Fáfúnkẹ́ Awóníyì was a child prodigy in her formative years. She graduated with straight A's from her secondary school at the age of 9 and became the youngest Nigerian to be admitted to the prestigious Ọbáfẹ́mi Awólọ́wọ̀ University.
At the university, Fáfúnkẹ́ did not disappoint. She bagged her BSc in Electrical and Electronics Engineering in just two years and was awarded a full scholarship to pursue a PhD degree in Electronics and Computer Science at the same university.
Fáfúnkẹ́ Awóníyì graduated with honours and was headhunted by CERN - The European Organisation for Nuclear Research and offered a position as a senior researcher.
All was good with Fáfúnkẹ́ until unknown herdsmen murdered her father on his farm for challenging them not to destroy his crops. Fáfúnkẹ́ was devastated and inconsolable for weeks. After her father's funeral, Fáfúnkẹ́ decided to relocate back to Nigeria to solve the herdsmen problem once and for all for her community in Gìrímìsí.
As part of her PhD research, she had explored Bioacoustics - a cross-disciplinary field of study that combines biology and acoustics. She also did pioneering work in acoustic deterrents.
"Why not create a virtual fence around the town of Gìrímìsí?" Fáfúnkẹ́ asked herself. Then she remembered the Odù Ifá her father chanted during their last conversation and the penny dropped:
Iná gbé inú igbó, iná yọ rere
Àràbà gbé òkè odò, a yọ tiyẹn rere;
Ọ̀gẹ̀dẹ̀ gbé ọmọ pọ̀n ṣe bí Egúngún
Awọn lo da fun Alantakun
Ti iṣe wọlé-wọ̀de Ooṣa.
Alantakun, wọn ni ki o rubọ
Kini on yio ha ru?
Wọn ni ki o ru ẹgbaawa
Ki o ru àgbébọ̀ adiyẹ funfun
Wọn ni ki o ma tọ Ooṣa lọ
Wọn ni Ooṣa ni ki o ma lọ sin
Ooṣa o sa fun Alantakun, o fun ni ire
Gbogbo ibiti Alantakun ba de, o nṣiṣẹ lọ na nùu
Ẹnikan ko ri kẹ̀kẹ́ òwú Alantakun
Ẹnikan ko si ri ibiti o ti nmu kẹ̀kẹ́ òwú yi wá;
Alantakun bi idan ṣa ni nṣe
O wa bẹrẹ si jo, ni nyọ
Ni nyin awọn awo, ni awọn awo nyin Ooṣa
Pe bẹ ni awọn awo ti on nṣe ẹnu rere ti wọn nki Ooṣa pe:
Iná gbé inú igbó, iná yọ rere
Àràbà gbé òkè odò, a yọ tiyẹn rere;
Ọ̀gẹ̀dẹ̀ gbé ọmọ pọ̀n ṣe bí Egúngún
Da fun Alantakun
Ti iṣe wọle wọde Oriṣa.
O ni bi idan, gbogbo ohun ti mo nṣe bi idan;
Alantakun Oriṣa ni mo dà;
Bi idan ni Alantakun nṣiṣẹ
Ooṣa wipe gbogbo nkan ti ẹni yi yio ma ṣe
Bi idan ni yio maa ṣee
Ọ̀fùn ni jẹ́ bẹẹ.....
“Even in the forest, fire is conspicuous”;
“Even at the riverside, the silk-cotton tree is conspicuous”;
“Banana carries its child on its back, acting like Egúngún”.
They were the ones who cast for Spider,
Who was the messenger of Oriṣa
Spider, they said he should offer a sacrifice.
What should he offer?
They said he should offer 20,000 cowries;
He should offer a white hen.
They said he should go to Oriṣa;
They said Oriṣa was the one he should serve
Oriṣa did not avoid Spider, he gave him blessings;
Wherever Spider goes, he works as he goes.
No one sees Spider’s spindle
And no one knows how he spins his thread;
Spider is making it like magic.
He began to dance, he was rejoicing;
He was praising his diviners, and the diviners were praising Oriṣa
That his diviners were speaking the truth.
Even in the forest, fire is conspicuous”;
“Even at the riverside, the silk-cotton tree is conspicuous”;
“Banana carries its child on its back, acting like Egúngún”.
Cast for Spider
Who was the messenger of Oriṣa
He said, “Like magic, I am doing everything like magic”;
“Spider, I have become a deity”;
“Like magic, Spider is working”.
This is where Oriṣa say that everything that this person will do
Will come to pass like magic.
Odù Ọ̀fùn is like this.
Fáfúnkẹ́ decided to take the fight to the murderous herdsmen and beat them at their own game using modern technology by becoming the Spider - the one who does things by magic!
Harmed with the knowledge that cows are agitated by high frequency sounds but calmed by low frequency sounds, She decided to create ultrasonic devices capable of emitting frequencies above human range of hearing but within the hearing of cows.
A cow’s hearing is between 23 - 35,000 Hz. For humans, it is 64 - 23,000 Hz. Fáfúnkẹ́ picked 34,000 Hz for her electronic “pest” control device and quickly deployed some prototypes on her father’s farm. The result was phenomenal!
Whenever cows come closer to the farm, hidden sensors activate the ultrasonic devices. The sounds emanating from these devices agitate the cows causing them to go crazy and flee. With this spectacular result, Fáfúnkẹ́ ramped up production and covered the entire perimeter of Gìrímìsí town with the devices.
Three herdsmen who tried to force their cattle into the town were gored to death by their own cattle. Obviously they could not understand or hear what was causing the agitation. Another five herdsmen were recently trampled to death by their own animals when they were being forced to go through the town of Gìrímìsí.
This was how Fáfúnkẹ́ delivered her people - reminiscent of what Mọ́remí did for Ifẹ̀ centuries ago albeit without losing a son like Oluorogbo.
Ire o.
Written by Olobe Yonyon
No comments:
Post a Comment