Mary Slessor

"Today, another family will shed tears...today; one man will lose his entire family just like that. It's tragic that a single birth could lead to multiple deaths. I hear the cry of a woman...today; she will be put to death for giving birth to two babies at once. How much longer will we continue to suffer?"

These words formed part of the prologue of a drama performed by a group of exemplary children at the Cultural Centre in Calabar, Cross River State in Nigeria.

The occasion was ladies grill was held in honour of the First Lady of Cross River State, as part of the State's gubernatorial inaugural package. Women came in droves from across the country to be part of this momentous occasion. Even the area boys in Calabar wanted to be a part of it too, but alas...no men allowed, they were repeatedly told at the gate. I'm not quite sure how they took that.

The childrens sterling performance got me walking down memory lane though. The drama, titled, "Let them live," was centered on Mary Slessor's activities in Calabar in the 18th century. To be precise, it was in Okoyon village in Odupani local government area, about an hour's drive from Calabar. Mary Slessor nicknamed Ma, and often referred to as the White Queen of Calabar was celebrated for stopping the killing of twins in that region.

Today, we rejoice at the birth of twins. Twins form an essential component in women's prayer requests, particularly women who for some reason or the other are unable to bear children.

But centuries back, twins were far from a blessing. There were strange creatures and even stranger was the unfortunate or perhaps evil woman who dared to bring such vile creatures to planet earth. As a result, all perpetrators - mother and her ‘extraterrestrials' were sent back to Mother Earth, hopefully never to rise again.

"Of all the different places on the African continent where twins were killed in ignorance, what was it about the Calabar story that made it stand out? The Slessor story was one of the first I learned in History class. I must have been about seven years old then. Again, what was it about this frail redhead Scots woman born in December 2 1848 in Aberdeen, Scotland? Why did she have to leave her comfort zone in Scotland to stop the killing of twins in the dusky streets of Okoyon?

"The house where Mary Slessor lived still stands today, Twins are symbolic of a double heritage, blessings and so on. Many destinies were cut short during the killings at that time. Slessor's house should be a tourist centre and also a prayer ground for people particularly those who believe God for the fruit of the womb, especially multiple births," this sentiment expressed by the voice dear friend and sister.

Why am I not surprised when I browse the internet and see tour adverts that read, "Tour Israel the Land of milk and honey, experience God's country first hand by visiting famous historical, archeological and holy sites. See the bible come to life in front of your eyes - experience Israel in a way you will never forget. All tours are available in various languages ..." The availability of tours in different languages surely connotes a robust worldwide patronage doesn't it? And, lest I forget, each tour costs between $58-$70 - about N8, 000 - N10, 000 per person.

Now, I'd like to rearrange these words. "Visit Calabar, alias Canaan City, experience first hand the first capital of Nigeria - her scenic beauty and convivial people. Visit her famous historical and archeological sites and see God come to life at the Mary Slessor prayer ground and other holy sites at the Canaan City. Each tour costs N7, 000.

It's amazing that tourism contributes about 40% to the economy of South Africa. It's also the mainstay of the economy of Kenya. Most of our Nigerian elites with deep pockets contribute significantly to these economies and more on a regular basis of 130 Naira to the US dollar, yet in our own country it's purely wakabout. Why does Nigeria have to be so different?

I'm also thinking... other towns existed at that time but the red head Scotswoman was not sent to any of those towns. She was sent to Calabar. Actually, the house in which she lived back then is a ‘national monument.' It was converted to a library, and the few tourists who visit can also get to see the kettle Ma used for tea, her slippers and perhaps her skirts.

Turning that area into a prayer ground and ultimately tourist hub may seem like a Herculean task. The instruction came at a time when the inhabitants of the earth had not witnessed any form of rain. And, of course, there is Mary Slessor, whose duties were certainly not devoid of horrific challenges. According to a document by Worldwide Missions Missionary Biographies, "Mary had given her heart and life to Jesus as a young girl, and due to the influence of stories told her by her mother, had formed a secret desire to be a missionary to Calabar. Soon after landing in Calabar, she began to realize the difficulty and seeming impossibility of the work to which she had committed herself."

"She saw huge hideous alligators sunning on the mud banks and swimming in the streams. One day, her canoe was attacked by a hippopotamus, and she saved her life and the lives of children with her by throwing a cooking pot into its gaping jaws. She saw the barracoons where the captured natives were penned until the slave-ships arrived. She found herself in a land where terrified prisoners dipped their hands in boiling oil to test their guilt under some accusation, where wives were strangled or buried alive to go with their dead chief into the spirit world, where heartless chiefs could order a score of men and women to be beheaded for a cannibal orgy and sell a hundred into the horrors of slavery."

"Subsequently, Mary worked from cock-crow to star-shine. She rescued hundreds of twin babies thrown out into the forest, prevented many wars, stopped the practice of trying to determine guilt by the poison ordeal, healed the sick, and tirelessly told people about the great God of love whose Son came to earth to die on the cross that poor sinful human beings might have eternal life."

Amid the fierce obstacles way back in the 19th century Slessor travailed, but the work needs to be taken to the next level. One might ask, why her house and not another location? Why that dismal Okoyon village and not a more vibrant up market area that would yield instant monetary returns?

The transformation of that remote Okoyon village will certainly not be a joyride. It will take decades of toiling, seemingly endless frustrations and maybe wrestling with God hopefully without hip dislocations to realize this objective, but in the fullness of time, the work will be complete.

The White Queen has been gone for centuries, but she left a huge stamp of love in the hearts of the amiable people of Cross River State. You should see the glow on their faces when they talk about their Ma. You would think they personally interacted with her and she'd just dashed out to Scotland on holiday.

So...in the light of the above I wonder... who will be our next Mary Slessor?

 

 
Posted by: Enuma Chigbo on 22 June 2009

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