Kongo Read online

  Copyright © 2019 Dadriene Davis

  PRINT ISBN: 9781647180300

  EBOOK ISBN: 9781647180317

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the author.

  Published by BookLocker.com, Inc., St. Petersburg, Florida.

  The characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.

  First Edition

  Dedication

  This book is dedicated to my loving mother, Nankeen Burch, “Peaches” who physically birthed a vision and chose to nurture it regardless of the consequences around her. Thank you, Mama for everything. Also, to my late Aunt, Tinita Davis Bright, I love you always, Auntie, rest easy.

  A special message to the world: I hope that everyone who reads this book will come to understand the power of love and the barriers that it can break. Thank you.

  Un message spѐcial au monde entier: J’espere que tous ceux qui liront ce livre comprendront le pouvoir de l’amour et les barriѐres qu’il peut briser. Je vous remercie.

  Table of Contents

  The Beginning

  Chapter 1 - The Rebel Child

  Chapter II - Judgement Day

  Chapter III – Diamond in the Rough

  Chapter IV- New Beginnings

  The Beginning

  Thousands of years ago Kimoni and Asha, two natives of Africa met while journeying from their homelands. Kimoni was from what is present-day Kenya and was traveling with his two younger brothers. Asha was from what is now Rwanda and was traveling with her two younger sisters and brother. The seven of them decided to come together and build a small shack where they would live. Kimoni and Asha were both skilled architects and subsequently, the shack expanded into several houses, which evolved into a small village.

  They both enjoyed helping others and allowed people who were seeking shelter to reside in the village. The villagers praised Kimoni and Asha for being the loving and caring couple they were. As time passed, the village became the home of the Umoja tribe with Kimoni and Asha as its leaders. Fittingly, Umoja was the Swahili word for unity. The name perfectly described the tribe’s culture.

  The village was at the base of a mountain that is home to a majestic spirit known as Mount Amri. The spirit blessed Kimoni and Asha for all they had done to help others, causing the land to produce many resources, crops, gold, and diamonds. The land flourished tremendously, and the villagers were content with their lives.

  Kimoni and Asha eventually married atop Mount Amri and continued to lead their people. The residents of the tribe enjoyed interreacting with the outside world and often journeyed from the village to obtain useful information about it.

  Two decades after the founding of the Umoja Tribe, the village’s population had swelled. Both Kimoni and Asha had grown weary from tending to the needs of their people. Asha, who was pregnant at the time, suffered a miscarriage, which many of the villagers blamed on Kimoni. They felt he had forgotten to take care of his wife while tending to his role as a leader. The tremendous stress Kimoni endured made him very ill. Soon the discord between the group of villagers who took his side and the group supporting Asha caused serious problems within the tribe. Unity began to erode.

  Years went by, and political conflicts began to break out in the village as the citizens tried to decide on the future of the tribe. Many of them wanted Kimoni to lead them because he was a man, while others thought that Asha would be more effective in the role.

  To stop the violence from escalating any more than it had, Kimoni and Asha split the village into two new tribes. Kimoni’s supporters would follow him and Asha’s supporters followed her. The two tribes equally shared the crops and resources produced by the land. However, Mount Amri was not pleased with the division of the former Umoja tribe and withdrew its blessing from the land, causing the crops to stop growing. Kimoni and Asha begged the spirit to have mercy on them and not allow either of their tribes to starve to death.

  Mount Amri remembered all that Kimoni and Asha had done for their people many years before and decided to compromise with them. The spirit created three stones from its spirit grove and tasked Kimoni and Asha with the assignment of guarding them. The Love, Faith, and Hope Stones were the only things that would allow the land to produce crops. But it was the Love Stone that was the most important to the spirit.

  Mount Amri announced an ultimatum: The two tribes would be cursed until they learned the true meaning of love. For each stone removed from the pillar, the land’s production would decrease tremendously. If all three stones were removed, Mount Amri would destroy both tribes. The curse has impacted both the Kimoni and Asha tribes for many millenniums.

