Inspiring African Folklore, "DARE TO BE DIFFERENT"

DARE TO BE DIFFERENT

 There was a certain king in Onitsha, he was very generous and loved to party. Every important occasion like the new yam festival was an opportunity to dine and wine with his subjects.The king was known throughout the village as a dancing king. Whenever his praise singers began to sing his praise accompanied with the sounds of 'ogene' drums, he moves his legs like a warrior and shakes his body like one possessed by demons, indeed the king was possessed of the spirit of music. He exhumed energy and wisdom.

On this particular new yam festival he wanted to demonstrate to his subjects the importance of being unique and not copying other people's culture, especially the white men. 

On that day, he particularly asked his wives what to prepare. He told them to prepare boiled yams, and make available different sauces to eat the yam and they must include palm oil as a sauce.

When everyone had gathered and it was time for food to be served. 

Those serving asked each person what he would like to eat the yam with, there was fish stew, meat stew, fried eggs, beans and palm oil.

Many of them opted for fried eggs with yam, some went for stews with yam while others asked to be give beans with yam, nobody wanted to eat yam with palm oil except an old man who asked to be given yam with palm oil 

Everybody was enjoying their meal, only the old man's food was delayed. When it was as if his order was not coming then five beautiful damsels filed out, each carrying a plate of delicacies. The first girl brought the yam and oil in a wooden calabash, the second girl brought a well prepared goat meat (nkwobi), the third came with dried peppered bush meat, yet the fourth girl came in with different fruits in a basket then the fifth girl came with a keg of palm wine. 

Everyone present was surprised, then with his thunderous voice the king told his guests that the old man was treated special because he chose to be different, he dared to follow a different path unlike many of them that made their choices based on other people's choice.

He said, Africans copy what they don't understand. They copy foreign cultures without understanding what that culture entails. As an individual dare to walk in your own path, stop copying what you don't understand, the king told his subjects.

The story is a creation of Ngozi Uma, a writer and Journalist