Enjoy.

Cheers,
         Madiba.
-----------------

**********************************************************************
>
> Gabriel: Welcome Mwalimu, to the Great Beyond. How was your flight?
>
> Nyerere: Oh! wonderful. But how come you know that my people call me the
> Mwalimu?
>
> Gabriel: Shall we say that the Heavens are watching ...closer than the big
>
> brother could ever do.
>
> Nyerere: That's interesting! This place must then be full of surprises.
>
> Gabriel: Yes, of course. Let me give you a tour of this estate. As we go
> along, you are free to ask me any question.
>
> Nyerere: Does it mean everyone dead is here?
>
> Gabriel: Some are here. Some are at the other side. We call the other side
>
> the West Wing. You don't want to go there.
>
> Nyerere: Really?
>
> Gabriel: Oh, yes. It is a monster of a place. Even the big Boss who
> created
> it did not envisage what is going on there.
>
> Nyerere: Wonderful! lets see, where is my friend Jomo?
>
> Gabriel: You will be meeting Mr. Kenyetta shortly. His mansion is coming
> up.
> When you were down there, he used to be so worried about you. He was fond
> of
> saying that you were a good man, with some good ideas, but trapped in a
> bad
> worldly system. He would be glad to meet you.
>
> Nyerere: You know, there is one question I said I would ask you guys up
> here
> and see if anyone has an answer to it. Why did "Ujamma" fail?
>
> Gabriel: Oh! karl Marx asked me a similar question in 1989 when socialism
> crumbled. You see, in as much as it is good to love one another, the human
>
> spirit will never be eager to accomplish much unless there is a
> competitive
> environment and a possibility of personal reward.
>
> Nyerere: But it leads to exploitation. Man's inhumanity to man. Have you
> looked at the United States lately?
>
> Gabriel: I agree with you. That is why the real struggle is to find the
> balance. We want man to use his will. We want him, on his own, to do what
> is
> right. We do not want any force or sanction. As for the United States, our
>
> camera is constantly on it. Though I can tell you its past noon there.
>
> Nyerere: What do you mean past noon?
>
> Gabriel: I forgot you are still new here. It's one of the jingos we use
> over
> here. By that we mean that its prime time is over. The spotlight has gone
> to
> somewhere else.
>
> Nyerere: Where? Africa?
>
> Gabriel: Not yet. Another hundred years, the renaissance will kick off
> properly.
>
> Nyerere: Who is that?(Pointing at a red cap wearing man on the soccer
> field)
> Zik of Africa?
>
> Gabriel: No! That's not him. That's Christopher Okaigbo.
>
> Nyerere: Where is Zik?
>
> Gabriel: I'm sorry, he is at the other side.
>
> Nyerere: You don't mean it?
>
> Gabriel: Oh, Yes. Here we don't mince words.
>
> Nyerere: What about Awo?
>
> Gabriel: He is also at the other side.
>
> Nyerere: What of Belewa?
>
> Gabriel: That one too.
>
> Nyerere: So all the Nigerians are over there?
>
> Gabriel: Virtually all of them. You see, he who much is given, much is
> expected of him. With virtually nothing, you were able to unite a people.
> But the Nigerian bunch, with almost everything, they achieved almost
> nothing. You need to see the day Fela welcomed Idiagbon into the West
> Wing.
> It was a classic Don king's rumble in the jungle.
>
> Nyerere: So who do you have here? Mobutu?
>
> Gabriel: It is good you mentioned him. When Mobutu arrived at the gate, he
>
> was quite surprised as to where he was heading to. He tried to argue with
> our staff that he deserved a better place. If I could remember very well,
> his last words before he was plunged into the West wing pool was that the
> heavens have more need of him than he needed the heavens. Something like
> that. Some of you guys can be funny.
>
> Nyerere: So tell me, do you guys really punish people. Like those who
> killed
> Patrick Lumumba?
>
> Gabriel: Of course, we do. Remember that Nigerian man, who won an election
>
> and was kept in jail.... what's that his name again?
>
> Nyerere: Abiola?
>
> Gabriel: Yes, Abiola. We let him meet Abacha when he arrived. It was a
> historic encounter. The West Wing has never sen anything like that. We
> have
> a video of that encounter. We shall play it for you when you are settled.
>
> Nyerere: I'm surprised by all these. So, are there some people in
> purgatory?
>
> Gabriel: No! there is nothing like that over here. On that count, the
> Catholic church got it wrong. But, like you will find out, there are so
> many
> areas where so many of you guys down there were off the mark. Like your
> Arusha Declaration.
>
> Nyerere: That must be Nkuruma.(Pointing at a man with wrapper across his
