Of Inalu and the lesson of heeding to instructions

A review of Ween Chukusa’s book, Inalu and the Mystery Palm, by Segun Adebayo.
Inalu and the Mystery Palm is assessed as a product of innate ability in creative writing. There may be no other way to situate the ingenuity of the author, who trained first in the science of politics and later in industrial relations at graduate level and who also practised as a management consultant for decades before transiting to the United Kingdom to continue his practice other than to place the work in the realm of talent.

Like he did in his earlier titles, the author, Ween Chukusa, in Inalu and the Mystery Palm, has exhibited one more time his passion for thorough upbringing of youths and the necessary empowerment they need to navigate the currents and torrent of life.

Inalu and the Mystery Palm is not written in vacuo. It is based in the context of Ukwuani culture, one of Nigeria’s ethnic nationalities in the Niger-Delta region of Delta State of Nigeria. Inalu, the hero of the 11 chapters and 149 pages fiction, is of a noble parentage mentored by his father, Osademe, great farmer in the locality, who impacted in his son excellent moral standard and hard  work.

The introductory chapters one and two are expose on what parents need to do to ensure the character formation of their children in their infancy and teenage as they grow into adulthood. This is of great paramountcy especially in the Nigeria of today where avarice is the order of the day, lavish life without corresponding hard work.

Osademe has taught his son that “a man’s wealth, his possession means nothing without a good name” (pg.31) and the son equally took to heart his mother’s usual words that “contentment is great gain.”

Inalu, an only child of his parents subjected himself to the culture of Ukwuani  nativity through traditional initiation into “Otu -aya” age-grade, a big event to welcome youngstars into adulthood and a test of bravery and ‘courage which initiation impacted on the life of Inalu such that he became a model, a star, enviable by all, especially young ladies who would scheme for Inalu to be their lover, wanting desperately a bite of Inalu’s pudding

Inalu prepared himself for matrimony with adequate farmstead, model house and able to provide for his wife and two children: who came in quick succession. Apart from his gallantry at initiation into the “otu-aya,” Inalu’s dexterity in wrestling also threw him up in fame in the locality, having beaten a dreaded contestant, Imala (a.k.a, Anikita) to make Obiogo, Inalu’s nativity to triumph over neighbouring communities

The superlative performance in wrestling reinforced the manhood in Inalu, a quality earlier established at the initiation into the “Otu-aya” age grade and quality which made Inalu to dazzle prospective suitors in the Ndokwa Kingdom.

At the end, Inalu had “slain” his ten thousands while Anikita had no thousands at all, to take a cue from the biblical David and Saul tango.

Inalu’s choice of Oyeke as wife is the story behind the mystery palm. By divination, before his birth, Inalu’s parents had been forewarned that their son will be great but with a caveat: that he must never attempt climbing a palm tree.

With several attempts, Oyeke taunted Inalu to climb a palm tree to pluck ripe bunches of palm fruits. Inalu successfully rebuffed Oyeke, reminding her of the story of his life which he had earlier confided in her.

As if possessed by a demon and as if her life depended on palm oil made only from palm fruits personally plucked by Inalu, she tricked her husband to the farm on a rest day when Inalu practically had nothing doing on the farm.

She perfected the trick, Inalu succumbed, moved towards the dwarf palm tree.

As he progressed towards the palm tree, the palm tree had grown taller. At another time, he attempted to strike the ripe bunch of palm fruits only to realise the bunches had disappeared. Certainly, he was confronting a mysterious tree.

In quick suceession, the dwarf palm tree of about four-feet had grown over 60 feet.

Oyeke herself realised the mystery behind the tree. “Inalu-u-u! Inalu-u-u! my husband,” Oyeke pleaded with her husband to climb down; alas climbing down became an impossibility for Inalu.

Oyeke stood at same spot, torn apart and helpless; her husband hapless on top of the now more than 60-feet tall tree; gone forever. He was no longer among the humans. He had joined the spirit beings.

The palm tree continued to rise and rise and rise until it was swallowed up in the sky with Inalu on top never to be seen again for ever.

The author, Chukusa, has written a good prose as fiction which makes him to follow closely behind the mold of great Nigerian authors like Chukwuemeka Ike, Chinua Achebe, among others.

• Adebayo is a legal practitioner based in Ibadan.