the famous hunter

,

ALEX TAREMWA

The Transparent Publications Ltd

11/13/20122012

The Reign of Magaagala 1

XAlex Taremwa

Strategy and Editorial Director

2012

THE

FAMOUS

HUNTER,

MAGAAGALA

1.1

INTRODUCTION

In the year, 1957 is when

he died; what I can tell you

for sure is that when he

died; the sun was asleep

and there was no cloud in

the sky. It is by any

measure believed that by

the time of his death, he

had his eyes closed and his

heart was wide open.

Luke Magaagala was born

in 1907 to Peragiya and

Tashobya in primordial

Ankole kingdom, Western

Uganda. It was a hot

afternoon amidst the dry

season and the sky was

clear. For initiation to the

society, Tashobya kicked

the wooden door of their

banana fiber thatched

house and said to the world in his own words. “World, meet

Magaagala; Magaagala, meet the world.” And it was just a

while after the introduction that clouds started to gather in the

blue sky and soon the warnings of thunderstorms and

lightening took charge of the situation until the rains settled

late in the evening.

For the parents and the settlers, this was a symbol that a

savior had been born and therefore all the praise and offerings

that night took place at the Tashobya’s. Elders of the clan,

well-wishers, and famous dancers in the village of

Kanyandatsi gathered around the fire and danced their

traditional dance. The young ones danced as their proud

fathers looked on and passed mockery jokes to their fellows

praising them or in turn joking over the beauty of their wives

and how beautiful their daughters looked as straws filled the

pot in which their favorite brew would be re-filled after a

short while. Kwete was brewed out of a specie of bananas

locally known as Embiire. These are the type of bananas that

these people fed on in the dry season due to less productivity

and hunger.

Kwete was a final product of a series of activities; a not so

long hole would be dug, then bunches of mature Embiire

bananas were put into that hole and covered until they would

ripen. After they were all yellow, banana leaves were cut and

laid in the already waiting hole. The yellow bananas were

hand pealed and squeezed this time by the young energetic

youth with their feet until they produce juice called enshande

to which water is added and then later distilled using the then

distillation methods and hence the famous brew.

©The Transparent Publications™ 2012.

2012

A while later, Tashobya

the host had been blessed

with the opportunity to

express his joy and

gratitude. He stood on his

stick together with his wife

Peragiya and thanked the

people for being there to

initiate the birth of the

blessed one. “For the past

month, he said I was

walking 8 miles to

Katengeto (a part of River

Katonga where these

people used to take their

herds for water during the

dry seasons) while my wife

was here masterminding

the attempt to bless the

world, I came back from

the river today and I found

she needed my help and as

soon as he was out of the

womb, the skies blessed us

with the shower. I do not

have to head for another 8

miles anymore; this is

because he has been born. I

shall call him Magaagala

meaning good timing. He

has come at the time when we needed him the most.” He

narrated.

Peragiya did not protest the name and neither did the elders of

the Bashambo clan from to which Tashobya was affiliated

and there grew Magaagala. As a sign of good will, Magaagala

was handed a spear and a stick locally known as Enkoni to

protect the herd of his father from attacks of wild animals that

were on the rise at the time. This was a traditional practice

that every newly born boy had to go through so as to groom

them in a brave and fearless way.

As time flew, Tashobya and Peragiya died in the same year

one after the other from different deaths all together.

Tashobya was struck by lightning as he was grazing and

Peragiya was run over by a buffalo months later. Tashobya

died at 79 years of age; he had grown such a wrinkled face

that kids would make fun of him every time they would meet

him while grazing. He used to walk on his long stick that he

used to threaten the kids off when they continuously made fun

of him. This stick however played other functions such as

support him when picking himself off his favorite stool that

he had by himself made out of a mivule trunk in the forest

around the river in his golden days. He also used the stick to

command attention from his fellow settlers mostly after they

started to continuously ignore him citing age reasons.

Peragiya on the other hand died at 64 and Magaagala was just

twelve when they both left for another world of the guardians

and they would be noted in the books as ancestors and parents

of the only remaining savior of the people.


