Cherished Memories of Africa — Page 248
230 I would see Sulaiman Haidara to find out the reality of this secret and would let him know. After a while I went to Georgetown on Jama’at tour. One day I visited Sulaiman Haidara. After customary greetings, I told him the purpose of my visit i. e. to find out the reality behind his transformation into a lion. He burst into laughter and went on laughing for quite some time. Then he said: ‘Ustaz, if we do not scare these fools with stories like this they will devour us. So we have to play various tricks with these people’. All Talisman into the Fireplace A Gambian youth, Dr Khalil Nyagado went to Germany for education. In keeping with Gambian tradition, everyone expressed his love by putting a juju (talisman) around his neck to bring about outstanding success and ward off sufferings, trials and tribulations. When he reached his college, he noticed that his fellow students were bereft of the blessing of talismans and he was the only one wearing them. Notwithstanding, they were more intelligent and capable than him while, because of the talismans, he should have been the best. When at home he was afraid lest they harmed him. Many days passed by in that state of uncertainty. home, he used to think: were they all in error or was he being foolish for wearing those. After deliberating for several days, he decided to throw them away. However, being rather superstitious There was continuous struggle between heart and mind. Ultimately he decided one day that it was absolute deception, therefore, must get rid of them. The question was how to finish them off? If he just cast them off, perhaps during a moment of weakness he would pick them up again and wear them.