The Accidental Apprentice

Some people are destined to greatness regardless of where they are born. This was the case of Mayi Dembele from Kona, a small village in Sahel’s heart. She did not cry when she was born. At six months, she already walked, and two years later, she talked better than many adults. Growing up in a typical outback village, surrounded by adobe constructions and vernacular architecture, she and her ten siblings received an education respectful of customary practices and traditions. Her parents, who were farmers, sent her to the French elementary school. Mayi was a connected girl who loved watching TV and using her mother’s phone. At 13, she knew that she was no longer a kid. Her mother already trusted her to prepare the sauce for dinner, and soon, Mayi would be allowed to go to the market by herself. Adulthood was indeed around the corner. Fetching water was still one of Mayi’s duties. Every morning, she would hit the laterite streets with her yellow canister in her hand. The red earth and pebbles always crunched under her flip-flops giving the rhythm of her journey to the pump. There she would meet Celestine, Djelika, and Natoma. Celestine, who was the strongest, would vigorously activate the pump’s handle while the others pressed around, filling their containers. The morning ritual invariably ended with a chat. Thousands of times, they had gossiped, argued, or debated. Yet, one conversation sowed in Mayi’s mind a seed that would sprout many years later.

“My cousin in Dobokoro is dead.”

“Your cousin? The one who was in our class?” Nantoma nodded.

“Djiiiii! What happened to her?”

“I heard my mother say that she was pregnant and that she died during the delivery.” “Wait, but she was our age. How could she be pregnant?” Mayi asked.

“I don’t know, but she was,” replied Natoma.

“Do you think it could happen to us too? That we too could get pregnant and die?”

This consideration astounded Mayi. The implications for her future were terrifying. One day, she, too, would be expecting a child. And what would happen then?

“Do you know how one gets pregnant?” Mayi asked Celestine, the oldest of the group. “All I know is that men are involved.”

“Men? But babies grow in women’s bellies.”

“Hey! Leave that story. One time I asked my mom about it, and she insulted me. We should not be discussing this.” said Djelika.

“Don’t talk! Never ask questions! This drives me mad! Everything is taboo. How can we prevent bad things from happening to us if we are kept in the dark? If there is something that concerns us, we should be able to talk about it.” Nantoma insisted.

“You’re right,” concluded Mayi. “We should be able to have a place of our own where we can ask questions and be answered. A place where those who know explain to others. So that we can all understand what matters and make our own decisions. So that no girl will ever end up like Nantoma’s cousin again.”

“I think the solution can only come from us. We have to take matters into our own hands,” said Celestine in a decisive tone.

Years passed, and with time, Mayi fully understood the sad truth about women’s condition in her village. Every time one of her friends stopped coming to school, every time she had to give up her lessons and homework to help her mother, she remembered that she could not slack. Going to the market wasn’t complete freedom as she once believed. Having a job, earning your own money, helping others, was what really mattered. And that was what motivated Mayi to become a nurse. Caring for people, reducing their pain, and preventing avoidable deaths, that was her vocation. With every out-of-wedlock pregnancy scandal, her

determination to inform and educate young girls grew stronger. With patience and perseverance, she would eventually change things. Mayi was considered reckless and stubborn in the village. Therefore, the only transgressions she allowed herself were nightly adventures which brought her to make the most incredible encounter.

One night, as she was musing in the compound yard, looking at the stars, she heard human voices mingling with the noises of the fauna. Curious, Mayi came out of the courtyard and saw a queue of men wearing dark cloaks covered with mirrors and bones walking away. She recognized without ever having seen them the Initiates, people versed in the arts of the occult. They knew all the secrets of the outback and were likely on their way to a ceremony. Their procession went towards the village’s outskirts, and Mayi followed them in secret to the backwaters. There, without fear, she listened to their prayers and observed the sacred rites.

Her thirst for knowledge did not yield to the fear of breaking taboos. Mayi did not leave the scene before they had finished, and the last Initiate disappeared into the darkness. As she walked back, someone was waiting for her with a burning gaze setting the night ablaze.

“It is late to venture out into the bush alone. Aren’t you afraid?” “I am a Dembele from Kona. I am not afraid of anything.”

“Clearly, you don’t know what happens to women caught spying on the Initiates?”

Mayi did not reply immediately as she was thrown off balance for being caught red-handed. The best she could do was ask a question.

“Who are you?” “Tata.”

Mayi knew no one by that name.

“Dembele, you have broken an immemorial law. What do you have to say in your defense?”