2012

It is from there that he took

right over with the steady

help of the elders of the

clan until when he was 15

years old. He had grown

into an energetic and proud

young man that when he

was at the well, he won all

the wrestling competitions

he used to have with his

fellow teenagers after their

herds had just been filled

with the water. It’s from

such an experience that he

picked the inspiration of

brevity and courage that he

boasted of like his father

did in his golden times.

Like father, like son.

Magaagala picked fights

with his fellow teenagers

on every little single

occasion he would find

convenient to throw a

punch. He had no courage

to quit even when he

would clearly know that he

would lose. All I can say is

that for any matters of the

heart, he had found what

he loved to do most. He loved fighting more than whoever

invented it; even when he was on often occasions talked out

of by people out of his age bracket. Magaagala still loved

what he did, he without any further consultations refused to

pay any attention to anyone who stood before him with such

words “what you’re doing out there is not what your father

would have loved to see you do. He always had an immediate

response to such statements whenever they were raised. “Like

you know what he loved most?”

Until when he was out of the adolescent ages, Magaagala did

not opt out of his fighting arena. He realized later that his

energy could be more productive for him if he engaged it in

more productive ventures that just fighting. Like they said

while a boxing game is shutting down, Magaagala threw the

towel and decided to man up his behavior. He took full

participation in a more risky venture however!


2012

1.2

MAGAAGALA’S

FIRST BUTCHER

Buried deep in sleep,

Magaagala’s dog started

barking amidst the night

and he didn’t seem to

figure out anything outside

by just his natural instincts.

Kyoya, the dog instead got

fiercer by minute which

instigated Magaagala to

jump out of his wooden

bed, get his car tire boots

on, reach for his spear by

his bed side and pick a fire

stick from his kitchen for

purposes of light and set

outside his hut to find out

what was the matter

disturbing his dog, Kyoya.

As soon as Magaagala

swung his door open, he

was shocked by the shining

moonlight that out proven

his idea of the fire stick he had picked for light. He then

dropped it right there and moved out to meet his dog which

obediently led him to where it sensed the enemy with much

more enthusiasm generated by the support he provided.

“Shhhh….shhhh….catch them….shhhh” was Magaagala’s

cheer song that gave Kyoya the support he needed.

Sooner enough, Magaagala got the Kraal where he found a

hyena feasting on a recently calved calf and again, Kyoya was

right; he had had something unusual. Without any hesitation,

Magaagala raised his spear and hit the hyena right in the chest

and that was all for Mr. Hyena even though most of the

innocent calf was already in his tummy.

This murder was a breakthrough for Magaagala that the entire

village of Kanyandatsi laid at his feet and thanked him for the

courage he exhibited. They called him all kinds of names

praising him and asking him for his continued protection from

the vast wild animals that did not only attack their herds but

also were a threat their lives. They revolved on an example

when a buffalo mercilessly rammed into his mother on a

Sunday afternoon as she left a village meeting at the Kateete

fire place.

As any other youth could have become, Magaagala always

walked with his chest in the air and even on his toes because

his heels were always raised by the praise songs the village

always sung for him. He was the small god of that time for he

was worshiped and carried shoulder high like harvest in

September. He was loved and baby held among children, old

men of the clan, and women, and husbands of that time. Even

the men who should have at least envied him for taking up the


2012

most beautiful part of the

chorus in the best songs

instead came to him asking

if there was any medicine

he used to catch these

animals.

Magaagala never shunned

them away at any time

even if he always fancied

working alone so he could

have the thanks and praises

come to him. He agreed to

work with them and they

created a BFF (Best Friend

Forever) team of sending

to hell every single wild

animal they considered a

threat to the environment

they lived in including

snakes and wolves. Even

when they did this as a

team, the praise still came

to Magaagala, the initiator

of the idea and the

mastermind of its success.

The winner always took it

all in the Kanyandatsi

society.

