried to restrain
him in vain. He pounded and pounded and pounded until the whole of his fist was stained with
blood. Then he went back home.
Later that evening, Chief Okon stormed the slums with his thugs. Edet's mother ran out to meet
the Chief who slapped her four times and insulted her. He watched in fury as his mother took all
the insults without uttering a word. Eventually Chief Okon got the men to lie him down while
Ekpenyong whipped his back sore. Ekpenyong ripped his back with the whip until his clothes
were soaked with blood and his mother was made to thank the Chief afterwards for his
chastisement. When they left, he lay on the floor, not wanting to stand up. Suddenly his mother
barked
"If you don't stand up before I count to three, they will carry your body from the floor". She
began slapping him
"You stupid boy, you small fool! I warned you not to go outside" she yelled and when he gazed
at her face, she was crying.
"I'm sorry Mama, he was insulting you" he said with tears in his eyes. His mother suddenly
stopped. She hugged him and they both wept together. By the time he woke up the next morning,
his mother was drunk again. When he became thirteen, he began having sexual cravings. It was
only a matter of time before he began to masturbate with mental pictures of slim women with
feminine curves and large breasts. His mother once caught him stroking his genitals and making
erotic grunts as his body jerked like an old man having a spasm. She beat him until he went into
shock.
John Adeseewo
The SUN, the MOON, the STARS
His mother continued to drink and ignore him for years and shortly after he clocked thirteen, she
came home with a hairy man with thick beards. The man carried her into the bedroom in his
arms and she giggled. He couldn't remember the last time he had heard her giggle. He heard lot
of laughter in the room. The next morning, his mother woke up with smiles and even cooked him
Afang soup and garri, cassava grain. He didn't know what the hairy man had done but he thanked
him all the same. His mother went out that afternoon with the hairy man and returned later with a
black eye.
"That bastard! That ingrate!" She cursed "that fool!" She raged and suddenly looked at him as if
seeing him for the first time. "You devilish rat, what are you looking at?" She yelled, pulled out
big stick and beat him silly. The more he wailed, the more she beat him. The next morning, he
was awoken by a fatal blow to his left eye. He woke up and realized his mother had struck him
with the buckle head of a belt.
"You lazy rat! Sleeping at this time when your mates are already selling wares in the market".
She struck him again and again and again until he was bleeding profurously from the deep cut in
his head. When she saw the blood, she stopped and stormed out of the house. He sat on his mat
and cried his heart out; he cried until his grieved heart was empty. He heard children giggling in
the distance. Depression and lonliness began to take its toll and he cried passionately. He shed
horrific tears which shook the whole of his body like a tremor. His mother returned again with a
renewed black eyes. She saw him still sitting where she had beaten him.
"You stubborn dog!" She screamed in fury
"Get up now!" She barked but he refused. She did not ask again. She picked the coal iron and he
screamed in terror as she jammed the iron across his face. A blow tore his head and drew blood.
Another struck his jaw and he fell face flat to the floor. She kept battering his head as the mat
soaked his blood
"You harlot! You good for nothing whore" she yelled but he could hear another person's voice
undertone. The voice was guttural, masculine and monstrous. His mother seemed to be imitating
a beast. She kept pounding him until she struck and broke his ribs. He let out a deep cry of agony
but she continued like someone possessed with a raging demon. She pounded on and on and on
and on. He took the pain in silence, like a docile horse. He was too tired to scream, too weary to
struggle. He just wimped and winced as each blow descended without pattern. Eventually, when
John Adeseewo
The SUN, the MOON, the STARS
his body couldn't take it again, he fainted. He knew his face must have been messed up because
when he woke up on his blood stained mat, he saw a look of sorrow on his mother's face.
Immediately she saw that he was awake, the devilish grin returned. He felt excruciating pain at
the rib cage. He began to cry but surprisingly, his mother let him be.
That night, his father returned home
"Edet! Afo odu nmon?" He called with a smile. He was too weak to reply. He came into the dark
room and called from the door "Idemfo!" Edet didn't reply still
"Enem mi esut ndikut fi" he said. When Edet still failed to reply, his mother told his father that he
was now wayward and disrespectful. He had even beat Chief Okon's son till the boy was bed
ridden. His was presently angry because she had chastised him for associating with rogues and
vagabonds
"Get up now! And help your mother prepare dinner" his father barked in anger and stormed out
of the house. He had taught him better, never to fight in public. He wanted to explain to his
father, God knows he wanted to explain but his mother was still in the house. He didn't; couldn't
stand up to help his mother and naturally, she did not complain. He managed to get himself to the
dining table to eat. As he sat on the stool to eat, the pain from his ribs surged through his vein.
He tried to make his father notice the brutal cuts and dried clotted blood on his head. His father
didn't. The room was dimly lit. He adjusted his head towards the hurricane lantern but his father
still didn't notice. Throughout dinner, his parents chatted like the good old days then his father
said
"Edet, you should be in bed now"
"He would after he has washed the dishes" his mother replied and led his father to her room. He
was left alone on the stool, unable to get up because of the pain, unable to turn or adjust. He sat
with a mind filled with grief. The only audible sound in the room was ticking of the clock.
Suddenly he made to stand but felt a sharp spontaneous pain at his side and fell with his broken
rib to the floor. He sreamed in horror but nobody heard. He lay down there, unable to move,
unable to speak. He began to feel pressed but couldn't get up. The more his bladder filled, the
more pain he felt. He held his bladder till the middle of the night. By dawn, his bladder had
almost burst. He couldn't hold it again. He let out his bladder. He succoured in the knowlege that
when his father sees the cut the next morning, all these would end.
John Adeseewo
The SUN, the MOON, the STARS
The next morning, he was awoken by a fight between his parents. They were accusing each other
of something, but his aching ribs would not allow him hear. Suddenly, his mother saw him lying
on the floor
"Will you get up before I break your head" she growled. He tried to stand, before God and man
he did, but the pain was too great. She moved closer and smelt urine
"You bastard!" She barked and kicked him. He screamed in naked terror
"Nso itibe?" His father growled furiously at his mother but she kept delivering the blows to his
face
"I said stop!" His father shouted in anger but just stood at the door, watching in shock and shame
as she pounded him to death. That was the most painful moment in his life. He would never
forgive, he would never forget. It was the moment he realized his father, his hero, protector and
last hope was afraid of his mother. His childish mind could not understand how a trained soldier
could fear a woman. It was beneath him. He realized his father had seen the injuries and blood on
his face the night before but had preferred to live in denial. He just stared into space as he was
beaten into a lump of blood.
His father was standing beside him in the hospital when he woke up. The doctor walked up to
him and said with a friendly tone
"You'll be fine but I must tell you that your survival is a miracle. Just make sure you watch the
cow next time"
"Cow?" He muttered in pain
"Yes" the doctor replied "your father told me you were run over by a Cow".
A week later, he was discharged. In the night, his father entered the room and told him he was
leaving. He expects Edet to cry again but the little boy did not shed a single tear. His eyes were
stone cold, forged in fire and brimstone.
"Edet, what did I tell you to do when all things fail"
"Bon akam" he replied
"Yes Edet, prayer changes all things" he said and kissed him. He looked at Edet's face and burst
into tears
John Adeseewo
The SUN, the MOON, the STARS
"You are going to be a great man one day Edet" he says amidst tears
"You'll be a doctor or a lawyer or even the President one day" his father whispered in tears. Edet
knew his father couldn't have been more wrong. He obviously didn't know that he, Edet had
stopped attending school. His father stretched a novel to him; a novel titled the ADVENTURES
OF ALI. The novel would change him, consume him and possess him with radical notions. He
did not collect it. His father dropped the novel in tears and walked out. Edet saw shame in his
father's eyes. That was when he knew that he would never see his father again.
CHAPTER 6
Turaki, ABU
Jumai watched with tears as the widows, poor and wretched clutched her husband's robe
"Don't leave us Bishop, Don allah! Sai an jima! Sai gobe!" They cried as they bade them
farewell. The Almajiri, a group of small children clad in white who were the torch bearers of the
sacred Islamic religion sang in slow cadence as the widows and wretched gave their gifts to
Jumai and wept away. Assibi was singing with them. The torch bearers had been sent to the
street by their Mullah, teacher to beg for food. Turaki had fed them through the years while
converting many to the Christian faith. The children sang in tears as they wondered who would
tell them the tatsunya, moral and religious folklores that Turaki had always done. An elderly
woman whom Turaki had cured of barreness handed over a garu, fabric to Jumai and said
"Allah ya bada sa'a". There was agony in the woman's eyes.
"Na gode" Jumai thanked her as she fought back tears. A old man whose wife had been healed
of cancer handed over a babban gida, flowing gown with an elaborate embroidery and a huluna
to her.
"May Allah grant Bishop success. Sauka lafiya".
"Na gode". A woman whose son had been shot during the Kano riot caused by Maitatsine, the
damned preacher who was influenced by wahhabi theology handed over Kosai, cake made from
beans and funkaso
"Na gode" Jumai choked in tears
John Adeseewo
The SUN, the MOON, the STARS
"Ina madacin kin" the woman said and hugged Jumai. Jumai observed that the woman was
trembling. So where other members of the congregation. We have to leave she thought, we just
have to.
Jumai had never thought she would marry a priest or a wealthy man for that matter. She had been
born, the first of eight children to a sugarcane merchant. At an early age, she had fallen from a
horse while riding in her father's sugar factory. The horrible accident confined her to the wheel
chair. She had spent her teenage years gazing at the mirror, watching the years pass as her pretty
face and spotless skin blossomed in futility. No man wanted a paralysed woman. She watched
her sisters get bethroted to Princes, nobles, merchants, scholars but no man approached her own
father for a bethrotal. Once, in her twenties, a young handsome man had met her at the open
farmers market while she doing some pedicure. The maids applying the laali, a black embroidery
on her leg chuckled as the man struggled to get her attention. He beamed and smiled kindly at
her and Jumai's breathe stopped. She chatted with him for long, filling her imaginations with all
the romantic experiences and sexual pleasures that her sisters always giggled about. Suddenly,
the maids finished and brought her wheel chair. She saw blood drain from the man's face. He
was shocked and terrified to the bones. He tried to mask his disappointment but she spotted him.
He helped her to her Peugeot where a driver was waiting to drive her home. He promised to see
her again but she knew it would never happen. He had not even asked for her name or address
and there was no such thing as telecommunication at the time. She never saw him again. When
Jumai became 27, she became emotional on the night her last sister got married. She watched the
guests at the court feast on the cuisines which ranged from local recipe such as zogala salad,
myan kuka soup, sauced porridge, balangu, danwake to foreign cuisines such as Cocodok fritter
from Malaysia, French Crepe pancakes, dutch poffertjes and other assorted snacks. The
drummers laughed, the pipers played the flute with excitements as the maids twisted gracefully,
their hips entertaining the drunk dignitaries. Exotic cocktails such as Mimosa, Sazarac,
Bananarita tequila flowed ceaselessly as the dignitaries merried. Those who found the exotic
drink distasteful found satisfaction in the local Kunu gyada and eghajira. Jumai was
overwhelmed. She got her maids to get her to her chamber where she wept hysterically. She wept
and wept and wept until she heard a knock at the door
"Tafi dega nan!" She barked angrilly
John Adeseewo
The SUN, the MOON, the STARS
"There's a man that wants to see you" a maid said
"Who?"
"Mallam Sanusi, son of Alhaji Sanusi"
"Rabidani" she said dismissively
"Madame, he insisted he would not leave unless he had a dance with you". Jumai almost burst
into laughter. Perharps the Mallam was blind. She cleaned her face, applied some oil and went
back to the court. There she saw a young man in a white turban with gold embroidery smiling at
her. She knew from his fair skin that he was Fulani.
"I'm Mallam Sanusi" he said politely and bowed gracefully with a soft smile
"I'm Jumai" she said with courtesy, wondering what he wanted
"Zaka so kiyi rawa da ni?" He asked. Jumai didn't think she heard him well
"Please, would you do me the honor of dancing with me?" he asked again
"You seem a perfect gentle man but I can't dance, not without my legs"
"Take my hand and we shall dance my lady" he said, stretching his hand. Jumai gazed into his
eyes suspiciously but all she saw was sincerity.
