We have translated more than 300 hymns into Annang, and have written the Annang-English Dictionary. We have written an authentic Annang history and have produced Annang language texts. The Annang Bible is in advanced stage. Do you still underestimate us? It is time to join the train.
Isideghe abod anö agwo annjen, agwo adakka iliöñ ujem ako ike (None seeks a fortune teller to locate a tobacco pipe when there is a pair of eyes) The Annang way of life was seriously affected by colonialism such that in 1947 the Idiong divinity cult was banned by the colonial administrators and all the paraphernalia of the religion burnt, The colonial police searched and confiscated articles associated with the faith and as a way to avoid suspicion many Annang joined the Christian faith, not because they believed in what the new faith taught, but because they were afraid of being labeled Idiong adherents. Yet centuries before colonialism, our forebears depended on the idiong religion to seek meaning, to divine the future and to order their lives. As important as the religion was, the people separated the sacred from the mundane. They realized that it is useless to seek from the deity what mortals are able to do for themselves. Today’s saying is one such illustration. Our people pointed out that seeking to know where the tobacco pipe is from a diviner, for example, overlooks the responsibility of taking proper care of such article and takes away the element of duty. The responsibility of humans as thinking beings is the central understanding in the relationship between humans and the divine among the Annang. The author of St John’s Gospel in the New Testament demonstrated this same understanding when that writer stated “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever believes in him may not perish but have everlasting life.” (The emphasis is on “whosoever believes”) Humans, in this understanding, have a part to play in the saving grace history despite the generosity and benevolence of the divine. The French chemist, Louis Pasteur, once wrote that chance favors those who are prepared. You cannot benefit from an opportunity when you are not ready to receive what presents itself. We stand prepared when we do our part and use what we have been given to seek what we need. We seem to live in an age when theology has changed into what critics called success theology. There seems to be a belief that we just have to belong to a particular denomination or believe a certain way then all we ever need will come true. While it is important to acknowledge the influence of the divine in our lives, it is equally important to know that the use of our abilities is equally stressed by many religions in the world. While some may say that we alone have all the powers to change our lives, there is the realization that we may not have all the answers to all of life’s problems. Sometimes taking the time to look for the pipe, and having the patience to search around the house may be a better approach to the problem than seeking the services of the diviner. Thinking of a solution with the knowledge of what is possible in the physical world may be better than paying a prophet or a witchdoctor that is ready to tell you what you want to hear. The British researcher, David Pratten, wrote that the colonialists might have banned the Idiong cult, but they did not ban the art of divination for many adherents simply changed their techniques and became “spiritual churches”. The Eastern Mail newspaper became alarmed at the number of “spiritual churches in Annang land following the Idiong ban and noted the resourcefulness of the people. In fact, one of the new “Annang Christians” faith made the Old Testament prophet a saint and became known as St. Samuel. It has been more than sixty years, and some people still practice the art of divination and would rather pay to hear a story than use their time, talent, hands and intellect to solve their problems. There may be times when looking up serves us better than looking down, but paying a diviner to look for a tobacco pipe, our people observed, is not a good use of our time and resources. We do well when we consecrate our hands, our feet, our intellect and all we have, as instruments to be used by the divine for our needs. Sometimes looking around you to see what is available may just be the answer to some challenges. Our prayer for you today is that you may feel empowered enough to know how to use your God-given talents to get what you need. Ituum Ibonno Ezekiel Ette For Annang Heritage Preservation Annang Wisdom is an inspirational piece developed from Annang proverbs and produced daily as a free service of the Annang Heritage Preservation Project, an independent, non political and non sectarian organization that seeks to document Annang culture. No part of this publication may be copied, stored or recorded without the permission of the author except to share without charge. Please send all comments and requests to Prof. Ette at ezekette@annangheritage.org. More inspirational pieces can be found in the book: Annang Wisdom: Tools for Post Modern Living Available at Amazon.com and at bookstores worldwide. Visit us at http://community.annangheritage.org To receive Annang Wisdom in your mailbox join the discussion on the web at the Annang newsgroup Annang-forum-subscribe@yahoogroups.com Like us on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/Annangheritage Follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/Annangheritage DISCLAIMER: Views expressed here are solely that of the author and do not represent the official position of Annang Heritage Preservation Inc. or any of its affiliate.