“Nothing, I broke a taboo. I wanted to know, to understand. I realize that my curiosity could lead me to my demise. Still, I believe that the more I know about the world around me, the more useful I can be. I have no intention of peddling what I learned tonight or revealing your secrets. It is enough for me to know that a woman can attend a sacred event without being struck by lightning on the spot.”

“Dembele, you are guilty. You must pay for your offenses. What should your sentence be?” “I don’t know, Tata. I am at your mercy.”

“Dembele, I don’t wish to punish you. I appreciate and value your courage, your determination. Still, what you have witnessed is for the eyes of the Initiates only. Therefore, I cannot just let you walk away. I am inclined to provide my teaching to you. What do you say? Are you ready to become a novice and learn the secrets of Life and the Outback?”

“I would be honored.”

“Then come back tomorrow at the same time with a hoe.” “I’ll be here.”

As promised, the following night, Mayi met Tata at the exact same place with the requested object. There were no greetings between them, just an order.

“Dig!”

“Where?”

No answer. So Mayi just went on and dug right where she was standing. She put all her might in shoveling dirt away because she had the intuition that half-hearted efforts would not be rewarded. And in any case, she had been given an unbelievable opportunity. She was not about to let it slip between her hands. Mayi dug for hours under Tata’s silent scrutiny, who remained entirely still until dawn when he released her from her task.

“Leave now and come back tonight,” was all he said.

Three nights in a row, Mayi returned to dig, and every time Tata did nothing more than instructing her to start or stop. The fourth night, Mayi was exhausted. She barely had the strength to hold the hoe anymore. Therefore, when she hit something hard, she gave up her tool and tried to release it with her hands instead. It took her a moment to identify that the roundish object buried in front of her was a human skull. Horrified by what she had unearthed, she scurried away from the hole she excavated.

“Witness the past! Those are the remains of a woman who was sacrificed here a long time ago. There are many more scattered around, reminders of a time when women were mere offerings.”

Mayi was stunned, unable to move or speak. How foolish of her to believe that she could break out of the norm. Alone in the dark, maybe she was about to pay for her temerity with her life.

“Are you scared?” Tata asked. “Do you still want to become a novice?”

Mayi was shivering, torn between the desire to flee and the desire to overcome fate. This was a decisive moment, and no matter what, she could not cower away. So, she did the only thing conceivable. She stood tall, squared her shoulders, and looked straight at Tata.

“I will not fear the past or long-forgotten practices. If then women were offerings, today they can be novices. I will become one with your help. I am standing here because I want to better understand the world around me and what nature has put at our disposal. If you are fair, you will teach me.”

“Dembele, you have stepped on the path of knowledge. You have accepted to look at what came before but focus on what is ahead. Today, your education starts.”

And that was how Mayi started following Tata’s teaching. Every full moon, she would go to the backwaters to be educated on Sahelian millennia-old philosophies and moral codes. She

learned about traditional medicine and how to recognize and use healing plants. Tata opened her mind to a brand-new world. In parallel, she went to high school and later to nursing school. Drawing strength from both educations, Mayi made it her duty to help those around her, providing advice and remedies to her friends and family. When people were surprised that she knew so much about traditional pharmacopeia, she would claim that she took special nursing school classes. For five years, Mayi remained a studious and dedicated novice. Until one day, Tata asked her to meet at the termite mound by the backwaters.

“Dembele, since the beginning of our journey together, you have listened, and you have obeyed. You made yours, my teaching, and you are now ready to stand on your own. Your education as a novice is done.”

Mayi was ecstatic. Her hard work had paid off. All this time learning about trees, bushes, and flowers, picking petals, bark, and leaves to prepare concoctions, memorizing concepts and primeval stories. It was all for this moment.

“It is time for you to rise as an apprentice. First and foremost, you must take the oath. Swear to devote yourself, body and soul to your apprenticeship. Understand that it binds you to this earth. And until you are initiated, you will not be able to leave it longer than the moon needs to show the same face.”

“I swear,” Mayi said with emotion.

“As an apprentice, you are now responsible for your actions. But I trust you will not disappoint me because you are wise and mighty beyond your years. I witnessed it all these years ago at the ceremony when you looked me right in the eyes. This is an extraordinary feat. Even among the initiates, not all can hear me, much less see me. There is strength in you, and today starts your apprenticeship. Today you become Mayi.”

At twenty-four, Mayi was a nurse and an apprentice. And she believed that now was the time for her to bring transformative solutions. And the rise of the exonet would give her that opportunity. The new communication network was based on the capture and decoding of electrical brain waves. It became more popular than the internet because only information based on concrete facts and validated knowledge was disseminated there. On the exonet, lies and deceptive content were identified and eliminated from the network, leaving it misinformation-free. Mayi pondered what she could do on the exonet for some time, and finally, one day, she went to the backwaters to make a big announcement.

