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August 17, 2022

WHAT’S NEXT WITH THE BABALAWO AND THE WEALTH?

Greetings, folks!
This is Afro-Scope, and I am Harry Agina. It’s time again for Michael Shaibu with NBB’s “AfroCultural Drama” series on the pursuit of money through “Human-Sacrifice Ritual,” in Africa. “Blowback” is our title, and this is episode 3. As you know, wherever there is episode 3, there must be episodes 1 and 2 lurking somewhere nearby. I do have a link for you at the end of this piece. It will take you to them.

We ended the last episode with Bude, Tochi, and Toba at the shrine of the babalawo (the witch doctor). He is commonly called “Baba.” The twin meanings of baba are explained in episode 2, I think; or, is it episode 1? Well, I shouldn’t bother about that now anyway. After all, I do have the link for you to find out.

Hahahaaa! In case you didn’t catch the joke, that’s another way to nicely force you to read episodes 1 and 2. Yeah, I know, I often blab too much, exposing too much of what I should keep secret; right? Wrong! I actually do it on purpose, and I’ll tell you why, pronto! I am a dramatist, indeed, a writer in various areas of communications, including and specially for TV programs and film. The joking-‘blabbing’ that I often do is on purpose. It’s one of the little stuffs that I do as part of my little contribution to the writing world out there. I do it for the less-experienced dramatists, script-writers, and whatever writers among my readers. They should note, of course, that “No Bullshitting” is purposely a radical rude and nasty character, in language and attitude. So, it’s up to them to copy my colloquial style, if they like it, and adapt it to their own sweet characters. I can easily rewrite everyone of my writings that I do in the “No Bullshitting” character, into sweet attitude and language that the pope himself would be proud of, in terms of decent language and attitude.

Indeed, this particular blabbing that I’m doing now was actually inspired by one of such less-experienced dramatists who read my blogs. She reached out to show me her appreciation of my little blabbing, when I introduced one of Michael Shaibu’s drama episodes. She’s a writer, and, “I like your style,” she said. I often make jokes about creating suspense on purpose when I introduce a blog-subject. That’s the one that she appreciated. It’s not just about appreciating my style, mind you. It’s more about my mentioning my intention for my suspense in some of my writings. As a writer, she had enjoyed my “suspenseful style” when she read some of my blogs, she said. But it really didn’t register in her brain that she was learning something; not until I made my “joke about ‘cutting-to-the-chase’ without further ado.” And, I mentioned that it was intentional, to create suspense. That’s when it clicked to her that she was actually learning something in suspenseful writing. You know, Americans can be like that! They easily express their feelings, meeeeeeeen!!!

Anyway, you now know why I blab so much sometimes. Now, let’s ‘cut to the chase.’ And, ‘the chase’ of the day is Michael Shaibu’s “Blowback,” on NBB’s “AfrocCultural Dramas.”

So, Toba and Bude already have their ritual assignments to perform in other to acquire wealth. Tochi was still awaiting his own sacrificial assignment when we ended the last episode. Now, that’s what I’m talking about suspenseful writing. Our dramatist left what we call a mild form of “cliff-hanger.” That’s to leave you wondering what Tochi’s assignment will be in the next episode. Naturally, you are likely to be curious to find out. That helps us to nicely encourage you to tune in for that next episode, meeeeeeeeeeeeen!!!

Meanwhile, I was going by the sacrificial assignments of Bude and Toba. And, I asked a question at the end of the last episode; is it really that simple and easy? If so, why then does anyone complain about money-making rituals, huh? I’m like; what’s the big deal about sleeping in a coffin for 14 nights, especially for a guy who is poor and dying of hunger, huh?

