Ekasi stories with Clifford Kalibo
Dark things are dark and darkness brings a sense of darkness, fear and confusion. Since time immemorial anything associated with the dark strikes fear into the heart of men.
Nictophobia is ingrained in children at a tender age. Who amongst us during childhood has never been told of “inunu” by our parents. Parents forbid kids from playing or going outside when it gets dark because they will be bitten or harmed by “inunu”, or the nunu will cause their disappearance. But what in reality is “inunu”? It is a non existent mythical creature associated with the dark and is said to be dangerous. I only realised around the age of 17 that there is nothing called “inunu”. Even up to now some grown up guys live in constant fear of “inunu”.
According to an unwritten code of nature, people, animals and birds retire to sleep at night time. A handful of humans will defy this code of nature by going out at night to clubs, movies, parties, etc. On the way back home, one will inevitably meet small animals like cats or bats flying about. Because of the fear of the dark, which the writer pointed out earlier on, the person who sees the cat or bat, will immediately associate such animals with evil forces of the dark or inunu. What one fails to understand is that nocturnal creatures are by their very nature meant to move or hunt at night and a human being is supposed to be sleeping at night.
The owl is one such nocturnal bird that is associated with the dark forces of evil. An owl will fly out at night and can perch on your rooftop or on a tree in your yard, it is in hunt for mice and small insects. The owl’s eyesight as designed by God performs very well during the dark. The owl will hoot out calling its mate. Upon seeing an owl or hearing it hoot people come up with all sorts of stories; “Una zibani uyaloya sibili, kulesikhova esilala sikhala phezu kwendlu yakhe” or “Ugogo umazibani ungithumele isikhova” Thus nocturnal creatures are feared by people, both young and old.
Many a times we have heard stories of ghosts being seen at night. The so called ghost, “isipoko” is always seen by a lone person coming from a beer binge. They almost always claim to see a person who will immediately vanish into thin air.
“Ngithe ngifika ekhoneni duze le creche ngizwe inwele zisukuma, ngabona ugogo ogqoke ezimhlophe, ngithe ngisondela kuye wahle wanyamalala”. All these stories emanate from the fear of the dark. When one is in the dark and is gripped by fear of the dark, a person will think of inunu: and in his drunk state of mind will claim to have seen a ghost.
It is not uncommon for people to discuss in hushed tones in the dark or to lower the sound of a television. Children are advised not to raise their voices “Khulumelani phansi, sokusebusuku”. Parents will tell the kids that if you talk in a loud voice “inunu” will “steal your voice” and you won’t be able to talk again. There is the belief also that you must not answer to someone whom you don’t know when your name is called out in the dark. Doing so will result in you being enticed by that voice and you will follow that inunu into the dark and never be seen again. As we grew up we were taught never to whistle in the house during the dark. We were made to believe that if you whistled you were actually inviting inunu to come inside the house where it would come and abide there forever.
Some years back when I was growing up, I had a habit of waking up in the middle of the night and going into the kitchen to grab something to eat or scrounge for leftovers. Maybe this was caused by the unending youthful pang of hunger. I stopped that habit immediately when some elderly caretaker at school told me that whenever I wake up at night to eat, I would be actually sharing the food with “izinto zebusuku” like “inunu”. Never eat in the dark “mfanami”, he warned me.
Fear of the dark is to be found in many societies. I recently read a book on the behavioural patterns of different societies in Central Africa. I noted with interest that fear of the dark is found in quite a number of those societies.
In certain villages by 2pm all livestock must be locked up. Supper time is between 3pm and 4pm. Thereafter everyone is huddled around the fires and people discuss in low voices. By 6pm the whole village is in bed! This society is so afraid of the dark so much that they fear discussing about the dark itself. The author of that book explains that he had difficulties in extracting more information from the villagers regarding this mythical fear because they feared talking about the dark. The villagers alleged that one would be consumed by the dark and disappear completely from the face of the earth.
When one looks at it closely you find that fear of the dark is just a mystical phenomenon with no scientific explanation. Yes, people might have fear of being, mugged, robbed or raped in the dark. But besides those genuine fears darkness is just a part of the 24 hours in a day. Surely when the sun sets it will obviously mean a period of darkness followed by day light. Logically and realistically speaking there is nothing ominous about the dark. No matter how much explaining it takes, the darkness is scary and will remain so for many centuries to come.
The dark. Be afraid. Be very afraid of the dark. Till we meet again next Sunday. Feedback :0783856228 /0719856238/ email : kaliboc@gmail.com