Trapped, he tried to evade them since he was too old to run. But he was unlucky as they dragged him from behind the kiosk where he had been hiding. They placed him in the centre of the road and surrounded him. Now, he had nowhere to run. The crowd grew. Children, Hawkers, Carpenters, they all came to indulge their morbid curiosity. Some stood on platforms and others watched from balconies. Everyone knew what would happen.
The first stone missed.The second home hit home with a heart-wrenching sound. Bright crimson lines suddenly emerged on the old man's face.That was when he began to cry and scream for mercy. But it was too late. The multitude remained insatiable. Nothing but death could quench their thirst. It didn’t matter whose father he was. It didn’t matter whether he was guilty. He didn’t matter if he had been good to any of them. He simply had to die.
The stones were more frequent now. He fell to his knees, dazed by a small boulder thrown by a boy young enough to be his son. The excited crowd sighed in unison. They could sense the end now. In his final moments he stopped begging and became defiant. Inflamed, the crowd rained the stones on him till he was dead. Still unsatisfied, they dragged his corpse to a side and set it on fire. Then they dispersed.
Lynchings are still commonplace in many parts of Africa. Many excuses leap to mind. The failure of justice systems In trying suspected offenders, faulty conflict resolution methods, frustration, poverty, anger, ignorance, inefficient security forces…….the reasons are numerous and mind-boggling. But when does a group of people decide to take another man’s life? Not just any group of people but regular, civil, law-abiding citizens? When do they become a murderous bunch? What happens in the heart of every man who throws a stone or lands a blow on an armed robber, kidnapper or enemy without fair hearing? What rage drives them to cross the line? Is this not the death of humanity itself?
No comments:
Post a Comment