By
Obododimma Oha
One disturbing characteristic of the present set of human beings is that such humans do not care about relatives. They do not even try to communicate with relatives, not to talk about knowing who they are. A cousin does not know a cousin. An uncle does not know a nephew or a niece and a nephew and a niece do not and do not care. A nephew does not know an auntie or a niece and does not care where they are. It is an age of isolation and withdrawal. No network of relationships and no servicing of relationships. Ikwu does not know or care about ibe, or what they call kith and kin. Ikwu does not want to assist ibe or lift ibe. Ikwu does not even want to be within the reach of ibe. Isolation and lonesome journeying. Terrible.
The worst is that in many cases, ikwu is fighting ibe, devouring ibe. Check the pending cases in courts and see ikwu at the throats of ibe. If they are not fighting over irnherited property, they are seeking separate identification. The prayer of ikwu is that ibe should die or quickly get out of the way. Ikwu is on the warpath, and is wearing a garment of steel. Almost every homestead. Every family. Every village. Every town. Every ethnic group and every country, not to talk of every planet. It is worse than a pandemic!
Everywhere, every time, ikwu against ibe.
But ikwu is ibe and ibe is ikwu. A tụọ n'imi, o hube n'anya. When the nose is struck, it flows through the eyes. And why should the palm kernel be neighbours with its relative but has a high and hard wall of boundary? Why?
That ikwu is accused of wanting to have everything. Is it true? That ikwu is accused of wanting to have many things. He holds this and holds that that. Are they true?
But ikwu is ibe and ibe is ikwu. Where there is ikwu, there is always ibe. Ikwu always needs ibe. Ikwu is ibe.
That ibe thinks that it is a championship. That ibe wants to outshine or, at least, equalize. That ibe has shot himself or herself.
Ikwu and ibe need to come together, because it is the intention of creation to make their roads cross. At the end of the journey, ikwu and ibe will explain how their roads have crossed or how they have managed the crossing of roads.
Where ikwu is talking with ibe, there has to be sincerity; there has to be openness. Ikwu and ibe have to build trust, nurture trust,reproduce trust.
Ikwu and ibe are the model of the best in relationship and must remain good examples. Ikwu and ibe cannot afford to let umunnadi divide them from the outside. It is the desire and hope of nwannadi to come between ikwu and ibe. Ikwu and ibe should know this early enough.
Ikwu and ibe make the ụmụnnadị uncomfortable when they walk together, sleep together, feed together. Nwannadi does not like it that they are still together.
Nwannadị is the against between ikwu and ibe. Nwannadị wants ibe to think that ikwu is the problem, the "against" that must be dealt with. But ikwu is not the problem. Ikwu and ibe are rather the answer. Ikwu and ibe have to discover that answer.
Ikwu should know ibe, ibe should know ikwu. That knowledge is important and will lubricate the relationship. As an important knowledge, it is the guide they need; in fact, the lamp unto their feet in this dark world.
It is ibe that gives ikwu meaning, and vice versa. Ikwu and ibe enter together through the portal of sense to emerge in a semiotic world. Ikwu is ikwu because of ibe.
Now, can you see why ikwu and ibe being at each other's throat is surprising and unusual? Ikwu and ibe have to turn and return to themselves.
A prophecy : ikwu and ibe shall look for each other one day. Ozu sibe isi, enyi ka nwanne alaa. Yes, when the corpse starts smelling, that friend that is greater than a relative would disappear.
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