Hunting turned to be so

much fun for Magaagala

and Kyoya who at this time had found companionship from

other hunting dogs in the field. He reminded me of the 21st

Century socialists we meet in bars and drinking halls.

Magaagala understood that if he quit the hunting activity, it

could turn out to be his worst nightmare both for him and the

society he lived in at large. He found a hundred per cent of his

food from hunting because he ate meat from very single

animal they could kill. As the leader of the platoon, he

commanded the most assault force of the hunting attack that

when it came to dividing the daily catch amongst themselves,

that pleasure was always his. He made sure that even the dogs

get the share they deserved; he was as impartial as rain man

and the mumbling numbers in the Rain Man movie in the

early 1980’s in Hollywood.

Before he had set out to hunt with Kyoya, there was a lecture

he always gave it. He would pull out of his hut a majorly

handmade stool that his father (RIP) had made by himself

from a mivule tree across the Katonga river and place at door

way and call up his dog.

Kyoya, come over here and be seated; we’ve got some

things to discuss. Without hesitation would wag his

tail, shake himself of the dust and seat by his from and

hind legs right in front of him and then bark at him as

a go ahead, I’m listening signal.

As you can see it is yet another long day for us. He

would start. So I expect the finest of your character. If

any of the local bitches is in heat, she will remain so

without any assistance on your part as part of the

concentration and non-distraction purposes.


2012

If Magaagala got

extremely boring in

his lecturers,

Kyoya would start

by scratching

himself in his hind

quarters and then

pay more attention

as required of him.

He did this on

different occasions

and there would

interrupt

Magaagala. “And

that cannot be the

response to

everything I tell

you. And lastly, no

violence.

Kyoya found hunting

amazing and fun. It was a

midsummer athletic

program that he always

missed at home with his

master. After a long day of

work, Magaagala and

Kyoya would both return

home to rest for yet

another long day was

ahead of them. This went

on until one evening when Kyoya was tempted to go hunting

without his master and he was butchered by angry baboons in

cold blood amidst the forest.

Funnily enough, Magaagala did not notice that Kyoya was

missing for at least two nights. This was because he had not

worked on both occasions as he was overcoming a stomach

problem from the buffalo meat he had eaten the day he last

went hunting. It gave him a running stomach and stomach

ache that he couldn’t take to the field.

After he recovered on third day, he didn’t hear any noise from

his dog. His suspicion immediately began. In his mind, he

thought Kyoya had gone outsourcing for bitches and he said

to himself. “I’ve always warned him from accepting walks

from people he calls his friends. It’s high time they had

stopped walking my dog and in future, Kyoya should politely

decline all such invitations.” He will return before nightfall

I’m sure; he thought to himself but it didn’t.

The night was short for Magaagala despite the fact that it was

the only night he had spent without stomach pains, he spent it

all thinking about the dog; Kyoya. He still couldn’t find it in

the morning. He had no choice than to go grazing without it.

He directed his herd to the Ogden forests and there is where

the news broke. The herd he was grazing all of the sudden

took a different direction from the intended and they seemed

to have been following some lead like the police tracking

down a criminal. It was the herd that led Magaagala to the

body of his dog that was rotting in the middle of the forest at

an area widely known to possess the highest number of

baboons.


2012

Magaagala without any

further investigations

concluded that the baboons

were responsible for the

death of Kyoya and

therefore had pay by the

same currency. He

declared a one man war

against the baboons in the

Ogden forests. It was

without doubt the worst

choice he had done for he

let his emotion decide for

him instead of consulting

the elders first.

The elders and those who

understood the history and

geography of the area tried

to talk him out of his

decision without success.

Because of his diligence

and courage, Magaagala

refused to listen to the

elders. He instead broke

them off the chain of

information flow and fell

out of their favor. He

didn’t listen to anyone for

any reason whatsoever. In

fact he made this clear to his favorite partner in the hunting

profession, Kisembo.

