MY SOUL CRIES OUT

The film Andanggaman told the true story of a king of Africa who was filled with evil, greed, and brutality. Andaggaman the king, sent his warriors on raids to all the surrounding villages in his region. They would destroy each village and killed men, women, and children. The warriors were fierce woman fighters who showed no mercy. They would take captive many of the people in each village to be sold to slavery. They sold the best and strongest captive people to European slave traders for rum and guns. The other captives were sold into slavery to friends within his kingdom for sheep, goats, cattle, and yams. If the remaining captives were not sold then Andanggaman had them killed.

I always wondered how this atrocity we call slavery could happen to such a great number of African people. In this film I saw that people who were conquered and killed were not prepared to fight such an army of spiritual evil. Most villages that were attacked were peaceful family groups. They did not have the means of warfare to defend themselves. The evil and swiftness of these raids fell upon them like a raging flood. This African king captured, killed, and sold his own people for rum, guns, and other material items for self-gratification.

Today many of our young people are captured, killed, and sold into spiritual darkness for drugs, guns, jewelry, cars, and other items for self-gratification and greed. My soul cries out. There was a scene in this film that illuminates the wisdom of the ages through the Elders as described in Malidoma Patrice Some's book, Of Water And The Spirit. In this village that was raided and left empty sat an old man by the fire. A young man comes out of the bush wounded from battle in which, he was overpowered, by the amazon warriors of Adanggaman and left for dead. The old man begins to treat his wounds.

The young man tells the old man that he most go to this king Adanggaman and trade his life for that of his mother who is very old. She was captured in the raid and does not deserve such a fate as a slave. He tells the old man that this is below her dignity and that he would give up his freedom for the freedom of his mother. This is customary and he must do it. The old man warns him of the danger of such an action.

The Elder and the young man enter in the Elder's home and there the Elder begins to tell the young man many things. He pull out his bag and spreads objects from this bag on the floor. He tells the young man of the sorrow, hurt, evil, and danger looming over the people and land. The Elder said, "My house is a tomb and my village is a cemetery." My soul cries out.

The Elder and young warrior go to Adanggaman and request as it is customary to do, to trade the freedom of the young son for that of his mother. The young warrior's mother is a woman of great stature within her community. She is respected and wise. Andanggaman called her a witch because she told Adanggaman that, "you are not God to buy, sell, and take the lives and souls of your people as you wish." She cursed him that he doe not deserve a place with the ancestors.

Andanggaman had the Elder woman raped and tied to a tree to die. He has the Elder shaman and young warrior taken into captivity. They were put into a corral with many other men in chains. It was here that the Elder gave the young man knowledge of power and strength. Then the Elder laid down and died. All of the men in chains started to sing as one, a song that reached my soul. I did not understand the words nevertheless I cried rivers of tears. My soul cries out. They sang and cried. I cried and sang. My heart could not take anymore. They sung while in chains for death of the Elder Priest and my heart was opened to the pain and strife of injustice of my ancestors. I must find the house of my father where my mother rests. Then I can know who I am.