  Chapter 1 - The Rebel Child

  “I now pronounce you, husband and wife!” Chief Marcel announces the union at the top of Mount Amri in front of a crowd of about a hundred people. A few people in the crowd cheer and clap while the rest of them stand in boredom. Some roll their eyes at the “happy” couple who have just wed.

  The couple smiles at each other awkwardly as they prepare to kiss. Chief Marcel announces, “And with this kiss, we hope to break the ancient curse, and we have faith in this, that true love conquers all!” Many of the attendees mouth the same words the chief speaks. They have heard them so many times before.

  Chief Marcel yells, “Monsieur, you may kiss your bride!” The audience becomes silent as a drum roll plays. Nervous shakes are quite apparent as the newlyweds come together to kiss. A few seconds have passed, and Chief Marcel and the crowd are all on edge, waiting for something mysterious to happen. The wind blows a few leaves across the scenery as the irritated crowd groans in anger.

  “I knew it! I knew it wasn’t gonna work!” someone yells.

  “This is blasphemy!” another villager screams. “They are not in love!”

  Chief Marcel tries to placate the angry crowd. “Everyone calm down! I’m sure it’s gonna work, just give it a few more seconds.” But the disappointed crowd begins to disperse. “I’m out of here!” They announce their departure with frustration as they exit the venue.

  Chief Marcel’s wife and children, the royal family, are also present at the ceremony. “Y’all THOUGHT the curse was gon’ break,” Joshua, the prince, laughs hysterically. The princesses, Beni, Nene, Christelle, Carine, and Ya Cecile all look exhausted. “Why do we always have to go through this? It’s just a waste of time at this point,” says Beni. “Mommy, can we go home now?”

  “Beni, we have to follow the laws of our tribe. All members of the royal family are required to attend each wedding ceremony,” Queen Elizabeth explains.

  “Oh really,” Joshua says. “then where’s Tina?” referring to his sister, Ekanga.

  Elizabeth pauses in shock. “Don’t look so surprised, mommy, you should be used to this by now,” says Christelle, “Tina hasn’t come to one of these events in months.”

  Joshua intervenes again. “And I don’t blame her,” he says, “these weddings...they’re pointless, I bet he doesn’t even know her name.”

  Marcel is still assisting the newlyweds, forcing their lips together. “Come on. You’ve got to be passionate about it! He yells, “Prove your love! Allons!” (come on)

  “Is Tina gonna get in trouble?” Nene smiles sneakily.

  Elizabeth breathes heavily as she exclaims, “God, where is my child?”

  Far above the village on its outskirts is a river next to a wide grassland. Ekanga stands beside the river training with her spear. On the ground next to her is a set of daggers and a tetela knife. She walks over to a book and flips through a few pages before
performing a new routine with the spear.

  After a few hours of training, Ekanga is now on her way down a long dirt road towards home. She hears her friend, Muraty calling her name. Muraty is one of the village’s mailmen.

  “Princess Ekanga!” Muraty yells, running down the road towards her.

  “Muraty,” Ekanga greets him with a smile, “you’re making your evening rounds?” Muraty responds, “Oui.”

  “Okay, so what did you see out there when you were getting mail?! What was it like in the other towns?!” Ekanga asks, anxiously.

  “Your highness, I visit the same small town just outside our tribe as usual,” Muraty laughs, “so, I don’t have anything new or interesting to tell you, sorry.”

  Ekanga folds her arms, disappointed. “Dang it,” she says.

  “I came to give you this,” Muraty says, handing Ekanga an envelope. “Wait, it’s here! Already?!” Ekanga gasps in excitement.

  “I’m glad I finally found you,” Muraty says while trying to catch his breath. “I caught up with the rest of your family after the wedding ceremony...I didn’t see you there, your highness. I thought you might have been sick.”

  Ekanga pauses for a moment. “I was busy. I was studying for…” she thinks deeply.

  “Studying? Are you thinking about being a nurse in the military in a few years?” Muraty asks.

