The White Elephant One (1)

A lot of people have remained voiceless until time spoke for them.

Interestingly, some were also once untouchable. Meanwhile, time has faded them off their seats today. Talk of Adolf Hitler, George W. Bush, Sadam Hussein, Gaddafi, Charles Taylor, Arafat just to mention a few.

These people were once the headline to all the major news across the world. Today, one has to comb through the archives of the world heroic museums, pull out dusty books before you can read on them. This tells us that, nothing is permanent, and the one who refuses to change with time and situation, also refuses to grow.

This reminds me of years back in Kimpala forest in one of the countries in West Africa where the elephant was the strongest, though there was the king of the Jungle. In that forest, there was only one way to survive, and that was one’s might. It was a pure stone aged jungle and so rights were always overlooked. It was the survival of the fittest and the elephant played a key role in digging wells to supply water for the animals in the forest. He did a brilliant job by supplying water, but he also never considered that he wouldn’t be strong forever, as time would fade him out.

Knowing perfectly that his population was small in the community, instead of reproducing more of them, they rather set up a training centre to train other species of animals to dig the wells in the jungle whilst the glory still went to the elephants. Initially, the new species were just told to dig to find water without teaching them

the mechanism involved. Little did they know that the new species were learning about the mechanisms themselves and some even went to the nearby forest to learn the mechanism.

Gradually, they discovered the mechanism involved and could equally think like how the elephants thought. There was one thing they never compromised on, that is making sure they increased in population. They even started manning some of the training institutions in the jungle that were producing a lot of them. The elephants then realized they were losing popularity and also their numbers kept decreasing with time. One by one, they slowly perished in the jungle leaving even weaker ones.

They knew something was wrong, and the cause? the new breeds. Smart as they were, they came up with the following strategies;

1. Lied to the new species that there were still a lot they didn't know and therefore the need to work under their supervision.

2. Went to their kingdom to convince other elephants to help them cripple the new species.

3. Gradually drag the new species to professional slavery.

4. Devise means of becoming symbolically responsible for the works of the new species and take the glory.

5. Convince and imbibe fear into the new breeds to get close to them in the name of protecting them, but on a charge. The new ones obliged to it and made the payment, but trust me, there was a hidden diabolic intention.

There was a clause to joining them; “they were told that, before they could give them protection, there was the need to rebrand them with a befitting name”. Who

doesn't need protection? The new species blindly accepted the new name and joined them with the aim of being protected. At the back of their minds, they knew they were joining if not the bravest, the strongest group in the forest.

They had no prophet to reveal to them that, enslavement would soon begin. The name automatically did not make them responsible for what they did, though they were highly skillful. The new species were working whilst the elephants took the glory. How on earth should a monkey work for a baboon to chop? Professional slavery finally set in. The new breeds have tied knots around their neck.

They were then humiliated, rendered hopeless, and at times even mocked at, though they were working. Fear overshadowed them and they remained silent as if it was their final burial. Like a dangerous rival, one thing always kept them alive, they never lost hope. Knowing the strength of unity, they came together and changed their name. After the name changed, they thought it was the end of the battle, hehehe (laughter), not knowing their new name had landed them in an evil flood, and if care wasn't taken, they would all be washed away. Incredibly, certain things could not just be taken away from them, as their numbers outweighed that of the elephants in multiple folds. They also supplied more than 98% of the animals in the jungle potable water, one of the essential needs of every living thing.

Talking about water supply means that, you talk about the new breed. It happens therefore that, even where the elephants, the so-called experts and masters who dominated the supply of water, had their water from the new breeds. The elephants were gradually losing power and fame. No glory was going to them again. There was only one option left for them, to handover the supply of water in Kimpala forest to the new breeds. They knew that as the truth and the solution, but wouldn't opt for that option. They wouldn't take it because they thought they were still powerful like before and also had in mind that they had close relationship with the

King of the jungle. They won’t because they had squeezed monies out of the new breed to sponsor and speed up the process of the cabinet to bring the new breeds down.

The cabinet had a lot in mind. They knew that in the communities where they were coming from, the new breeds were the sole suppliers of water to their members. The cabinet knew that, even in the communities that the elephants dominated, they were the only figures who did not execute their duties as expected; the new breeds were doing all. The cabinet knew that, the entire lives of their cherished members rested in the precious hands of the new breed.

The cabinet knew that, not every elephant knew the work of the breed, let alone supervise their work. The cabinet knew that, the only key to preventing maternal and infant mortality and morbidity was the new breed. The cabinet knew that, the strongest in the jungle were fading off, and with time becoming white elephants. Today in the jungle, one great man cannot sleep nor rest, the King of the jungle. Who is he going for, the white elephant or the saviours? There is one question that keeps sounding in the mind of the cabinet.

Why are the hands used to cover the eyes, or the back is turned when a stone is thrown? All the human parts are equally important, but some are more important than others. The new breeds kept working and serving the jungle though they were aggrieved, until one morning when they heard a deafening noise. What could it be?

The white elephants had blown their own trumpet indicating their preparedness to engage them in physical combat. Hahaha, interesting! The ones fading off have pulled the trigger, showing them their biting teeth. New breeds have taken blessing from the misfortune to fight for their freedom. Spitting fire to revenge later doesn't make one a man. One doesn't also have to fight to be a man, but sometimes you

have to fight when you are a man. They won't spit out blood because they are bleeding, but sometimes you have to spit out blood when you are bleeding since the mouth has its threshold of volume of fluid it can contain. Are the new breeds prepared to be well-fed slaves or hungry freemen? Are they prepared to fold their arms and give out blood for their freedom?

Freedom for self-protection, freedom to be sole suppliers of water in Kimpala, freedom not to work under stressful conditions? When they mobilized under a tree in the jungle one day, their leader read to them and I love it. ‘My people, I want to tell you today that, we are not ready to die because it requires an infinitely higher courage to live. If it demands that we give out blood for our freedom, we are ready because a man who believes in freedom will do anything under the sun to acquire and preserve his freedom.

It must be noted that, we all prefer dangerous freedom to peaceful slavery and would rather die in freedom on our way home than starve to death here. Don't forget that the only way to deal with an unfree world is to become absolutely free that even our existence is an act of rebellion. Together, we fight for our freedom today or we shut up forever.

Remember that the best time to repair the roof is when the sun is shining but not when it is raining. I will therefore entreat all of you not to just look at the clock, but rather do what it does; keeps moving. It is very important to also keep in mind that, this is not the time to waste our energy on ourselves; in that case, we will achieve nothing. If we have energy, let's come together to fight those who have reduced us to this. We are no more in the era of cafes and jungles where we work for someone to take the glory.

“Let's all hold our hands on a deafening voice and say, forward ever, backwards never.

To the King of the jungle, we ask, are you going for the soldiers of Righteousness or the WHITE ELEPHANTS?

To be continued…