A Vow to Change

By Mike Ike Chinwuba

Civil war in Kafra left the small African country in total devastation. Those who survived were faced with hopelessness and solitude. As a result, they held fast to their guns, the only tools they knew how to use, which resulted in indiscriminate hijackings, robbery, bribery, corruption, and scams.

Ken witnessed such incidents during his struggle to leave Kafra for the UK. On his return, he became aware that the culprits had become very rich, powerful, and lawless at the detriment of the honest and hardworking minority. Driven by anger to transform it, he realized that the philosophy that he acquired during a chance meeting with a professor on a park bench in London was indispensable for change from within.

The Buddhist teachings elucidate the principles of cause and effect and change from within. Ken single-mindedly initiated the revolution that transformed households, families, communities, and a countrya real departure.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Feb 20, 2015
• ISBN: 9781503541993

Mike Ike Chinwuba

The Author Mike lives in London, he graduated in a London university with a master’s degree. Having travelled extensively and experienced a great deal of life’s tapestry, he has the power to inspire. Mike is a practicing member of the SGI – a Buddhist organisation for value creation: Peace, education and culture. His novels include: A Vow to Change, The Train and the secret Witness and Photo in the Frame.

Book preview

Chapter 1

K en staggered out of the immigration control at the arrival terminal’s waiting area. He was certainly in a dreamlike state, very tired and definitely bewildered. He had not the faintest idea of where to go, and he did not know anyone in the UK. He found a seat and sat down, contemplating retrospectively the sequence of events that unfolded to bring him to London Heathrow Airport from his country, Kafra.

Kafra had just come out of a civil war that lasted two years. The war was between the Federal Government of Bongoria in collaboration with the rest of the country against Kafra, which was a minor ethnic group within the federation.

Six months before the civil war ended, some Kafran soldiers had come to what was left of Ken’s parents’ home at night to drink some water and to inform Ken’s father that there had been a lot of bombardments by the federal forces and that it would continue till morning. Just at that moment, some fighter planes flew overhead toward the nearby village, and moments later, indiscriminate explosions could be heard from all corners of the surrounding villages. The Kafran soldiers at Ken’s parents’ home and Ken and his parents took refuge in the makeshift bomb shelter and remained there in fear till the following morning.

Very early that morning, Ken—who was eighteen years of age, had an athletic figure, often walked with a slight swagger, and was vivacious and had a huge appetite for living—came out of the bomb shelter to harvest some fruits with which to prepare breakfast. He wandered to the bushes round the back of his home and started gathering a variety of fruits. He knew very well there was danger because he could be spotted by unscrupulous Kafran soldiers and could be conscripted to fight at the war front or be used in trafficking illicit local drinks. The worst-case scenario would be to get caught by the federal soldiers, and that would be a certain death.

As he bent down, carefully collecting some garden fruits and making sure he did not make any noise that might attract attention, he suddenly heard a shuffling sound not far from where he was standing. He stood still, scanning the bushes for any danger. Then the sound stopped, and he continued gathering some more fruits. This time, he thought he had collected enough to cook breakfast. He was just about to make a quick exit when he heard the sound again; he stood still and scanned again for imminent danger. There appeared to be none. Suddenly, he glanced at the tallest tree beside his house and noticed the figure of a man dangling between branches. At first, he thought it was just from some sort of poor visibility as it was very early in the morning and a little dark. He focused his gaze at the subject, and it was clear to him that the figure that was dangling was in fact a paratrooper and he was white and in the federal forces’ uniform.

Ken dropped all the fruits he had collected and took to his heels, screaming as he ran as fast as he could back to the house. The fear in his face was indescribable. When he got into the house with loud screams, his father and the Kafran soldiers who were still there rushed up to him with their guns cocked for any eventuality. Ken was gasping for air, indicating pointedly to the direction of the tree where the paratrooper was helplessly dangling between branches. The soldiers immediately dispersed in battle formation. With their guns ready, they made their way to the tree, and lo and behold, they could not believe what had unfolded before their eyes.

