The Colonialists Impact
Wole and Alake were nearer to the maternity clinic building now. The 8-room maternity had been built by the British colonial masters before independent of the country: three rooms for staffs, five rooms for patients. Painted white, the house was build with cement blocks and roofed with corrugated zinc sheets, the first to be so decorated in the village. The hibiscus flowers that were planted around it made it beautiful and distinct from the well-to-do farmers’ houses in the village. The windows were decorated with louvers and that would attract the village maidens. After getting dressed for outings, they would come to use them as life-size mirrors. Then in the village, life-size or standing mirror was a luxury that only few people could purchase.
"WE TREAT BUT GOD HEALS,’’ was boldly inscribed with green paint above the maternity’s entrance door.
Overlooking the maternity building was a little cube-shaped building, standing almost half a yard away. It was built of cement blocks, roofed with zinc roof sheets and painted in yellow colour. The windows were decorated with louvers, larger than the maternity’s. At the extreme end of the roof, a long flat wooden cross stood erect, pointing towards the sky. The building was the temple the white men had built after the maternity. The white men who had sponsored the building of the maternity and the temple were also the maternity workers. They were five of them, three men and two ladies. They were also missionaries of a religious denomination. Among the five white, there was one black woman. Apart from being a nurse in the maternity, the black woman had served as language interpreter between the white men and the villagers.
When the white men were first visited the village, Iyaagbebi, the chief priestess-cum-traditional-midwife had gone to the palace to advise the Baale on what to do.
Iyaagbebi's real name was "Ifakemi‘’ meaning: "the oracle cares for me‘’. She was moderately tall, plump and beautiful. Her long white wrapper was tied around her waist and chest, leaving her shoulders bare. Her shinning dark hairs were plaited into thick corn-rolls like new ridges on a well-cleared farmland, ending into a ball-like stump in the front of her head. That was the trending female hairstyle called Kojusoko or "face your husband’’ in Awoye. She very dark and had sparkling white sets of teeth which would brighten her face when she laughed or smile. She hardly smiled or laughed though. In Awoye, frequent smile or laugher were termed womanish. She did not want to be seen as an everyday woman but a unique and powerful one. And she was right, being the mouthpiece of gods of the land. Her deep manly voice was like a large drum sound. Her eyes were small but would bulge out, looking red and roll in their sockets when ditching out a warnings, advice or angry speech. Around her neck, wrists and ankles were thick bangles of beads and cowries, which would jingle and rippled aloud when walking fast. She had earned the nickname "Iyaagbebi ‘’ meaning ‘’child delivery mother’’ since the days of his late father, Egbedi. She had served as a traditional midwife under him because it was against the culture of Awoye for a man to deliver babies.
When Iyaagbebi got to the palace, she met the Baale sitting down in the bamboo-poled and palm-frond-roofed shed inside the palace fence. The chair he was sitting down on was the highest among all the chairs in the palace, and made of carved wood, decorated with thick leopard skin. The Baale, a tall, giant and dark man of about 30 had succeeded his late father few years back.
The Baale was wearing an expensive traditional hand woven cloth called Ofi. It was sewn into flowing and extra large apparel called Agbada. The white cap on his head that served as his crown had two big, long cock feathers, pointing towards the sky. He was carrying a white horsetail which would wave at anyone who greeted him a sign of acknowledgement. After they had exchanged greetings, Iyaagbebi sat on a low chair beside the Baale and began in a mockery, disdain and dreaded tone.
"The men with eyes of cats and skin white like cotton wool, do not allow them to dwell in our midst, ruler of our land.’’
"But mouthpiece of the gods, may I know why?’’ The Baale asked in a frightful, danger-suspecting voice.
"Yes, ruler of our land,’’ Iyaagbebi said, "apart from their strange looks, tongues and manners which were strange and frightful. A few days to their arrival, the oracle had told me nasty things about them…’’
She suddenly paused, peering into vacancy as if she would read what the oracle had told her from the air.
"To you we put all our trust, mouthpiece of the gods.’’ The Baale spoke in urgent, frightful tone now. "Go ahead and tell me what the gods said. The corpse does not hide itself from who would bury it or else it will rotten away. We can’t hide our troubles from the eyes and ears of the gods. So, whatever they say we must heed.’’
"The oracle had told me that strange things shall happen in our land.’’ Iyaagbebi spoke in a more dreaded and deep tone, peering into open space. "Our people shall totally neglect our ways of life to follow the men-skin men’s. Corruption shall be normal thing among our people. These shall provoke the anger of the gods more than ever. Then, calamity more catastrophic than the defecation-and-vomiting epidemic that ravaged our land many seasons ago shall come.’’
"But Mouthpiece of the gods,’’ Baale said in a frightful voice, his eyes bulging out in horror, "why didn’t you tell us all this while? We would have mounted some able bodied youths and hunters to guide the entrance to our village, to prevent them from entering. Medicine is best administered to a patient when he is still breathing, not when he’s dead. I think this information comes late.’’