Kisembo had travelled from a distant land with a message

from the gods of his land warning Magaagala from attacking

that forest for any reason. He carried a scribe which he read to

Magaagala after he refused to open it claiming that he wasn’t

interested. It read

“Greetings from the gods from the Toro kingdom. We

had about the sad news of your dog’s death and we

want to extend to you our sincere condolences. We

have also leant that you are planning an attack on the

Ogden forests seeking retribution for the death of your

dog. How we wish we would be in support of that

motion. Many years before the 9th birthday of your

father, Your grandfather had died of the same cause

he was seeking revenge for an animal from the

leopard family had brutally murdered 6 of his goats

on daily basis. When he refused to listen and went on

his mission, he never returned. Your father had the

same in mind but never achieved it before his sudden

death. We wouldn’t want you to follow the same

footsteps. Come to us in case you need any help.

Magaagala took over from there; come to us in case you need

any help? And he laughed for once. So what would be the

topic of that conversation? He reluctantly asked Kisembo.

Before Kisembo could respond, Magaagala added. Tell the

gods of your tribe that I’m not interested in that kind of

conversation. If my family was destined to die by the Ogden

forest kind of death, then I guess that is just the way it goes. It


2012

is like the Egyptian belief

that before you are allowed

into the Egyptian heaven,

you are asked to answer

two questions. First, have

you found joy in your life?

And secondly, has your

life brought joy to others?

So Egyptians who are not

allowed into the Egyptian

heaven at the end of the

day have a certain

destination they are

destined for. This could be

my destiny. Have you ever

had of something called a

point of no return Mr.

Kisembo? That is exactly

where I’m right now so go

back and inform the people

from where you have

travelled, that you arrived

a little late for a mind

changer. I’m going in all

by myself.

Before he left, Kisembo

had just a word to say to

his fellow hunter. “I

wouldn’t do that if I were

you.” As he climbed up his

horse to travel back to his kingdom, he added another word.

“Think it over brother. This could be the last decision you will

leave to regret your entire natural life.”

To beat opposition, Magaagala set out to destroy the forest in

the night so that by the time the skies get rid of the shyness,

he is already done with the massive destruction. And at

exactly 4 am in the morning, Magaagala had his shoes on, his

sharp machete and spear on his shoulder and a fire stick

which he used to make fire amidst the forest to keep him

company. With his energy, Ogden forest was at his mercy by

the time it clocked 6 am, much of it was already weathering

on the ground. He always boasted of his energy and power but

none of his fellow settlers had ever seen it at work. This was

the debut of the tangible work of Magaagala’s power.

When Magaagala got tired, he always came and sat on the

other side of the fire and listen to his instincts. They always

asked him a set of questions; what if you are wrong? What if

95% of the natives of Kanyandatsi are right? He never trusted

them at all; he never even tried to reason towards that kind of

direction. He never imagined the consequences of slashing

down the only forests that the ancestors of the land on which

he dwelled had failed on various occasions to slash. He was

rigid and catholic in making. He was radical and imperialistic.

After 24 hours of hard work, Magaagala had floored the entire

forest, butchered about 4o baboons and he fed on antelopes

and other animals he came across. He was desperate and

depressed for he did this without any external hand from

anyone for any reason. This is not because no one wished to

work with him, it was just because they evaluated that the


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consequence of such a

reckless action could be

costly to the society they

belonged too.

As it is clear that in every

society one has an

importance they play,

Moses was the equivalent

of a rabbi in the

Kanyandatsi people. He

was the source of all the

knowledge and whatever

he said was final. One a

somber evening after the

elders learnt of

Magaagala’s action, they

hurriedly ran to the bar

from where Moses sipped

a few cold ones. The

saluted him and asked if he

had a minute for the issue

they had at hand was way

too important to wait.

After minutes of

convincing Moses, he

allowed them a few

minutes.

He couldn’t believe what

his ears heard. He had only

one word to say to the

elders after the lot he had listened. “Well comrades, if all you

just said is true, we are as good as dead.” But I’m hoping that

all of that was false. “You wouldn’t want to know what

possible outcome could arise from starting a war with the

gods, would you.” Moses asked the elders and they all replied

by nodding their heads. So let’s all go home and stay with our

children, possibly it will start from there.

