Clever, Little Children of the Village

By

Obododimma Oha

Clever, little children of the village, smart little people who accomplish mighty things. Clever little children who sail in the wild storms and still get to safety. Clever, little children who are not really children.

Clever little people who keep and steer the home expertly while their parents are away, sometimes for several hours. They would proudly show him and her that they can do things on their own, unsupervised. Great learners who dare.

Clever little child. Look at that one pounding the evening meal and that one washing plates. Are their parents not lucky? Their parents are away but not away in these children. Their parents have reproduced and will  conquer the world.

Clever, little children of the village. Do you lack fun? Not at all. There where you are fetching fuel-wood or leaves for goats, don't  you find the occasion to climb some trees? Fiam! In few seconds, you are high up there, with your legs swinging this way and that way, and you may even be munching one wild fruit. Clever little fellows who dare.

Clever little people of the village, I hear of your sources of income and how you manage your money and I am greatly amazed. Is it that paltry share of N20 of the money given by that uncle after much pestering? I know how you invested it and now it has grown to N2200! Is it your sale of kerosene, both at the local market and in the neighborhood? Or your making and sale of baskets to sellers of tomato? Don't the palm-trees in the neighborhood know your body odour?

Now, I hear that you have joined the local adults in their neighborhood contributions, the earnings which will be shared this December. I know your plan: to buy things for yourself in December, if only to prove to the whole world that you are able to look after yourself.

I hear, too, that have secretly started lending money to adults, at a particular interest. I don't doubt it, clever little people!

Tomorrow you may be located in Dubai, India, Hong Kong, China, Malaysia, Indonesia, or South Africa. You have started. You have started from the crib. I can recognize the craft. I see you coming.

You are going to "school"  now and learning and suffering and some won't see the great one coming. Tomorrow, they will allege that you are doing drugs or that you are into money ritual. But, I can see you rising to shame those talkers.

City children should not just try to go where you go, eat what you eat, climb that tree you climb. City children that cannot cross the road safely, even after graduating from the university! City children that cannot climb that tree of life without being helped. City children that speak as if they don't go to toilet. City children that are nowhere! 

Clever, little children of the village. You reason clever and you act clever. You talk clever and you walk clever. You are clever because you are clever. You live clever and we are witnesses.