"Trust me" he said kindly. She took his hand and he lifted her into his arms. He balanced her
weight on his arms and began to move to the flute of the pipers steadily. Everyone in the court
watched them in amazement as they both danced without fears, without worry. A sheer bliss of
peace, of purity. The pipers and drummers immediately changed the tempo to a slow steady
pulse which was easier for Mallam Sanusi to follow. The dignitaries began to chant and clap
after the tune of the flute. Jumai gazed around. All the maids were staring at her. She was at the
spotlight. For once, her sisters were envious of her. Then the music stopped and the dignitaries
applauded. Mallam Sanusi gazed at her and said
"You have the most beautiful eyes in world Hadejia". That night, Jumai could not sleep. No man
had made her feel this way before yet, she cautioned herself; he might just have been being nice
to her. Yet during the course of the next months, he took her to the ancient walls of Kano in
Sabuwar Kofa and Kofar Dan Agundi where he threatened to jump unless she sang for him. The
next week they were in the Gidan Museum. After that was a romantic tour to the Kofar Mata
Dye pits. In the Falgore Game Reserve she and Sanusi rode a horse together; an experience
which made her feel she had conquered a fear. During the Durbar festival, they observed the
colorful event together. They appreciated the beautiful and colorful costumes together; they
John Adeseewo
The SUN, the MOON, the STARS
cracked jokes about the decorated horses; they applauded during the horse racing; they joined the
wild crowd in chanting during the gun shooting and arrays of cultural dance yet deep down;
Jumai always felt something was amiss. She was an intelligent woman. Sanusi was rich and
handsome. He was Toroobe, from an elite family just like hers. Jumai knew she was beautiful
but what she didn't understand was why Sanusi would settle for a cripple. She challenged him
that day
"Ina son ki, I love you" he said and eulogized her. When he was through with the seductive and
flattering words, she asked whether there was anything, any secret she should know. He was too
good to be true. There, he confessed to her that he already had a wife and wanted to marry her as
his second. Jumai had to fight the urge to place a delicate kiss on his lips. She had expected a
ugly and dirty secret but if this was all, she could live with it. That day, she opened herself and
let her love for him consume her. She allowed his love possess her.
"Ina son ki Hadejia" he whispered and kissed her.
Their romance intensified on each date. In the Minjibar Weaving Centre, the Dawakin Weaving
Pottery, the Challawa Gorge Dam; her joy knew no bounds. In the Kwari market, they both tried
to out do each other in a bid to see who could get the Ghanian Kente fabric for a lower price.
Jumai enjoyed every moment of it. Nine months after she first met Sanusi, he took her to their
cattle farm. It was the largest piece of land Jumai had ever seen in her life. The cattles were over
two millions. The Sanusi family ran the monopoly on the cattle market in Kano. Young men
came to them for cattle loans. Sanusi would give the men hundred cattles for which a respected
person in the society would stand as their surety. The men would undergo the Transhumanse, the
seasonal search for water during the dry season. They would be grouped in a Wuru. Each wuru
would lead the cows to the west to search for water during the dry season. There, they must
ensure that the cows calve during their transhumanse. On their return, they would hand over the
hundred cows and extra fifty to the Sanusi family as their own profit. Whatever difference was
left belonged to the young cattle farmers. Thus, through cow loaning, the Sanusi famly had
greatly increased in wealth. Jumai observed that the land was overpopulated. Worst still, the
cows were calving everyday.
"Shouldn't you be thinking about buying a new land to reduce the congestion" she asked
John Adeseewo
The SUN, the MOON, the STARS
"To do that, we need at least ten hectares. Only few elites have that kind of land and those that
do, do not want to sell because for one, they usually don't need money" he said but she was
gazing at the wide expanse of cows mooing in the distance. Suddenly she saw Sanusi going on
his knees. She turned to see a ring in his hand. That was the happiest day of her life.
The preparation for the marriage was overwhelming. Having collected her brideprice, her father
spared no effort in organizing the largest banquet Kano would ever witness. Jumai patiently
awaited the day of union. Then two nights before the wedding, her mother stormed out of her
father's room in tears
"" Her father shouted but her mother would not listen
"You can't marry Sanusi" her mother said to her
"Wenene?" Jumai asked in shock
"Your father made a deal with him to marry you". Jumai turned to face her father. His face was
hard and angry
"What deal?" She barked but he did not respond
"What deal Baba?"
"They needed land, you needed a suitor; it was a happy situation for all of us"
"Why?" She asked in tears, wondering why her father had considered her so abhorable that he
would give a man a gift of land just to get her out of his house; why he would hurt her emotions.
All her father said was
"We didn't need the land anyways".
That night, Sanusi came to see her. When he stepped into her chamber, she could see that he
knew that she knew the truth.
"You told me in the court to trust you. You looked me in the eyes and lied to me" she vented
angrilly
"Don't be silly Jumai" he no longer calls me Hadejia she thought
"You are not a baby. No elite would marry a cripple for nothing. Your father needed a suitor,
mine needed lands. We were both doing our father's bidding" he barked angrilly. Jumai fought
the urge to throw a slap across his face
"Get out!" She choked in tears
John Adeseewo
The SUN, the MOON, the STARS
"Don't be naïve Jumai, this is an opportunity. No man would have y..."
"I said get out!" She screamed. He spat on the floor and stormed out angrilly.
The next months were trying. Sanusi had taken her to the summit, the zenith of happiness that
she didn't know how to be normal again. She cried every day and every night. She slept and
dreamnt that the wedding had taken place; only to wake up to concrete reality. She would not eat
or drink. Her father apologised again and again and again but Jumai would not have it. She was
tempted many times to call Sanusi and beg him but her ego, her pride and dignity would not let
her yet, the lonliness consumed her. Then the wound began to heal. She began to eat again to the
delight of her parents. That was eight years earlier. Then one morning, she decided to go out for
the first time after the incidence. She went to the market to buy fresh fruits. A young Priest was
screaming violently and disturbing the peace. He looked wretched and hungry.
"You serpents! Repent you brood of vipers!" He screamed. No one listened, no one cared. Only a
few bystanders sat under a tree to listen to him. His gaze suddenly fell on her and he became
silent. Jumai raised her long eye brow, wondering what had caused him to cease. The market
women, traders and buyers all turned to face him as they all wondered why the shouting fool had
ceased. Suddenly, he began to smile at her. His smile had no effect on her. He wasn't her type.
"Assaida, do you want to walk?" He asked and Jumai laughed him to his face
"God would be glorified here today" he said with tears in his eyes. Jumai deeped her hands
inside her leather purse in order to give the hungry Priest what he was really after. Suddenly, his
face become serious as he barked at two men standing beside her
"Bring the lady up". The young men immediately lifted her off her chair
"Leave her!" He barked. Immediately they left her, she landed with a thud on the ground. The
bystanders, market women and buyers were infuriated and filled with anger and disgust at what
he was doing to the crippled woman in his laughable attempt to prove himself a Priest. It was a
show of shame.
"Bring her up again" he barked and the men did
"Leave her!" He said authoritatively and the men did. She landed with a thud on the floor again.
Her face was crushed into the dusty earth
"Daniskar!" One man cursed angrilly
John Adeseewo
The SUN, the MOON, the STARS
"He would kill her!" A fat woman cried in alarm. Cries of agony went up from every corner of
the market. The bystanders became afraid for the priest.
"Shut up! I know my God and I know my business" he yelled at them all but the bystanders were
further infuriated by his rude remark. They would not take.
"May Allah extract blessings from you!" an old man cursed. A mob began advancing towards
him with clubs, chain of motorcycles, bottles and sharp object. They were coming from several
corners of the market. Some traders began to pack their wares as they sensed a bloodbath, a
violent massacre. At another corner, another man was pouring fuel into a keg while another
woman was handing over a lighter to him.
"Bring her up again" he said again like someone who wasn't aware of the conspiracy to crush,
batter and shred him to bits.
"Bring her up again" he barked but the men would not respond lest they be regarded as his
accomplice. The first of the angry mob, a man with a long Arab beard and a red cap was only a
few feets away now.
"I said bring her up again" he said and the two men complied as the closest mobster; the man
with the Arab beard lifted a sharp bottle with all his might. The sun glittered on the tip of the
bottle.
"Leave her" he said and the two men did.
She did not fall.
"Zo mana, come towards me" he said and as Jumai took the first step, the same crowd began to
shout in amazement. Jumai felt a strength in her limbs, a lightness in her bones. She started to
walk; baby steps, then she began to run. At first she was smiling in disbelief, then laughing like a
mad woman; by the time she hugged him, she was shedding passionate tears.
"My name is Turaki, Turaki Abu and I understand". No you don't she thought as she wept
unconsolably. No you don't.
That was the beginning.
Now, she gazed at Turaki, there was a cold and dark churning in her stomach. Turaki had sought
a letter of transfer from the Sovereign Arch Bishop, John Odianosen of his denomination, the
Saints of the Spirit Assemby to go and start a church in the elite part of Lagos where the
John Adeseewo
The SUN, the MOON, the STARS
godfathers, cabals, aristocrats, merchants and lords ruled. They were going to Lagos, the seat of
politics, conspiracies, war of wits and might. He told her, swore to her, promised her that God
had spoken. She convinced herself that he would not lie to her. Nothing would happen to my
family in Lagos she thought; yet, as she beheld all the people weeping, she couldn't somehow
shake off the feeling that they were making a deadly mistake.
CHAPTER 7
Edet OMAJI
The physical abuse were relentless, the torture inevitable. Edet prayed every blessed day for the
abuse to stop but nothing happened. It seemed the only place he ever found happiness was in the
world of imagination, where he and the character from the book his father gave him, the
character named Ali pulled off all sorts of cons and defrauded people of their wealth by
outsmarting them. When he had found the pleasure of working with Ali, he had spent a major
part of his early teenage years sleeping. It was in the world of dreams, illusions and imaginable
that he found purpose and happiness. In that world, he was invincible, powerful, intelligent and
attractive. He could be anybody. Today he was Greek tycoon, tomorrow he was a godfather from
Sicily. Before long, his power of imagination was wide, he could stretch it past any limit yet, no
matter how great he was in the world of dreams and illusions, he always came back to bitter
reality. His mother continued to beat him everyday. Once, the hairy man that had been sleeping
with his mother caught him drinking his mother's liquor. The man reported him to his mother
who asked him to beat her son for her. It was a desperate attempt to please for she knew he loved
violence. The hairy man smiled monstrously and beat him silly. He used no whip or cane. His
bare fist, his fatal blows did the damage to his, Edet's face. Edet's mother watched in satisfaction
John Adeseewo
The SUN, the MOON, the STARS
as a black eye appeared on his face. That was the beginning. The hairy man took the abuse to
another level. Plummeting him to the dust if he as much as looked at him the wrong way. He
kept stealing his mother's alchohol, he was more discreet than ever though he was careful not to
get drunk lest he be caught. He drowned his sorrow discreetly. Madame Ekanem kept coming to
check up on him and always brought all sorts of books for him. Power of Inference, Sixth Sense,
Only law of Success, the lists were inexhaustive. At first, he hated the books. He would have
preferred alchohol, or pornographic magazines or money but he dared not ask Madame Ekanem
lest she flogged him silly yet, as the lonliness, isolation and boredom consumed him, he had to
read. So he let knowledge consume him. He gave himself to counsel and right judgment. It began
to mould him into a strategist. He began to think like a god, a king. He began finishing the books
in time and Madame Ekanem was only happy to meet his impossible demand of getting more.
Before long, he began to read two books everyweek. He loved arithematics and equations. He
enjoyed the art of planning, devising and unraveling. He enjoyed it because it stretched his mind.
He read about Napoleon, about Adolf Hitler, about the Chronicles of Alexander the Great. He
read about Martin Luther, about Malcom X, about Julius Ceaser and the Roman empires. He
began to think in empires. He began to suggest ideas to Ali in the world of dreams and they both
executed their art, science of deception without a glitch. One afternoon, he entered his father's
room; a room he had been severely warned not to enter. He opened his father's cupboard and
found some sticks of cigarettes. He decided to sell them. There was no way he would smoke it
without his mother finding out. He stumbled on four books in his father's room. Four books
possessed with radical notions. The first was the Prince by Niccolo Machiavelli. The second was
the Godfather by Mario Puzo, the third was the Jews and Lies by Martin Luther King and the last
was the Draconian Code by the Roman lawmaker, Draco. He read how Draco asked the senate at
Circa
"What is the appropriate punishment for a murderer?"
"Death” the law makers had echoed
"Death is what I'd give to an adulterer or traitor. The pain death brings is temporal and quick. It
is too simple a punishment for a murderer"
"Then what punishment is befitting for a murderer?" The senate asked
"I'd execute the murderer as well but only if no greater punishment can be found". From
Machiavelli, he learnt the subtle science of Tradeoff, a science of bargaining and forgoing the
John Adeseewo
The SUN, the MOON, the STARS
bliss of vengeance against an offender in return for a debt. The way Satan got Adam to trade off
his immortality for a pomegranate in Eden. Throughout the day, Edet meditated on the words of
counsel of these men. At night, he was restless. The words leaped from the pages of the book
into his mind. He breath the words, he saw them. He learnt the subtle art of illusions, the science
of sleight of hands. He began to apply his wits in all things. He duped his neighbors; he stole
from the poor and wretched. Once, Madame Ekanem sent him on errand; he kept the change and
falsified the amount of the goods she sent him to buy. He kept cheating the elderly woman and
making secret profits off her. After one of such errands, Madame Ekanem looked at him in the
eye and said
"Edet, you are more than this. I know it in my heart that you'll be great and famous someday".
