Tales by Moonlight

There was this boy from my neighbourhood, he was training to become a medical doctor. Brilliant boy, from a good home, had everything going for him. 'Bright Star' they called people like him, lord knows we didn't have too many of them in the neighbourhood back then.

But what's that they say about bright stars? They burn out fast. You could say that happened to Dr J. That's what we called him, Dr J, on account of him wanting to be a doctor. Well Dr J burnt out, can't really say it was his fault, but then again can't really say it wasn't.

You see what had happened was Dr J got in with the fast crowd, the 'bright young things'. I'm sure you know some of them, everyone does. They are those young folks with too much money and not enough common sense. Oh don't get me wrong, quite a few of them are educated but what's education got to do with common sense? You either have it or you don't.

Well Dr J apparently had none. He ran with the bright young things, drinking, drugging, gambling...and the seven sins too. Then one day he got into a conflict with one of the other bright young things. Don't know the why's or the wherefore's but rumour says it was over a business deal gone wrong....business deal, ha!

So Dr J says Mr Bright Young Thing has stiffed him over a deal and he wants his money now. Well Mr Bright Young Thing disagrees. He disagrees so much, he sends some boys to teach Dr J a lesson. Not sure what kind of lesson you learn from being knifed to death but Dr J sure learnt that lesson well....and that right there was how my neighbourhoods bright star burnt out.

Such a damn shame. But that's young folks for you. They think they know it all, the world is a personal gift to them and they have all the time to enjoy it. Damn damn shame!!


For the non-Nigerians, the title 'Tales by Moonlight' refers to a sunday evening programme on national tv in Nigeria in the 1980s for children. Fictional stories were told by an adult to groups of children sitting around and each tale unfailingly had a moral lesson. Sunday evening was not complete for KK and I if we did not watch Tales by Moonlight. Amongst other lessons, we learnt (mostly from tales involving the tortoise) not to be greedy or disobedient, to be truthful always and to share....I believe the day the tale on sharing was told, KK was out playing footie....I kid I kid :)


The reason I titled this highly fictionalised story Tales by Moonlight is because it was inspired by a song Mama and Cuz S were singing this eve, the song was apparently taught to them by my Grandma and was based on real events that happened in the family's neighbourhood in Lagos, in Lafiaji, during my Grandma's time. The lyrics of the song are...


dokita to binu sinwo 
dokita to binu sinwo 
boyze won binu yo obe
 ye
 e wa wo eje ni Lafiaji...


Loosely and literally translated it means a doctor angrily asked for money he was owed, in return the boys he was asking angrily brought out knives and subsequently blood flowed in Lafiaji. According to Mama and Cuz S, my Grandma knew/knew of the doctor, he was from a prominent family and he was killed in the incident. Though either Grandma didn't give Mama and Cuz S the nitty gritty of the unfortunate incident or they just can't remember...I would make jokes about age and memory here but they can still kick my butt!! 


For my Nigerian readers and Fela fans, the tune of the song is the same tune of 'Oni Dodo Oni Moin-Moin' , the lyrics of which end with 'e wa wo ija ni Lafiaji'. So food for thought, as I believe Fela would have been a young 'un at the time of the events in my Grandma's Lafiaji, would I be right in saying the eje  came before the ija in Lafiaji :)


Hope you all enjoyed the fictional story and the little bit of my family folklore. 


Oh and the Yoruba peeps, please kindly forgive my yoruba, I'm only half :)