Now I ask again; is money-making ritual really that easy. Or, are there what the business world calls, “hidden charges,” which will suddenly crop up later? It’s time to find out from Michael Shaibu, in “Blowback,” part 3:

BLOWBACK 3
Scene 1:
ESTABLISHMENT VIEW OF A SHACK WITH MODERN ROOFING SHEETS BUT WITH MUD WALLS.
Cut Into The Sitting Room…

TOCHI IS NOW SITTING ON THE MAT BEFORE BABA…BABA IS STUDIOUSLY LOOKING AT THE IFA IMPLEMENTS ON THE FLOOR IN HIS FRONT…TOCHI IS LOOKING FROM THE IFA (DIVINITY IMPLEMENT) TO BABA, A MIXTURE OF FEAR AND EXCITEMENT ON HIS FACE…BABA NOW LOOKS UP FROM THE IFA IMPLEMENTS AND SMILES AT TOCHI…

BABA
My son, the gods have made their demand known. Are you willing and able to meet it?

TOCHI
Baba, I brought myself here with my own two legs. If I were not willing, I would not have come and even brought my friends in the first place.

BABA
(Chuckles)
My son, think again. Willingness is not the same as ability.

TOCHI
Baba, I quite understand. However, how can ability be determined unless one knows what the demand is?

BABA
Well put. Quite well put. However, I must quickly mention this. You will incur the wrath of the gods if you dare to back out after I, their medium, make known to you what their demand is. Do we go on?

GINGERLY, TOCHI LOOKS ASKANCE OVER AT BUDE AND TOBA.
THEY BOTH SHRUG BACK…

TOBA:
You brought us here, man. And we are in already. So even if you want to, we will definitely not let you back out. No way, man!

TOCHI TAKES IN A DEEP BREATH, LETS OUT A LONG SIGH, TURNS TO THE BABA, BRACES UP…

TOCHI
Let us go on, Baba. No pain, no gain.

BABA
Very well. What the gods want is blood.

TOCHI
Well, that is not such a huge demand after all. I can get that from the blood bank of any hospital or diagnostic-

THE THUNDEROUS LAUGHTER FROM BABA CUTS TOCHI SHORT. THEN BABA STOPS LAUGHING AND FROWNS AT TOCHI…

BABA
You dare to mock the gods, young man? If it were that cheap, would I have asked you if we should continue? The gods want the blood of a young girl. A virgin, to be precise!

THERE IS SILENCE AS THAT SINKS INTO TOCHI’S HEAD…

TOCHI
Please Baba, help me beg the gods not to take offence, but I need to ask. May I know the quantity of blood they want so that I could ask such a virgin to just donate it to me?

BABA
Young man, when the gods want human blood, they don’t want that human to live on after taking the blood. This is a ritual, a sacrifice. And during it, the victim must die!

TOCHI
(Eyes pop out)
Human sacrifice?!

TOCHI BEGINS TO SHIVER IMMEDIATELY.
BABA WATCHES HIM FOR A WHILE, SHAKES HIS HEAD IN PITY, RISES, GOES INTO AN INNER ROOM, COMES BACK OUT IN A FLIP WITH A SMALL ORDINARY-LOOKING ROD, SITS DOWN, AND HANDS THE ROD TO TOCHI…

BABA
It is hard today to determine who is a virgin. Then I am sure you are worried about how to bring her here after finding one. That rod handles those two problems for you.

TOCHI
Thank you, Baba. So, how do I use it?

BABA
You only need to touch young girls with it indiscriminately. It will have no effect on any girl that is not a virgin. But the first girl that follows you like a zombie, that is a virgin and she is the one to bring here.

WITH THAT, BABA WAVES TOCHI AND HIS FRIENDS OUT WITH A NOD.
TOCHI AND HIS FRIENDS THANK BABA, RISE, AND GO OUT.
AND BABA PACKS HIS IFA IMPLEMENTS, WRAPS THEM UP IN A SKIN, TIES THE SKIN, AND PUTS IT AWAY…

2. EXT. UNDER A TREE. DUSK.
   IT IS THE FOLLOWING DUSK.
   BABA IS LOUNGING UNDER THE SHADE OF THE TREE IN HIS COMPOUND.
   TOBA, TOCHI, AND BUDE ARRIVE.
   TOBA IS CARRYING THE TWO COCKS AND THE BOWL OF CORN IN A NYLON.
   THEY GREET…

BABA
(Still lounging)
Toba, I see you have brought what the gods required of you!