Those words burnt him, scalded him like hot larva. He had seen hurt and shame in the elderly
woman's eyes. He cried that day. So he grew up knowing that much was expected of him;
knowing that he would be rich and famous but not knowing how or when. On the night of that
incident with Madame Ekanem, he woke up and stared at the shack which his parents lived. He
stood up and went through the slums like he was really seeing it for the first time. He gazed at
the hundreds of metal shacks squeezed together with rusted roofing sheets and brown pans.
Thousands of clothes, rags hung like decoral kites on ropes. He saw the dirty roadside gutter
from which naked children fetched water to birth. He saw water, logged in some houses in the
slums. The offensive odour from large hip of refuse greeted him. The people of the slums usually
deficated in a nylon in their homes. Then they would fling the feaces here. The commonwealth
of shit and feaces had a foul stench which exuded an offensive ordor that could raise the dead.
Edet remembered what Chief Okon and Ekpeyong had done to his family. That night, he stood in
front of his house, late when people asleep, when the spirits walked. He gazed at the moon,
shinning ever bright and beat the earth in desperation. I'll never be poor he swore by heaven, by
the saints and by all the ancestors.
He began to strategise how to make it in life but he had one restriction. His mother. She would
never let him go. He was her slave boy.
One afternoon, when his mother had gone out, he immediately packed a few things. He was
about to run away when she returned with the hairy man
John Adeseewo
The SUN, the MOON, the STARS
"Nso ntibe?" His mother asked and snatched the bag from his hand
"You want to run away?" She laughed in disbelief. She pounced on him before he could reply.
She sunk her teeth into his flesh and inflicted mortal cuts. She slapped and beat him till he was
nearly comatose. He had never seen her so furious before.
"You Edet! You too want to run away" she mocked and slammed his head on cement.
"If you run to Cameroon, Ghana or Benin Republic, I'll find you and when I do, I swear by
Abasi, I will slaughter you like a dog" she growled. Edet saw that she meant every word. The
thought of fleeing never crossed his mind again.
Now, he was a youth, nineteen of age and he was still the captive of his mother. He entered the
shack and slammed the old bamboo door which was almost giving way
"Where are you coming from?" His mother barked with a bottle of alchohol in her hand
"Don't worry Mama, I'm not running away"
"You are very stupid for that answer. You are growing wings Edet and I'll cut it one day" she
shouted but he simply went into his room
"I'm talking to you" she yelled but he knew like she did that she could not handle him alone, not
without the hairy man around.
"Are you deaf?" She cursed. When he didn't reply, she pulled a belt and started slapping him
hard with the belt. He held the belt. When she realized he wouldn't let go, she used her other
hand to pick a stool and dealt two fatal blows to his face. Blood began to gush out and a
primitive anger he had never experienced seized him. He struggled to restrain himself but she
struck him again with the stool on his mouth.
"You want to fight back abi? Oya now, fight back let me see you" she yelled but he said nothing
"Fight back na" she barked and struck him again with the stool. Suddenly, he forcefully pulled
the stool from her and struck her down. She screamed
"Yes, show me that you're not a bastard" she yelled with blood stained teeth. The anger surged
through him. He delivered the heavy blows with the whole of his might on her face. He kept
jamming the stool on her head with morbid fascination as her blood slowly spread across the
room. Her face was battered and covered in blood. She became still but he could not stop.
"Eyo! Abasi" he suddenly heard. He looked at the door way and saw the hairy man standing. His
face was pale like someone who had seen a demon. His legs trembled. Edet could not but wonder
John Adeseewo
The SUN, the MOON, the STARS
how this coward had terrified him through the years. The hairy made an animalistic sound then
cursed
"You son of perdition!" Yet he was fidgeting as he stared at the bloody corpse.
"You'll pay for this. The Police would find you anywhere you run. You'd rot in jail, you'll be shot
and hung" the man kept threatening in anger. He saw Edet advancing towards him with a blood
soaked stool and he became stricken with fear. He immediately turned and fled. The hairy man
was the only witness to the murder and Edet didn't even know his name.
He took one last look at the shack and knew he had to flee. He entered his mother's room and
packed all her jewelry. He stared at his mother's corpse on his way out and stood agape in horror.
Even at her death, she was till clutching the belt tightly.
That night, it rained heavily and he stood in the rain, gazing at the sky as the rain washed him
clean of all blood, filth and bondage. When the rain continued to pour relentlessly, he sought
shelter under a short coconut tree. He sat under the fruitless tree, wet, hungry, tired, sad and
lonely. When the rain subsided, he shut his eyes to sleep. No sooner had he closed his eyes when
he saw his mother's bloody face screaming
"If you run to Cameroon, Ghana or Benin Republic, I'll find you and when I do, I swear by
Abasi, I will slaughter you like a dog". He immediately awoke and began to run in the dead of
the night. His heart pounded heavily. He had no idea where he was running to but runnning made
him feel safe. He feared that his mother might catch him if he stopped. He was confused, afraid
and for the first time, he realized the real world wasn't as he had imagined. For the next three
days, he kept having nightmares each time he closed his eyes. The hairy man's threat kept
echoing when he was awake. You son of perdition! The Police would find you. One night, he saw
a woman walking on the road, he looked at the side of her face and saw it was his mother.
"Yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!" He screamed in fright but when the woman turned to look at him, it
was a stranger. The mental torture continued during the day and night. Then it dawned on him on
the fourth day, that of all the nearby countries his mother had promised to find him, she had not
mentioned Uganda. She would not be able to find me there he thought to himself and took off.
He needed a new start, a new identity.
John Adeseewo
The SUN, the MOON, the STARS
CHAPTER 8
KAMPALA, CAPITAL OF UGANDA IN EAST AFRICA
The last bus that had taken Edet on his hitch hike, halted on Kampala road. He came down with
all the passengers from the vehicle with his clothes worn out. His shoes were tattered. He looked
dirty and haggard. He had so worn the shoes that when he put them off, they walked for
themselves. Those kind of shoes that when one puts off, one has to tie them to a tree to prevent
them from running away. Shoes that when a beggar sees on your feets, he would be moved to
give you his alms. He looked at the indented bus he had entered which bent as if it was suffering
from stroke and nodded in sympathy. The compartments of the bus were made of wood.
Passengers legs had been so squeezed during transit that you didn't even know who stepped on
you. Everybody simply took a position and maintained it till they got to their destination. During
the journey, he had heard several words in unknown tongues
"Ambaye mguu ni kwamba!" The passangers cursed. Sometimes, passengers grabbed any leg that
stepped on them and punched it until the owner screamed, then a fresh round of insult began
since there was no space to fight physically. He pulled out the one thousand shilling he had, from
his pocket. A note he had gotten after selling a gold chain to one of the passengers. He laughed at
the stupidity of the passenger because every sane person would have known that the chain was
simply coated with gold paint. A god had entered Uganda, he thought. He stared at the 1000
shillings which depicted a farmer on one side and grain storage on the other hand. "Shilingi elfu
moja" he muttered as he read the words on the note, words he did not understand. I doesn't
matter. I would multiply this note into millions.
John Adeseewo
The SUN, the MOON, the STARS
As passengers shouted taxi! he watched in amazement as a fifteen seater mini bus parked in their
front. He couldn't believe that a fifteen seater bus could be called a taxi.
"Ambapo ni wew mbali na?" The driver asked
"I don't speak your language" he replied in excitement. The city awaits me.
"Ah! Where are you going then?" The driver asked
"Where can I get good food?" He asked
"Hmm! Yujo Sushi Bar and Izakava, Thammaphon Thai, Mediterraneo or Lotus Mexi..." The
driver stopped as his eyes fell on his tattered clothes and shoes
"Or maybe down town" he said
"How much?" He asked
"5,000 shilling to g..." He didn't wait for the driver to finish before he closed the door and walked
away.
"I'm no fool" he muttered to himself but as every other mini van came, they kept calling the same
price. He soon realized that unlike his own country, 1000 shilling in Uganda couldn't do much.
The passenger had been no fool afterall, he had been. He decided to walk, to enjoy the cool
breeze and red sun. Suddenly he heard a sound behind him and turned to see a Boda bodas, a
local motorcycle. The driver of the motor cycle suddenly snatched the bag containing what was
left of the jewelry, hit him off his feet and zoomed off.
"Hey! Thief!" He yelled after the rickety motor cycles which turned a bend and disappeared. Six
policemen were playing cards under a roadside tree in the distance. One of them tapped his
comrades and pointed at him. The six men burst into laughter. They roared and laughed in tears
at his predicament then continued their game. Suddenly, an elderly man helped him to his feet.
The man examined his bruised face
"Samahani" the old man said but he did not reply
"You are not from here are you? Uganda is a place for the fittest" the old man said
"Thank you"
"It's Asante sana" the old man said.
"At least you know what thank you in swahili is now"
"Asante" he said.
John Adeseewo
The SUN, the MOON, the STARS
"Come, let me help you with you with the dirt" the old man said and dusted the stains off his
trousers.
"Asante sana" he said. The old man smiled and walked away. Edet walked further and saw a boy
hawking mangoes. He deeped his hands into his pocket and realized it was empty. He
immediately searched every part of his body but the money was gone. He even took off his shoes
and searched them in desperation but there was nothing. He looked up to where the old man had
been standing; he was gone.
"Mbiam owot fi!" he cursed angrilly in his native tongue yet, the man was gone and he had
nothing.
By the time the sun had set, he had spent a whole full day trekking the streets of Kampala. He
was thirsty, hungry and tired. Eventually, he saw eight public benches at the side of the road and
he laid down on one of it. A god had entered Kampala, I would take over this city someday he
thought and gazed into the beautiful city of Kampala with the giant edifice and the yellow street
lights. The world would know me someday, Ekpenyong would kneel before me. Chief Okon
would be my cup bearer. My father would regret leaving he swore with a bleeding heart and
drifted off to sleep.
He was awoken by a fatal punch to his face
"Kuma nyeusi! Kumbafu!" He heard. He saw silhouttes standing in front of him. He spat out
blood.
"Oban, unatoka wapi?" A thin frail man with sunken eyes shouted and pulled out a sharp knife.
All the men began to roar in laughter. He didn't know how many they were but they laughed like
packs of hyenas.
"Please, please" he shouted
"You hear him Okello" the man with sunken eyes said
"Him speak english like americana" the man said and all the men burst into another round of
laughter. They pinned him down. The man with sunken eyes suddenly frowned menacingly
"You take my space boy, you take the space of me, Odongo and you must pay 5,000 shilling"
"Please, I don't have money" he begged in fear. The whole of his body was trembling terribly
"See, me like you, so me will allow you to pay 2,000 shilling"
John Adeseewo
The SUN, the MOON, the STARS
"I swear with my mother's grave, I don't have any money" he pleaded. Sweat dripped from his
face. He watched the man with sunken eyes nod in anger.
"Okello!" He shouted and man named Okello pulled of his, Edet's shoes and revealed blisters
under his legs. The man with sunken eyes saw the blisters and made a face.
"We have get Moses here" he shouted hilariously. They had just compared him to the biblical
Moses who was known for trekking through continents. The man with sunken eyes put the blade
to his last toe and said
"Me give you chance to pay 2,000 shilling Moses, but you lie say you not get money at all.
Okay, how much you get and say truth"
"I swear, I don't have any money" he said as tears streamed down from his eyes
"Me don try" the man with sunken eyes said and cut off his last toe. He screamed in excruciating
pain. His cry of agony echoed loud in the dark. His scream was drowned in the laughter of the
remaining men
"No one try Odongo" the man with sunken eyes shouted and swung his waist like someone
having sex. The laughter intensified. Okello gave him a kick that sent his face into the earth. He
kept bleeding as he crawled to the main road. He struggled to stand up and then made to cross
the road when a mercedes benz came out from nowhere and ran into him.
He heard a woman's voice scream "astaghfiru llai!" The scream was accompanied by laughters.
That was all.
CHAPTER 9
Dada KILANI
1993
The soldiers patrolled the streets of Ikorodu with rifles drawn. There was fear and tension
everywhere. The Federal Military head of State, General Ibrahim Bagabangida had, two months
earlier annulled the June 12 Presidential election won by an aspirant from the yoruba ethnic
John Adeseewo
The SUN, the MOON, the STARS
group; Moshood Abiola. The populace had taken to the streets to protest the dictatorship of
General Ibrahim Babangida. There were violent riots, insurrections, arson and vandalization of
property. Several houses were laid to ruins; charred with blackened roofs. There was a gas
station stripped down to metal frames of its pump and an abandoned factory beside it. General
Ibrahim Babangida had responded by detaining the Presidential Candidate, Moshood Abiola but
when that did not break the resisitance; he further deployed soldiers into the streets. The
protesters were brutally beaten with wooden baton; many were shot to death on the spot. The
miltary began arresting protesters abysmally. The politicians who sponsored the protest were
also locked up. Publishing houses were laid to ruins. The military arrested any one; noble,
merchant, landlord, Chief or aristocrat who they view as a threat to their dictatorship. Politicians
began fleeing the country for their lives. Now, the streets were tensed. A group of scavengers
loittering around an abandoned warehouse heard the sound of military vehicles and disappeared.
