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February 8, 2023

Afro-Scope

(Directed By Harry Agina)

STEALING IN THE NAME OF THE LORD WITH A WAR ON AFRICAN CULTURE

Greetings!

This is Afro-Scope, and I am Harry Agina. I bring you episode 3 of our drama series, titled, “In God’s Name.” It’s partly about Pentecostal Christian pastors, who are Stealing in the name of the Lord. More grievous to us than the stealing, is that they are destroying the African Culture in the fake name of “spiritual cleansing.” I call them funky pastors.

We saw in the last episode that a young man, Kono, was already caught as a prey by a funky pastor. Kono had been summoned by the funky pastor, and he just arrived. We left them together in the pastor’s office. Let’s see what happens next, as Michael Shaibu’s “In God’s Name” continues:

IN GOD’S NAME, Episode 3

1. INT. PASTOR’S OFFICE. DAY.

THE PASTOR IS STILL IN HIS POSITION, PERCHED ON THE EDGE OF HIS DESK, AND STILL HAVING A FIXED STRAIGHT GAZE AT KONO…

KONO: Pastor, is everything okay? I am beginning to worry.

THE PASTOR TAKES IN A DEEP BREATH, LETS OUT A LONG SIGH, AND SHAKES HIS HEAD SLOWLY…

PASTOR: You have nothing to worry about now, brother Kono. Everything is now in the hands of God. I was just wondering how you could be going through the consequences of something that you had nothing to do with.

KONO: There is no need to talk in parables anymore, Pastor. Please come out and tell me what it is in plain language.

PASTOR: And that, I will do right now, brother. Brother Kono, your immediate father is a Christian. Am I right?

KONO: Yes, he is.

PASTOR: His own father…was he a Christian?

KONO: No. My grandpa was a traditionalist.

PASTOR: No, no, no, brother Kono. Don’t be euphemistic by calling that religion Traditionalism. It is idol worship. So your grandpa was an idol worshiper. Am I right?

KONO: Uh…okay, pastor.

PASTOR: And his own father before him. And that one’s father before him. All a tall line of idol worshippers. Right?

KONO: Uh…where is this leading, pastor?

PASTOR: It is leading to the revelation that God gave me while I was supplicating Him concerning you, brother Kono. And we need to establish how it all began.

THE PASTOR NOW GOT UP AND BEGAN TO PACE…

PASTOR: Believe me, brother Kono, considering how active you are in this church and considering your level of financial contributions to the church, your financial status is supposed to be in the class of Dangote, Otedola, Adenuga, etc., right now!

KONO: But pastor…I think I am quite fine. I am not in any hurry to blow! You know what I mean?

THE PASTOR STOPS RIGHT IN FRONT OF KONO AND SHAKES HIS HEAD AS HE LOOKS AT KONO INTENTLY…

PASTOR: What a shame! You have even been conditioned to like how you are too.

KONO RISES TO HIS FEET, SHAKING HIS HEAD…

KONO: Alright, this is not funny anymore. Please get to the point, pastor. You have got me all worried!

NOW BOTH THE PASTOR AND KONO ARE STANDING JUST ABOUT A FOOT FROM EACH OTHER, EYEBALL TO EYEBALL…

PASTOR: My brother Kono, the issue fighting you and keeping you down financially is ancestral curse.

KONO: Ancestral curse?

PASTOR: Ancestral curse!

KONO SITS BACK DOWN SLOWLY AND LOWERS HIS HEAD. THE PASTOR GOES BACK TO PERCH AT THE EDGE OF HIS DESK…

PASTOR (Sighs): But your battle has been fought in the spiritual realm and won. So now, how you want to show your gratitude to both God and church is all in your hands.

KONO: The battle has been fought and totally won? The ancestral curse totally lifted? And I can now begin to grow rapidly? And all I need to do now is show my gratitude to God and church?

PASTOR: Yes. Yes. Yes. And yes. Now, it is inappropriate for me to tell you how to show it. But, if you want my suggestion, think of what King Solomon spent during the inauguration of the completed temple in ancient Israel.

KONO (Nods, rises): Thank you, pastor. I uh…will take my leave now.

THEY SHAKE HANDS, SAY GOODBYES. KONO WALKS OUT…

2. INT. KONO’S OFFICE. DUSK.

IT IS CLOSING TIME, AND KONO IS SHUTTING DOWN HIS LAPTOP.

THERE ARE TAPS ON THE DOOR, IT OPENS, AND ED POPS IN HIS HEAD ROUND THE DOOR…

ED: Where were you during lunch, man? I came and you were not here.

KONO: I got an impromptu lunch appointment with my pastor. Sorry. Come on in.