  Ekanga looks annoyed. “A nurse?” she says, “Why would I wanna be a nurse? That’s the easiest job here,” she argues while opening the envelope to gaze at the picture in it.

  “It’s the only job for women in the village,” Muraty says.

  “Wow oh my gosh! It’s really it!” Ekanga screams happily.

  Muraty walks around to her side to see the picture. “What is it?” he asks.

  “It’s the Hanging Gardens of Babylon,” Ekanga explains, “one of the Seven Wonders of the World.”

  “Of course,” Muraty laughs. “Every piece of mail I bring you has something to do with different places in the world. You must be very interested in geography.”

  “I’m curious,” Ekanga responds. “I’ve always been curious...since I was a little girl. I don’t know why I do, but I like knowing about the outside world.”

  Muraty takes a step back from her. “Well, I hope you have enough strength to get through this weekend. I’m sure your family is worried about you.”

  “Why do you say that?” Ekanga asks.

  Muraty sighs, “It’s just that...it’s Founder’s Day weekend and... this time of year is usually rough for you...because of your friend who….” He pauses and stares at Ekanga. She smiles.

  “Don’t worry about me, I’m fine.” She says.

  “I love seeing that beautiful smile of yours, your highness,” Muraty says. “I believe your father is waiting for you at the top of the road.”

  “Huh?!” Ekanga says, taking a few steps forward. At the top of the dirt road, she spots her father, Marcel and her two nieces, Mama and Yaya.

  “Tina!” Marcel calls out to her.

  “Auntie Tina!” Mama and Yaya scream. “Come on. Grandpa is gonna take us for ice cream!”

  Ekanga quickly hides the envelope behind her back and waves at them, adding a quick “Coming!”

  Mama and Yaya run ahead towards the village as Marcel and Ekanga linger behind. “I’m gonna beat you there!” Mama says.

  “I didn’t plan on running.” Yaya replies.

  “Yaya, come on!” Mama yells as they run through the forest.

  Marcel laughs, “They’re such characters,” he says, “they remind me so much of you and your sisters when you all were kids.”

  “Okay dad, they’re gone. Go ahead and ask me,” Ekanga says.

  “Ask you what?” Marcel asks.

  “Oh, gosh, really?” Ekanga responds. “Come on, there was a wedding today, and I wasn’t there...again. So, I know you’ve prepared a speech for me as usual.”

  “Actually...I didn’t, not this time,” Marcel says, surprising Ekanga.

  “Really,” she responds, “well, that’s new!”

  “Tina, I’m tired of lecturing you. I think you’re just trying to force me to be fluent in English,” Marcel says. “Besides, nothing I say ever gets through to you. Do you realize that you are just miles away from the border and you must never--”

  Ekanga interrupts him, “Never cross the border! Yea, got it, dad!”

  “There is great danger that lies beyond the border, Tina, which is why it is against our tribe’s custom to stray too far away,” Marcel says with concern for his daughter. “This is as far as you’ve ever gone and your mother and I are worried about you.”

  “How did you know I was here?” Ekanga asks.

  “I didn’t,” Marcel responds, “I asked all of your siblings where you were, but none of them knew. I figured you’d be close by the entrance gate since this is the furthest place from the village. This IS as far as you went, right?”

  “Of course, daddy,” Ekanga responds, nervously.

  “Good,” Marcel says with great relief. “Cause I don’t want any of my people, especially my children, straying too far from home.”

  “You really love this village, don’t you, daddy?” Ekanga asks.

  “More than you’ll ever know, Tina,” Marcel responds.

  The main entrance to the village is proceeded by two large stone doors. Marcel closes and locks the doors with a special platinum key. In front of them is a thick wall of vines.

  “You see, Tina, I am the chief of the Kimoni Tribe, and it is my duty to protect everything that inhabits it,” Marcel says.

  “Do you really believe that this is the safest place in the world?” Ekanga asks.

  “Tina, my child, the only thing we need to believe is that this is our home,” Marcel responds, pulling the vines back.