What was it that Moses referred to as “it” in his dismissal

message? That was the question that the elders failed to

answer as they parted ways to their homes.

At this time of the evening, Magaagala was returning

congratulating himself for the job well done when he

accidentally bumped into Moses the rabbi and before he even

extended his hand to greet him, Moses demanded to know if

he had done it and Magaagala did not know what. “Did you

do it? Moses asked. Did you actually cut the forests down? I

don’t care about your response but wait until four days and

four nights go by, you will see what will happen to this

village.

Magaagala said to himself; whatever will come will be dealt

with. There is nothing that I can now do to reverse the action.

I was seeking revenge and I have gotten exactly what I

wanted. With little sense of strategic foresight and maturity of

judgment, Magaagala sheepishly walked away through the

Kyaaka hills across the valleys and there he was at his hut.

However tired he was, he tried to go and inspect his herd to

confirm if the situation is under control.

Even as he walked through the Kraal, he still had the same

feelings and instincts that asked him the same questions all


2012

over again. “What if I were

wrong? He wondered to

himself. If I am wrong, I

win. He consoled himself

as he left the kraal after

commiserating with the

situation that everything

was intact. The situation

was as always and nothing

apart from the forests had

actually changed. He then

went inside his hut to sleep

comfortably to wait for the

next morning.

Having had a seemingly

long day when added to

the fact that Kyoya was all

a dream to cut his nights

short, Magaagala slept for

all the four days and nights

that Moses had promised

him to wait for. He was

alarmed by public outcry

and noise outside his hut

calling him out.

Everyone from the

neighborhoods was there

in person to cast their

complaint to one once their

hero now turned villain

Magaagala. They accused for having caused having caused

the death of the produce and food the village was supposed to

feed on for the next couple of years and he had to shoulder the

responsibility of providing for these families until the gods

invoke a decision to overturn their action.

Finally Magaagala heard what his instincts were trying to

communicate to from the start. And guess what his response

was. “How I wish I had trusted them.” How I wish I listened

to the voice within me that warned me against my actions on

several occasions. The situation was getting out of hand for

Magaagala but whom did he have to blame, himself. His

action didn’t bring Kyoya back neither did it save village

from the baboon invasion. After a couple of days, the forest

that Magaagala had solely cleared was looking intact like it

grew on the most wet and fertile are in the Congo Basin.

It was the Baboon’s time to seek retribution now. They didn’t

have to do much though for their anger was easily satisfied.

They invaded the small gardens that the natives had made and

made a playground of the little food and gardens that the

natives counted on. Every single edible but grown crop went

under the control of the baboons. The village could do

nothing less than simply look on. They could do very little of

possibly nothing to save the situation. The only person who

could take the things all back was the sole individual who

messed it up, Magaagala. But the thing remains that he didn’t

know how to?

The individual who was praised, worshipped, and widely

known for the good deeds was now at the center of a

primordial criticism for doing one bad thing that cost the


2012

village the only thing that

could lead to their

migration from the land

they treasured the most.

Magaagala had been the

pride of that area from the

day he kissed the ground,

through adolescence and

now when he had

developed into a fully

developed nourished

individual who didn’t

know the values, virtues

upon which his society was

built.

They say that tough times

teach us the most

important lessons of life.

Magaagala had now

reached this time to learn

the lessons that life had for

him. It was now that he

understood that there are

two types of growth, one

that is nourished by values

and the other that is

nourished by songs of

praise and worship. He

learnt that public opinion

was a reckless force of

power that could influence wrong doing owing to its

anonymity. He also learnt that for institutions to work they

must in one way or the other be tempered by specific norms

and values because institutions are always ambivalent in the

sense that in the absence of strong traditions, they may serve

the opposite purpose from the ones intended. How would he

have learnt this when instead of building a relationship with

the elders, he always walked like he had springs in his legs?