> shoulders)
>
> Gabriel: You are right! He and Lumumba are still playing with the idea of
> African Unity. When I told them that Khadaffi seems to be the last man
> left
> who is championing that idea, they had a good laugh.
>
> Nyerere: So you guys monitor everything down there?
>
> Gabriel: Everything! Remember we gave you the eyes, the brain, the legs
> etc.
> So they all have chips that are hooked up to our network over here.
>
> Nyerere: Really?
>
> Gabriel: Yes! You know the funniest thing? Some of you guys come up here
> pretending to have done well but they forgot that we know the money they
> stole from their people, their opponents they killed, the mistresses they
> had. We record everything. Like that man who killed Dele Giwa, we are
> waiting for him. If I was to talk to some of those people, I did tell them
>
> to publicly confess to their evil deeds and subject themselves to the
> severest punishment down there before they get up here. People like
> Babangida, if they know what is good for them should start giving up every
>
> bit of material thing they possess. That is the only way of bettering
> their
> chance here.
>
> Nyerere: That is wonderful.
>
> Gabriel: I know. It's my job to watch those videos and review what wing
> everyone is going to immediately we give the total recall order.
>
> Nyerere: So can you tell me what will happen to my friends Moi and Bango?
>
> Gabriel: I have been on Moi's case for a while because Jomo is always
> worried about him. I had thought that the man should have learnt a thing
> or
> two from you, but he is so strong headed. He doesn't seen to understand
> any
> thing from history. Our patience with him is running thin. The same with
> Bongo. As it is now, only a miracle can redeem the two.
>
> Nyerere: What of this mansion under construction? Who does it belong to?
>
> Gabriel: It belongs to the greatest African of the 20th century.
>
> Nyerere: Who?
>
> Gabriel: The man you guys called the White Muzungu himself.
>
> Nyerere: Nelson?
>
> Gabriel: Yes, of course.
>
> Nyerere: Oh! my God.
>
> Gabriel: He deserved it.
>
> Nyerere: Wait a minute? Who is that Climbing the stairs of that Mansion?
>
> Gabriel: Anwar Sadat.
>
> Nyerere: But he is a muslim? How come?
>
> Gabriel: You see, once again, you guys got it all wrong on that count too.
>
> Religion has nothing to do with it. Come over here and see your Daddy.
>
> Nyerere: My Dad?
>
> Gabriel: Yes! the Burito Nyerere himself. The other day, he was telling me
>
> that he is still mad he let you go to whiteman's school and that you
> refused
> to marry the girl he paid a lobola(bride price) for. He feels you would
> have
> been a better man if you had taken a different route. But he will get over
>
> them as soon as he sees you. It really is hard to get over to this side. A
>
> lot of people have their loved ones at the other end.
>
> Nyerere: How hard is it?
>
> Gabriel: Harder than winning the U.S. Visa lottery.
>
> Nyerere: You know, at Makerere University, I was thought that knowledge is
>
> power. How come it has remained true that only the dead are educated?
>
> Gabriel: It is simple! The knowledge you guys fight for are the wrong one.
>
> You remember Lake Victoria, there are more knowledge in that lake than you
>
> will ever find in that Edinburgh University of yours.
>
> Nyerere: So, explain this to me. What went wrong in Africa?
>
> Gabriel: Nothing!
>
> Nyerere: What do you mean nothing?
>
> Gabriel: Truly nothing. What Africa is suffering from is having the wrong
> people, at the wrong places, at the wrong time. We are working on changing
>
> that. Remember, you helped us kick out Idi Amin from Uganda, we helped the
>
> Nigerians kick out Abacha, in no time, the sun of Africa will shine.
>
> Nyerere: Obviously, not in my lifetime.
>
> Gabriel: Why not? You will never die again. And from here, you too shall
> be
> watching. It is only those at the other end who will not have a clue as to
>
> what is going on. Here is your mansion. The next one is your Dads. My
> beeper
> just went off. The big Man needs me. I hope you will like it here.
>
> Nyerere: Thank you very much Angel Gabriel. But where are the keys?
>
> Gabriel: Mwalimu, the doors are not locked. Remember you have crossed the
> bridge... and across the bridge, there'll be no more sorrow/ across the
> bridge there'll be no more pain/ the sun will shine/... and you'll never
> be
> unhappy again...
>
> Nyerere: Jimmy Reeves.
>
> Gabriel: You're correct. I know it will surprise you. But we do small rock
>
> and roll over here.
>
>
>
---By Ruddy Okonkwo

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