  The Kimoni Tribe is revealed to be a large village at the base of a mountain, Mt. Amri. Hundreds of large buildings and smaller huts are visible as well as the streams that run in between them. There are women selling rice and vegetables and carrying baskets of clothes on the tops of their heads with their babies strapped to their backs. Little children are playing and dancing in the streets. The atmosphere of the village is light and very welcoming.

  Marcel inhales the air. “Mon peuple, ma maison, je vous aime tous.” (My people, my home, I love you.”)

  “OUR home,” Ekanga says.

  The warriors from the village return from hunting through the West Gate. They are

  singing a French gospel tune entitled “Jezi Kraze Sekey La.” They sing with joy. “Jesus broke the casket. I was sick. I was in pain. I lost faith. Now I’m standing strong, and my brothers are with me.” The warriors embrace one another as they enter the village carrying catching lines full of fish. The children of the village surround them and join in on the song.

  “Men are protectors but more importantly, providers. Women are natural nurturers. We all have to play our roles,” Marcel says.

  “Sure,” Ekanga says somewhat sarcastically as Marcel glances over at her.

  A little while later, they are sitting on a bench eating ice cream and watching Mama and Yaya play with the village children. “Tina, you’re still not thinking about joining the military, are you?” Marcel asks.

  Ekanga is startled. “Dad...are we really--”

  “What have I told you?” Marcel interrupts her. “Being a soldier isn’t a real job for women in this tribe. There are so many other things you could be doing,” he adds.

  “Like what?” Ekanga asks, “You want me to be someone’s wife and stay at home all day like Carine and Ya Cecile? You even convinced Christelle to become a housemaid, and she’s the most independent of us all!”

  “Why are you bringing up your sisters?” Marcel asks. “Christelle gave up her dream of becoming a detective for the sake of the village.”

  Somewhat indignant, Ekanga replies. “You think she wanted to? You basically guilt-tripped her into getting married, dad.”

  “Tina.
..what did I tell you about your attitude?” Marcel says. “Why would you say that about your own father?”

  “Daddy, I’m just saying...I’m saying that it seems like everything we do has to be for ‘the sake of the village.’ Did you know that women in America have the right to vote?” Ekanga asks.

  Marcel sighs. “Not again, Tina. Please don’t start telling me stories about what you read in those books that Muraty brings you.”

  “I’m serious,” Ekanga continues, “they get to take action in political affairs created in--”

  Marcel interrupts, “Tina, please, don’t make me waste the little English I know on foolish topics. Give your father a break.” Marcel jokingly chides his daughter.

  “You said the same thing yesterday when I talked to you about college...that’s another unrealistic goal for a woman in the Kimoni Tribe, huh?” Ekanga asks.

  “Not completely unrealistic,” Marcel says. “You can go to the school we have here...to be a nurse in the military.”

  Ekanga sighs, “Dieu, aide moi,” (God help me) she says.

  “Tina,” Marcel says, calmly, “I always want to be there to support you through any and everything. But there are some things about life that we simply cannot change. You are a princess. One day you’ll marry someone, and I hope...”

  “Hopefully, we’ll break the curse, I know,” Ekanga says, somewhat annoyed.

  “Cheer up, Maltina,” Marcel says, pinching her left cheek, “you’ll make a beautiful bride for someone one day.”

  Ekanga smiles as Mama and Yaya come to the bench. Mama shows her a sunflower. “Auntie Tina, they’re giving out free flowers at the floral shop, so I brought you your favorite - a sunflower!” She places the sunflower in her aunt’s hair. “Aww, Mama, it’s beautiful!” Ekanga says.

  “Come dance with us, Auntie Tina!” Yaya says. Ekanga is escorted from the table by her nieces to dance with the other village children.

  “Tina, I have a meeting with Chief Sultan of the Asha Tribe in about an hour, will you take Mama and Yaya home to Ya Cecile?” Marcel asks. “And tell Joshua to be at the courthouse on time.”