Dada Kilani sat in his chamber which was dimly illuminated by a deco figural lamp. There were
hundreds of award plaques on the wall. Venetian curtains hung at the extreme dark corners of the
tufted Persian rug. At the anti room was cuneform relief of the babylonian Hammurabi, holding
his hand over his mouth. Dada gazed at the Axonnes Tablets of Circa, 650 BC. His eyes were
pale and sunken. His body, white and frail. His face was covered with beard and his eyes unkept.
He sat on a mat at a corner of the room staring all day. His father Lagata and his sibling had
since fled from the country. Dada Kilani had not moved an inch.
"General Banbangida would have you shot if you are found here" his father had barked but Dada
hadn't as much as lifted his gaze. He was a wounded man. Sorrow and shame lay in his eyes. In
the end, Lagata had given up but Abdul had refused to leave. The old servant stood with the
young lord for he knew that in the years to come, the young lord would become master and
would repay his loyalty to his children and generations unborn. Since the death of Olabisi, Dada
had become a symbol of sorrow, a proverb of shame. The tale of how he had urinated on his
body had saturated the town like wild fire. His friends who heard of the evil that had befallen
him had come to this very chamber to see him. When they beheld him from afar off, they lifted
up their voice and wept. Some rent their Buba, others folded their arms and bit their arms. They
sat with him for days without anyone uttering a word; for they saw his grief was great. He was a
man stricken by the gods. A man from whom Orunmila, the Orisa, god of wisdom had turned his
back. A man to whom Ifa, the Orisa of destiny had imputed a fate of woe and doom. Eventually
John Adeseewo
The SUN, the MOON, the STARS
his friends left. One by one, they all left. Only Folake, his friend stood; yes, only she and when
his grief hadn't proved redeemable; even she had distanced herself from his tragedy. The first day
Dada had stepped out of the gates after the incidence, the young men saw him and hid
themselves; the aged arose and stood up for the pain in his eyes was to great for any mortal to
behold. The Princes beheld him and refrained from talking; the nobles gazed upon him and laid
their hands on their mouth in shock. The subjects held their peace, their tongue cleaved to the
roof of their mouth when he passed by. He became a proverb of sorrow, a folklore of shame. So
Dada had drowned himself in his sorrow as he pondered on the eternal reason of why the three
gods had conspired against him. Now, he sat alone, thin and frail, wretched and unkept. He sat in
the dark where no eyes could mock him. Abdul, only Abdul stood to tend to him. Suddenly a
woman screamed
"Won ti de o! Ara adugbo won de!"
Dada did not move from his sit. Sporadic gunshots followed as horrific cries of horror rented the
air. Suddenly, Abdul entered the room. His face was stricken with panic
"My lord, the soldiers are here; we must leave" he begged but Dada would not move. He longed
for the cold embrace of death, for the pain of a broken heart had tortured and tormented him for
too long.
"My lord, it's now or never" Abdul pleaded but realized that Dada would not move. He made up
his mind. He would stand with his master, the young lord.
Moments later, a Colonel in full military khaki regalia stormed Dada's chamber with a dozen
soldiers. He was Colonel Galadima, a mean, ruthless and foul hausa soldier. He had a large tribal
mark on his face. Dada did not acknowledge his presence or give him regard
"You are Lagata's son abi?" Colonel Galadima said in a funny hausa dialect but he, Dada did not
respond or even gaze at him.
"Uwaka! Shege!" Some of the soldiers barked and began to batter Dada with the butt of their
rifle.
"Ejo, please! Kole ye yin! Eyan ku fun wa ni, he is bereaved" Abdul screamed in alarm but his
plea was lost in smoke and dust. Suddenly, Colonel Galadima pulled out a pistol and levelled it
on Abdul's head.
"Where is Lagata Kilani?"
John Adeseewo
The SUN, the MOON, the STARS
"I don't know Officer, I swear!" Abdul replied
"I wasn't speaking to you" Colonel Galadima said and faced Dada who was spitting out blood.
He did not respond. Colonel Galadima pulled back the hammer and said
"I'll ask one more time you bloody kenge, where is Lagata?" Dada gazed into Abdul's eyes. Tears
were trickling down the wrinkled face of the old servant. He parted his lips for the first time in
months and said with a groggy voice
"My father has left the country". Colonel Galadima fired twice at Abdul. The old man made a
guttural grunt as he jerked twice from the impact of the bullet. He came down in blood.
"You are lying to me, where is Lagata hiding?" He asked but Dada was already mute again. He
fired down again at the corpse of Abdul without so much as looking at it. Dada did not blink or
flinch. He simply gazed into the cold eyes of the Colonel. Colonel Galadima used the pistol to
tap his cheeks twice and said
"Emeka Nwachukwu; rapist and Cannibal. He terrorized the city of Anambra in the East, raped
and mutilated 14 women, 19 girls and 11 boys. 1 day; just 1 day was all it took me to make him
sing like a little bird, to make him confess where he had stashed what was left of the bodies of
his victims and he was a bigger and stronger man than you" he said and let the words sink in.
"Marwa Gambari; stole fifty million naira from a bank in Katsina. 30 minutes was all it took to
break him; to extract a confession of where he had buried the money and before then, he called
himself the shadow and the night his domain. They all play tough at first but they all sing
eventually. Walahi, before the sun sets, you'll sing me where you've hidden your father" Colonel
Galadima finished and stormed out. The soldiers dragged Dada into their vehicles. They were
taking him to the depths of hell, to the Dodan barracks which was the mother of torment.
CHAPTER 10
Edet OMAJI
I'll find you anywhere you run! You black devil, you son of perdition! Samahani! You take my
space boy! Astaghfiru lai! The voices echoed. Edet awoke in fright. His blurry vision caught a
fair beautiful women in her middle forties, dressed in the traditional busuuti attire.
John Adeseewo
The SUN, the MOON, the STARS
"Allahu akbar" she praised when he opened his eyes
"Jina langu ni Qasim Clare, jina lako ni nani?" She asked. He just stared at her.
"I'm Madame Qasim Clare"
"Where am I?" He asked. He examined the bandage on his waist and his right foot.
"The hospital but the doctor has assured me you'll be fine. What happened?" She asked
"What happened? I don't understand?"
"Your toe" she said but he was quiet again
"Nini ambapo mbio kutoka?" She asked again but when he did not reply, she realized he didn't
speak swahili.
"So where are you from?" Edet could not answer for he feared that she might have him sent back
to a country where a charge of murder and a vengeful man awaited him.
"Are you a muslim?" She asked. He remembered the scream he had heard before blacking out
and what she had muttered when he had woken up. She was a devote Muslim and he needed her
to like him
"Yes"
"What's your name?" She asked. There was only one name that came to his mind.
"Ali"
Two days later, he was discharged. Madame Qasim invited him to live in her house after he told
her a fabricated and emotional story of his childhood; a story which had moved her to tears. He
soon learnt that Madame Qasim Clare was the owner of Next Kitchen, a big restaurant in
Kampala which her and her deceased husband had owned. She had been accorded a male status
by her late husband in accordance with the tradition of the Baganda ethnic group. The status
allowed her to act for herself as a man, contrary to the Baganda custom that a woman must show
that she is surbodinate to men in public. She must accede to the wishes of her father, brothers and
husband unless conferred with the male status. As the months went by, he learnt and trained in
the restaurants. He learnt how to prepare the native dishes. They ranged from Matoke, a staple
made from bananas to, smoked Kisinja, dried Mukene, millet bread, sweet potatoes, chicken and
beef, quick steak and roast chicken; apple crumble and pies with mash and crisp salad. It was in
the Next Kitchen that he met Anna, a beautiful Ugandan lady four years older than him. She was
the most beautiful waitress in the Next kitchen. Anna became fascinated with the precision and
John Adeseewo
The SUN, the MOON, the STARS
meticulous strategy with which he carried on his duties. She became intrigued by the mysterious
aura he exuded. Virtually all the men in the restaurant flirted with her overtly or discreetly but
Edet had never as much as gazed at her, neither did he speak to anyone. He simply went about
his duties. She sometimes wondered how God could create someone so average in all physique.
He had no particular physique that stood out. He was not short, neither was he fat or thin, nor
was he fair or dark, nor was there anything outstanding feature on his face with which to describe
him, save some scars which were only visible from close observation. Before long, she became
friends with him. She helped him in touring the city from time time. She also began sharing parts
of her life with him but he never spoke about his himself. Edet kept reading and learning. He
buried himself in the knowledge of philosophers and men who had gone before him. He let
ancient men and age speak to him and he let the wisdom and counsel of multitude of years
prevail over him. He learnt the mindcraft and science of con and deceit. He studied
Aeromancers, necromancers and magicians of the Arabian deserts. It was not long before the
Manager noticed him and became threatened by him. Once, he disagreed with the Manager over
the logistics of taking supply from the Nakasero market. He argued that supplies were cheaper
from the Balikuddembe market but the Manager ordered him to still purchase daily supplies from
the Nakasero market notwithstanding. Edet refused and purchased from the Balikuddembe
market and when the Manager found out, a heated argument arose. In the end, the Manager
slapped him. The Manager was fired that same day by Madame Qasim and a new Manager
appointed. The new Manager and every worker immediately knew that the new boy was the eye
of the boss, afterall, he wasn't the first to be slapped. Edet kept using sleight of hands to steal
from Madame Clare. He would manipulate his fingers and steal shilling bill notes. He would talk
customers into purchasing a snack for a higher price and pocket the difference and no one knew.
He continued to get all sorts of benefits and affection from Madame Clare who seemed to like
him for no apparent reason. On one occasion, he caught one of the boys in the restaurant staring
at him in sympathy. When he tried to engage the boy in a conversation, the boy scurried away.
On another occasion, he and Anna were chatting, immediately Anna saw Madame Clare coming
through the giant class door, she bolted with such alacrity that shocked him. He was the only
staff shocked. Not a single staff seemed surprised even though she had almost knocked over the
meal of a customer in the wake of her flight. Edet convinced himself that Madame Clare was
feared because she was a shrewd business women who hated to find her employees chatting idly.
John Adeseewo
The SUN, the MOON, the STARS
Then Anna began to bring him breakfast each day. Her smiles became more seductive, her
clothings more arousing. Her hug began to linger more than was neccesary and he began to catch
her staring at him from time to time. He said nothing. Several staffs in the restaurant who had
observed Anna's fondness with him became enrage with his undue familiarity with her. He was
having it too easy. He had come from nowhere and had won the affection of the boss. Now, he
had the attention of the undoubtful most beautiful worker in the restaurant. Worst still, he had
barely spent five months with them, and as if to add pepper to the injury, he had won their
affection without trying. They began to plot against him but he was busy to notice. Anna called
him to warn him
"Ali, the Janitor told me she heard some worker conspiring to hurt you yesterday" she said
"Hurt me? Why?" He asked in fright
"Because I've taken you as a close friend" she said. He burst into laughter as if she had been
trying to flatter herself. He laughed till tears rolled from his eyes. Anna was disgusted and
embarrassed by his laughter. She never warned him after that. One night, Madame Clare came
into his room
"Madame Qasim!" He exclaimed in surprise. They had always met in the living room of the
duplex before now.
"Call me Clare" she said softly "Madame Qasim makes me feel old". He smiled nervously.
"Ali, all the workers have told me how intelligent and hard working you are. Do you hope to
become the Manager or maybe, just maybe I could leave you the restaurant someday?"
"Yes" he said but he knew his dream was more than that. He didn't know what exactly it was but
he knew it was more than being a restaurant owner.
"Are you ready to earn the restaurant? Ali, are you ready to do anything, to get it all cost?"
"Yes" he said
"That good Ali, that's good my love" she said and pecked him, then walked out. He stood
shocked, wondering whether he was dreaming. Deep down, he knew there was a problem.
From that day on, she started making overt advances towards him. She bought him expensive
clothes, most of which were small shorts that hugged his thighs tightly. She bought him shoes,
gadgets. He daily allowances became ridiculously fat. She started wearing provocative dresses
John Adeseewo
The SUN, the MOON, the STARS
and muttering affectionate words like "dearie" and "sucre" after each sentence spoken to him.
