A Horror Story of Mysticism: Samba Dannah.
By Yero Jallow
The story, “A Horror Story of Mysticism: Samba Dannah” is a direct translation from traditional story-telling in typical African village and was first published by Gainako for its 4th anniversary of September 12th 2010. Though the story has been slightly modified with other word choices, the teaching and meaning remains unaltered. Just like the belief systems of the gypies, most African tradition lean strongly on the ability of humans, animals, and objects to transform into other objects. Even though civilization has done a lot of life transformations, it hasn’t fully liberated the world in terms of such belief systems, probably suggests some credence to nature’s ability to transform, if at all true, and adds to nature’s mystery beyond human understanding, simply understood as a nature that rewards some and victimize others.
Samba was a famous hunter who hunted animals for food. Samba was also a protective hunter who hunted animals that were destructive on the farms and those that attack human beings. As a result of Samba’s heroism, he was given the title “Dannah,” a typical word in Pularr meaning “hunter.” Something accompanied Samba’s heroism; it was his mystical life, his humility, his cool demeanor, and his magical power to transform his human form into objects when confronted by the enemy in a tough battle.
Imagine Samba can transform into grass vegetation; a needle; a road; a tree; an ant-hill; sand particles; and even can disappear into thin air. Incredible! Even though he possessed all these mystical powers, he was still among the most humble men of the village of Jamwaal, and he kept a secret of his personal life. Unless tested by circumstances which required him to demonstrate and utilize his mystical powers, Samba would never boast in public or showoff on any of his greatness. In fact his mystical powers made him a very shy and humble person, as he greatly understood how much respect he earned from the people of the village of Jamwaal.
As times goes on, the animals notably the hippos, typical destructive in Africa’s rice fields, were not happy with Samba’s greatness and the threats he posed to their (hippos’) existence. Hippos would attack humans at sea when boats are crossing, and they do a lot of destruction on Gambian rice fields. Jokingly as can be put in common language, “hippos will do the rice harvest for you” as when hippos start feeding on one end of the field, they continue feeding non-stop to the other end, covering an unimaginable radius, cutting all the grain part of the rice to ground level. One can only hope and pray that hippos don’t precede you at your rice field for harvest.
Over time, the hippos grew bitter, frustrated, and threatened. As norm would have it, every community including the animal kingdom does have recognized leaders. The hippos’ leader, “Mawbah,” another name in Pularr meaning the “big one,” or head of the hippo community is no small commander. Mawbah bitterly argued that Samba prevented the hippo community from visiting the rice fields which is of much inconvenience, and that the community is at imminent danger of getting killed. Mawbah informed the hippo community of his plan to transform into a human, pay a visit to Samba Dannah and to spy on him. In the proposed visit, Mawbah will spy on Samba’s mystical secretes, so that an attack on Samba will either have him killed or handicapped the rest of life. “Sounds deal!” echoed all the greedy hippos expressing their delight over conquering Samba once and for all.
On one fine afternoon, Mawbah transformed into a fine man, pretending to be from the distant land, probably unknown to Samba and paid a visit to Samba. Upon arrival Mawbah was welcomed and allowed to settle down, as he was looking so tired from a long journey.
Mawbah was served with hippo meat which he won’t eat. That Makes Mawbah looking weird and suspicious in Samba’s eyes, but still determined to entertain the guest, Samba served Mawbah with a rice meal. After lunch, Samba invited the guest to his room. They started discussing.
Samba: “You are welcome to Jamwaal! How can I assist you today Mawbah?”
Mawbah: “I am coming from a far place. I have heard of your hunting skills. It happens that we are faced with the same destructive pests on our farms as the Villagers of Jammwaal. I am here to seek preventive measures from you and possibly to learn your great mystical powers.”
Samba: “Yes, I am a hunter. I inherited hunting from my father who in turn inherited it from his parents. We are a lineage of hunters.”
Mawbah: “Indeed, you are, I heard! That is why I am here to meet you. So how do you fight when you are attacked?”
Samba: “First, I try to fire the enemy with my bullets.”
Mawbah: “What happens if your bullets are gone or your gun is taken from you?”
Samba: “I will use my spears and cutlasses to fight fiercely.”
Mawbah: “How about if your spears and cutlasses are taken from you?”
Samba: “I will then transform into an ant-hill by the side so the enemy won’t see me.”
Mawbah: “What happens if the enemy gets to the ant-hill?”
Samba: “I will transform into sand particles and scatter around.”
Mawbah: “What happens if those sand particles are being trampled on?”
Samba: “I will then transform into a road, to camouflage the main road.”
Mawbah: “What happens if the enemy walks on that road?”
Samba: “I will then transform into grass vegetation.”
Mawbah: What happens if the enemy gets to the grasses?
Samba: “I will then transform into a needle in a hip of grass.”
Mawbah: “What happens if that needle is trampled on?”
Samba: “At that point, I will disappear into thin without the enemy seeing me in object form.”
Mawbah: “clearly, you are an interesting hunter. How long does it take to learn this from you?”
Samba: “I can teach you this in a year. The pay is that you will have to be my strange farmer for that whole time helping in the farm work. I don’t ask for any cash or material from you.”
Mawbah: “That should be easy. For now, I will have to return home, farewell my family and friends well, and come back to stay with you for the one year.”
Samba: “No Problem. I am happy to help you any time. Extend my warmest regards to your family and friends.”
Mawbah: “Oh yes! In fact they were very excited I was meeting you. One can only imagine how happy everyone will be over this great news of you being able to help us. I honestly can’t wait to utilize this knowledge with my community.”
With a handshake and farewell, both Samba and Mawbah exchanged hugs and wished each other well.
Upon return, Mawbah transformed back to the hippo form, and convened a meeting to inform the hippo community of the success story of knowing Samba’s hunting secretes, hinting that the battle should be held at the rice fields, next to the main forest on a certain date. Further, Mawbah advised that the battle was going to be very strategic, even though it might cost them few heads, but in the end, it was certainly a victory against Samba. Indeed some sacrifice was needed as the first hippos to appear might lose their lives from Samba’s bullets. The strategy was to be going in and out of the forest so Samba can exhaust his bullets, and once that happens, all the hippos will approach Samba for the mob justice.
Early on the day of the battle, two of the hippos started attacking the rice field just next to the forest. Samba was alerted of the hippos’ presence at the rice fields and had to rush there quickly with his gun. As he fired his bullets, he realized that the hippos were running into the forest, and coming right back to the rice fields. Samba felt something unusual, his mind wondered, and his heart filled with panic attack, as the hippos will normally run for good after a gun fire. Samba seriously wondered what was wrong as he continued to fire in a way of scaring the hippos away, but still prepared if that battle escalates beyond that. The hippos kept at this trend until no more gunshot was heard from Samba, and they felt Samba’s bullets were gone. They went after Samba in a mob way, approaching him from all directions. Samba through his powers, transformed into an ant-hill. The hippos started scraping the ant-hill, Samba transformed to sand particles and scattered around. The hippos started breaking the sand particles with their hooves, Samba transformed into a road sideline to the main road. The hippos started walking on the road in a damaging motion with their hooves, he then transformed to vegetation. The hippos started eating the vegetation, he then transformed into a needle. The hippos searched for the needle in the grassland with their hooves to bend it, and at that point, Samba disappeared into thin air for home.
The angry and greedy hippos were done. Their attack was meant to get Samba before he disappears. Upon returning home, Samba couldn’t doubt of the previous stranger’s visit. He could tell that the plot was done by one of the hippos, and that indeed the visitor was only a traitor out to get him.
Pic Courtesy: Africaimagelibrary.com