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The Heavy Fruit of Fate or The Perils of Oge Unwu

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Jụọ Ndigbo
A man preparing meal on a bonfire and two women and a boy sitting by the hut.

One late night during the planting season, known as oge unwu in Igbo land, a widow sent her only son to fetch some fire embers from a neighbor. The boy set off and decided to take a shortcut, passing under a massive breadfruit (Ụkwa) tree. As he walked beneath it, a heavy breadfruit suddenly fell from a branch, striking him on the head. The impact was fatal, and he was killed instantly.

When his mother was alerted, she was overcome with sorrow and began to wail and lament.


Gịnị g’emere m Ụkwa nooooo!

O nwa’ele ele!
Gịnị g’emere m Ụkwa nooooo!
O nwa’ele ele!
Ụkwa mere gịnị?
Ụkwa dagburu nwa-Aka n’ụkpọrọ k’ọgara ngụtara nne ya ọkụ!

Then, the Pestle divided the breadfruit. The widow started to wail and lament again:

Gịnị g’emere m Obi nooooo!
O nwa’ele ele!
Gịnị g’emere m Obi nooooo!
O nwa’ele ele!
Obi mere gịnị?
Obi mawara ụkwa.
Ụkwa mere gịnị?
Ụkwa dagburu nwa-Aka n’ụkpọrọ k’ọgara ngụtara nne ya ọkụ!

Then, the termites ate the Pestle. She started to wail and lament again:

Gịnị g’emere m Akịka nooooo!
O nwa’ele ele!
Gịnị g’emere m Akịka nooooo!
O nwa’ele ele!
Akịka mere gịnị?
Akịka tara Obi.
Obi mere gịnị?
Obi mawara ụkwa.
Ụkwa mere gịnị?
Ụkwa dagburu nwa-Aka n’ụkpọrọ k’ọgara ngụtara nne ya ọkụ! 

Then, the hen ate the termites. She began to wail and lament again:


Gịnị g’emere m Ọkụkọ nooooo!
O nwa’ele ele!
Gịnị g’emere m Ọkụkọ nooooo!
O nwa’ele ele!
Ọkụkọ mere gịnị?
Ọkụkọ tara Akịka.
Akịka mere gịnị?
Akịka tara Obi.
Obi mere gịnị?
Obi mawara ụkwa.
Ụkwa mere gịnị?
Ụkwa dagburu nwa-Aka n’ụkpọrọ k’ọgara ngụtara nne ya ọkụ! 

Then, the kite swept off the hen. She began to wail and lament again:


Gịnị g’emere m Egbe nooooo!
O nwa’ele ele!
Gịnị g’emere m Egbe nooooo!
O nwa’ele ele!
Egbe mere gịnị?
Egbe buru Ọkụkọ
Ọkụkọ mere gịnị?
Ọkụkọ tara Akịka.
Akịka mere gịnị?
Akịka tara Obi.
Obi mere gịnị?
Obi mawara ụkwa.
Ụkwa mere gịnị?
Ụkwa dagburu nwa-Aka n’ụkpọrọ k’ọgara ngụtara nne ya ọkụ! 

Then, the gun killed the kite. She began again to wail and lament:


Gịnị g’emere m Egbe nooooo!
O nwa’ele ele!
Gịnị g’emere m Egbe nooooo!
O nwa’ele ele!
Egbe mere gịnị?
Egbe gbagburu Egbe.
Egbe mere gịnị?
Egbe buru Ọkụkọ
Ọkụkọ mere gịnị?
Ọkụkọ tara Akịka.
Akịka mere gịnị?
Akịka tara Obi.
Obi mere gịnị?
Obi mawara ụkwa.
Ụkwa mere gịnị?
Ụkwa dagburu nwa-Aka n’ụkpọrọ k’ọgara ngụtara nne ya ọkụ! 

Then, the blacksmith destroyed the gun. She began to wail and lament again:


Gịnị g’emere m Ụzụ nooooo!
O nwa’ele ele!
Gịnị g’emere m Ụzụ nooooo!
O nwa’ele ele!
Ụzụ mere gịnị?
Ụzụ tijiri Egbe.
Egbe mere gịnị?
Egbe gbagburu Egbe.
Egbe mere gịnị?
Egbe buru Ọkụkọ
Ọkụkọ mere gịnị?
Ọkụkọ tara Akịka.
Akịka mere gịnị?
Akịka tara Obi.
Obi mere gịnị?
Obi mawara ụkwa.
Ụkwa mere gịnị?
Ụkwa dagburu nwa-Aka n’ụkpọrọ k’ọgara ngụtara nne ya ọkụ! 

Then, death killed the blacksmith. She once again began to wail and lament:


Gịnị g’emere m Ọnwụ nooooo!
O nwa’ele ele!
Gịnị g’emere m Ọnwụ nooooo!
O nwa’ele ele!
Ọnwụ mere gịnị?
Ọnwụ gburu Ụzụ.
Ụzụ mere gịnị?
Ụzụ tijiri Egbe.
Egbe mere gịnị?
Egbe gbagburu Egbe.
Egbe mere gịnị?
Egbe buru Ọkụkọ
Ọkụkọ mere gịnị?
Ọkụkọ tara Akịka.
Akịka mere gịnị?
Akịka tara Obi.
Obi mere gịnị?
Obi mawara ụkwa.
Ụkwa mere gịnị?
Ụkwa dagburu nwa-Aka n’ụkpọrọ k’ọgara ngụtara nne ya ọkụ!

Finally, God took death. And nothing happens to God.

Morals

This narrative carries several important morals:

The Dangers of Taking Shortcuts: The boy’s decision to take a shortcut led to his untimely death. This highlights the potential risks and unforeseen consequences of taking shortcuts in life.

The Unpredictability of Life: The sudden and tragic accident underscores how life can be unpredictable and how unforeseen events can drastically change our lives.

Parental Caution and Responsibility: The story also suggests the importance of parental caution. The widow’s sorrow indicates the deep responsibility parents feel for their children’s safety.

Respect for Nature: The incident with the breadfruit tree serves as a reminder of the power and unpredictability of nature, emphasizing the need for respect and caution when interacting with the natural world.

These morals collectively teach us about the importance of caution, the unpredictability of life, and the responsibilities we have towards ourselves and others. 

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