A few days ago, President Thayne received a late night phone call from a very excited young African man named Hussan. He is the First Counselor in President Owusu's Nkwabeng Branch, very intelligent and computer literate, and the owner of a small printing shop on one of the countless dirt back roads in Sunyani. It had rained hard that evening and he was frantically trying to explain something about a tortoise and bad omens and was so agitated that the mix between English and Twi made it impossible to comprehend what was happening or what he was trying to communicate. He hung up and called Elder McFarland and asked him what the English word for tortoise was. McFarland explained that tortoise was English but that sometimes they are also called turtles. He then excitedly called us back, even more terrified than before. Somehow we figured out that he had discovered a leopard tortoise on the porch of his little shop. They are named that because they have gold and black mottled shells.
He was extremely frightened and kept asking questions about turtles and ranting and raving that he was cursed forever and would have bad luck always and that the turtle on his porch was an evil and bad omen. Gary tried to calm him down and explained that turtles were not evil; that they were just animals and that they were nothing to be upset about and that they were good, not evil.
Then Hussan got even more frightened and explained that he had killed the turtle. He had smashed it with a huge rock and when it didn't die, he poured gasoline on it and tried to light it on fire. He now KNEW he was cursed and that God would punish him for killing the turtle. Gary then tried to explain that it wouldn't bring bad luck and, that in some parts of the world, people use turtles for food and soup and that it still was nothing to worry about. It took a long time to reassure him, but after about an hour, he finally hung up.
Most of the Africans here in Sunyani have only been members of the Church for about a year. They still harbor lots of the beliefs and superstitions of their native ancestors mixed with Muslim ideology and old Christianity. He had apparently been told by his former Pastor/Witch Doctor that the tortoise being on his porch and no one else's porch, was a terrible omen and would curse him and bring him bad luck. President Thayne had apparently calmed his fears and then the next day, Hussan discovered that the turtle had not died after all. Now he thinks the turtle on his porch was a good sign and that it loved him and then it was living behind his gate. It apparently had been protected by its suit of armor formed by its heavy exoskeleton.
Hussan told us today, that the turtle had finally died, but that it had gone to heaven. The teaching of the people in Sunyani progresses so slowly, but we do seem to be making some real advances. Then something as simple as a turtle on a porch makes us realize how deep their African superstitions still are and how like little children they are about so many things. They are truly a simple and delightful people.
Very cool.
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