“Tata, I decided to create a group for women on the exonet. “Great initiative! And what do you plan to do with this group?”

“I am a state registered nurse, and you taught me all you know about traditional medicine. I want to share my knowledge with those who need it. The information will be accessible to everyone at any time.”

“It’s an ambitious project. And mixing tradition and modernity is never easy.”

“I know. But this is what I can do to avoid the tragedies that destroy the lives of young women.”

“Why create the group on the exonet? You could simply put meetings in place.”

“I could, but I want the group to be a safe space, and with the exonet, one can have anonymity. Also, one does not always have the time to attend meetings. On the exonet, the information is always available.”

“I hear what you say, but how do you plan to reach women who do not have an exotel?” “First, I will convince the group members who have an exotel to relay the questions and answers. Second, we will set up a fund to subsidize the purchase of exotels for women who don’t have one. Since Nigeria has started mass production, they are affordable now.”

“If you achieve your goals, my teaching will be on the exonet. My voice will reach the ends of the world.”

“And not just traditional medicine, but everything I learned from you. From the importance of the holy to human and fraternal values. My memory speaks for you, and it tells how spirituality and reason are not enemies and how ancestral truths have their place in an increasingly technological world.”

It took a few days for Mayi to get her plan underway. She started alone, rallying her friends who rallied theirs. Every day she posted short videos in the local language and gave health advice. Soon she was joined by a midwife from the neighboring village. Together, they contacted the administration to get permission to offer remote consultations and support their fundraising project. At the same time, the women in the network actively shared their experiences and knowledge. From discussions about health, sexuality, and pregnancy, members moved on to conversations about market gardening, household finances, and politics. Within a few weeks, women from surrounding villages joined the group. With more than a hundred members, it was possible to broaden the project to include sales activities and generate income for many women. These women were able to improve their daily lives. Also, thanks to the fundraising, almost all the women in the region had an exotel.

Mayi had a mission and a job. With the consultations, she helped her community and earned a salary that allowed her to save money. The platform’s success was her pride and joy, but she had less and less time to spend with Tata, which stalled her apprenticeship. Yet the latter always showed her unfailing support.

“Your project with the exonet is growing strong. That’s good news.”

“Yes, we were able to reach so many people that the health of the villagers improved significantly. For example, we have convinced many heads of households that even girls who have had a child out of wedlock deserve protection and education. We are also in the markets. The vendors have more information and better control over the price of their goods. They have even organized themselves to manage the waste collection at the marketplace.”

“The exonet greatly facilitates collaboration and knowledge transfer. You’re really bringing the change you’ve always wanted. I have to say it’s a great source of pride to see you moving forward like this. You still have a long way to go to finish your initiation, but my teaching is already bearing fruits.”

“Yes. The exonet makes it possible to carry out major projects such as the Training Center for the Jobs of Tomorrow. Yesterday, the authorities announced that they will give us a plot near the backwaters to build the center. Many grumpy old men are opposed to the project, but their protests are useless, the village chief has already agreed.”

“Mayi, the villagers should stay away from the backwaters.”

“I know, but the project is already well underway. The piece of land is not directly by the backwaters. Think of it. What matters is that the center will help so many people and bring progress.”

“There are some things that shouldn’t be changed, and sometimes progress costs more than you are willing to pay. Mayi, I repeat, no one should touch the backwaters.”

The success of Mayi’s group was such that officials in the Capital heard about it and summoned her for a colloquium and a workshop on women empowerment. She accepted the invitation and went away for 15 days without breaking her promise as an apprentice.

Back in Kona, Mayi directly sought out Tata to recount her stay in the big city. As she went to the backwaters, she stopped dead in front of construction engines. The body of water was no

more. Instead, there was a dry and brown piece of land. The center’s construction had begun, and to prevent future flooding, some engineers had decided to drain the pond. Mayi ran to the edge of the outback, her heart pumping faster than ever.

“Tata, I am back,” she cried. No answer.

“Tata? Tata? Talk to me.”

Mayi called for hours, but Tata remained silent. Actually, Tata never answered again. During the digging, the workers had discovered a statue broken in two by the blows of an excavator. Fearing being cursed, they had called a marabout to deal with the debris in secret. The construction of the Training Center for the Jobs of Tomorrow resulted in the destruction of the fetish Tata. Mayi never knew what exactly happened. She had ignored the fetish’s warning and was left heartbroken. Forever unable to complete her initiation and remaining an apprentice without a master.