AKUFA AND POLITICAL AKUFA: From Spiritual Belief to Medical Reality, and a Warning for Nigerian Politics - Bar. Niyi Aborisade
I Watched a Yoruba film many years ago ' (Ti Oluwa ni Ile) by Baba Wande. After the mysterious death of his two business colleagues who together were land grabbers and sold a piece of land that was consecrated and dedicated to the gods, Oloye Otun the only one that remained alive of the trio contacted his herbalist for dIvination. He understood that the death of his comrades was not unconnected with the sales of the land of the gods.
Oloye Otun had initially boosted the confidence of his business partners when they met at the canteen after eating chicken peri- peri and washed it down with beer , he assured them that nothing would happen for defying the gods and that the gods cannot do anything.
He maintained that "the earth belongs to the lord and those who knows the story". However, after two of them died, he was sore afraid. The herbalist checked with the oracle to reveal what is hidden behind the cloud and why Otun came for divination.
One good thing about the ifa oracle in the original form was its ability to see beyond what ordinary eyes can see, including what has been, what it is and what will be. The past, the present and the future.
On that day, it was a bad news for Oloye Otun, the message of that day was ' Akufa'. Two have died, the 3rd will die unless the second man was not buried. Though the herbalist himself was unaware that Otun himself was the third person that the oracle was referring to.
Ifa simply answered the question that was posed by Oloye Otun that was not even disclosed to the consultant. Oloye Otun knew that Ifa had confirmed his fear, the oracle had spoken clearly. Ifa had linked the right route ( Ifa ti ja na).
Akufa was a phenomenon in Yoruba land in that when someone died, those who go to commiserate with the family would pray that ' olorun ko ni se ni Akufa. ( may God not allow it to be death that will take other members of the family or associates away.) It was their belief that there were certain deaths that can take other family members away with the one that died.
They offered the prayers based on their past experiences. Perhaps they also believed that a dead person who has now become a spirit (Ebora) is capable of drawing other members of his family to death. Recently, a cousin of mine died and during the burial ceremony, the traditional talking drummers did not mince words through their drum and vocal interpretation of the soundbeat that the father and mother of my cousin had taken him away.
They sang it with pride as if it was normal. I shook my head at this ignorance, a 64 year old man was not a property of his dead parents. How is it even reasonable for the dead parents to terminate the life of their children. Why would they do that? It is absolute nonsense. In fact, I believe that the dead parents must have been livid in their graves if they could hear such ignorant insinuation attributed to them by the drummers. It was a disrespect for the memory of the lovely parents.
Was this belief in 'Akufa' spiritual or scientific?. My understanding of Yoruba culture is that it is spiritual to them because no scientific reasons were advanced to support this theory. However, on close examination of this phenomenon, 'what appear spiritual to them is unconsciously hidden in the medical problems of the dead as the approach of the herbalists always showed.
The scientific approach and prescription by their herbalists/babalawos was an indication of their concealed knowledge, I believed that the herbalists knew or ought to know that it is a medical problems that constitutes the 'Akufa'. I say this much because of the remedies for most of these 'Akufas' clearly shows a deep knowledge of the herballistz.
They would first collect sacrifices since Oracle will not divine without prescription of sacrifice even if it is palm oil. ( Opele ki bale ko mo yan ebo, bo se omi eku). The babalawos from their knowledge and training would further prepare some herbs in which they would command the relatives to take home and cleanse the house as purification; they will provide other herbal medications to swallow or make incision in the body that will go straight to the blood stream.
They would prescribe spiritual bath with prepared soap to bath for 3 or 7 days. In the soap was a herbal remedy, a kind of medicated soap. Those are the things that really works and prevents the 'Akufas' and not the sacrifices, the purification is to stop the contamination of the diseases and the one they swallow or the incision that will be rubbed with herbs was meant to work in the blood and cleanse the blood from the communicable diseases that killed their relatives. ( similar to injection) To the uninnitiate, it was a spiritual problem but the innitiates had been sworn to oath of secrecy to conceal many things away from ordinary people, that is the only way their trade and respect in the society can endure.
They have survived many years and gained the respect and fear of their people through their knowledge and secrecy. They were the guardians of secret things. This method of secrecy has greatly affected our development as Africans in the area of medicine and other areas.
We like to shroud many things in secrecy and will not teach outsiders. That is why we have many family compounds with their allocated professions by heritage and secret. The drummers generations, the warrior family, the blacksmith family, the Olojes, the Onifas, the blacksmith family etc.
The same things happened in China many years ago when there were different martial art teachers. Each teacher with diferrent styles and strict instructions not to teach outsiders and foreigners. Bruce Lee broke this rule when he travelled to America and taught foreigners ' Wing yu' and 'kung fu'. He explained in his defence that the only way by which their arts can become famous is by exporting it abroad and teach others. His teacher was angry with him and othe martial art teachers rebuked him and refused to associate with him. He remained despite his death over 50 years ago one of the most famous martial artist on the surface of the earth. His rebellion was an eye opener. His decision to open the door of knowledge made Kung fu one of the most popular martial arts.
I was discussing with a friend recently about how African slaves excelled and were responsible for many inventions in Europe, and United States of America and not here in Africa. They must publish their medical invention in the medical journals for all to see. A Yoruba man performed an operation in America on a pregnant woman, he removed the foetus inside a patient, operated the woman and returned the foetus successfully. He explained how he did it for others to learn, our herbalist would have kept that and tell us it is their spiritual power.
We in Africa dont follow that rules of the Europeans regarding sharing of knowledge.. To maintain the hierachy and domination of others, we are taught to keep things in secret afterall, it is the family tradition.
Modern science makes us to understand and agreed that there is 'Akufa' indeed supported by evidence, though in a different dimension that has nothing to do with spritual matter at all.
There were so many sickness in this world that can lead to Akufa. Ebola is one of then. Ebola is a highly contagious disease that anyone who has contact with the carrier is highly likely to contact it as well, so most of those who will be looking after the carrier are likely to be family members and so many family members in Congo died one afer the other during the Ebola virus crisis. Dr. Ameyo Stella Adadevoh ( grand daughter of Herbert Macaulay) became a victim of Ebola when she treated a suspected Liberian man who had Ebola.
She treated the man and refused the man to leave the confinement so that he will not communicate the disease to Nigerians. The evil man had intended to attend a conference where he would have spreaded the disease. Her singular act saved thousands of Nigerian lives.
There were so many diseases that are easily transmissible from humans to humans and from animal to man. Many of these communicable diseases are leather and are responsible for 'Akufa' in the olden days
Covid 19 was another virus that causes ' Akufa' it is a highly communicable disease that took lives of many. Isolation of the victim reduced the numbers of death.
In summary ' Akufa' is not a spiritual phenomenon but a medical issue and it will be helpful to know the cause, treatment and avoidance. Proper diagnosis is very important that can prevent Akufa.
I must not leave this subject without mentioning ' Political Akufa' a situation where a wicked and selfish political leader will die politically and take his political followers with him.
The 2027 crystal ball is showing that many political leaders and followers will suffer Political Akufas in Nigeria.Those who destroy the party that catapults them into power, those who betray the trust of the people who put them in power and those who looted the money that belongs to the State would become victims of Political Akufas.
The only remedy for the folllowers is the same prescription for Ebola and Covid 19 ' ISOLATION'. Isolate them completely and rescue yourself from ' Political Akufa'. Leave their camp completely, afterall bad company corrupts good manner. May we never experience Akufa in our land again.
Niyi Aborisade is a lawyer, an historian, a human rights activist and author.