There are so many good things in life. One of them is being at home. Where you were born and reared. You can relate to things quite easily. That’s because you remember things the way they used to be. You may get confused sometimes when those things change. But you will always find yourself right in the scheme of it all.
I was born and reared in the far keyhole of Liberia. That’s Harper City, Maryland County. It sits in the belly of the southeastern region. Living there, one tends to feel left out in developments in the country. But that’s another story. I will leave that part alone for now. All in all, many things in the country hold common and true everywhere. No matter your geographical location. And that’s the basis of my story.
Last night was February 25, 2009. I was lying down in my bed. Usually I leave home 8am to work. I work free-of-charge as a volunteer in the country. I do this six days a week. I conclude work and return home at 9pm. I catch a bath. Grab something to eat. And then to bed I go. Usually people are still up lecturing. I know that. Because I hear them. They make a lot of noise. Still I dose off. But at midnight, I am up. I start taking phone calls. Because I am less busy at that time. Cell phones in Liberia are prepaid. So if you talk too long during the peak hours you spend more money. Many people want to talk to me. But they cannot in the day because I am busy. I too want to talk to them. but I cannot due to my busy schedule. When you work free-of-charge like me, you don't have money to spare to buy phone cards regularly. So I ask people to call me at night. That way we can talk much longer. Because Lone Star Cell Phone Company has a midnight free-talk program. Its customers can talk free to each other. And I am one of those. The free-call runs from 12:30 to 5am. And you can’t beat that. It helps a lot! So I use it all the time. That’s exactly what I was doing last night when strange things began to happen. It started at 2am. I called my sister. She too is a Lone Star customer. We were talking. Then she asked me if I heard the news. I told her “No!” And then she said her Garnersville area was noisy. I asked why? She said some prophet told the people that everyone in the country MUST fetch water before the next day. And if one did not comply, the water would turn into blood the next day. And that would bring “evil” upon everyone. So everyone around her area was busy fetching water late at night. She jokingly asked me if I had done mine. I laughed. She asked me why? I said it was funny. Why should I wake up late night and go looking for water around town? I told her I couldn’t figure that out. And she too couldn’t figure that out. In most part of Monrovia they sell water. And when the water joint is closed. That's what it is. It is closed. At 10pm everything in the City is closed. And that’s when the City becomes dangerous. Armed robbers go on the rampage. So going out at night to fetch water is a risk. She agreed with me. And we joked about it. Then a call came in for her on the other line. She bided me good night. And I did same. I dropped my line. Then “Bang!’ it all happened. Noise erupted in my neighborhood. People were outside talking loud. Then I noticed they were fetching water. One of them kept warning the rest of the people to fetch water or suffer disaster the next day. Buckets and rubber pitchers were rubbing against each other. And the warning continued. Others were banging at doors to wake people up. Soon the whole area was jam-packed. I could tell. Because the noise was increasing. No one was asleep anymore. Young girls (usually the ones that fetch water in the “Third world”) started toting water. I could hear them complaining. I was lying on my back trying to figure out what was going on. Then it clicked my mind. The first time I entered the country. One incident like this occurred. A “prophet” said everyone in the country HAD to cook and eat potatoes greens for three days consecutively. Otherwise, “evil” would befall everyone. And nobody wanted “evil” to befall them. So no one asked questions. Everyone went in the market and bought potatoes greens. Those who grew potatoes greens in their gardens began to cut them for consumption. Soon potatoes greens cleared the marketplace. At that time I was visiting Harper City – my Hometown. My aunt has been helping others with their kids. She reared them. She likes to cook. But she is old now. So she cannot go in the kitchen anymore. Having trained the kids, she let them do the cooking. But here they are. They were gripped by the “prophecy.” And so they kept telling me they had to comply. I could not convince them. So they cooked potatoes greens for three days. And we ate potatoes greens consecutively. I never felt bad about eating potatoes greens for three days. I enjoyed it. In fact I love potatoes greens. Having not eaten potatoes greens for quite a long time in the US, I was having a “ball” in Liberia. If they had increased the days, it would have been up to my taste. Cause I ate it with a passion. Then in my thinking I came back to the water “prophecy.” I saw myself now in Monrovia where I was in reality. I realized it was different. I thought the water “prophecy” was crazy! For why should I believe I should wake up from my bed at 2am to fetch water. And if I didn’t do so the next day, the water would turn into blood. The dumb stuff didn’t stop right there. It went further. The “prophet” said no one should fetch water from the regular well. It HAD to be pipe-borne water. Right there it struck me. Capitalism! During the potatoes greens “prophecy,” the price of greens was jacked up. And because of the high demand for potatoes greens, it finished from the market. Now today we have a new “prophecy.” And it is calling for ONLY pipe-borne water. And pipe-borne water in Monrovia is for sale. What could this be, I asked myself? The answer came out quickly. People had to buy the water. The army of poor is large. And when they engage the streets, profit will abound. They did. And pandemonium broke out. The poor didn’t want to pay. But the businesspeople demanded their money. Soon the demand for water was high. And it was getting to be daylight. If one did not get his water, blood would be the answer. So the businesspeople jacked up the price. Usually you buy 3-five gallon container of water for $15 (LD). Now one five-gallon was costing $30 (LD). So if you bought three of those same gallons that were sold at $5 (LD), you would be paying $90 (LD). It became good business for the businesspeople. But bad deal for the poor. The poor didn’t like it. But they had no choice. They entertained a belief in a certain prophecy. They didn’t want “evil” to befall them. So they had to paid the price. And they did. But all the hullabaloo raged on throughout the night. Then for some strange reason, another strange thing happened. Rain came down. I don’t mean it is strange for it to rain. We all agree it is supposed to rain. That’s nature! But here is the strange part. The noise ceased outside. Everyone ran indoor. You couldn’t hear a single sound outside. If you dropped a needle, certainly you would have heard the sound. That’s how quiet it was. It went mute in a second. And that’s when it clicked my mind. I heard from people when I first entered the country. They said Liberians are not afraid of guns and moving motorcars. A Liberian will hear a car honking for him to leave the road. He will disregard it. Guns will fire, he will not budge. Market women and men will stand in the middle of the street. The police will try to scare them off. They will not budge. But as soon as it starts to drizzle. And the rain is about to come down. In a twinkle of an eye, the whole area is clear. Everyone disappears. Last night affirmed that to me. As soon as I heard the rain drops on the zinc. All the noise ceased instantly. No sound was heard again. Everyone disappeared. I thought they would come back. But as long as the rain came down, no one came back out. At broad daylight they reassembled. The discussion started as to what happened the previous night. The blame game began. Others challenged the validity of the “prophecy’ even though they complied. They mocked each other for falling for another false prophecy. They all laughed and made fun. And then they departed. From all indications, Liberians can be easily swayed. They believe too many prophecies. I have seen it many times. It is my belief very soon they will be fooled to leave their country for unknown destination on account of a “prophecy” from God. And when they return, they will become aliens in their own country.
All these false prophecies that come in the name of God are not questioned by Liberians. In fact anyone who dares question them is considered an "unbeliever." All everyone does is to just comply. We all have been warned of false prophets. This is in the Holy Bible. And you can find that in the Holy Kuran too. So paying heed to them in the name of God, runs a risk for Liberians. They might someday flee their own country in the name of such prophecy. And whatever happens, the Gods will not blamed for what will happen in the end.
I am Thomas G. Bedell writing to you from the Ground in Liberia.
Thursday, 26 March 2009
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