Do you remember Mutanda oyom Namondo?
A classic piece of Efik literature penned by E. E Nkana.
An awesome folk tale that gives insight into the ancient Efik society and its traditions.
Namondo the only child of Chief Mutanda ruler of Bokondo mysteriously disappeared…
This leads me to the question.
What if Mutanda is still looking for Namondo in 2019?
How would we react to the kidnapping of the son of the head of our kingdom?
We would be up in a frenzy and would be doing so many things.
Media houses would release the headline:
Namondo Kidnapped!
We will be posting and trending #BringBackNamondo #IStandWithNamondo #PrayForNamondo
We will rant and express outrage at Atim Okpoebot, the obnoxious and evil entity suspected to be holding Mutanda hostage.
We will drag Ekanem Ofonko, Mutanda’s stepmother on social media for associating with Atim Okpoebot.
But Atim Okpoebot will have a few supporters.
They will be posting and hashtagging:
#IStandWithAtimOkpoebot #NamondoisAnArrogantBrat #FactsNotFeelings
1000 gallant men will volunteer to join the search party for Namondo.
We will all join them.
We will turn on our GPS, open our Google maps apps, grab our weapons, and head off to the thick Efik forest to locate Namondo.
We will be fed with big mounds of fufu and afang soup for strength for the task ahead.
Ekpo Mosufe will be our team leader.
The search will be beamed live on TV and the internet.
We will be giving minute by minute updates on social media:
“Just ransacked a big cave, Namondo is not here, we are hopeful we would see him before midnight. More water and food supplies needed, kindly send your financial donations to our gofundme account to raise funds for this just cause”
We will finally smoke out Atim Okpoebot from her hiding place behind a rustic thatched house surrounded by palm trees.
We will shout and yell in anger when she lists out the bizarre and extremely rare items to obtain for sacrifice to Anansa the water deity to release Namondo.
We will tweet #AnansaAndAtimOkpoebotAreScammers #ReleaseNamondoUnconditionallyNow!
We will demand Atim Okpoebot’s immediate imprisonment.
We will join forces with Bara Mba and chase out Atim Okpoebot from the jungle for meddling with Queen Ofonso Mba.
The army will invade the jungle to rescue Namondo.
Anansa the water deity will be waiting for them.
It will be a clash of supernatural forces against the human force.
The search will be turned into a Tv movie series.
Nso itipkpe? Nso itipkpe?
Mutanda asuk oyom Namondo ke 2022!
Iniobong Leroi Umoh is a storyteller, a satirist and creative writer. He blurs the line between reality and fiction and seeks to create a connection with the reader through engaging content. His works have been featured across various online and offline platforms. He hopes to one day travel around the world on a luxury yacht, sipping expensive wine and documenting all his experiences in a journal.
You can send him a mail at infoleric@gmail.com.