After weeks of torture from the gods as anticipated by the

elders, Magaagala decided to visit Moses, the Wiseman of the

clan to inquire if there was a way he could appease the gods

and revoke the action they had taken against the natives and

the village at large. If it were possible, Magaagala wanted that

he solely take up the pain on the behalf of other people for

this was his decision not any other persons’. To his

heartbreak, Moses the equivalent of the rabbi said that the

action of the gods could only be reversed by sacrifice. He

referred Magaagala to the sorcerer for more information

concerning the items that the gods could demand of him.

However, Moses added that Papa, the sorcerer was expelled

from the village after he was suspected to have caused the

loss of rains and water decades ago.

“I don’t think that he will be of help even when you find

him.” said Moses.

“So where do I find him if I need him? Could you have any

whereabouts of his existence?” Moses nervously replied.

In the forests of Kabingo is a little hut that was elected by this

man you need to find. This is about 200 miles from here so if

you need to find this man, you need to prepare in advance for


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the long journey ahead of

you. No one has ever

gotten through that forest

alive so however much this

is your problem, I would

strongly advise you not to

think in that kind of

perspective. Moses

narrated.

Magaagala pretended that

he wasn’t listening and he

mentioned just two words

before he left to his hut for

preparation. “I’m afraid

that is the direction that

I’m strongly heading

towards” he then moved

out of Moses’ hut. The

situation had worsened in

the village of Kanyandatsi

that even the wetlands,

wells, and natural water

sources had dried up yet

chances of receiving even

a one drop rainfall were far

from their reach. The

natives’ hopes were

bestowed in Magaagala for

survival and restoration of

the old order.

As he was leaving the village gates for his long journey,

Moses the wise man and other 2 people who knew what it

meant for an individual to travel alone to such a distant land

asked Magaagala if they could come with him. However,

Magaagala responded to them in a polite but parabolic saying

“a one man’s war is fought solely. I can’t afford to take the

village most influential men for sacrificial purposes to the

forests of Kabingo” stay here and take care of your families

and hope that everything will turn out good. He said. Let

those who don’t have children come with me but if you have a

family, I mean no disrespect but this isn’t your mission.

Since Moses and the other two old men had prepared for the

journey, they gave their roasted potatoes and bananas to

Magaagala as a sign of good luck and hoped that everything

would turn out good.


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1.4 THE

MISTERIOUS

JOURNEY

Well stocked with the

essentials he needed,

Magaagala exited the

village gates and set into

the wilderness on a

mission to save the village.

He wanted to make right

the wrong that he did that

turned disastrous for the

entire society. He set out

on a quest to clean the

mess he brought to his

society. Would he make it

out of the forest that no

one had ever made out of?

That was the question that

lingered on the minds of

every individual back

home in Kanyandatsi.

Magaagala travelled by foot for the first 20 miles and camped

at the Mpuga hill for a night. While there, he shared some of

the meal he had packed for himself before he decided to keep

moving after gathering a little more strength. He walked for

two days and two nights to reach the mysterious forests that

he only heard about in the narrations of his father and the

elders in the community he had hailed from.

To his surprise however, he saw completely different features

from those he heard in the fairy tales. The area was sparsely

populated with hardly a single house in about 70 miles and

even those that dwelled there could in one way of the other

have a relationship with the reasons for which Papa the

sorcerer he was looking for got expelled. “Be aware of people

you find there,” he remembered what Moses had warned him

about. Hence, Magaagala couldn’t not make any inquiries

about the whereabouts of Papa even when it was the only

option he had at hand.

The sun rose from the hind of Magaagala’s head and

apparently, the same sun was setting right in front of him yet

the subject he was looking for was nowhere near him. After

acknowledging the fact that he had walked a series of times

across the forest to no avail, he decided to hunt for food, make

a fire, and take a rest before the next search could commence.

No sooner had he put his head down to rest than he started to

hear strange sounds that even as a professional hunter, he

could hardly interpret. It is time, he thought to himself.