They came closer to the trees and realized the paratrooper had no gun. He was trapped on top of a tree; his parachute got tangled between the tree’s branches, leaving the paratrooper struggling to get down but to no avail. The Kafran soldiers decided not to shoot at him though he was in full combat uniform without any visible weapon on him. One of the soldiers climbed the tree while the rest stood on the ground to provide cover as they aimed their guns’ nozzles at the paratrooper. Shortly after that, the soldier who climbed up untangled the parachute and brought the paratrooper down, and he was taken into Ken’s parents’ house.

The paratrooper—Commander Woodfield, a mercenary from Britain—was fighting on the side of the federal government’s forces. He had just completed sorties in the nearby village and was heading back to base when his fighter jet developed engine trouble. It was impossible to make it back to the base when Commander Woodfield bailed out in his parachute. The fighter plane crashed farther afield from the tree where he was found. He was taken away to the Kafran military headquarters for interrogation.

After the war, Ken and many young people of his generation could not just stand to tolerate the devastation caused by the war on their beloved hometowns. They realized that the only way to rebuild their towns and communities would be through education and hard work. They were not shy to face up to the challenges except that the good community spirit that existed before the civil war had now sadly been replaced with anarchy, armed robbery, bribery, and corruption on a large scale. It was strictly a time for self-preservation and nothing more.

Kafra was conveniently located near the Atlantic coast of West Africa. Most Kafrans were well educated; unfortunately, many of those well-educated individuals did not return after the war. Consequently, this therefore gave rise to fierce competition among the youth to further their educations in countries such as Britain and the USA. The country’s universities were usually very competitive to enroll in due to high expectations of candidates, coupled with the fact that most of the candidates were quite capable to excel in the required entry examinations, but very often there were not enough vacancies to accommodate the deluge of applicants wishing to gain entry.

In retrospect, one would have thought that Ken’s experience with the paratrooper during the civil war in his country could have put him off from his aspiration to becoming a pilot, and it rather was contrary to his parents’ expectation.

Most of his friends whose parents could afford to send overseas had left for Britain, their old colonial masters, or the United States to further their studies. As Ken’s parents could not afford to send him to any of the Kafran universities, let alone to Britain or the United States, he did not stand a chance of furthering his studies.

However, he was relentless and was quite focused on leaving Kafra to fulfill his dream of becoming a pilot. His uncle—Chief Benson, a civil-engineering contractor and quite well-to-do—would not sponsor him despite the fact that he had amassed a small fortune from his civil-engineering company. Chief Benson would rather keep Ken within his company as a driver to drive laborers and builders to various sites for work. He treasured Ken for being flexible, astute, and resilient. Ken was also well liked by his clients. Ken had a reputation of being reliable, especially to the workers in his uncle’s company. To crown it all, he did not complain even when his uncle did not pay him any wage, which was sometimes for months. Without a doubt, he was a fine asset to his uncle, who therefore would not let him out of his sight.

The question still remained as to why Ken would choose to become a pilot after his shocking experience two years before. At that time, air raids were the order of the day, and they were carried out indiscriminately on a daily basis with the prime purpose of annihilating both the civilians and the soldiers in Kafra who were putting up great resistance against the federal soldiers at the war front. Since most Kafrans were renowned physicists and chemists, certain bombs that the Kafrans used at the war fronts were manufactured from palm produce while the guns were produced from the remains of old vehicles and any kind of metal they could get hold of. They had no choice because Kafra was blockaded by the federal government, which meant there was neither outside help nor supplies. There was an acute shortage of food, medicine, and every imaginable item to do with sustaining life. Houses were demolished by bombs, and makeshift air-raid shelters served as houses for those who were fortunate to be alive. During that civil war, all able-bodied men were conscripted into the army to fight the federal government’s forces. Kafrans were no match for the federal forces in terms of resources, equipments, and numbers in manpower but still were incredibly resilient and were putting up a good fight on all fronts; hence, it lasted for over two years before it ended through a peaceful settlement.

Chapter 2

T he shocking experience had not left Ken for he constantly wondered why the federal government, despite its colossal arsenal and a very large army, would recruit mercenaries to fight a very small ethnic group. He also wondered with anger why Commander Woodfield was responsible for destroying most Kafran homes and terminating a lot of lives.