"No, it is not late at all.’’ Iyaagbebi said in a hush tone, shaking her head vigorously. "The words of the gods cannot come late; anytime it’s heard is the right time. I do not think blocking them from entering is the way out. If it’s, the gods would have pronounced it. The gods did not even say precisely if humans were bringing the calamities. We both know the gods speaks in proverbs. It had said four white birds would perch on our precious trees and release droppings of calamity and corruption on our lands. The birds would also built their nests and steal our grains to faraway land, where they had flown from. Their ways of living would be adopted by our people and would make them mad and misbehave. The gods had said. Precisely, the oracles did not say they were humans; let alone saying we should prevent them from entering. I would have doubted the words if they were not spoken by the gods because it baffled me how humans could copy ways mere birds. But when I saw the cotton-skin men, I heard the warning of the gods, ringing like the crier’s gong in my head. So, I knew instantly that they were the birds the gods had referred to.’’
"But what shall we do now to stop these people from spreading their calamity and corruption on our land? Did not you ask the gods for the solution?’’
"The gods did not give a definite solution, though I asked therm. Yes, I indeed asked. But we must use our brain, that’s why we all have one each. No child is taught how to cry in other to call the attention of his mother when he’s hungry. We must chase the cotton-skin men away from our land. We must do everything within our might not to allow them dwell among us.’’
Baale’s mind sank into deep thought at the suggestion. He supported his cheek with his left palm, his eyes fixed on the floor. There was a brief silence between them for short while. Bright-eyed, his body at alert, he raised his head up from his palm suddenly.
"But the white-men had come with good intentions,’’ he said, facing Iyaagbebi squarely. "They had narrated to me how they wanted to build their medicine house here. I mean the type they had built in Ilutuntun, which the indigenes are said to be really benefiting from. We shall stand a chance of losing a lot if we chase them away. The deepest part of my mind tells me so. Perhaps, this people could come with their warriors to fight us if we turn their requests down. They had done so in many lands, even in Ilutuntun. And we are both aware of their unmatched military powers.’’
"Ruler of our land,’’ Iyaagbebi stressed in a partially angry tone, her brows furrowed on her ebony face like ripples on a dark stream. "If our natural herbs and medicines do not totally cure all our ailments, is it cotton-skin men’s that would? The white-skin men’s medicines are not familiar with our blood and earth-colour-skins. Foreign medicines are for foreign ailments, while our local herbs are for our local ailments. You must be aware that I am expert in our local medicines and know better, and my advice should be honoured. The nightmare about chasing them away and coming back to fight us shall not come to past. Why? We shall not be chasing them away using weapons or force like Ilutuntun people. We shall talk to them with wisdom and calmness, why standing our ground that our culture forbids them to live within us. We can even scare them that they would die of Malaria epidemic. Yes, many of them had died of malaria during their first year in ilutuntun. I heard from my husband when he was alive, he had traveled to Ilutuntun to sell his palm wine many times."
"Hmmm,’’ Baale sighed aloud, bowing his head down, thinking hard about another possible solution. He raised his head slowly and said in a mellow voice, "I beg of you, give me some time to consult with my council of chiefs. As you know, no single tree makes the forest. Only in bunch would the brooms sweep clean. A single stick of broom would not sweep anything.’’
Iyaagbebi ignored him, rising up from her seat. She did not totally belief the Baale and the council of chiefs would come out with the best solution, like the one she had given. But would she be right or wrong?
‘’Ruler of our village, ruler of our village, ruler of our village, how many times did I call you?’’ Iyaagbebi called in a deep and definite voice, her fingers holding her earlobes.
"Mouthpiece of the gods, it is three times.’’ Baale responded with the urgent and submissive tone of a child, responding to his mother’s call. "My ears are wide open, speak your mind.’’
"Before the fowls go roost tomorrow, make sure you take council with your chiefs and come out with the best solution. I mean the kind of the one I have suggested.’’
"I heard you clearly, Mouthpiece of the gods.’’ Baale said thoughtfully, nodding repeatedly in approval. "You’ve spoken well.’’
After thorough consultation with his chiefs, the Baale decided not to hearken to Iyaagbebi’s directive. If they chase the white men away, the council had argued, they might go with their medical assistance which the villagers would stand a chance of benefiting from. Besides that, almost all the entire black race had been under the white colonialists. And they could do anything they wish with the black citizens or indigenes without being questioned. They might even decide to come back with soldiers to punish the village. Such thing had happened many years ago in Ilutuntun town, even before Iyaagbebi and the Baale were born.
After being chased away from Ilutuntun on their first visit, the white-men had returned, threatening to wipe the entire town off with their soldiers. The people had no choice but to allow them build their churches, hospitals, schools and court and be saved. Who could withstand the superior fire powers of the white-men’s soldier among the Africans then? With the black men's local guns, arrows and machetes, could the blacks fight and defeat the white soldiers who were armed with sophisticated guns and explosives?
Wole and Alake had gotten to the entrance of the maternity building. One middle-aged nurse, a dark, tall and slim woman, dressed in a flared white gown rushed to them.
"Oh, you are welcome,’’ a middle age woman, wearing pure white gown said politely, "I belief she’s due for delivery today.’’
Wole nodded repeatedly. He was too preoccupied with the thought about the pain in Alake’s eyes. Alake was silent too. The pain was taking a new turn in her body.
"We ought not to delay in attending to her then,’’ said the nurse.
The nurse lent Wole a hand in walking Alake into one crappy 2-bed room which was the baby delivery ward. Two worn-out iron-springs beds with old but clean beddings were resting against the wall. Alake was lowered into one of them. Wole sat beside her, his arm around her shoulders. The bed shuddered, making a pathetic creaking sound as if begging for mercy. The nurse dashed out to call the doctor.