Then one night, she entered his room late in the night
"Wala kuwa na hofu" she said with a seductive smile. He fidgeted nervously which only drew a
deep giggle from her. She suddenly saw his penis bulging from his shorts and she exclaimed
"Wow wewe! Ni kubwa sana chini kuna". He didn't know how to refuse her. Uganda was a
dangerous place and he didn't want to be kicked out only to fall prey to men like Odongo again.
Besides, people were being kidnapped everyday on the street and were conscripted to rebel
movements. Unemployment was rampant especially for those who didn't have a solid grasp at
education. Madame Qasim giggled and mounted him.
"You are tensed" she said and he wanted to refuse. He wanted to use his last straw of dignity not
to sell his body, yet, when he looked at her eyes. He saw coldness, hot rage and scalding
reproach. This wasn't a woman to be refused. It was over in minutes.
He realized it wasn't a bad experience afterall. It wasn't bad until Madame Qasim had asked for
another round and another round and another round. By the time it was morning, they had gone
five rounds. That was the beginning. He felt uncomfortable for day but as the appointment
continued, he actually began to enjoy it. He began to take charge, to control the sexual duties.
The adulterous exploits shifted to her toom. Then Madame Qasim's affection began to dwindle.
Whenever she was through, she no longer bothered being courteous. She would simply tell him
to get out. His allowance reduced drastically but he didn't care. He was still secretly profiting
from the restaurant. He had been saving all the money in a bag in his room till he was solvent
enough to vanish.
One evening, he got home and found the bag that contained his four month savings gone. The
whole room had been ransacked. He approached Madame Qasim who was smoking an expensive
cigar in her bedroom.
"My money is gone" he said to her with concealed rage but she did not reply
"My money is gone!" He barked angrilly
"How dare you raise your voice at me you ungrateful brat!"
"I just want my money"
"Your money?" She affirmed and slapped him hard
John Adeseewo
The SUN, the MOON, the STARS
"I ju..." Another slap crashed against his face
"There's nothing you have that I didn't give you!" She yelled as he held his face.
"The money is mine just as you are mine to do as I please" she barled in a cold tone he had never
heard before.
"You are lucky I'm not throwing you to the dogs or the streets where you belong. Don't ever try
to run from me again, ever!" She said. It looked as if he was in trance.
"If you run to Cameroon, Ghana or Benin Republic, I'll find you and when I do, I swear by
Abasi, I will slaughter you like a dog".
"Now take off your shorts and climb into bed" she barked but he hesitated
"Or you can go back to the streets but don't bother coming back when you've lost all your toes"
she said. Slowly, he climbed into bed as she mounted him.
From that day, the only thing Madame Qasim gave him was food. He received no allowance and
his monthly salary became so meagre, that it was impossible to save. He never complained.
The next day, he scoured the city in search of employment but soon learnt that Uganda like most
countries was emersed in the problem of unemployment. He got a menial job at a car wash. He
washed 53 cars before sunset yet, the Manager told him to come back the next day for his pay.
"I want my money now!" He growled and the Manager deeped his hands into his pocket only to
remove a slap. He stood up to fight only for three thugs to come out from nowhere. A blow
crushed his nose. Another battered his face while another blow found his jaw.
"Kwenda mbali!" "Kukimbia kijana ndogo!" The thugs cursed as he took to his heels. His face
was swollen by the time he returned home. Madame Qasim glanced at him and burst into
mocking laughter. After she had exhausted herself with laughter, she said
"Go and wait for me in the bed upstairs". She began to fill a glass with whiskey when she
realized he was still standing
"Are you deaf?"
"I'm tired"
"I'm not" she replied and that was final. There was no argument again.
John Adeseewo
The SUN, the MOON, the STARS
A week later, Madame Qasim was questioning one of the workers named Abe on some entries
that was unregistered
"Anna was the one on duty Madame" Abe said nervously
"Then why didn't she fill the register?" She asked. Abe was one of the boys who had been
rejected by Anna and who had been plotting Edet's downfall out of sheer envy. Suddenly, a
devilish plot crossed his mind. He knew Madame Qasim was sleeping with Edet. She had slept
with most boys till she got tired of them afterwhich she discarded them. Abe knew Madame
Qlare was a possessive woman, an alpha female. She liked her boys faithful
"She was distracted Madame"
"Distracted by what?" Madame Qasim roared
"B..by.." He stammered as if it was difficult for him to say
"Talk before I cut your tongue" Madame Qasim barked. Before the day was out, Abe had
fabricated a story of perharps the greatest romance since the time of Romeo and Juliet existing
between Edet and Anna. He smiled arrogantly as Madame Qasim's face reddened. He watched
with satisfaction as she stormed out of her office. He was sure now the Edet would be fired and
dealt with. Afterall, Madame Qasim liked her boys faithful.
Before the day was over, Anna was mobbed on her way home. She showed up at work the next
morning, with a mutilated face, swollen lips and severe cuts on her neck. When she asked
Madame Qasim for a leave of absence to treat herself, she was fired on the spot. All the workers
including Abe stared at Madame Qasim in shock. Abe had gotten it wrong. Madame Qasim liked
her boys faithful but she hated competition more.
That night, Ali gazed at her in rage. He knew what she had done to Anna
"Get in bed" she said
"No!" He barked angrilly. It was time to demand respect
"Then get out of my house!" She barked surpridingly. He was dumbfounded. He hadn't thought
she could send him away.
"I'm a jealous woman Ali and I don't like to share. I like sex, I like it rough and hard but you
know one good thing about sex for women, there are always willing men. Men who would pay
John Adeseewo
The SUN, the MOON, the STARS
for the pleasure you are getting for free. So get out!" She barked. He stared at her in pain and
fury. His eyes clouded with humiliation as he said
"I'm sorry"
"I want you to beg me to give you the privilege of having sex with me" she said and at the
moment, the need to become wealthy consumed him, infuriated him and he dug into his flesh
with his nails.
He opened his mouth, the words choked him, scalded him and suffocated him. He loathed her,
hating her with every fibre in him.
"Please, I want to have sex with you"
"Scream it" she demanded coldly. He felt he would burst from the anger stirring within
"Please" he shouted as tears streamed from his eyes. I would be rich and powerful, I swear by my
blood.
"I still have a mind to throw you out, so you had better please the hell out of me. Now get into
bed and take off your pants".
CHAPTER 11
He spent the next few weeks scoring every decent street in Kampala for a decent job. Most of the
job he found were menial. I would die a pauper if I take this job yet, as the weeks dragged on,
the need for money desperately consumed him. He worked as a porter, lifting luggages for
women and the aged in public parks. He washed dishes at local canteen. He engaged in recycling
and polishing of shoes. Madame Qasim did not seem to care that he no longer worked at the
Next Kitchen, so long as he came back home to perform his duties afterall, it was a small price to
pay for food and shelter. She did not even worry that he might flee for where would he run to,
and should he flee, she would easily replace him. Edet toiled day and night but the money was
meagre. He however learnt that the streets of Kampala was a war of wits with everyone looking
out for only themselves. There was a popular street tale of Salvatore Castellano, Capo di tutti
capi of the Sicilian mafiosi, La cosa nostra and godfather of the Gotti family. Salvatore had a
book keeper named Antonio. Antonio is deaf and dumb which is why he got the job in the first
place, since he wouldn't be able to hear or speak of secrets. Then one day, Salvatore learns that
John Adeseewo
The SUN, the MOON, the STARS
Antonio has duped him of 500,000 dollars. He goes with his Consiglieri, a Ugandan who
understands sign language to recover the money in Antonio's house
"Where is my money?" Salvatore barks at Antonio. The Ugandan Consiglieri communicates to
Antonio in sign language and he responds
"I don't know". Savatore levels a pistol at Antonio's head and pulls back the hammer
"Tell him I'd ask one more time" he says to the Ugandan Consiglieri who turns to Antonio and
signals
"He's going to shatter your brains"
"Okay, okay, tell him it's under the shed of the house of Bruno, my cousin"
"What did he say?" Salvatore asked the Ugandan Consiglieri, who then replied
"He said you don't have the balls to pull the trigger".
So Edet learnt that fools die. He labored day and night, each time reminding himself that the
world would know him, kings would bow before him and lords would wait at his table. He
visited Anna once and she hugged him tightly and cried. She had gotten a job at a saloon. He
knew Anna was more fortunate than most unemployed in Uganda. She was beautiful, an attribute
that paved way for her.
"Please tell me you've stopped sleeping with that beast" she said and he was shocked to learn that
even Anna knew.
"I have" he said and she smiled. He dared not tell her that he was past sleeping with her. That she
made him beg for sex, that he feared the day she would get tired and kick him out. Suddenly a
sick looking dog ran over to Anna. The dog couldn't even bark
"That's my dog" she said with pride. Edet stared at the pale, ugly dog, wondering how one could
be proud of such a beast
"I named him Ali" she said proudly
"Why?" He cried in horror
"He reminds me of you" she said. Edet was frowning when an impossible idea struck him.
The next day, he went back to one of the hotels he had been scoring for a job. He observed it and
smiled. Uganda is mine. He stood up at night, plotting his art, devising, scheming and creating.
He felt omniscient, he felt like God. He knew that con art was a subtle science. It was convincing
John Adeseewo
The SUN, the MOON, the STARS
a Mark, victim that his single narrow perspective is infallible. Almost like when one sees a red
car zoom past on a road; the person automatically beliefs that the other side of the car is red. The
next day, he walked to the hotel and sat on a chair with a newspaper across his face. He needed
to find a greedy mark; for it is almost impossible to dupe a contented person. Fortunately, greed
is the easiest thing in the world to determine; for a greedy man can never truly hide his greed; be
he a Chief, Judge or Priest. As the Manager walked past, he dropped a 1000 shilling note on the
floor
"Hello Mister, I think this fell from you"
"No, it isn't mine" the Manager said. Edet was about to stand in disappointment when a voice
bellowed
"It's mine, Asante sana" the bartender thanked him and tucked the money in his pocket. Edet
smiled. He had his mark, known in Nigeria as Maga, a term coined from Wafi.
That night, he undertook the herculean task of convincing Anna to release the sick Alsatian. The
next day, he went to the bar of the Sojovalo in a shirt and jeans. The local Alsatian was with him.
He looked at the bartender who had claimed the 1000 shilling the day before with a look of
worry on his face
"Any problem sir?" The bartender said
"Oh, nothing" he said, then immediately said "Perharps there is something"
"Ok hit me with it" the bartender said
"Listen, I'm having some problems with my account and I'm wondering if you could give me
about 500,000 shillings and Ruff here, would be yours" he said and smiled at the sick Alsatian.
The bartender laughed until there was tears in his eyes
"What's your name" the bartender asked
"Ali" he replied
"You must think I'm a fool"
"No"
"No? And you want 500,000 for this piece of shit" he said. Edet feigned an expression of anger
"What you call a piece of shit is a Saber Tooth dog, a rare specie which is going extinct" he
shouted in anger
John Adeseewo
The SUN, the MOON, the STARS
"Yeah, where have I heard that before" the bartender said. Edet pulled out a large chunk of meat
from a bag and threw it on the floor for the dog. The bartender chuckled but then he thought,
why will a man who needed money waste a large chunk of meat that costed 7,000 Ugandan
shillings on a dog, unless the dog was indeed important? He didn't know of anything called a
Saber Tooth dog but the man before him seemed in desperate need.
"Alright Ali, I'll help you but 100,000 shillings is all you are getting, nothing more and this is a
loan not a sale. I'll keep the dog as security. You'll redeem the loan with an interest of 50,000
shillings" the bartender said. He was sure the dog could be sold for at least 200,000 shilling if
Edet defaulted.
"C'mon, can't you..."
"Take it or leave it". Edet took it and left the hotel. Less than two hours later, Anna entered the
hotel with a cream silk gown and a black stiletto shoe. She went to the hotel bar and ordered a
drink. As the bartender was pouring the drink, he suddenly heard
"Oh my God! Is this real? Oh my God". The bartender wondered what could make an apparently
beautiful wealthy woman scream
"Is that your dog Mister?" She asked
"Em, no Miss..."
"It's Mrs Rio" she said and he thought to himself, one of those beauty without brains that had
married some wealthy carribean dude.
"No Mrs Rio"
"Wow, that's bad" she pouted and cuddled the dog as the bartender watched in amusement.
"Why?"
"The dog is a Saber Tooth dog. One of the rarest species on earth. I would have paid any amount
for it"
"Yeah" he chuckled "how much are you taking about?"
"Lemme ask John" she said
"Who is John?" The bartender asked but Anna was already on the phone
"Sweetheart you won't believe what I just saw. An adorable Saber Tooth dog. Oh, its so cute".