Concerned with these diabolical experiences that often turned into nightmares in those early months succeeding his encounter with Commander Woodfield, his parents and, in fact, the people who knew of that encounter often wondered why his ambition to become a pilot did not wane. They also could not understand why he was still very keen to further his studies in the UK when Commander Woodfield was an enemy and British.

Nevertheless, Ken’s intention was still focused on where and how to find someone who would sponsor his studies. His father had met a few of his family members and asked if they could sponsor his son to fulfill his dream, but none of them were in a position to do so. Finally, as the last resort, he went to his brother, Chief Benson, to ask for help but to no avail. In that part of Africa, the word chief before a name was simply a form of title and had no governing role whatsoever, which the word might seem to suggest. Chief Benson told him that he could not afford to help because he had lost a substantial number of his money-making assets during the war and that he was just endeavoring to reestablish his company. He had a number of properties that he rented out to tenants, but sadly, they were destroyed during the war. He also told Ken’s father that if Ken would stay in Kafra and worked in his company, there might just be a possibility he could help in five years’ time when he would be fully established. It was obvious that he was solidly in a position to help because he had made a substantial fortune and was one of the richest men in Kafra; he also had a very young family.

In the meantime, Ken had no passport but hoped to get one with the help of his friend from college who worked at Kagos. The problem was, he hadn’t the faintest idea where to find him; nevertheless, that did not cross his mind. His determination was so strong that he remained optimistic; he didn’t worry in the slightest whether he would be able to find his friend or not. It was crucial that he obtained a passport first if he had to leave Kafra.

One early morning, Ken went to the outbuilding where his parents slept and banged on the door to wake them up. His parents were frightened from the early-morning knock on the door and were grossly perturbed because they thought armed robbers had paid them a visit. Robbery was rampant in Kafra at that time due to the fact that many young men who survived the civil war had nothing to do and there were no means to support themselves, let alone their families. Consequently, they resorted to robbery, bribery, and corruption. Almost every young man in Kafra had a gun, the only tool or equipment that they knew how to use, and they did use it to obtain money or property forcibly. This method apparently became so popular that it replaced the idea of a normal way of working to earn a living; there were no jobs.

His father did not open the door; Ken banged on the door again and again and called out, Pa, it’s me, Ken. Will you open the door? I need to talk to you.

His father peeped through the keyhole and then slowly opened the door. On seeing it was Ken, he came out from the room. He was dazed and unsure why Ken decided to talk to him that time of the morning.

Sorry to disturb you, Pa. Please sit down, said Ken apologetically.

His father did not utter a word; he sat down in silence, waiting to hear what his son had to tell him. Whatever news that Ken was about to give him that early morning would definitely be a surprise; the question was whether it would be pleasant or unpleasant. That was the thought that crossed his father’s mind.

Ken sat beside him. Pa, I will be leaving for London in a few days, said Ken. He waited for a response or some reaction from his pa, but there was none. Ken continued, I have made up my mind, Pa, and I have to go.

His pa this time directed his gaze far into nothingness. Okay, son, said his pa. May your ancestors guide you. He suddenly got up and started walking back to his room.

Ken was confused for a while as he sat watching his pa close the room’s door behind him. He did not understand why his pa did not show any emotion or at least react to the idea that in a few days’ time, he would leave them for London. He thought there could only be one or two reasons, which were either that he chose a wrong time to give him the news or that his pa disbelieved him. If the latter was the case, it was possible he could be forgiven due to the fact that he could not imagine how Ken would have raised the money to see himself off to London. Ken realized that, and perhaps he was stubborn to think he would just plunk himself from Kafra into London with no money or a sponsor. How would he raise the fare, let alone the university fees or board? Therefore, his pa would have had his reasons to disbelieve him.

Ken had made his mind up. He was not prepared to wait any longer. He would cross each bridge as he got to it. Something inside him was so strong that he did not waver.

After much contemplation, he rose from where he was sitting and proceeded to his own room in the main building, which was almost completely destroyed during the civil war. For that reason did his father build a makeshift outbuilding and slept in it because he also had nightmares when he slept in the main building as it kept reminding him of the ravages of war, the evil beast that had rendered him penniless and hopeless.

That morning, Ken did not arrive at his uncle’s courtyard to pick up workers and drop them off at building sites. Chief Benson was standing at the courtyard, giving instructions to his workers and drivers