Books By Jules Fonba

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 It would be undeniable, for sure, as most of the wise brains will accept with me, that, the solemn art of materialization, is one of the mysterious things nature has ever offered to it dare victims, be it man or thing, mortal or immortal. Within all the calculated wonders and demerits. Be it again, when venture is a mortal, where the notion of good and evil prevail, the tendencies of it worries become a weight that, either it accelerated the pathos or furnish you bliss, which of course may often be of short trip as life itself is very short. As a growing child, I have always witnessed people cry of their innermost lost, the disappearance of their dearest parents, siblings or persons of high interest. It always being a grief beyond all kinds of sorrow man can imagine.

I have also been wondering, again and again about all these things and their ‘whys’ and the more I did, things grew clearer to me and scary at the same time. I understood then, that, sooner or later I will have to face it; the music of death, in just a matter of time, in the position of loving it coming or not; there, I knew too, I was not to worry much about the moment, but the how and when of it. And each time these memories grew higher and higher, my freeze exploded on how we were just some strange passersby. Upon taking to this comprehension, I try not to live my life through what ‘ifs’, I began to wonder on the advantage of good health, thinking it was a powerful weapon, as said by the contemporary philosophy. I began to say, if none of mines were sentenced to such forms of deadly strive of any nature, sure I will have the chances of bragging where most were not given the chance to reach. I decided to fit-in these thoughts and desires to my daily life; on what I should focus on, while I’m still alive, the vitality of time usage, my spiritual life, the word ‘vanity’, my true friends and true family members, charitableness and self-truce.

A great idea I had, but which would have been for me, to accomplish all my wants now, so that, I may not have, the bitter and awful feeling of regrets towards the end of my existence. But how could I have reached it, without inserting my beloved to the program. How? As thinking of myself not being ready enough to face the dance of inevitability; the mystery of end of life and all that subs it. But before I could actually confirm it, the bitter truth came to me in all forms, where my philosophy of thought was good and also erroneous, vis-à-vis my material status and other things. Reminding me boldly, all my wishes were not the key of realization. Again, as God pours life into man and death into life without a drop being spilled so my old man case was going to be the lesson that would give me the hottest chapter of life.

The chapel was almost one kilometer and the half away from Ndzenkov. The chapel was situated in Ngomrin on top of the Catholic primary school. A hilly place spread with green pastures. Below the chapel was the church cemetery. As I said earlier, my father was going to be buried where his late mother was buried too. She died some years ago, and I remembered my father standing at the pulpit bidding her farewell, by giving a brief recount of her life. She was not kept in the mortuary; she died at home and was buried that very day as was the law of the land. Everything was already set for the burial, the tomb was already dug. I had paid for that and had assured all was in place. The chapel was full of everyone from all corners, that`s, the representatives of the company, the Ndawara Tea Estate workers, friends, well-wishers etc. Due to the pettiness of the chapel, many people could be seen loitering outside. I was at the center of everything, it was my official occasion and everyone knew the vital role I was playing and would play at this sensitive moment.

My mother was in front with her siblings, helping her keep her mood going. It was just moments for my dad`s remains to go for good. One thing marked me in this my father`s funeral mass; when he was in Ndawara, his parish`s name was Saint Joseph, he died on Saint Joseph day and the priest that was celebrating the mass was Reverend Father Joseph. It was a good thing to here, because my father was and had the gift of doing carpentering too, that, I earlier forgot to mention amongst his know-how-to-dos. When the time reached for testimonies my maternal uncle Gamsi Fabien on behave of my mother`s family gave his tribute and respect in the chapel, followed by a range of representatives then finally by me. When I stood on the pulpit, all eyes were focused on me. Some feared that I might not be able to handle this moment. But I had gathered my courage forehand and was waiting for this moment with the fullness of its own. I had to do this for my dad, to make this funeral a unique one amongst others. It was just a matter of time for him to be laid to rest for good. To be honest, I loved my father, and nothing could ever take that energy from me, despite his odds. Our bond was divine because it was divinely put to be so; a cosmology of its own. It was my duty to bury him, so too, all good minds. We try to put forth his good initiatives, reasons the main Ndawara head almost shade tears, when he said, “His departure will forever be a great loss to the whole company and the Ndawara family as a whole.

We will always miss you, Mr. Fonba Gregory, always.” It was my turn and I rolled it out “I want to welcome everyone who`s given up his or her time just to witness this burial. From the deepest part of my heart, I thank you and on behave of my mother too, and our whole family, I thank you. This gesture warms my heart, our hearts, we are honored. I will continue by emphasizing on this particular appreciation to all those who played a helpful role in trying to revive my father from his agony moments. To those who played an immediate role to his surgical intervention, financially and in negotiations; indeed, it was a tough moment. Honestly, those moments were very hard for us, particularly to my mother and I, who were very much implicated to his betterment. Like a spark on the air, you guys came to our rescue and his life was rescued in those moments. Again for your humanity, I say thank you from the deepest part of my soul, because, if my father succeeded in living up to this date of twelve February, it`s because your multiple goodwills played a divine role. And where he is today, knows, all I`m saying here is the cleanest breast ever pronounced at a funeral. My dad was a man of creativity, most will accept with me here, particularly those who worked with him; so was he strict and hated laissez-faire at workplaces. Even if you were his friend and took granted at the workplace, he would immediately sanction you. Some did not like him for that and saw him as a bad friend. Ironically, he could easily forget a bad deed done to him and would turn the page for peace. He was a father, a brother, an uncle, a relative and an in-law, in short, he was all nature immediately demanded in term of person and family. He had the gift to gather people, which earned him a traditional coronation, which was the climax of the person he was. Despite everything, he had it all and those who were there to love him did so without hesitation. Like every human being, he was liable to his own errs and joys. To his rise and falls, to his pleasing and displeasing. Maybe many of you must have seen him in a situation of disconformities of all types. Or witnessed him in valor and merit of human appreciations.

Well, in one word, all this made him a complete human being we are because you must be in that bag of life to fit the level. He was my father, the only one I had, loved and respected. In profound regard to these words, well-wishers, I solemnly plead with you who are here and know many, who knew him, who is not here, whom he might have hurt or injured through one way or the other. To tell them or beg them, when next meet with any of them, that his child, his widow, his family plead them, to forgive him on their behalf. For, if there was a way to meet them one by one, for the remittance of his soul, we will do so. I earnestly ask you brother and sister who are here; for the faithful departed all need our absolution, not only for him who`s gone today but for all others you`ve known, who's no longer part of this human institution.” To my conclusion, I said to myself with all affirmation of having done it, seen the various acclamation of my speech in the chapel and continued, “I wish you all a safe journey back to your homes, and may he ever live in our memories. Thank you.”