Peace [Winner VoY STC]

One cold evening, youths were seen playing under the moon light, women could be seen   chatting in two or three and the  men were winning and chanting the stories of old in the palm wine bar  when a gunshot was heard and blood could be seen oozing out of an elder.  People could be heard shouting and screaming while others were in shock. He was dead. This was taken to the Chief all he could say was maybe he had enemies within or beyond the village. But the people were still in shock for their favourite elder was killed. The next day, a child could be seen running and crying, mamma come by the river side, the woman rushed to the spot and saw her two sons and husband beside the river, lifeless. They were being stabbed with a knife. The people were getting scared they did not even know who was behind the scene.

The villagers were so worried that they decided to summon the elders at the to help them talk to the chief on what was happening. The next evening, the elders went to the chief to ask him what was going on all he could say was that nothing was at stake .The elders never knew what to say to the people.

The chief loved his daughter so much that no one could touch her. She was his only pearl he had. One day she got missing that the chief was worried. Two days later she was seen in the palace dead with the message saying, ‘you know what to do, do it in a peaceful manner’. The chief saw this as a challenge. He decided to break out a war with his enemy but all the enemy wanted was his right and property. The villagers heard of this and they refused because they were still in grief for their lost ones. He then decided to fight the battle alone with his enemy.

The chief then went to the enemy’s camp but all the enemy could do was to smile order his soldiers to take the chief and his guards to the village for everyone to know the truth. The enemy to the chief was a warrior the rightful ruler of the village after he won the inter-tribal war but the chief ashamed of defeat tried killing him but the man was a gentle soul. To keep his secret, the chief killed anyone who knew about his secretes even his daughter who knew the day she died, just for him to stay in power. He had lost everything that he dreamt of. For the people heard that and spat on his face as a sign of disgrace.

Peace is a means of building up relationships between individuals, like the chief we have to have a peaceful mind with oneself and others to avoid things like murder, jealous. Peace mends and does not destroy it helps to flush our selfish desires.

by ELVIRA MONJOA  MBUA MONDOA