There is Something That Ogbu-Ojah Didn’t Tell Us

Sometimes I wish that my grandmother had had the time to tell us Ojadili the great wrestler’s tragic story from the point of view of Ogbu-Ojah, his legendary flutist. For this Oti-nkpu it was who once he wetted his pursed lips, hunched his shoulders in a crouch (as ‘ndi ogbu ojah’ are won’t to do), will unleash an intoxicating melody that buoyed his master’s spirit, wakening in massive convulsive ripples the most tired, injured or atrophied muscle and sinews. It was said that even birds paused in mid-flight upon hearing this tune, several dropping right out of the sky to their utter astonishment. It was also said that it tended to rain birds (not cats and dogs), whenever Ogbu-Ojah let loose his;

Ojadili!!

Ngolo di golo di gongongo!!!

Ojadili!!

Ngolo di golo di gongongo!!!

Ojadili!!

Ngolo di golo di gongongo!!!

So it was little wonder that Ojadili soon ran out of men who could defeat him in a wrestling bout, and stumbled upon the idea of travelling to the spirit world, for was it not common knowledge that no man had been known to defeat the spirits?  (was this even Ojadili’s idea in the first place?) I must have been too awestruck or frightened by the prospect of wrestling with a spirit to broach this important question to grandma.

So we were told that Ogbu-Ojah’s magic sweet melody it was that despite the reservations and admonishment of Ojadili’s parents and friends, ferried his master through ‘mmiri na asaa, agu na asaa, mmiri na asaa, agu na asaa, mmiri na asaa, agu na asaa , across seven dangerous forests, fording seven great rivers, traversed another seven evil forests and swam across a further seven deadly rivers, to ‘Iton-Kom’, that mythical land situated smack between the land of living and the land of the dead, where the dead freely interact with the living and animals are known to mingle and talk with both man and spirits.

It was still this same Ogbu-Ojah’s sweet melody that saw Ojadili through the first victory with the one headed spirit and through to his legendary defeat of the spirit world’s wrestling champion, the much dreaded ten-headed spirit.

With the benefit of hindsight, I will have loved to ask my grandmother (if she were still alive today) why Ogbu-Ojah and Ojadili did not stop after the legendary defeat of the ten-headed wrestling champion of the spirit world. Didn’t they notice the conspiratorial look between the spirit lords? Didn’t they hear the lull, feel the chill when the spirits demanded one last fight? Where they not puzzled when the new challenger produced by the spirit lords was a puny looking emaciated spirit that practically stumbled into the wrestling arena in a drunken gait? Though Ojadili must have been highly inebriated by his recent victories, for some reason, I have always strongly believed that Ogbu-Ojah knew that this was it, that this was that great moment when a great man will be finally and irredeemably broken. So why didn’t he stop his master? Why did he have to unleash his melody once again for he must have known that even this will be of no use;

Ojadili!!

Ngolo di golo di gongongo!!!

Ojadili!!

Ngolo di golo di gongongo!!!

He had barely gotten to the second stanza when in a blur, his master was whizzed through the air, and landed spread-eagled on his back in a deafening thud...and when the dust settled, his eyes were tortured with the strangest of sights, the uncanny image of the puny looking spirit straddling his master’s muscular chest, pinning both his massive arms with what looked like thin air, and in the ultimate humiliation stuffing the once great Ojadili’s mouth with clods of dirt, dry leaves and what appeared to be maggot filled faeces...

I remember the look on my grandmother’s face when I asked, mouth agape and in awe, (the whispered question barely escaping my lips), ‘Mama but who was this puny spirit that could defeat the great Ojadili’....the look she gave me as if to say, was it not evident?...It was his ‘Chi’ she responded with a sigh, his personal god. For no man however great or strong can defeat his personal god...no man.

Somehow I was left with an inkling...this feeling that Ogbu-Ojah knew, as soon as he set eyes on the puny spirit, that it was Ojadili’s personal god. So why didn’t he stop him? Why did he have to play the flute that one last time? Had he become tired of Ojadili’s belligerence, his quest to conquer? But I doubt this because without his rousing melody Ojadili will never go into battle, never! Or was this pure and simple envy, 'anya ufu'? Did he want to see Ojadili fail, his master humiliated. Did he? Hmmnnn...there is something that Ogbu-Ojah didn’t tell us.

©Jekwu Ozoemene 2012