Lanterna Rally

Author: Ayuba Mshelia

Publisher: AuthorHouse

Published: 2009-06-12

Total Pages: 156

ISBN-13: 1467850365

The story Village Boy is about the social and familial upheavals and confl icts caused by the introduction, in the early 20th century, by a group of Christian missionaries, of Western cultural traditions among an erstwhile peaceful and selfsuffi cient agricultural sedentary people. These cultural incursions led to the annihilation of the peoples native traditions and cultures, including those of Kachiya and Mbwarhatha(circumcision and grind room- the only place where on a daily basis young men could meet and fl irt with young women in the evenings) which were the sole socialization instruments of the tribe. The fulcrums of our culture and traditions that have sustained us for all these years can now no longer hold, commented the tribal elder, Tapchi, to a boyhood friend, Aji, fi ve years after the coming of the missionaries; everything is different and in a sorry chaos! This breakdowns led to the mass exodus of the youth to the distant emerging cities of Kano, Jos, Kaduna ,and, yes, even Lagos. These new immigrants, however, faced steep competition for jobs both from the citys residents and from other migrants who had converged on the cities from all corners of the countryside. Their meager education forced them into menial jobs, such as house boys or store clerks; few were able to secure even low-level government jobs. The social confl ict and upheaval was partially resolved, to some minimally acceptable levels, by the regular annual visits of those who had left the land, bringing with them gifts of tea, sugar, bread, and items of clothing which were generously and lavishly shared with relatives and neighbours. Some few who had made it, in the city even came with their own mettika (cars). But things are not always as gloomy as is refl ected in the lives of Madu, Dalla, and, to some extent, Hassana in the stories that follow. Some of the tribes migrant sons and daughters to the cities (like Madu in the story) took to politics and became active, relevant and prominent during the early years of self-rule and eventual Independence. Education has been, and continues to be, the social instrument of mobility for the children of the migrants and for those who remained on the land, as for example, Dalla. They can now be found in all sectors of the Nigerian society, as educators, business men, politicians and high cadre civil servants.