The bartender heard her say as she giggled, pouted and blew kisses on the phone. Bloody rich
spoilt fools. Moments later, she said
"John says 40 million shillings"
John Adeseewo
The SUN, the MOON, the STARS
"What!" The bartender said as blood drained from his face. He looked at Anna and saw she was
serious
"Any problem sir"
"Forty million?"
"The last auction I attended, the dog was bought for 200 million. Obviously this is not your dog
else you'll know its value. Anyways, when the owner comes, give him my card" she said and
handed over a gold plaited card with the name John Rio Mulungi, CEO Brandcraft Enterprises.
"I know he isn't going to sell, so just tell him I want to cross breed his dog with mine. Tell him
my price is forty million shilling" she said and walked out. The bartender just stood there
shocked, unable to believe his ears. Suddenly, he saw the sick Alsatian following Anna out, he
immediately ran and grabbed the dog which continued to make a waffled sound at Anna for a
reason he could not understand. When Edet came back, he told him he wanted to buy the dog
"I'm not selling" Edet replied
"500,000 shilling" the bartender said
"I'm not selling for anything less than 2 million shilling" Edet said. His price infuriated the
bartender. Edet had been willing to take 500,000 shilling a while ago but then he was desperate
and in urgent need of money he thought. If I buy the dog for 2 million shilling and crossbreed
with Mrs Rio's dog, I would get 40 million shillings and I would still have the dog to crossbreed
with other bored wealthy fools. He didn't have 2 million but if he emptied his life savings and
added the hotel's money with him, he would be pretty close.
"We have a deal" he said and went to the bank with Edet and transfered the money into a
fictitious account supplied by Edet. When Edet left, he fantisized about the mansions, disco
parties, pools and women. Fancy cars, clinging of baccarat glasses and laughters. I would be
ruthless with all my enemies, with all who have mocked me when I was poor he thought as he
rehearsed the pose he would take when he laughed his boss to the face and told him he was no
longer working in the hotel. Moments later, he dialled the number on the card. The number rang
out for hours but no one picked up. He tried again and again and again. Two hours, and he was
still trying. Three, and he was agitated. Four, and he trembled like a wet dog. Later that night, he
was found in his apartment, swinging from a rope, his lifeless eyes staring down at his only
daughter.
John Adeseewo
The SUN, the MOON, the STARS
From that day, they executed all sort of cons. On one occasion, they printed their account
number on fake deposit slips so that when the victim paid money, it automatically entered their
account. By the time the bank discovered what had hit them, they had withdrawn the money and
vanished. On another occasion, he presented a device to the public and told them it could print a
5,000 shilling note but the only problem was that it had been configured to print every two hours.
He would place four real 5,000 shilling notes in the device. After most people watched it print
for the first four or at most, six hours, they paid 200,000 shillings for the device, after which he
vanished. Once the four bills were exhausted, the device spat out only blank notes.
They executed all sorts of cons with illusions, aeromancy, necromancy, sleight of hands,
hypnotism and soon realized that Kampala was smaller than they thought. They began to stumble
upon some of their victims. Edet knew it was time to leave. He never said a word to Madame
Qasim. He simply took off; he and Anna for he knew he would come back rich and powerful to
have his vengeance someday. In Kasangati, a handsome young man named Daudi joined them.
He was an artist with a degree from the Kyambogo University. Daudi realized like many failed
artiste that painting and murals were the least of people's worries when they were starving. Art
could not feed him. He tried to become a fashion model but it seemed all the bantu people and
other tribesmen in Kisangati were only interested in what they could eat. No one cared about a
Model. In the end, he was forced to become skilled in the mastery of forgery. Edet met one
Simbe Bulega, the owner of Kasangati Casino in Kisangati. He offered to pay for Simbe Bulega's
tea which cost about 50 shillings. He handed a 1,000 shilling note to Simbe Bulega who ordered
for the tea, thanked him, yet, kept the change for himself. Edet had his mark.
Anna and Daudi met with Simbe Bulega at the Kisangati Casino the next morning. They sat
before the dim light, as the disco music blared loudly. Simbe Bulega sat alone on a red sofa in
his inner chamber. There were tons of Cuban Cigars and powder on the table. He puffed the
Cigar in the face of Anna but she neither flinched or moved. Daudi struggled to control his fear
as the hot smoke cause tears to roll from his eyes. Eventually, Simbe waved his hand. Anna
immediately pulled out a newspaper from her bag, opened a page and threw it on the table before
him.
"What be this?" He asked in a rasped voice
John Adeseewo
The SUN, the MOON, the STARS
"Metal plates, stolen from the Central Bank of Uganda" Anna replied. Simbe chuckled and read
the page. There was a section of the Central Bank Governor Tumusiime Mutebile threatening
angrilly and swearing to hunt down the culprits who stole five metal plates.
"So you have metal plates?" Simbe asked
"Are you interested or not?" Anna replied
"Show me" he said. Anna pulled out a picture of the metal plates.
"You expect me to believe picture?" He scoffed, revealing a set of black teeth
"No" she said. Daudi dropped two large briefcases on the table.
"Sample of the plates" Anna said. Simbe Bulega eyes her suspiciously and opened the briefcase.
The first one was filled with 20,000 denomination of the Ugandan shilling notes while the other
one was filled with the 50,000 denomination of the Ugandan shilling notes.
"You think I'm foolish?" He barked angrilly
"No but you'll be if you let this opportunity pass" Anna replied bluntly. A guard immediately
stood up from the dark and drew a pistol. Simbe Bulega raised his hand and the guard stopped.
He smiled and said
"If shilling bill note is real, why you show me plenty?"
"There's more than enough where it came from. Test as much as you like" she said. Simbe
Bulega turned to face his guard
"Unafikiri?"
"Hebu kuchukua fedha zao no kuangalia ni nje" the guard replied
"Leave the money here. I would call you" he said
"When?" Anna asked
"When I want" he said. As they stood to leave, Simbe said
"I would be watching you. If this is fraud, I'll cut your tongues and don't dream of leaving
Kasangati".
Immediately they left, Simbe Bulega wore a jacket and went to the bank to verify the bill notes.
He walked to the woman at the counter
"Sorry Madame, one of my friend give me this money as payment for contract but I'm afraid he
cheat me. Please help me look money well well". He watched nervously as the woman scanned
the bill note. He swore to find and torture Anna and Daudi should they have misled him
John Adeseewo
The SUN, the MOON, the STARS
"The notes are authentic" the woman suddenly said. Simbe had to hold the counter to prevent his
legs from giving way. His heart pounded with excitement. He pulled out a handkerchief and
dabbed the sweat forming on his face.
"You sure Madame?"
Yes sir"
"You really sure?" He asked and the woman began to eye him suspiciously.
"Asante" he said and hurried off to another bank. By evening, Anna and Daudi were sitting
before him again
"If you have metal plates, why are you trying to sell it?" Simbe asked
"Because you only need one to print all the money you want" Anna said
"You have five?" Simbe asked with greedy eyes
"There's only one left for sale" she replied. Simbe Bulega kept quiet for a long period of time. He
believed in being patient. He had spent his childhood gambling away but had found that dubious
men found it difficult to dupe patient men.
"I'd see you tomorrow"
"You should know, there is another buyer bidding for the plates" she said and Simbe smiled. She
thinks me a fool. He knew in Kasangati, only few men had the balls to deal with Metal Plates. He
kept quiet for a long time, then handed over the briefcases of money back to them
"Keep it" Anna said. Simbe gazed at her in shock. He kept quiet for a long time, studying every
nuance on the face of Anna. How could these people be so rich as to be generous with such
enormous amount of money.
"I'll call you"
"I leave Kasangati in two days" Anna replied.
Outside the Casino, one of Simbe Bulega’s men trailed Anna to a hotel.
The next day, Simbe and his men parked across the hotel were Daudi and Anna were lodging.
The moment they left the hotel, they broke into their chalet. There were shilling notes of 20,000
and 50,000 denomination lying everywhere. The bill notes were hidden in the roof, piled in
bundles on the table and scattered on the floor. Some had been stuffed down the toilet, other bill
notes had been folded in the form of canoes, guns and airplanes. The room was filled with so
John Adeseewo
The SUN, the MOON, the STARS
much bill notes. It stank of wealth, waste and boredom. It looked more like a stage for an
Origami contest. Simbe noticed that those ones stuffed down the toilet had heavy ink on them.
The printing had come out bad he thought. He and his boys ransacked the chalet for the metal
plates but found none. In the end, they gathered all the cash in the room and took it to another
bank. He almost excreted on himself as he watched the thin lady at the counter examine the
money. Then she said
"The notes are genuine". Simbe farted loudly in the bank. Everyone turned to face him in
disgust. His hands were trembling as he imagined what he could do with the metal plates. It was
too much for him to bear. He farted again.
Anna sat alone before Simbe Bulega again
"How much?" He asked like someone who wasn't interested
"100 million shillings" Anna said
"What?" Simbe barked
"Yes, and the 100 million shilling is for the 20,000 denomination metal plate"
"This is insane!"
"With one metal plate, you'll have a limitless source of money"
"50 million" he replied. Anna simply stood up to leave
"Wait!" He said and smiled
"You tough, I like that" he said with desires and vain passion. He had undressed Anna in his
mind. He got up, wore a hat and headed for the bank. Minutes later, 100 million shillings had
been transferred into a fictitious account supplied by Anna. Moments later, Daudi handed over a
metal plate he had forged to Simbe Bulega.
"Be careful not to attract the attention of the authorities" Anna said but Simbe didn't hear. He
was gluttonously examining the metal plates. Unknown to Simbe, the bill notes he examined in
the briefcase and the ones he had taken from the chalet, including the ones with heavy ink stuffed
down the toilet had all been authentic. They were all original Ugandan bill notes.
Moments later, the three of them were laughing and screaming in excitement as they raised a
glass with some tourist in a Safari bus heading to Kenya.
John Adeseewo
The SUN, the MOON, the STARS
CHAPTER 12
Ute SANNA
KOAKOLAND, EASTERN NAMIBIA, MILES FROM THE KALAHARI DESERT.
O Sister Katherina!
The mournful dirge of the griot echoed through the shifting crimson red sands of Koakoland. The
fiery sunset made the himba nomads tensed and frightened that night. A gust of east wind swept
the desert sands to and fro in a manner that produced a terrifying roaring sound. The roaring
sound made all the himba nomads gaze into the deep deserts, as if fearing that the desert Lions
were lurking in the sands. The griot stood on the extremes of the Kalahari and cried
Sister Katherina! O sister Katherina!
The griot wailed. The women were crying, the men grinning. There was only one girl without
tears in her eyes in Koakoland that sad evening. Ute Sanna gazed at the thousands of vengeful
eyes which shot at her like flaming arrows.
O Sister Katherina,
She-Lion who invaded us from the west,
Goddess who kills six with a thunderstone,
Seasoned warrior, storm on the edge of the knife...
The griot wailed on in a spirit chant with smoke incense and red earth on the body of the
deceased. The emotional outpour was too much for Ute to bear
"Nie rond te kyk, don't cry" her brother, Lazrus growled in afrikaans. He clutched a hidden
dagger under his Raffia skirt. Ute Sanna gazed at her father, Etuno Sanna, who stood proud in
front of the corpse of the deceased. He was the headsman of the himba nomads, the ruler of the
seven clans. He was shaved to the scalp and covered in a brown leather fashioned from leopard
John Adeseewo
The SUN, the MOON, the STARS
hide. The himba nomads were known for their elaborate dreadlocks made from red earth and
butter. The himba men wore the oudatu braids while women's hairstyle were more elaborate.
However, once a man got married; he wore a turban and never removed it till his death. The
himba men were not permitted to remove their turban even to scratch their head. They simply
scratched through the turban with an arrow pointed peg. The only time they opened their head
was at the funeral of a native of Koakoland, during which they shaved their head to the scalp.
Ute was surrounded by shaved heads today. Her mother Rebekka Sanna was standing beside her
father Etuno in front of the people with an erembe headdress. Suddenly, her father collected a
touch from the priest and set the white woman ablaze. The people watched as the red flames
licked her corpse to dust. Thousands of eyes were facing Ute and she wished the ground to
swallow her up, she willed that her brother Lazrus, a seasoned warrior would let her cry. Kabali,
the elder of the Oruzo clan, the fourth strongest clan, gazed at her father, Etuno with vengeful
eyes. His gazed met with Ute. It spat fury, malice and gore. Ute wanted to turn and flee into the
desert of the Kalahari. She wanted the sands to cover her. She wanted to flee into the embrace of
Namakwa, the goddess of the sands. Lazrus gripped her hands tightly.
