“One piece of story to ponder over,” Gavin commented with quizzical eyes.
“Never forget it,” Ndam Saidou said in a casual manner, “You might have heard this one too. Most modern day Bamoun people are either Muslims or Christians. They reflect the soul of their legendary king or Sultan, the man known in the history books as Sultan Ibrahim Njoya. He cemented his alliance with the Fulani people by converting to Islam, the very religion his forefathers rejected by fleeing the Islamic warriors of the advancing Fulani army more than a century before him. He embraced Islam for the sake of peace with the Fulani people who were on his northern borders. However, he converted to Christianity when his kingdom became a part of German Kamerun, in appreciation of the support the German Colonial Army gave him during his military campaign against the Nso people to recover the skull of his father. You see; his father the late king who was killed and in battle and decapitated by Nso warriors who went on to hold onto his skull as a trophy. The curious thing is that he turned around and embraced Islam again following the defeat of the Germans in the First World War. I guess you must be wondering why he did that,” he added.
“You piqued my curiosity with that one, Mon Commandant.”
“You see, King Njoya or Sultan Njoya, or whatever title you choose to bestow on him, disliked being a true Christian because it forbade him from being a polygamist. He disliked being a Muslim even more because being a true Muslim entailed abstaining from drinking alcohol. That was how our dear ruler came about professing to be one or the other depending on the situation he found himself in. He would enter a church and bow down in prayers, and then invite any pick from his harem the next hour to reassure himself of his virility. I have even heard stories of how he sometimes attended Friday Muslim prayers with men in his court carrying kettles with them. Guess what? The kettles sometimes contained palm wine or red wine, depending on his mood that day.”
Gavin chuckled as he watched Ndam Saidou laugh too. “I respect him for his wits in devising a script and for coming up with a new spoken language.”
Ndam Saidou nodded. “That’s one of the things that made him unique. He was never a self-righteous man,” he said, paused for a moment, and then added, “Now, where were we?”
Gavin and Ndam Saidou went on to thrash out further details of the mission to be accomplished in Bamenda, and then talked at length about other aspects of their jobs. It was almost midday when the effusive Ndam Saidou shook Gavin’s hand, and then walked him to the door.
“Thank you very much, Mon Commandant,” Gavin offered as he reached for the knob.
Ndam Saidou nodded and patted Gavin on the back. “Son, I am glad you know the limits of life. Come around again tomorrow, same time, for the set-up,” he said and squinted.
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