An End To Darkness (1950)

Heat. Heat. [Music] Tomorrow I return to the country of my childhood and I see it now stretching green and infinite in my memory. I see the village of my father and his father before him. The sight of it warms me, touches my heart. Time changes but little my land and its people. They follow the old ways in all things they [Music] do. Neither my land nor its people have changed, but I have changed. The story of my life glows on the horizon of my memory like a sunset and like a sunset. I know that God fashioned it. I remember the farm that was my father became mine. Rich and abundant land. [Music] I remember the golden grain at harvest time and the people who labored in my fields and look to me as head [Music] man. No, I shall never forget the pride that was mine in those days. More pride than a young man should allow in his heart. [Music] I worked with the others filled with the joy of possession. One day my brother Ponaba called to me. [Music] I felt toward this crippled boy all the love that a father knows for his son. [Music] I asked my head man to take over and went off to meet Wave Bay. [Music] [Music] On the way to the village, we passed my storage compound, and there I paused to let the rice run through my fingers like flakes of gold. With Ponaba beside me in such riches of my own, I felt sure of myself and the world. Mostly my world was the village of my birth. I knew its every sight and sound, its people and their ways. And I loved it as all men everywhere love [Music] home. The village fortune teller could always be found reading a man's future, and we stood in awe of him. My people to this day live in dread of the unknown, afraid of spirits and dark forces. The sound of music drew us [Music] away. There was a band of musicians in the village and a pair of leopard dancers were performing. [Music] of course I had to make certain that little Ponaba could see it all and enjoy it. [Music] The old songs had come down to us across the span of generations, and they lifted us. For there was laughter in the ivory trumpet, and magic in the rhythms, and they gave life to our feet, and wings to our spirits. [Music] But on this particular day, something happened. Something unfamiliar, puzzling, intriguing. There was a newcomer in the [Music] village. We watched him from a distance, thinking at first that here was another fortune teller or performer. But suddenly he pointed to the strange symbols that meant the fruit in my hand. And I began to understand that this man was teaching the magic of words. Pavea soon grew bored and said, "Let's go." But I wanted to know more and decided to join the others. [Music] The stranger spoke in our tongue and yet he seemed very different from my people. Ponabaya and I had heard of his coming and we knew that the village elder had denounced him but I liked listening to him and even greeted him. Suddenly I heard the village elder and his voice was heavy with the anger in it. He called out against the stranger and ordered us to leave him. He shouted that this word magic would anger the spirit of darkness and bring disaster to our [Music] village. But something kept me there in spite of the village elder. Perhaps it was because I wish to learn words. Perhaps it was something about the stranger himself. Perhaps it was that pride of mine of which I had too much. The village elder was very angry with me and went directly to my uncle who was a grave coward and who trembled at the very mention of the spirit of darkness. When the village elder saw me, he unleashed a storm of angry words. I confess I was frightened, believing that the spirit of darkness would be angry and bring disaster down upon my head. And yet, I found myself writing a word in the earth. the first word I ever wrote. And to myself, I said, I will return to see the stranger, for I would learn more of words and their meanings. The spirit of darkness was forgotten in my mind now that I had seen a ray of light. The next day, I returned to find the stranger. He no longer taught my people the magic of words, for they were so frightened of the village elder and his threats that all avoided him. I felt so sure of myself, so filled with pride that it did not matter to me that we could be seen. The stranger's name was David, and he told me he was a [Music] Christian. He read from a book, a book called the Bible. and the words were in our tongue so that I could understand their meaning. He read of what Jesus said about pride and I found the words strange and even troubling. [Music] All the while, there were eyes upon me. Angry [Music] eyes. In a matter of hours, the spirit of darkness answered my [Music] insulence. Fabaya found me at the water hole and cried out frantically, "The rice storage on fire. Hurry, hurry." All was lost. I knew it from the moment I reached the storage compound, but I struggled to save at least some of the precious [Music] rice. I knew that this was the work of the spirit, that I had angered him and brought my fate upon myself. Thereafter my world grew dark and trouble like the rain fell constantly upon me. My wealth was gone. My friends abandoned [Music] me. Worst of all, Bonava grew sick, very sick. and even the skill and tenderness of my oldest sister could do nothing to restore his strength. The villager stayed at a distance, feeling sure that Ponova's sickness had been brought upon him by my wickedness, believing that the spirit was punishing me by afflicting the one I loved most in the world. I felt I had to do something to help my brother. Perhaps I could appease the angry spirit. Perhaps it was not too late if I humbled myself. My pride was gone. Now there was only fear in my heart. Fear for Ponaba's [Music] life. As I went to see the one who could help me, I heard David call. But I walked on, convinced that David had been the cause of my downfall. The village elder spoke angrily, told me that the spirit of darkness had been infuriated by my insulence, and that because of me, the whole village might bear his curse. As I listened, I could think only of Ponaba. Then the old man told me there was but one hope for Ponoba's life. At his insistence, I went to see the old woman who lived alone at the edge of the village. It was said that the spirit of darkness lived within her and that she alone could brew a medicine that might quiet his anger. Was it the blood of an animal she poured? What was the meaning of her strange [Music] chant? I could feel the spirit of darkness hovering about us. I could feel him looking into my heart, weighing my fate, holding Ponaba's life in his hands. I stood in terror at this