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05.03.2023 Featured OPINION: The Poet: Until Freedom Conspires in Their Favour

Published 5th Mar, 2023

By Abimbola Abatta


Atelewo was born in the land of Aje,

Where her forefathers lived before she sipped earth’s water,

A paradise of bountiful blessings bestowed by Olodumare.

But despite the communal wealth that surrounded them,

Only the rulers enjoyed the gifts of Aje.

Her forefathers sought humane leaders to manage the treasure chest of Aje,

But greed whispered into their ears;

Selfishness suckled their conscience,

And they elected monsters into power.

It became their curse, the stubborn bane of their existence.

As a child of Aje, wealth should rest in Atelewo’s palm,

So why did penury choose her and the other commoners?

Why did misery befriend her bosom?

Why did misfortune prefer the masses?

Each of the generations before hers sought humane leaders;

They prayed and invoked the gods of Aje land,

But whenever it was time to choose the rulers,

The deities offered them monsters.

Atelewo knew her people’s history like the palm of her hand;

She knew that greed girded the loins of her leaders,

That selfishness suckled conscience from their chest.

All she yearned was a sane land,

Where she could hold hands with wealth. 

All she craved was peace, the type that sits amid tranquil nature,

But her leaders would never allow that without a fight;

So she endured in silence until the rulers pushed her close to the cliff.

While she tottered on the edge, the warrior in her snapped out of its age-long lethargy.

Atelewo had never set foot on the battlefield;

She knew not how to wield the sword, 

Nor how to cork a gun,

But she was ready to wrestle with her adversaries.

She ignited the dead fire in her people’s eyes.

Hope flashed before their eyes,

And they set out to fight for their freedom.

Armed with nothing but their conscience,

One burning dream pulsated through their united souls:

To fight the tyrants with their forefingers, 

And wrest their communal wealth from the selfish ones.

The frenzy of a madman paled beside their fervour,

And for some minutes,

It looked like the gods had fated them for favour.

‘Our palms cannot cheat or deceive us.

‘We can take back our land’, said Atelewo.

‘It is possible,’ the people chanted in sync with the thumping war drums.

But the gods were silent;

The ancestors slept on in death, never turning in their deserted graves.

Atelewo and her people fought with their might.

Even when strength deserted them, they never took a break.

The enemies ripped off their hearts and skins,

Yet they stood their ground. 

An adversary’s knife found its way to Atelewo’s face;

It slashed through and sliced it halfway,

But she fought with blood trickling down her face.

The tyrants did not want the reign of terror to end,

So they fought back with thuggery and brutish force.

They repressed the will of the people,

And their monstrous selfishness won against the dreams of Atelewo.

The silence at the wake of the announcement was deafening,

And gut-wrenching,

Another cycle of suffering for Atelewo and her people. 

The news threw them into a hopeless trance;

The dark hue of disappointment drew its drape on their souls.

Atelewo’s palms had deceived her!

She thought they could kill evil so easily. 

The heavy footsteps of her people retreated into the camps.

The gloom that perched on their shoulders cut her soul into tiny pieces.

But don’t confuse their dejected gazes for defeat.

No more will the warriors slumber away.

Even if the gods look away,

These ones will fight till their breath becomes frail.

Even if the ancestors sleep still in death,

These warriors will shake the land to its roots,

And the freedom they seek shall conspire in their favour.

Atelewo’ is the Yoruba name for one’s palm. ‘Aje’ is the goddess of wealth. ‘Olodumare’ is one of the Yoruba names for God.

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Published 5th Mar, 2023

By Abimbola Abatta

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