Here today I will share an experience from my childhood
far from Singapore, in South Africa
I have firsthand experience of a traditional African
belief -- if a relative of pregnant woman kills the child of a fortunate
family, her child receives all the good luck. I learned all about this when my
dad was the principal of a school in this beautiful southern tip of Africa.
Imagine a lovely little country side, full of
flowers, deep colours, fruit trees and fresh air, silent except for the ting, ting sounds of cattle bells carried to you
by gusts of wind. Lovely white winter’s snows - summer days long enough for a beautiful jog up and down the mountains. This was once my home.
My safe and secure world of toys and friends was bliss for
a boy of 3. And a school Principal was like a chief of the village and
responsible for many aspects of school administration, such as collecting and
depositing revenues. To reduce the chance of theft, all fees collected were
banked the very same day. something
strange happened on this
particular day. The cash my Dad sent a member of his staff to deposit was
returned to him at home, apparently due to some fault with the bank account. My Mom, always careful, divided
up the cash and hid it in various places around the house.
Later, my parents hosted a party for the teachers of the
school at our home. It was a very cold winter night, and the guests were happy
to chat in the sitting area. Suddenly an interruption by a “knock knock” on the kitchen door. Knock! Knock! Knock! My mother saw 3 boys standing at
the door. She asked what they wanted. “Oh Madam A student of the school has met
with an accident and we
want to meet Intate.” Intate
means a man in good standing. My father went out to meet them, as it was
customary for the principal to sign to certify deaths in the village
As Dad was trying to get details, curious little me went
out to say hello and socialise. One guy in the group carried me - my parents
may have seen this as a very genuine touch. But the next thing my parents saw
was a gun at my head. Mom said “Ayyo
kallammarane, Mon avarudey Kayyil aanu.” -
They are thieves and our son is in their hands. And my dad whispered to my mom
“They know today’s banking didn’t happen.” They wanted the money in
the house.
“Don’t waste our time .... open your locker and we don’t want
anyone else in this house to move or else this kid will be dead.” The guests were frozen, and I was
perplexed, I felt the toy on my head was a gift for me... and my mom and dad
and all the others at home must have known that one wrong move and the bullet
in it was for me.
As soon as the 3 reached the locker in the bedroom and saw
part of the cash, they lost interest in me and mom quickly locked me up in the bathroom. But
these guys not only knew the deposit had not been completed also knew the exact
amount that should be in the house. “Give
us the money! don’t play games.” My
father stood his ground. The guys started walking out holding the gun to my
father, forcing him out of the bedroom through the dining area to the kitchen.
My mother ran behind my dad trying to pull him and get him
away from them. Two guys went out of the door while one remained inside trying
to force my father through the door, when mom literally pounced on my father
and gave him one final pull - my father flew into the dining area, while she
stood in the kitchen face to face with this 6 feet 2 inch guy. Mom focused all
her energy to give the guy a push, and the guy flew out of the door and she
banged the door closed. The would-be robbers retreated. The battle was won.
Life is so momentary. The next minute is unknown and we
have to still be at our best. The way we react to a situation can make or break
lives. If my mother had not pounced on that guy at that time my sister mom and
I might have had a totally different life. As Mrs Clinton said “to all the little girls, never
doubt that you are valuable and powerful and deserving of every chance and
opportunity in the world to pursue and to achieve your own dreams." Please remember that nothing can stop a woman or a man who
has courage, conviction and love from facing down opposition and improving their
society.
