The story below is set in a fictional market and location somewhere in the southern part of Nigeria. Some colloquial/vernacular words used in the story are common among the Ibibios and pidgin speakers in Nigeria. The dialogue between siblings depicts some of the issues unverified news and WhatsApp broadcasts have caused in our clime.
Happy reading!
Shocking update just in: Breaking news breaks a…
“Who bi dat?” Idoty asked from under a table where she’d hid in a blanket.
Before she could respond, Uma, her twin brother, pushed open the door. A stack of bricks fell. Bewildered, he ran back to avoid being hit by them.
“Nsido’m?” he asked in Ibibio and repeated himself in English. “What’s going on here?”
“Shut de door, mbok ete.”
“What are you doing under…?” Uma furrowed his brows, hands on his waist.
“Close dat door! Close it before they enter my shop.”
Idoty snuck out from her hiding. She looked around, left and right. “Are they here yet?”
“Who are the ‘they’?”
“Our market is about to be taken over by giants.”
Hands trembling, Idoty shut the door, wedging it with bricks. Uma couldn’t help but burst out laughing.
“Laugh na. You didn’t hear de breaking news on Atangutod Radio.”
“Please fill me in, our official transmitter without a wire.”
“Na you sabi.” She narrated the news to him and how she arrived early at the market to secure her valuable items.
“When I heard a loud bang from afar, I ducked under de table with my money box and bag o! They can take de bags of food, not my hard earned money o.”
Uma guffawed until tears streamed down his face.
“Ha… my sister, don’t tell me you believe that useless rumour?”
“It’s true,” she said matter-of-factly. “Hearing dat petite traders like me are their top priority breaks my heart.”
“Petite what?” Going into another fit of laughter, Uma removed his cap and slapped it on his thigh. “Wait, are you telling me you closed your shop and hid under the table just because of a lie?”
“It’s no lie, mbok. Radio Tafia broke de news. Even my trustworthy sources have indeed verified it, too.”
“Sources of trouble.” He plopped onto the bench. “Is that the reason most shops are closed?”
She slapped her chest. “I had to spread de news around o and alert everyone before ‘they’ arrive.”
“Kai, may your love for rumours and lies, not break our family.”
She cracked her knuckles, jaws clenched.
“Seriously, don’t you want to stop spreading unverified news? Every week you’re the broadcaster of lies on WhatsApp. Today, traders will lose sales because of you. Ha! you no dey tire?”
“So you think de giants aren’t coming?”
He hissed and stood. “Mbok, I need a cup of garri and groundnut! Giant Uma must chop.”
He scooped some garri into a bowl, poured a generous amount of groundnut, sugar, and milk. He lifted the bowl to her face.
“Cheers to more breaking news!”
© 2024 Enobong O’wunmi.
Words
Mbok – please
Ete – Man
Tafia – gossip
Atangutod – Talkative