He then rose from the rags that he had made for a bed and

start to analyze the situation. The voices increased by minute


2012

and soon enough,

something had to come out

of the sounds. A more

audible voice that

demanded to know what he

was doing in the forest. His

mouth ran out of words

like water in the desert. He

stumbled for a while until

when he gathered the

energy to utter out

something; “I’m here to

seek Papa’s help” he said.

He is a sorcerer that was

unthoughtfully pushed out

of his land back from

where I have travelled. I

need him to help me undo

the spell that has tied my

people in suffering due my

actions.

And who are you? The

seemingly faint voice

demanded.

I’m Magaagala a hunter;

son of Tashobya and

Peragiya of Kanyandatsi

which is found 200 miles

from here. With all due

respect Mr. whoever you

are, I don’t think it is fair for me to walk for two days and two

nights so that I can get here to answer questions. Now would

you be kind enough to lead me to where you think I can find

Papa? Magaagala kept on calling but the voice had been

buried into the wilderness. He didn’t even understand what it

was from.

After a period of blessed silence with no one to break the

deadlock, some animals were not happy with the fire that

Magaagala had set. They planned on how well to put it out

which woke Magaagala up only to find himself encircled

amidst the gang of baboons. The animals whose cousins had

more recently led to the death of his dog. What would you do

if you were him? Kill them and make the gods angrier? Even

when they kept provoking him, Magaagala kept a deaf ear

until a savior blended right in?

The baboons fled after the sight of his presence. Which

creature could this be that has dispersed these little

provocative animals? An elephant this time I guess.

Actually not Mr. Magaagala son of Tashobya and Peragiya of

Kanyandatsi. I beg to please light my cigarette with your fire.

Who are you and why did you save me? Those animals could

have killed me, couldn’t they?

You ask too much. What would a young man like you be

doing in the middle of a forest at such a time? More over this

forest of all forests. Did you think this over before you

actually carried yourself here? There must be more witches

that undo spells surely, where you are from.


2012

You must be Papa that I’m

looking for. Because how

else could you have known

me, my parents, my village

and my intentions in this

nightmare forest? Please

tell me it is you. Please.

Stop chasing ghosts’

young man. Papa died over

a decade ago and I don’t

know how I can be useful

to you in any other way

than telling you to walk the

same distance that you

walked when coming here

and tell your people that

you failed your quest and

so you should be sacrificed

if the order is to be

restored.

Well, is that so?

Magaagala reluctantly

replied. So what do I tell

them if they ask me who

sent them the redemption

message? Another ghost?

You are taking your eyes

off the ball young man.

You have limited time and

the clock is ticking. Before noon tomorrow, your herd will be

starved and dehydrated. Not only yours, but the others’ too.

Make whatever business you have in this forest as fast you

can to save your village.

Magaagala didn’t not have the opportunity to ask any more

questions. His time was actually up. He needed to decide

whether to go back to his village or to continue his quest

hoping that he could by any chance meet the intended person.

And from what I remember, he took the second option on the

agenda and walked deep into the forest. He walked until he

ran out of water and food. He ate the fruits but to no avail.

After a while, Magaagala lost consciousness and to his

disappointment, he woke up in a perfectly built shrine with an

old man watching him closely. His first words out of the

twilight were “Papa, Is that you?” and the response was…;

Yes son I’m. I am the only son of Nsibikye the legendary

healer and sorcerer who ever lived on the land of

Kanyandatsi. And you are Magaagala son of

Tashobya…..blah …..blah…..blah. I know all about your

unheard of sin and I can assure you, it’s a tag of war. Finish

the beverage I made for you out of the mivule back and you

will be fell much better ready to start.

Start what? Magaagala foolishly asked as he saw the bottom

of the pot in which his beverage was placed. Indeed it was

helpful to him. He got off the bed made of sticks and grass

with ease. So when do we get started? Magaagala asked

again. And the response was follow me as the old man started

walking again. Inside him, Magaagala was like not again but a

beggar has no choice. It is a rule of the game. He had to pick


2012

himself up and move

behind the old man.