ED: Come on in? Are you not ready to go home yet?

KONO: Of course, I am. I am actually shutting down.

ED WALKS IN AND PULLS UP A CHAIR TO SIT.

BUT KONO FINISHES SHUTTING DOWN AND RISES…

KONO: You don’t have to sit anymore. I am through. We can go.

ED (Still sitting): You don’t want to tell me why the impromptu lunch appointment?

KONO WALKS ROUND TO THE FRONT OF HIS DESK, PERCHES AT THE EDGE OF THE DESK, SHAKES HIS HEAD, SMILES…

KONO: Pastor claims I am carrying ancestral curse, otherwise I would be in the class of Dangote, Otedola, and Mike Adenuga.

ED: What the…! And I am sure you believe him, right?

KONO: Well, he claimed he made it a prayer point and fasted and prayed over it for a week.

ED: And so…he must be telling the truth, right?

KONO: I don’t know. I am just…

KONO TRAILS OFF. ED RISES, SHAKING HIS HEAD IN DISBELIEF…

ED: Let’s just go home. I doubt if there is any way I can talk to you about this without sounding like I am calling your pastor a liar and incurring your anger.  Come on!

THEY WALK OUT IN SILENCE…

3. INT. DINING. EVENING.

KONO AND SELA FINISH EATING…

KONO: I wish I could ask for more. I didn’t eat lunch.

SELA: Why not?

KONO: The pastor called me for a lunch appointment. And it was not to eat.

SELA: Oh! In that case, would you like me to cut some fruits for you then? I am sure digesting fruits won’t be a problem.

KONO: Okay. Thanks.

SELA GETS UP, PICKS THE PLATES, AND HEADS TO KITCHEN…

SELA (Walking away): By the way, my Mom came by.  Said she was returning from getting some herbs from a fellow Osun worshipper.

KONO: Oh, okay. She and your Dad okay?

SOUNDS OF PLATES AND CUTLERY FILTER OUT TO KONO. SOON SELA RETURNS WITH ASSORTED FRUITS, A CUTTING BOARD, A KNIFE, AND A BOWL…

KONO: So…I asked if she and your Dad are doing well.

SELA (Sitting): Oh yeah, they are. She came up with something else though. After asking if we had gone to the prophet I told you about, she brought this leaf and wanted to drop its fluid in my eyes.

KONO: What for? Did you complain of any eyes discomfort?

SELA: No, not for any curative purposes. She said it would make me see things that ordinary natural eyes cannot see.

KONO: Really?

SELA (Cutting fruits): She nearly took offence when I turned it down. So I quickly promised her that you and I would have her drop the sap in our eyes together…if you agree for us to do it.

KONO FROWNS THOUGHTFULLY.

SELA PAUSES AND WAITS FOR HIS RESPONSE…

EPISODE 3 ENDS; EPISODE 4 IS COMING NEXT WEEK. PLEASE SUBSCRIBE TO STAY IN TOUCH.

Kono’s pastor has sold to Kono one of the most common scams of Pentecostal Christian pastor of Nigeria, in West Africa—the “Ancestral Curse scam! First, they convince their preys to believe that the devil dwells in their families, or inside their own very selves, thwarting their destinies. This, they claim, is due to the sins of their ancestors. Next, they convince the preys that they (the pastors) are the preys’ only remedies. And then, they milk the preys for all that they possess, in the fake name of spiritual cleansing.

Do remember that the “white man” took Christianity to Africa. A typical “white man” has ancestors, just like the African. The ancestors of the “white man” committed all manner of sins, too, just like the African ancestors. But I have never heard contemporary “white” pastors talk about curses brought upon the contemporary “white man” by his ancestors. Anyway, Kono’s pastor has sowed the seed on Kono’s mind that his ancestors are haunting him and affecting his progress in life. What will Kono do about this? What will be his response to the pastor’s demand (not exactly a plea) for payment to God and the church? I can’t help but wonder what Kono’s wife, Sela will say about it all.

And, by the way, did you notice that Mikey’s plot has African traditional religion. Umm huh, Kono’s mama-in-law is a traditionalist, a princess of Ogun, a prominent god of the Yoruba people of Southwest Nigeria. I can’t wait to see how Christianity and traditional religions interplay in this series. How about you; will you follow this story as it unfolds? Do remember that, like everything that you see on Afro-Scope.com, it is based on true happenings among Africa’s miracle-hunting Pentecostal Christians? Sure, you can easily follow the story, if only you subscribe to Afro-Scope.com. Please do subscribe. Thanks a million. And until the next episode, it’s bye for now from me, Harry Agina.

LINK TO EPISODE 4 OF “IN GOD’S NAME”: