An Orchestra of Minorities: gods and their Roles in Human Affairs

By Olumide Labulo 

If indeed the physical is controlled by atmospheric beings of higher realms, then ‘we are nothing but pencils in the hand of the creator’ like Wale Adenuga says after every episode of Super Story on television. But isn’t it funny to know how hard we toil in our everyday life to achieve goals and fulfil desires? If maybe, just maybe we search the deepest parts of our hearts, we could have a better understanding of the things we crave but don’t get. An Orchestra of Minorities by Chigozie Obioma is a brilliant attempt made by an ontologist whose discernment is immersed in Igbo cosmology to x-ray the relationship that exists between man and the atmospheric beings of a higher realm from Chi (Orie) to Ala, Eke to Afo and others. 

‘Chi’ as espoused by many scholars of Igbo religious thought is primarily a personal guiding spirit and the most powerful invisible force which the traditional Igbo believe to be acting on each individual human being. Furthermore, it’s the divine force that acts as active manifestation of God in his creature, and is closely associated with individual personality and fortune to direct and guide the individual to live and act in accordance with his or her chosen path in life which if altered, could have severe consequences just like we see in the life and journey of Chinonso Solomon Olisa, the central character of the story, who is oblivious of this simple truth. As his Chi stands in the court of the spirits of the higher realm to retell his travail, we see that life begins for him at 24 (years) after losing his father; what a tragic way to wake up to the realities of existence if you ask me. But truth be told, the pains of losing a loved one can be so intense to the point that one becomes numb to every other thing. On a fateful day, his uncle comes around to visit and he’s perplexed to see his nephew in that state of mind. He advises him to start relating with people and above all fancy the company of a woman. That’s when he comes alive. Henceforth, we see him take one step after the other towards the actualization of this dream. First, he finds succor in the hands of prostitutes, then Motu, the groundnut hawker before he finally ends with Ndali Obialor the love of his life. Ironically, that becomes his greatest undoing. 

Now at this juncture, it would be so unrealistic for me to say that when one finds a new path in matters of the heart or career, one can’t be consumed. However, it is so pertinent for anyone to know if the chosen path is the right path and or if it’s temporal or permanent. Guy Gavriel Kay says, ‘There are no wrong turnings. Only paths we had not known we were meant to walk’. A lot of people today are experiencing marital, financial, emotional, career and other types of turbulence that could have been avoided if only they had foresight. If only they never took that decision, if only they realized early enough to reverse it, just if only. In sharp contrast to Chinonso’s foolishness, we see how Pokuwaa in Asari Konadu’s A Woman in her Prime chooses to just let things be after she has made several failed attempts to conceive including leaving her previous marriages and making tiring sacrifices to all the small gods she knows. In a twist of fate, she conceives to her surprise. 

From the words of Chinonso Solomon Olisa’s Chi before the jury in the higher realm, we are also able to deduce that Chukwu (God) the controller of all realms has given every man a level of freedom that affords him the luxury of accepting or rejecting to heed to the advice of his Chi. Hence, the guardian spirit has no power to control man when he decides against his will. So, at every twist and turn, he injects ideas into Chinonso to at least salvage whatever is left of his destiny but he is too insensitive. He always discards them. In the end, he sells his father’s house, his livelihood to go to Turkey to acquire a degree so he can be accepted into the elite Obialor family as a son-in-law. On getting there, he ends up in prison for a crime he doesn’t commit. Four years goes past and he is released to return to Nigeria with nothing except some Euros as compensation. Painfully, the reason for which he did all this is gone. Ndali is married to another man with his child. He goes to her but she denies ever knowing him and he innocently kills her.  

The Yorubas say ‘Ti a ba fi gogo fa oun owo eni o to, a ma ja le eniyan lori ni gba mi’. Simply put, when a man desires what has not been given, the consequences sometimes far outweighs the gains. So, isn’t it better when one’s desires align with his Chi’s?