NO SILENCE!

"A man is only as good as

the knowledge he holds and nothing more"

Mr thomas, said to me, while rummaging through the shelves of book.

Aha, I found it! He squealed excitedly.

'and what better way to gain knowledge,

 than to find them in books, for within it's hard cover

 lies the secrets and exploits of great men and women', he said, while handing the book to me.

"This book is special, so be sure to return it at it's due time" he said

"Yes sir" I responded. 

Now in the comfort of my room, i stare in awe at the book, the school liberian:Mr thomas, gave me.

"The man died"by 'wole soyinka' I muttered to myself, the title of the book.

So this is the famous book that, Mr Okafor, my former history teacher demanded that I read.

In his words, he said "read that book, it's the only way you'd understand"

I say former because he is no longer my teacher nor is he a free man anymore

I remember now, so vividly how his eyes would light up with passion when he talked about the history of Nigeria, Biafra and the blood bath that followed in the wake of the civil war, we would stare at him in awe, his words sounding foreign to us, like stories of a distant land.

 When he was not teaching in class, he was a civil right activist, speaking up against the corrupt government at every opportunity that presented itself; in Tv talk shows and interviews, he advocated that Nigeria history be taught in all schools, despite knowing the risk of possible arrest and execution, it seemed to only fuel his determination to not be silent.

I think the most controversial part of his activities was his journal which he published once every week, named "The Truth". In it contained sensitive and exposing information,which no normal man should know about the government. His writings gained him much popularity among all kinds of people; those who saw him as a voice of revolution, those who saw him as one who was asking for trouble, those who were amused at his audacity and those who saw him as a threat.

In the morning before his arrest he came to class holding copies of his journal that he recently published and shared to every student in class including myself. I remember he seemed different that day, his shoulders slouched like a man carrying the weight of the world, his eyes once bright was now dim with broken dreams and unfulfilled purpose.

He looked at me and smiled a sad smile and then handed me a small note

Then said "a man died, who keep silent in the face of tyranny".

 In a split second, before my mind could comprehend the weight of his words, Five imposing men in military clothing came in to the class.

"Mr okafar, you're under arrest for the defamation of character of the Federal government".

The sky is clear, the sun shining gloriously through the windows illuminating all within it's path, I can hear the squeals of excitement from my classmates and the air of restlessness is so palpable, it's almost lunch break, everybody loves break time especially on wednesdays when the school cafeteria will be serving fried rice and chicken, the thought of that was enough to throw one into pure bliss just as my classmates are right now.

 I am no different from them on any other day, but today is different, as the squeals of excitement and restlessness seems to fade into the background. It's been 4weeks since the unjust arrest and execution of Mr Okafor, within those weeks I have read the book which he enjoined me to read three times, and today marks the end of my possession of this book.

 I feel a sense of loss and gratitude- the former is due to the fact that he died, before I could understand the magnitude of his words; while the latter is because he left a gift that opened my mind on the cognitive fallacies that once befogged it.

The bell rings and students rush in the direction of the cafeteria. I also make my way in the direction of the cafeteria but slowly as I ponder the words contained in the small note Mr Okafor gave me on the day of his arrest:

       "There is no freedom in silence                                                   only brokenness can be found therein                                             until all that is left are, shattered dreams that never becomes reality.  

It is in this that: A man died."

"Are you blind! I look up to see much older boy glaring down at me. His name tag read: "senior John"

I'm sorry senior" it seems I had slammed into him while I was thinking

"Sorry for yourself, I am going to punish you for this"

My whole being was filled with fear and dread as I went down on my knees and began to beg: "I'm so sorry, please forgive me, it won't happen again" but all my plea fell into deaf ears.

He took me by the nape of my neck and dragged me- like a goat being led to the slaughter house- into the senior quarters.

All eyes turned on us as we entered the room filled with other seniors: some looked at me curiously, some were amused at the drama that was about to unfold while some looked at me with pity knowing too well how unfortunate I was to have fallen into senior john's hands.

"Get on your knees, fool"

"Senior please I haven't eaten and I need to return this book back to the library"

His fist landed on my face "wham"

A concerned senior came and asked John "what did this junior do to you"

"He stole from me, and I'm going to deal with him"

I was beyond mortified at the lies that was spewing from his mouth

Two other seniors joined in jeering at me.

Before I could say anything to defend myself, another fist landed on my left eyes, momentarily blinding me

It felt like my arms and legs had a mind of their own, because with all the strength I could summon I punched one of his minions and kicked the balls of the other and then dashed into the nearby bush.

My pursuers hot on my heels, their sinister laugh echoing

"I just wanted to punish you at first, but now I'm going to end you, so you can be silent forever"

I hid behind a tall tree, my heart beating at an alarming rate.

Gotcha! One of the minions got a hold of me and slammed on the flow, Knocking the wind out of my lungs.

"Crack" I think I just broke a rib

It was getting harder to breath, because each breath was accompanied with nerve wrecking kicks

My whole body was tingling with pain, I was about to pass out

When like a gentle breeze the words of Mr okafor floated to my ears

Whispering "will you be silent, or will you fight"

With a new strength surging within me; I took hold of a tree branch and slammed it on the minions head, he fell on floor unmoving.

I feel so drained, my legs failed me and I fell to the floor. I looked up the path ahead leading to the back of the library. If I could just make it to the library Mr thomas will protect me

No one will protect you! Senior john sneered at me, beside him was his second minion

What! Did he just read my mind? I stared in shock

He knelt down before me took me by my collar and began to deliver blow after blow.

My left eye was swollen shut, my nose broken and my lips were busted 

"I will silence you" then he began strangling me

"Silence" why does he keep saying that.

Oh I understand now; silence is inevitable. Mr Okafor fought hard against his captors yet they silenced him. No matter how much we try to speak up the forces against us will always prevail. And here I am my body battered and broken, my resolve weakened, I guess I too shall soon be silenced. I close my eyes

........

The tall trees and bushes wither away, the classroom take its place, standing before me is Mr Okafor.

But you were silenced" I said to him

"No I wasn't" he said, "a part of me lives in you that can never be silenced"

"Do you have the note I gave you"

"Yes sir" I answered.

"Read it till you believe it".

I took out the note and began reading it's message over and over again, the more I read it the more I believed and the more my resolve strengthened and my broken body began to heal.

............

I opened my eyes, the sun still shone brightly through the trees, the senior and his minions were no where in sight.

I stood up and dusted myself no longer in pain. I made my way to the library. I check my time 5 minutes to closing time, I must hurry.

Have you been rolling on the sand, why's your uniform so dirty and you're late

I apologize Mr Thomas but I got delayed by senior john and his minions

He looked at me like I just grew two head

Senior john? That boy and his friends died 9years ago. He was the school most notorious bully and he was known to always oppress both juniors and seniors a like.

Rumour has it that his spirit still lingers around looking for souls to bully.

"Well he chose the wrong soul to bully this time" I smiled while returning the book

"That's good to hear young man" Mr thomas answered, equally smiling at me, with a look of respect In his eyes.