Kingdom Makes the King

                                                                        CHAPTER 1 The morning in Umuenyere had broken into a still and tragic atmosphere. The cold, strong and invisible hand of death had slapped Umuenyere so hard. This time around, it came in a cruel manner, not respecting the personality involved. People were dazed and hardly could they remember what to say about the tragedy. The giant wooden tom-tom called Ikoro was symbolic in Umuenyere. It was beaten in rare occasions. That morning, the Ikoro was beaten and the sound was strongly heard in far communities outside Umuenyere. As the Ikoro boomed, women and children were forced behind the door. Elders of Umuenyere had ventured into the jungles with some hired young men from Ama-uturu, which was a neighbouring community to Umuenyere. It had been a decade the Ikoro was beaten last. The booming sound of this giant tomom kept rising in tempo, expression grief and pains. Soon the elders emerged from the jungles with those young men from Ama-uturu carrying the royal carcass of Eze Ajala. The elders wore heavy faces, expression of what pains they bore in their heart. Now, regardless of Eze Ajala’s fame and glory as a king, he died in a most shameful manner. His fashion of death was said to be abomination and capable of attracting curse to the people. His inhumation was supposed to have drawn people from all countries of Africa, but then, the reverse was the case. He took his own life and should be thrown into the evil forest like a rejected gallinacean. His body could only be carried by strangers and not by the citizens of Umuenyere. Eze Ajala had woken up at midnight and tootled into the jungle. Like a hypnotised lion, he took his own life! As the ikoro kept booming, the village square went empty. Not even a fowl was found roaming at the square. As soon as those men that went to bring back the King’s dead body emerged from the jungle, they past the village square and went straight to the palace. At the palace, the elders of Umuenyere received the king’s body with grief. Though foul-play was suspected in the King’s death, the people’s speculation was vague. Fingers could not point at any person in accusation. After some rituals at the palace, the King’s Carcass, accompanied with the fetish music of Oboni, and was taken to the evil forest. That was a most shameful way of burying a king; but his treatment was appropriate for one who took his own life. He could not have been treated otherwise because the tradition made it so. * * * For eight market days now, the people had been very busy carrying out the necessary rituals that accompany the coronation of a new King. Ukandu, the son of late Eze Ajala would soon ascend the thrown of his forefathers. What a glory to be bestowed upon mankind! Though the original trend of coronation events had been alloyed with western culture, the rudiment was not lost, the in-coming king ought to be in the shrine for seven days and after which he would be crowned on the eight day. That was to enable some necessary rituals to be performed. The in-coming king would also have time to commune with the ancestors within those seven days in the shrine. The eighth day broke into a busy and happy day. Before the D-day, the citizens of Umuenyere were anxious and could hardly wait to embrace the dawn of that festive Eke day. Witnessing such festivity was usually once in a life’s time. Coronation of a new king was not a common event. It only took place on the event of death of a former King; so not too many citizens witnessed coronation twice in their life. Elders of the land have gathered at the village green where the event was to take place. They shared past experience as they drank palm wine. Drummers and dancers that would entertain at the occasion were very much ready. Tens of tents were mounted at the square. The citizens waited patiently as visitors from all countries of Africa flooded in multitude. It was now mid-day and the square had been crowded beyond its capacity. The citizens climbed one another in a fight to gain vantage. The music rolled and the dancers were caught by the fever. They responded accordingly to the beat, rhythm and tempo of the drum. All kinds of masquerades were heavily present. Sometimes the masquerades would threaten a chase on the multitude that would surge backward just to re-adjust when they were gone. Elders were seated in their rightful place waiting for the top of the hour for them to usher in their new king and present him to the world. The time ticked slowly, carrying with it excitement, fun and merriment. Amid the excitement came a booming sound of a gun blast which sent its echo back from a nearby river valley. That explosion had broken a pot of confusion among the people. This is because the sound was not expected to come from a gun but cannon. Some cannons were mounted in strategic positions, but the hour was not yet nigh for them to explode. While the citizens excogitated what the mater could be, some elders had made their ways to the palace to find out what had gone amiss. A moment later, a painful yell broke and it became obvious that cricket had swallowed a lizard. Pandemonium broke loose and the ceremony quenched like fire. The deafening news befell the people that Ukandu had been blasted on the head just a few minutes before his formal enthronement. Immediately Ukandu was shot by the assassin, a piece of his skull fell on the coronation arena and the people knew that a greater and more dangerous thing had visited cricket in its crevice. They were terrified, when they got to the palace to see Ukandu’s brain plastered on the wall and his lifeless body lay in ocean of his hot crimson blood * * * Men and women had gathered at the village square, and everyone was carried away by basketful of political philosophy that came out from the orator’s mouth. The people of Umuenyere thought he was a messiah who had come to rescue them and offer them economic salvation. They were made to believe that they would soon be free from poverty. That development would soon be brought to their door steps. That the little tax they paid to the government of Owanee would soon be lifted off. That the government will soon solve the problem of economic hardship, and education would be made free for whoever that wished to go to school. Water, roads and electricity would be made historic problems as government would make sure they were adequately provided. Those words were so suiting that even the deaf could read from the people’s countenance that things were already fine. He concluded by saying: “we can achieve all these things if only you will make me your king. Days are gone when kingship was inherited. Nowadays, the power to choose who leads you lies in the palms of your hands. Give me a chance and together we shall build our community”. He sounded too convincing that the people needed no consultation to give their consent. His speech was welcomed with a cheerful and thunderous ovation. The people applauded him for restoring their hope and confidence in the government. * * *