THE BALAMA AND HER MAGIC LAMP.
ONE OF THE MOST CONTROVERSIAL STORIES ABOUT THE AFRICAN GODS AND THEIR FESTIVALS TILL TODAY.
This story is about a certain female god which has a lamp attached to her forehead. Whenever any of the villagers embarks on a journey, the Balama would moved ahead of such a person to provide a security.
How it all started. There was this widower and a single father named Denome.
Everyone was compassionate for his plight and the same time supportive to him. He lost his beloved wife to the cold arms of death one afternoon when she went to fetch cassava.
. On her way back, the torrential sea waves swept her and her canoe away into the deep waters and she was drowned. Her corpse and the canoe were never found. But many fishermen said they saw her struggling to stay afloat before she submerged.
She left behind three daughters. Denome was saddled with the task of the upbringing of the kids.
He got a lot of supports from far and near. One day he went to fetch firewood and some ritual killers beheaded him and took his head. Only his body was found. In those days there were some festivals which required human heads before their commencement. Before such festivals, killers would be dispatched into the forests to hunt for human heads. Woe to anybody who mistakenly walks into their ambushed.
It was during one of these festivals that Denome was beheaded. This brought a great confusion, sadness and condemnations from far and wlde. Now, the people became extremely angry with these festivals and their deities. They called on their ancestors to help them. Miraculously, the Balama came to their rescue.
You will always see her ahead of you with the lamp shining brightly on her forehead once you are going on any journey. Once you are out of the village and about to enter another village or territory, she would be seen behind!
The people believed that she provides security for them.
Apart from these festivals, in those days human sacrifice was also very common because of its importance to the local traditional rulers.
These chiefs or traditional rulers have servants whom they send to abduct people along the roads. They used the abductees as sacrifice to appease the various deities as an atonement for their evils. Now, the Balama seemed came to counter this evil practiced. She was believed to be a god of peace. But there were some weird aspect of her which the people dreaded. One of such weird nature and characteristics of the Balama was that she could be in many places at the same time.
Secondly, in a situation whereby the light from the lamp on her forehead gets intercepted by another ray of light like either that of the sun or lightning flash she becomes dangerous. When this happens, there would be a loud thunderbolt that usually sends the people running for their dear life.
TO BE CONTINUED
But the traditional rulers who headed these traditional institutions and the festivals downplayed the efficacy of the Balama's powers to stop their nefarious and heinous activities. And so they called a general meeting of all the traditional rulers and invited the traditional chief priests. They asked the chief priests to find out the modus operandi of the Balama. But to their utmost surprised, the various oracles were silenced about the identity of the Balama.
They became more afraid and confused. Some decided to test her powers. These sent their killer masquerades into the forests as usual to abduct anybody whom they could find. But these masquerades never returned! And after sometimes, they sent their spiritual powered ritual killers.
These were the ritual killers who behead their victims and take their heads.
They lay in ambush for their victims. The Balama seemed to be aware of their presence! She swung into action!
TO BE CONTINUED
Now, she dematerialized herself as a mere lady going to the farm. They soon saw her walking all alone in the forest. "This must be a blessing from the gods! What a pretty looking lady! The sacrifice would be a superb one", they thought as they moved towards her cautiously so that she won't see them.
Suddenly, they swooped on her from all sides! They held her long hairs so that they could behead her.
But it was terrible! Instead of beheading her as they intended, they ended up beheading themselves.
About ten heads and their headless bodies lay on the ground on their pool of blood!
The Balama disappeared from there and reappeared in another part of the forest where other killers had also laid ambush for unsuspected villagers who may be going to their farms.
Not too long, they saw five pretty looking ladies with basins on her heads just like people who were going to their farms. Yes, this was exactly the opportunity they were waiting for. Now, it came begging. They believed that the Balama can't really stop them from getting victims for their feast because they are about to get some heads. "Now, where is the Balama? She was nowhere to be found to defend these poor defenseless pretty looking ladies" so they thought for now.
TO BE CONTINUED.
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