Ani ŋwɛibɔfoi yɛ wɔteŋ?

Eba mli oya waa. Akɛni susumɔi komɛi ehe ejwɛŋmɔ fɛɛ ni ehiɛ bɛ ehe nɔ yɛ he ni enyiɛ hewɔ lɛ, Marilynn nyiɛ kɛkɛ kɛyaje oketeke dadei lɛ anɔ. Trukaa pɛ, kɛkɛ ni enu gbɛɛmɔ ko ni miikoklo kɛmiiba. Ewo ehiɛ nɔ ekwɛ, kɛkɛ ni ena akɛ edamɔ oketeke ko ni miiba hiɛ tuuŋtu! Gbeyei mɔ Marilynn waa ni eshɔ̃ kɛdamɔ shi, ni enyɛɛɛ ehe etsi. Oketeke lɛ ebɛŋkɛ lɛ kpaakpa aahu akɛ enyɛ ena oketeke kudɔlɔ lɛ hiŋmɛii amli bluu kɛ gbeyei ni anaa yɛ ehiɛ hu lɛ. Marilynn hiɛ kpaaa nɔ ni ba yɛ no sɛɛ lɛ nɔ kɔkɔɔkɔ. Ekɛɛ: “Efee tamɔ nɔ ni obalaŋ ko tsi mi kɛjɛ misɛɛ gbɛ. Kɛkɛ ni mijɛ oketeke dadei lɛ anɔ kɛyagbee oketeke ŋãi shishi ni jwere gbɛ lɛ toi lɛ amli.” Ehe kpɔlɔ fioo, kɛkɛ ni Marilynn te shi koni eda mɔ ni here lɛ nɛɛ shi—shi enaaa mɔ ko kwraa! Te emu sane naa eha tɛŋŋ? Marilynn kɛɛ: “Mi ŋwɛibɔfo ni buɔ mihe lɛ here miyiwala. Kɛ jeee lɛ lɛ, namɔ eeenyɛ efee?”

ETAMƆ nɔ ni ŋwɛibɔfoi ahe saji ebahe jeŋ ni jeɔ ŋwane nɛɛ jwɛŋmɔ kwraa trukaa. Afii fioo ni eho nɛɛ amli lɛ, ŋwɛi bɔɔ nii ebafee sane ni afɔɔ he wiemɔ yɛ tɛlivishin nɔ, yɛ sinii amli, kɛ agbɛnɛ yɛ Broadway shwɛmɔ mli po. Aheɔ woji ni kɔɔ ŋwɛibɔfoi ahe lɛ waa yɛ jamɔ woji ni asumɔɔ fe fɛɛ lɛ ateŋ. Ayɛ ŋwɛibɔfoi ahe kui, nikasemɔ kpeei, kɛ amɛhe adafitswaa woji. Ato be kukuoo mli nikasemɔi ahe gbɛjianɔ koni eye ebua bo—taakɛ sane ko ni aŋma lɛ wie he lɛ—ni ojie “ ‘ŋwɛibɔfo ni yɔɔ omli’ lɛ” kpo.

Guɔyelɔi ni sumɔɔ ni amɛna mɛi ahe sɛɛ, ni amɛhɔ̃ɔ nibii sɔrɔtoi babaoo lɛ kɛ hegbɛ ni ji ŋwɛibɔfoi ahe susumɔ ni ehe shi waa nɛɛ miitsu nii jogbaŋŋ kɛha amɛ sɛɛnamɔ. Shwapotsɛ ko ni yɔɔ United States wie akɛ: “Aheɔ nɔ fɛɛ nɔ ni ŋwɛibɔfoi mfonirii yɔɔ nɔ lɛ oya waa ni ehaa onaa sɛɛ.” Kɛfata ŋwɛibɔfoi ahe woji babaoo ni ahɔ̃ɔ lɛ he lɛ, etsĩ nibii krokomɛi tamɔ “ŋwɛibɔfoi amagai, tsitsinaatsɛɛ nii, tsobii, T-shirt, mfonirii ni akɛkpɛtɛɔ shi kɛ woji ni aŋmala ŋamɔi awo mli ni akɛmajeɔ” lɛ atã—ni enɛɛmɛi fɛɛ miiha aana nɔ ni adafitswaa woji amli niŋmalɔ ko tsɛ lɛ akɛ “sɛɛnamɔ ni jɛ ŋwɛi” lɛ.

Shi enɛ jeee nɔ hee ni eba ni aafee kɛkɛ, taakɛ mɛi ni fĩɔ ŋwɛibɔfoi ahe miishɛɛ ni ana waa nɛɛ sɛɛ lɛ kɛɔ lɛ. Amɛkɛ odaseyelii babaoo haa kɛfiɔ amɛ wiemɔ nɛɛ sɛɛ—ni ji ŋwɛibɔfoi ni mɛi kɛkpe yɛ amɛ “shihilɛ mli diɛŋtsɛ.” Mɛi komɛi kɛɔ akɛ amɛna ŋwɛibɔfo yɛ adesa su mli. Mɛi krokomɛi na la-kpɛmɔ, amɛnu gbee, amɛnu mɔ ko he yɛ amɛmasɛi, aloo amɛnu kanyamɔ ko he, ni amɛheɔ amɛyeɔ akɛ ejɛ ŋwɛibɔfo ko ŋɔɔ. Taakɛ Marilynn kɛɛ lɛ, mɛi pii kɛɔ akɛ ŋwɛibɔfo ko here amɛyiwala.

Mɛni yaa nɔ lɛ? “Misusuɔ akɛ mumɔi anifeemɔi ahe miishɛɛ ni anaa lɛ miiwo ehe nɔ ekoŋŋ,” taakɛ Joan Wester Anderson, mɔ ni eŋmala woji enyɔ yɛ nibii ni mɛi kɛkpe “ni fe adesai ahewalɛ” he lɛ kɛɛ lɛ. Alma Daniel, ni ye ebua ni akɛŋma wolo kroko lɛ, tsɔɔ mli kɛtee hiɛ lolo. Ekɛɔ akɛ ŋwɛibɔfoi yɛ “famɔ shishi amrɔ nɛɛ akɛ amɛjie amɛhe kpo amɛtsɔɔ bɔni afee ni nine anyɛ ashɛ mɛi babaoo nɔ. Nɔ hewɔ ni wɔnaa nibii babaoo ni kɔɔ amɛhe lɛ ji akɛ, amɛmiisumɔ lɛ nakai. Amɛ ji mɛi ni feɔ.”

Ani nakai enɛ ji lɛlɛŋ? Aloo ani nɔ kroko yɛ ŋwɛibɔfoi ahe miishɛɛ ni ana waa amrɔ nɛɛ sɛɛ? Kɛ wɔmiitao wɔle lɛ, no lɛ esa akɛ wɔpɛi Nyɔŋmɔ Wiemɔ lɛ mli. Anɔkwale ni kɔɔ ŋwɛibɔfoi ahe lɛ yɛ Biblia lɛ mli, taakɛ wɔbaana lɛ.

[He ni Mfoniri ni yɔɔ baafa 2 lɛ Jɛ]

Baafai 3 kɛ 4: The New Testament: A Pictorial Archive from Nineteenth-Century Sources, by Don Rice/Dover Publications, Inc.