"Moenie bang wees nie wys" he barked angrilly at her. Lazrus was a seasoned warrior, one who
hated fear and weakness. A trait he inherited from their father Etuno. Lazrus was older than Ute
with twenty one years. Ute had heard of his bravery long before she was born. Once, a black
maned lion attacked the cattles of the himba nomads. Etuno, her father summoned a warrior from
each of the seven clans to go into the Kalahari; each of the men were clad in their leather armour
and armed with their heavy wooden spears, Assegais, lances, poisoned arrows, javelins, sabers
and muskets. Lazrus had represented her father's clan, her own clan, the largest and strongest of
all the clans. It was only Lazrus that returned alive with scars and wounds inflicted by the blood
thirsty beast on his body. The witnesses said his Assegais was filled with the blood of the beast
but Lazrus never told anyone but Etuno, their father and headsman what had happened yet, the
Lion never came again. Now, Lazrus matched Kabali's gaze man to man. The war of gaze spoke
of grudges, unforgiveness and hatred. Kabali had not forgiven or forgotten the death of his son.
Ute Sanna's problem had begun from the day she was born. Her father Etuno and mother
Rebekka were both past the age of child bearing when Rebekka conceived; a child many swore
was a gift from the gods of the red sands. Nine months later, Ute was born. Etuno, Rebekka and
John Adeseewo
The SUN, the MOON, the STARS
the midwives gazed at the baby in shock. They had seen nothing like it. Ute was extremely fair
skinned, spotless and beautiful. A radical contrast to the dark skin which all the himba nomads
possessed. The only whites the nomads had ever encountered were Safari tourists from the west.
Etuno gazed at the fair skinned baby girl for hours, wondering how this could be. He sent for the
red priest who swore the baby was a demon from the deserts and must be condemned to flames
before she was a woman grown. Etuno refused and Lazrus swore to have the head of any man
who laid a finger on his baby sister. The year Ute was born, a drought like never before struck
Koakoland and many murmured about the evil brought by the presence of a demon from the
deserts on Koakoland but none dared voice it out. The people milked their cows dry but the milk
was not nearly enough for anyone and in the end, the drought killed hundreds. The red priest
warned, begged, and prophesied of a doom the fair, spotless and beautiful goddess of beauty
would bring on Koakoland but Etuno would not listen. Each elder from the seven clans tried to
persuade Etuno but he simply summoned Ute before them. When the elders beheld her
marauding beauty, they changed their minds too. In the end, the red priest went through the clans
and told the people of the doom the fair goddess would bring upon them. He swore to the people
that the fair goddess had enchanted and bewitched their headsman and elders with her fleeting
beauty. In the end, Etuno banished the red priest into the Kalahari and when he disobeyed the
banishment; Etuno had him beheaded. The drought passed but none forgot the prophecy of doom
made by the red priest. Ute grew to become the attention of every boy around her age bracket in
Koakoland. The himba nomads gazed at her each time she walked on the streets. Other girls tried
to match her beauty in vain. They plaited the Ozondato braids; they wore the Omohanga anklets
but it was never enough. Ute looked like a goddess with her desert sand skin that made her look
like a mulatto, halfcast and her long black hair. Every unmarried man in Koakoland struggled to
please Ute; the struggle to get her attention led to family feuds, warring and duels; all resulting in
deaths until the warrings were quelled by her father Etuno. Whispers of a bad omen saturated
Koakoland. Then 7 years earlier, shortly after she became seven, just when she began to blossom
into a spectacle no human sight could walk away from; Shili, first son of Kabali, elder of the
fourth strongest clan was gazing at Ute's beauty. Shili who was four years older than Ute at the
time was so enchanted; he didn't hear the scream of his tribesmen; the alarming cry that a bull
had strayed. In the end, he was crushed by the stray bull. Kabali swore the fair goddess had
bewitched his son with her enchanting beauty but he could not prove the use of sorcery. Shili,
John Adeseewo
The SUN, the MOON, the STARS
Kabali's son was buried but Kabali did not forgive. In the end, he convinced his clan that the fair
goddess had killed their heir, his son and must die. Kabali knew his clan alone could do nothing
so he kept the conspiracy in his heart, waiting, plotting and devising for the day, the fair goddess
and her father's days would be numbered, the day the other clans would come to accept the
prophecy of the red priest. Another drought struck after the death of Shili, one that claimed the
lives of three hundred nomads across all the clans of Kaokoland. Etuno's clansmen suffered the
greatest deaths. Kabali sowed a seed of hatred in the heart of every family who had lost a loved
one, especially the clansmen of Etuno. The fair goddess was drinking up their bloods. The news
came to Etuno who knew killing Kabali might inflame the other clans; Kabali being the elder of
his own clan. In the end, he had Kabali whipped till he was sore for his false accusation. Kabali
never spoke again but the seed had been sown. The nomads had been corrupted. From that day,
Ute Sanna was secretly blamed from any woe that befell Koakoland. No nomad dared utter it out
but it was muttered in each dung hut, whispered in the cattle field and Ute found herself
ostracized, cut off from her people. The young fled in terror when they saw her while the youths
gripped their blades at her sight. Even the nomads of her clan distanced themselves from her.
Only Sisco, the son of the troubadour of her clan played with her. Sisco, who was two years
older than her would thank the gods that every one was avoiding her.
"Waarom, why?" She would ask
"Wan as jy wil om te trou wil ex die enigste minnaar wees, So that when it's time for you to
marry, I'd be your only suitor" He would reply with a confident smile and she would laugh. Sisco
composed songs and poems in her name and he had a sonorous voice. He would play her the
Ohuta, the stringed instrument and brag to anyone who cared to listen that he would marry her
and flee to bushmen of Riemvaskmaak or Opumo where their poking eyes would be far from
them. She would laugh until her eyes were wattery. She grew to be fond of him. The hatred
against her kept growing worse. Her mother Rebekka, urged her father to send her to the nomads
of the Molopo river but Etuno refused. He did not think even they, would accept a fair skinned
nomad and he feared that if he could not protect Ute, no one could. Rebekka continued to urge
him until he was vexed. In the end, he whipped her for challenging him and raising her voice
against him, her lord and husband. She never spoke about it again. The whipping infuriated Ute
but Lazrus told her
John Adeseewo
The SUN, the MOON, the STARS
"A woman must never argue with her lord for he's never wrong. He's endowed with wisdom by
the gods themselves to rule her and his household". Ute would always wonder whether Sisco
would whip her should she argue with him. She did not see herself marrying anyone else. The
plot against Ute continued to reach Etuno and in the end, he ordered Ute to always wear a veil.
Ute began to wear a veil around Koakoland; a strategy which seemed to pacify and calm the
hatred against her. Even at the marriage rite of Lazrus, her brother, three years earlier when she
was ten of age, her face was veiled yet, she secretly opened her face whenever she was spending
time with Sisco. Then two days ago, after she had been wearing the veil for seven years, a
tragedy had struck. Sister Katherine, a missionary from Americana had brought a strange
doctrine of a strange god two years earlier, when she was 12. The people had received the white
woman only because of the goods she had brought. Sister Katherina had wooed the himba
women with pendants, jewelry and mirrors while the men where shocked to realize that they
were certain herbs that could make their cattles fatter. Sister Katherine had taught them English,
taught them to read and write and administered some little white stones which seemed to cure
diseases faster than their herbs; while constantly proclaiming a strange god which she swore,
knew them all by name as well as their ancestors Keme and Obara. She became a heroine
overnight. Ute loved Sister Katherine because their skin color was alike, though she, Sister
Katherine was a bit whiter. Sometimes she wondered if the gods had mysteriously transported
her from the place where Sister Katherine was born, to this place. Then two days earlier, a
tragedy had struck. Sister Katherine had been teaching her strange doctrine on a raffia platform
the himba women had made for her. She had finished and was coming down from the elevated
raffia platform. Suddenly, a million demons conspired against Ute. A heavy east wind blew and
took off the veil from her face. Sister Katherine suddenly spotted her face
"Angels and Ministers of grace defend us!" She exclaimed
"For the love of God!" She cried, beholding Ute in utmost amazement as she climbed down the
raffia. Suddenly, she missed her steps and broke her neck. Now, the whole nomads of the seven
clans were gazing at her, stabbing her with unspoken words and cold glances.
O Katherina, the journey to the sands of the desert begins,
The sands where the bones of Keme, Obara and Kpata lies
O Katherina, hold your head to the winds...
John Adeseewo
The SUN, the MOON, the STARS
Ute gazed at her mother Rebekka, she seemed worrried and agitated. She gazed at her father
whose face had a hard and stubborn look. Never argue with your lord, for he his never wrong
Lazrus words echoed. Yes, she thought, men are never wrong yet as she beheld Lazrus’ hands,
they were trembling terribly. The black hawks were circling in the sky.
O Sister Katherina...
CHAPTER 13
Edet OMAJI
NAIROBI, KENYA
Rono Akina was popularly known in Nairobi as Kubeba, the Swahili word for a ferocious bear.
She was the only daughter of Issa Akina, Mabwana Juu Bwana, Boss of bosses and godfather of
Mungiki, the Kenyan Mafian, known for loan sharking, extortion racketeering and the running of
drug cartels. Issa Akina was notorious for wearing only white suits, a ridiculous attire that for
some reason incited fear in his enemies. The Mungiki, Kenyan mafia was a terribly organized
syndicate. It is headed by the Mabwana Juu Bwana, boss of bosses who commands all the cells.
Each cell has a Kichwa, leader who comands his own fifty members who are further divided into
five platoons of ten men each. The head of each platoon was the Kamanda. Thus, each Kichwa
had five Kamandas who reported to the Bwana Juu Mabwana, Issa Akina, Rono Akina's father.
Rono had never married yet, she had a child for her father's adopted son, Abel Akina who was
rumoured to be the heir of Issa Akina to Mungiki. At thirty nine, Rono could not be considered a
John Adeseewo
The SUN, the MOON, the STARS
beautiful woman but she had a seductive body with curves that actuated her feminity. She was
strong and cold; a deadly character which many men and secret admirers found oddly arousing.
She ran a large motel and an enterprising prostitute joint in the downtown area of Nairobi, close
to the Uhuru Park. Many of her customers would have paid any price to have her but she was not
for offer. They took out the lust and morbid infatuation they had for Rono on her girls. None of
Rono's girls ever fell out of line and for good reason. Once, a customer had been displeased with
the service of one of Rono's whores. He kept yelling and screaming curses in the faces of other
customers
"Jinsi huko wewe nipe mti kutomba?" He barked recklessly
"Perharps we can talk privately" Rono replied politely
"You give me a nun to pleasure me and now you seek a private discussion; perharps you would
also sermonize me" the man cursed profanely
"Onyango" she called his name in caution
"Your whores are like kikuyu trees wrapped in clothes. Their buttocks are as hard as mlima
mawe; hell, I can deflect a bullet with the buttocks of your whores" he barked in fury
"That's enough Onyango"
"Perharps your buttocks are different" he said and advanced towards Rono with a corky smile.
His voice was husky and demanding. That was when everyone present knew he was either drunk
or insane. Rono immediately threw a cup of alcohol in his eyes
"Ninyi umwagaji damu bitch!" He cursed as the liquid stung his eyes. He immediately struck
Rono across the face while the customers screamed for the guards. By the time the guards got to
the scene, blood was gushing out of Onyango's neck. He gasped and coughed out blood as Rono
sat on him, calmly cleaning his blood from her hands. She had stabbed him with a comb knife
four times. By the time the police arrived, every witness had given their testimonies. The
testimonies were all the same. Onyago had attacked Rono first and she had defended herself.
They all feared her father Issa Akina. Rono ensured that the whore who had sermonized
Onyango was raped by six men the next day. She made all her remaining girls watch. She made a
statement to them that day.
"When a customer walks through this door, you had better please the hell out of him".
John Adeseewo
The SUN, the MOON, the STARS
Rono Akina tolerated many things but everyone knew she hated anyone messing with her
teenage son Martin. Once, she had caught one of her whores laughing at a joke that Martin had
cracked. The next day, the girl was walking on the street in the night when a mechanic who was
stumbling from a pavement accidentally emptied the acidic content of a box he was carrying on
her body. She became disfigured. On another occasion, she caught one of her whores flirting
with Martin. The girl was arrested the next day for dealing in hard drugs. Tons of cocaine,
narcotics and other intoxicating substances were found by the authorities in her apartment.
Rono Akina was smiling at a customer in her Motel one evening when Martin walked in
beaming in excitement
"I've warned you never to come here again" she barked but Martin simply smiled sheepishly and
her frown turned into helpless laughter.
"Mama, I met DJ Vadez" he said, jumping around the room with excitement. Rono was lost. She
knew her son wanted to be a hip hop artist but she had thought it nothing more than a youthful
exuberance because she knew like everyone did that he was a lousy singer, though no one told
him to his face. His voice sounded like a gong.
"Who is DJ Vadez?" She asked and that was the first time she heard about Edet.