Back home, indeed the

cows were starving and too

were the people. Think

about the children and the

old. It reminded me of a

biblical account in the old

testament when God

commanded prophet Elijah

to arise from the area from

where ravens fed him to a

much poverty and hunger

stricken area where the

widow that God had

commanded to feed him

had a little flour and water

in the jug left to share with

her son and they would

wait to die. They really had

lost hope in Magaagala;

some thought the forests

had swallowed him

because the waited for him

with no response.

The only few people with

hope like Moses, still

trusted that Magaagala

would do it well for his village and trusted that Papa would

still be alive and willing to help. What they didn’t know was

if Magaagala could find the only man in whom the entire

hope of the village was bestowed. And this was the man that

Magaagala was still following closely.

He led Magaagala to the real shrine and ordered him to sit

obediently and keep silent. “Where were are is the land of the

gods, they are watching us even as we speak. Do not speak

unless you are spoken to. Is that clear? Otherwise, you’ll walk

back to Kanyandatsi empty handed. Then the old man open a

new dictionary with languages that Magaagala could not

understand. For about 12 hours, this kind of dead silence was

practiced.

It was at this time that settlers in Kanyandatsi could hear the

sound of water flowing from where it previously had a path.

Remember the saying that water never forgets where it has

ever had a path. And in the sky, signs of rainfall were visible

again. A clear indicator that Magaagala had done it for them

again.

It is done. The old man broke the silence. You can go back

home hoping that you have done what your people hoped that

you would for them. Extend my regards to Moses and those

who still know of my existence. Since I work for no payments

and you are poor, I can see you, please go home. I’m sure

they are eagerly waiting for you.

“Not without you.” Magaagala replied shortly. That is the best

I can do to show you how grateful I’m for what you have not

only done for me but also for our people. Taking you back

home is all I can do to thank you. Please come with me, I will


2012

make everyone know that

if it wasn’t for you, we

would all be dead by noon

tomorrow. And what

would the old man add?

When do we get leaving?

Let me my cigarette one

more time and we can get

gone.

1.5 THE

HEROES

WELCOME.

The journey that

Magaagala had walked for

4 days seemed so short this

time round. They walked

back home in just one and

a half days. The noon that

was proclaimed as the hour

of death found both

Magaagala and Papa at the

gates of the village and a

huge gathering awaited

him as if it were November

11th in the United States of

America what the

Veterans’ Day is

celebrated. It looked they had lost someone and they had not

moved on. The crowd was such an expectant one.

Before he could say anything, everyone wanted to have a

hand on the young man who has travelled to the forests

proclaimed for evil that no one ever made out of them but

managed to beat the myth. He could not carry on the burden

that the individual that did most of the work almost went

unnoticed. This is when he silenced the crown to tell them his

story and he managed to make it was all because of the efforts

of the old man who now stood next to him. The people could

believe their eyes for those who had seen him before his

expulsion. Moreover, for those who hadn’t, they were

wondering who the great grandfather was? He had a bunch of

hay for beards and he looked like he had not seen water for

centuries.

Social order was restored, Magaagala did not only tame two

new dogs Jack and Jerk but also got married to a beautiful

wife and had a family with her. Her name was Stella. This

was after the coming of the missionaries to there are hence the

English names. Magaagala was baptized and named Luke and

not everything from that day never went back again. You

can’t believe your eyes when you visit this place now. It is all

modern and no signs of any bushes like there used to be. I

wonder whom the gods took under their spell for clearing

their forests now.

All I know is that Magaagala (now Luke) died of an arrow

when he was 50. He left two sons and a daughter under the

watch of their steadily growing mother, Stella. Both Gaston

and Ronald went to school and Edith remained home for she


2012

was still young to join

them.

In the year, 1957 is when

he died. But what I can tell

you for sure is that when

he died; the sun was asleep

and there was no cloud in

the sky. It by any measure

believed that by the time of

his death, he had his eyes

closed and his heart was

wide open.


the famous hunter

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