TOBA
Yes, Baba.

BABA
Good. And you, Bude…have you brought the money for the two used coffins?

BUDE
Yes, Baba. Should I present it now?

BABA
Yes, of course! Bring it out, then go and put it at the door of the power house. And you, Toba, go and put both the cocks and the corn at door of the power house too.

TOBA AND BUDE DO AS THEY ARE TOLD…

BABA
Obviously you have not had any success with you own hunt for a victim yet.

TOCHI
Yes, Baba. It is not easy to get the grade of young girls that are likely to be virgins.

BABA
And what grade is that?

TOCHI
Like…between 12 and 15.

BABA’S PHONE RINGS, HE GETS IT AND LOOKS AT THE SCREEN, HOLDS A FINGER UP FOR TOCHI, AND THEN PICKS THE CALL…

BABA
Abike mi, my lovely daughter! How are you? … Your school was closed due to security issues? But… Okay, they will put you on a bus coming down here? We Thank Eleduwa, the Almighty then. I will come and pick you from- … You can come home by yourself? Are you sure? Okay. Orunmila will protect you and guide you down here safely. Yes, see you soon.

NOW BOTH TOBA AND BUDE ARE BACK, STANDING WITH TOCHI…

BABA
Tochi my son, I remember that I told you to be in indiscriminate. Just touch them with the rod. Let the rod do its work. Your own is to touch them. I don’t want to spend forever waiting for you to bring what the gods want.

TOCHI
Yes, Baba.

BABA
And as for you two: the used coffin will be ready tomorrow. But I am only ready for this line of business as from dusk. So come at dusk and we will go to where I will place the coffin under a tree. And as for the cock and the corn, I will fortify them right away. We will let the cock starve for three days!

BUDE/TOBA
(In unison):
Yes, Baba.

BABA:
Good. You may go now.

BUDE, TOCHI, AND TOBA TURN ROUND AND WALK AWAY.
BABA RISES, FOLDS HIS LOUNGING CHAIR, AND WALKS TO THE HUT DOOR…

END

It has been another No Bullshitting Blog’s (NBB’s) “AfroCultural Drama” by Michael Shaibu…

Introductory prelude, and Postlude by Harry Agina.

Well, I guess I was hasty, and wrong, in my prediction about “hidden charges.” I didn’t wait for Tochi’s turn for the demands of the gods. After all, the gods only demanded just a couple of cocks and corn from Toba, and just empty coffins from Bude. I assumed that the demand from Tochi would be something similar. Now, we all know better! The gods want human sacrifice. And, Tochi is in some shit now; isn’t he? Um huh, he sure is in some serious shit! And, remember, he can’t pull out now. He would be a dead man himself if he dares to pull out. He was warned, meeeeeeeeeen!!!

Is he going to hang in there and pull it off, by committing murder to make money, or choose to die himself? Time will tell, as the drama unfolds. As for Toba and Bude, they have gotten the better end of the deal, without the need to sacrifice human life. But, have they, really? Are the “hidden charges” that I spoke of still lurking somewhere, to rear their ugly heads down the line? Right now, it’s for Michael Shaibu oou dramatist to know, and for you and I to find out, in the next episode of “Blowback.”

By the way, did you pay attention to the Baba’s telephone conversation with his own daughter who is apparently in boarding school? Did you notice through the conversation how much he loves his own daughter? But it is so easy for him to demand the sacrifice of other people’s children to his gods. What a wicked world of selfish evil humans, meeeeeeeeeeen!!!

HERE’S THE PROMISED LINK TO EPISODE 4:

https://afro-scope.com/2024/03/18/afrocultural-dramas-on-money-ritual-in-africa-blowback-4/