By Hamza Babu
It was supposed to be the wedding of the century. The stage was set. A Taarab maestro all the way from Zanzibar was going to perform. Finally, the nubile and very sexy Ibtisam, daughter of the local Liwali (rich man) was going to get hitched.
She was as beautiful as a ray of moonlight (and that was before make-up), had a rich father and educated to boot.
Locals claimed she was engaged to a ‘vicious djinn’ and could therefore not be married to a mortal man. Such were damaging rumours being spread in the village.
“If she even agreed to date anyone, Wakwak (the name of the spirit that supposedly possessed her soul) will register his displeasure by doing something nasty,” so the rumour claimed.
Someone had even claimed that a diviner had warned that whoever attempted tie the knot with the girl would die violently under mysterious circumstances.
With such a reputation, she went through the entire cycle of formal education without a single marriage proposal.
However, no sooner had she completed college than a flamboyant boy, in the company of an extravagant entourage arrived bearing expensive gifts. He asked for her hand and to everyone’s surprise, a wedding date was set. That is when the rumor mill went into an overdrive.
Weird case
“Someone should inform the stranger of the weird case of Ibtisam. The poor boy will be murdered at night by Wakwak,” someone was heard saying.
“Let the fool swim over. He imagines we are stupid or blind not to have seen Ibtisam, he deserves what is coming to him,” and with that, they left the man his own devices.
Everything about the wedding was exciting apart from the intrusive rumour milling around about Ibtisam.
The women were planning to make an appearance as well, looking as elegant as possible, of course. It was therefore imperative that every husband buys his wife a dress fit for the occasion.
The day arrived at last and the groom and his entourage entered our local mosque where the nikah (sacred marriage contract) was conducted. After which a sumptuous reception was held. The feasting did not disappoint and it was time for the groom to collect his wife.
When he stepped out of the mosque, however, his shoes were nowhere to be seen. We searched for them everywhere but couldn’t find them.
Love triangle
The groom and his people were not amused. They started accusing us of being cheap. “What sort of people steal from the groom on the first day? Washenzi ,(uncouth barbarians)!” We were called when tempers flared.
“It was Wakwak. It is a sign that he is not pleased with you taking his woman,” he was informed. Then the rumor about Ibtisam and her demon boyfriend was recounted to him.
The man, a yellow bellied coward, fled. Apparently he did not fancy being in a love triangle with a ghost. He thus abandoned Ibtisam without even saying bye and has never been seen since.
“Fools rush in where angels fear to tread,” someone said. “He is lucky Wakwak would have surely murdered him. We are however grateful for the meals,” one of them said as they dispersed.
Source: Standard Digital
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