Mr Edward Mensah, a Ghanaian, is one of my several acquaintances in Doron Baga when I was hustling with the late Mr Matthew Akpan (a family friend) during semester breaks. A very funny man indeed who could pass for a stand up comedian, no jokes. Edward Mensah is one of several foreign nationals who were resident in Doron Baga for twenty, thirty or more years. Doro is a quintessential mini West Africa. Until the recent onslaught on it by the marauding Boko Haram insurgents, it played host to Africans from Benin Republic, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Togo, Cameroun, Central Afrique, Niger, Mali and et cetera. These people were predominantly fish mongers, business people, chemists, artisans, harlots, drug pushers and so on. A very lively town, or village if you like. Oga Mensah started out as a buns seller and an obioma (a tailor) before venturing into fishmongering. Yesterday, his son, Isaac, was one of the internally displaced persons who made it to my estate. He was quite small the last time I saw him. Hes all grown now. You should see the look on his face when he saw me. I asked after his dad (the mother is late), brother and sisters. Here is his response: Dem come for morning. Dem start from Mile Four to Baga Town before dem reach Doro. Na for our eyes dem burn Doro. I run. I see one akworinkuda (truck) na im I come jangulova (cant interprete that) come Monguno before soja motor carry us come Maiduguri. I no know where my father, my brother and sisters dey. If Isaacs narative doesnt drive you to tears, you must be an alien. Isaac is now with me.
Posted on: Wed, 07 Jan 2015 06:58:40 +0000
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