Moments later, Rono Akina was making inquiries on the net about DJ Vadez. She saw pictures
of a young man drinking wine with the Popular Kenyan musician Priest Fari. There was another
picture of him posing with Sukama Bin and Jahkey Malle. Below was a picture of him being
lifted by the popular music group Abana Ba Nasery at the Kisama Music Awards. She got the
address of his studio in Nairobi, waited for two days, then headed there with her son
unannounced.
The studio was situated opposite a local laundry where some youths who constantly talked about
getting rich washed clothes which ranged from police uniforms to household clothings. Inside
the studio were large portraits of Fundi Kondi; the best known early guitarist. Beside him was
another portrait of Paul Mwachupa and Lukas Tututu. Down the room was an enlarged photo of
Edet with the Kilimambogo Brother's Band, receiving an award at the Kisama Music Awards.
She saw a young man recording for a young artiste through a transparent window. Suddenly, a
John Adeseewo
The SUN, the MOON, the STARS
beautiful lady with a crazy hairstyle, a small short that did little to conceal her butts and a
strapless piece of cloth walked up to her.
"His bitch Mama" Martin whispered in excitement
"What?"
"Celebrities always have bitches" he said as the lady approached. Rono thought to herself that
the lady was beautiful.
"I want to see DJ Vadez" she said but the lady scoffed
"DJ Vadez not see grandma like you". Rono was about to lash out at the lady when someone
shouted
"Martin!" She turned and saw the man she had seen on the net walk up to her with another man
with deadlocks behind him. He shook Martin in a special way and whispered to Rono
"The next hip hop celebrity in Kenya". He turned to Anna
"Aliyah, get something strong for our guest", then he led them into a room.
"I signed Ras Naya to our record label. I helped him in producing Shine and Mau Mau and you
know what a crazy hit it was"
"Why are you interested in signing my son?"
"Don't get me wrong baby; I'm not interested in your son. I'm interested in his music. Your son
got moves, he got flow" he said but Rono was not thinking about Martin's fame. She was
thinking about the fact that Martin would be exposed to drugs and bitches and violence. She had
seen much of that while growing up with her father and she didn't want that for him. She knew
Issa Akina intended Abel to take over as godfather after him and then Martin after Abel. She
would never allow it. A life of loan sharking, extortion racket, drug cartels and organized crime
was the least thing she wanted for her son.
"How much would you require to sign him into your record label?" She asked
"50 million Kenyan shillings" he replied but Rono did not flinch
"I'm sorry but I don't think my son is right for this" she said and blood drained from Martin's
face. Edet smiled and said
"I know how you feel baby. However, you got a talented boy. If he can make it in Nairobi, the
acclaimed green city in the sun which I assure you he will, your joy would be endless". As she
stood to leave, Edet pulled out two invitations and offered it to Martin
John Adeseewo
The SUN, the MOON, the STARS
"The Kisama Music Awards!" He exclaimed
"Yeah boy, perharps the gods of music would change your Mama's mind when you come" he
said
"This changes nothing" Rono said as Martin's eyes clouded with tears. She did not care, he
wasn't going to have this immoral life.
Two days later, they were ushered into a festive atmosphere at the Kisama Gala night in Nairobi.
Several fans sceamed at Edet, Anna, Martin and Rono as they stepped down from their Bentley
but the truth was that the fans would scream at anything that passed the red carpet at the time.
"Wave" Edet whispered to Martin. Anna was looking elegant in a white gown. So was Rono and
Martin. Moments later, they were watching the Suma tribal dance performed by Habida. After
that was the reggae and R n B fusion by Wyre. The list were endless. Edet was sure to point out
every prominent musician as they walked by. He spoke about Nonini, the godfather of Genge,
about Prince Otach, it was a long night. After a few hours, Edet walked over to a section which
was free from the raving strobe lights and loud music. He approached a popular musician, Kali.
"Hello Bwana, I'm a big fan of your sir" he said and Kali was already smiling as the audience
began to chant a new song in the distance
"Can you see the lady over there?" He said pointing to the table in which Anna, Rono and Martin
were sitted
"She's pretty" Kali said
"Yeah she is. That's her mother and younger brother sitting beside her. They are big fans of
yours. The thing is, I'm about to propose to her and it would really give me some credit if you
could walk over and greet me as if you know me"
"No problem" Kali said and began to light a cigarette
"Call me DJ Vadez" Edet said and Kali nodded. He walked over to other musicians and sold
them the same line. Shortly after, Kali walked over to the table where they were all sitted and
shouted
"DJ Vadez! Where have you been. I've been looking all over for you brother". He turned to Anna
and said
"I owe my career to this man. He is a good friend". He was going to inscribe an autograph on
Martin's shirt when Edet said
John Adeseewo
The SUN, the MOON, the STARS
"Fuck off Kali"
"What!" The stunned Kali said in confusion
"I said get out of my sight" he barked and Kali stared at him as if he was insane. He simply
nodded in confusion, wondering whether this was the man that had approached him.
"Why?" Martin asked
"He's a bastard. After bringing him to fame, he joined Calif records" Edet replied. Martin was
convinced now that Edet was a big shot. He had just watched him snob one of the biggest
celebrities in Kenya. Rono said nothing. Before the night was over, several musicians had come
over asking Edet
"Is this the kid?"
"Yes" Edet would reply
"Heard you are the next big shot in Kenya" they would say and pat his shoulder and Martin
would smile like an asthmatic frog. Others would say
"I would like to feature you in my video sometime" and they would wink at Edet. They kept
going and coming and before the night was over, Martin was overwhelmed. He had to be a
superstar. So was Rono. Perharps there is a way Martin can balance fame and morality she
thought. As they stood up to leave, Martin asked
"Unaweza I na namba yako ya simu?" Rono watched as Edet stared in confusion and then he
smiled and walked out. There was nervousness on Anna's face. Rono was wondering why DJ
Vadez had not honored her son's request to give him his number. Then it came to her. He did not
understand Swahili. She had not heard him speak it since she met him. The bastard is not from
any East African country. She turned to face Martin as they left the Gala
"Tell me how you met this DJ Vadez".
CHAPTER 14
Two days later, they received a call from Rono telling them to come over to her house.
"She knows" Anna insisted but Edet would not listen. Daudi sided with him and they were game.
They agreed to meet her the next day.
John Adeseewo
The SUN, the MOON, the STARS
Rono Akina was sitting in a room with symmetrical glasses all over. It made it look as if there
were thousands in the room. Two sworn sons of her father stood beside her. Two foul men who
had recited the Kiapo, oath of honor of Mungiki
May I die if I reveal our secrets,
My my bones rot if I betray Ndugu, my sworn brothers...
The ancient words echoed in her ears. The two sworn brothers stood beside her with a cold gaze.
Anna felt a cold chill run down her spine.
"I've changed my mind, I want to sign Martin over to your record label" she said and Edet
nodded.
"Fifty million Kenyan Shillings right?" She said. Anna was sure she was mocking and baiting
them. She knows. Rono put a briefcase on the table and opened it. It was filled with Kenyan
shilling bill notes.
"100 million" she said
"We asked for fifty" Anna said
"No, why not just take 100 million" Rono said
"No problem baby" Edet said nervously
"There's just one problem. Martin is a lousy singer. I'd rather listen to a toad than listen to him
sing"
"The youths of this generation don't care about voice baby. It's all about beats and style and he's
got me for that. I'm seeing tours, live audience performances, Kisama Awards and Martin in the
midst of it all"
"You are right. You see, after my son asked you that question the other night, I became
suspicious. So I took the liberty of checking you up. I liked what I saw; I mean the pictures with
the celebrities you've produced over the years. When last did you speak to any of them
anyways?"
"I spoke to them at the Kisama Gala night" Edet replied
"That's funny, I just spoke with all of them today. It turns out none of them knows you. I also
asked one of my boys to find out who owned the studio I met you. You can imagine my surprise
when I was told that the studio is for sale and the present occupants are merely using the place
John Adeseewo
The SUN, the MOON, the STARS
under agreement, as a market survey for the goodwill, patronage rate and business reputation
before a future option to purchase" she said and enjoyed watching them sweat.
"I don't know how you made those celebrities do what they did or say the things they said at the
Award night but I swear by Mulungu, if you don't tell me who you really are and who sent you
after my son, I will make you bleed" she said calmly, yet, her tone was laden with seriousness.
The two sworn brothers suddenly grabbed them
"Baby I th..."
"The next time he calls me baby, shatter those hands Oscar" she told one of the sworn brothers
who grinned menacingly.
"Who sent you? Chritospher Kwabaci? The Luo Taliban? Nothing?" She asked but Edet was
mute.
"Very well, kill him and dispose the body properly" Rono growled. Oscar began dragging him
out. The other sworn brother lifted Anna and carried her into another room.
"What are you doing?" Edet asked in fear
"She would be used by the crudest of men. She would be made to do depraving things. She
would assume animalistic and degrading positions. She would be defiled by foul and offensive
men. She would become nothing more than a chunk of meat, fit only for dogs"
"No wait! Nooooooooooooooooo! I'm sorry" Edet pleaded with Anna who screamed back at him
as she was dragged away.
An hour later, ten Ugandan police men in uniform stormed Rono's Motel.
"What is this?" She yelled
"Are you Rono Akina?" One of them asked
"Yes" she replied in confusion, wondering what gave the Policemen the audacity to arrest her.
I'm the daughter of Issa Akina, Mabwana Juu Bwana of Mungiki.
"You are under arrest?" Rono didn't understand
"You are under arrest for the murder of DJ Vadez and for the servitude, degrading and inhumane
treatment of his wife"
"You fools! That bastard is not a DJ" she barked angrilly
"Yet, you ordered his extra judicial execution an hour ago"
"I did n..."
John Adeseewo
The SUN, the MOON, the STARS
"Don't bother lying Madame, we caught Oscar burying the body of DJ Vadez after execution;
Oscar has confessed everything to us". No, Rono thought. The sworn brothers would never
betray her; they feared her father. The Kenyan Cosa nostra is falling into ruins. Suddenly, two
Police officers stormed the Motel and came out with Anna. She was fidgeting terribly. The
officer in charge saw her and turned to Rono
"You have the right to remain silent Madame as...
"Do you know who I'm? You are dead already!" Rono screamed as the men dragged her into a
van
"This is madness! Your wives and children would scream in excruciating pain. You are all
dead!" She threatened the policemen.
"I'm the daughter of Issa Akina, I can never be convicted" she yelled to bystanders and kept
attracting attention. One of the policemen immediatey knocked her unconscious.
Rono Akina heard a voice and opened her eyes late in the evening. She was sitting under a embu
tree by the road. Suddenly she recognized the face. It was her father. He was surrounded by four
cells of sworn brothers. Each Kichwa and Kamanda stood behind him in reverence. Suddenly her
eyes fell on Oscar
"Oscar! You bastard! You fool!" She cursed
"Madame, I..."
"You bastard! How did you get out of the police cell?"
"I was never in a police cell Madame"
"What?"
"Some police men arrested Joe and I as we were coming down from the van at the site of
execution. I think they must have followed us from the motel. They cuffed us and stuffed us into
their van. Then something happened. They told us to get down at a deserted area. They then tied
us in an abandoned warehouse and gagged us. It was not until hours after, that we freed
ourselves"
"Bastards wale umwagaji damu!" She yelled. Her father simply watched and listened with
thoughtful eyes.
"Take me back to the motel now!" She barked at Oscar
John Adeseewo
The SUN, the MOON, the STARS
"I'm coming with you and you are riding beside me" her father said. She was about to protest
when he said
"Those men were not policemen".
When they got to the motel, she ran into her office and opened a big wardrope. The briefcase
containing the 100 million shilling was gone. The policemen had taken it. Rono Akina turned to
Oscar angrilly
"You stupid fool!" She barked as her hands shook terribly.
"Kuleta vichwa vyao na mimi!" She screamed in pain. Suddenly her father, Issa Akina pulled out
a pistol, levelled it on Oscar's face
"Please Mabwana, I swear I didn't kn..." Oscar's face was shattered with a bullet. He turned to the
other sworn brother who was urinating on his body
"Joe, do you need to sit?"
"No Maa..Mabwwa..no Mabwana"
"Good; can you recount the events that unfolded today to me again?"
"Yes Ma...aabbb...wwana". Moments later, Rono was flipping through pictures of DJ Vadez and
Anna. She flung it into the air and barked desperately
"This man disrespected me father; humiliated me. I've become a proverb of mockery; I, the
daughter of Issa Akina, Mabwanu Juu Bwana of the Kenyan Cosa Nostra. Any disrespect,
humiliation and mockery to me is a disrespect to you" she incited him, inflamed, vexed him to
fury until he spoke.
"Speak the word Kubeba and it is enough"
"I want you to bury his bones in the dust" she cried furiously
"I swear to you Kubeba, his bones are in the dust already. I'm Issa Akina".
*
Somewhere in the distance, Daudi handed over some money to ten youths in front of the local
laundry and vanished.