woman, afraid to remain, afraid to move. [Music] A few days later, in desperation, I went to find David. The old woman's medicine had been useless. Bonaba was dying, and David was my last hope. Perhaps his Christian God was stronger than the spirit of darkness. [Music] He spoke kindly to me, told me that at a place called the mission, all men who were sick or troubled could find help. He said this place is 4 days walk from the village. I was crushed. How could I alone take Paba such a distance through the bush? David called out, "Don't despair. I will go with you." I couldn't understand why he should be willing to suffer for me. But David said, "I am a Christian and I will [Music] help." Next morning, carrying Ponoba in a hammock, we left for the mission station. [Music] By noon of the first day, I was hot and tired, and my throat was burning with thirst. After I had drunk, I looked over and saw that David was giving water to Ponobaya before drinking himself. I was ashamed that he had thought of Fona before I. There was such strength and goodness in him. I was learning many things by his example. A strange man. The next day we struggled on our bodies aching, the sun beating upon us, and tormented by Ponaba's feverish cries. [Music] By evening of the third day, we were exhausted and stopped to rest at an abandoned rice hut. My body and my spirit were broken. And when I looked at Ponava, I knew that he could not live long. Everything seemed futile. Everything in the world. Sensing my despair, David began to talk. He spoke quietly and his words were strong with faith. He told me that God had made the world and knew of all things in it and that God was good. And as he spoke, he opened my eyes, my heart to the goodness and the beauty of the world. David spoke of this Jesus who lived in the book, who lived at the mission where the sick and troubled found help. And as I listened, a feeling of peace came upon me. I found myself again. Found new strength in my limbs, new hope in my heart. The next day, we struggled painfully on and by afternoon finally reached the mission station. I had never seen a place like it, but David knew where to go, for he had lived here as a young man. He led me to a place he called the hospital. A missionary woman looked at Fona. David had spoken of her. She was a nurse and the doctor's wife. She sent a man to bring the doctor who was treating someone at the mission saw him. [Music] [Music] When I saw him, I was amazed. I'd never seen such a tall man, and one who seemed so sure and strong. Looking at him kneel over Ponaba quieted my fear. Thereafter, I remained at the mission and went to school while Konaba was in the hospital. I made many friends. In this atmosphere of freedom and fellowship, I was happier than I'd ever been before. It seemed to me that nowhere else was there so much seriousness of thought and yet so much pure laughter. In such a place as this, one could no longer believe that the spirit of darkness really existed. [Music] My eagerness to learn had impressed my teachers and it gratified me when they said I was a fine student. Yes, I discovered a new person, a better one than I had known. 3 months after I came to the mission station, I heard one of my teachers call to me. There was something strange in her voice. It was Ponabaya. He had been released from the hospital. He was well [Music] again. As I ran, I thanked the God of these Christians. When Aabaya lived, he was the same as always. Same bright eyes, same cheerful smile. [Music] Everyone felt glad at the sight of him. I would not let him go for fear that this reunion might be a dream, for indeed I had dreamed of nothing else. By the end of my first year at the mission station, I had discovered myself in the eyes of God. I had felt myself growing in the nurture and admonition of the Lord as I studied the Bible, as I lived in fellowship with the students and missionaries, as my mind and spirit were opened through education and religious experience. [Music] Slowly over the last 12 months, I had felt myself moving closer and closer to the decision that would change my life. [Music] On that memorable Sunday morning, I knelt solemnly with my fellows at the altar to dedicate myself in the service of the Lord. At this great moment, in the presence of Ponabaya and my friends, I thank God that he had found me. I prayed that I might be a true follower of Christ. At that time I did not know what this dedication would mean. But one day in a distant place I learned. When I had finished my schooling at the mission station, I went with the help of a scholarship to the Booker T. Washington Institute. Here I received training for two years so that my hands would have mechanical skill. So that I could one day contribute to the building of a new Africa, a modern Africa free of want and fear. An Africa built with skill and vision on a Christian foundation. Later I went to Monrovia, coastal city and capital of Liberia. [Music] Here I attended the College of West Africa. 12 years had passed since I first saw the mission and I had changed. What would I have thought back in the village if I could have seen myself now in this great city, a college student, and even at this moment on my way to keep a very important appointment? The Secretary of State had invited three of us seniors at the college to confer with him at his office. [Music] [Music] He told us that we had been selected as the outstanding students at our institution and that the government was prepared to offer us careers upon graduation. He said that this would be a rare opportunity for each of us to serve the country and to make important names for ourselves. I knew this was a great opportunity and I was excited with the prospect of the future. But even as he described the importance of the positions reserved for us, I saw something on his desk. something that turned my thoughts from a vision of the future inward upon myself. Yes, my thoughts turned inward. And when the conference was over, I went to the beach near Monrovia, a favorite place of mine for meditation. [Music] Though I had been here many times, the sight of the sea still moved me as no other sight I knew. Somehow it made God seem nearer. [Music] I could hear the wind in the palms, and it was like the call of the land, a voice out of the past, reminding me of my people who yet live in darkness, who live in need of me, even as I had needed David. I remembered the prayer I said at my dedication, my promise to the Lord. Would I follow a career in the government or return to my people to serve them as a Christian once served me? I made my decision. [Music]