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Wednesday, July 14, 2010

THE HALL- By Gbenga Aliu

....I was in a big hall, a very big one. Everything was blue. The seats, the long curtains..the walls, d deep blue carpet and all. The hall was well lit, and filled to capacity. The people in it were of various races, and countries. I heard languages; soft spoken, pleasant ones and aggressive, voracious ones. I smelt power. From where I sat I could see a desk that had a white plaque written "united states", and seated right behind it was The US President. I also saw a similar plaque written United Kingdom in front of Gordon Brown. I saw all the EU Leaders and their delegates. I then leaned forward to take a look at the South African president, right den was when I felt a tap on my shoulder....t'was my president saying hello as he walked past and sat right in from of me. From where I sat I could see the Ghanaian delegates with the president. Diplomatic pleasantries were being exchanged by everyone, with smiles on their faces, even if the parties didn’t mean love in their minds. Right up the hall I could see the translators' box as they were getting set to be involved in the fierce debate between world leaders over the protection of their countries in the present environmental crisis that has evolved over the years. Skin burning heat penetrated the skins of Africans and the people from the Middle East. The Asians either suffered earthquakes or tsunamis, in Europe and America, there was extreme cold. The most part of Australia and d micro islands had been submerged by water. There was shortage of food. Children in developing countries had begun to die of starvation; the governments had been too busy with other national issues to have noticed when mortality rates began to rise. AND NOW THERE IS FIRE ON THE MOUNTAIN, AND THERE'S NOWERE TO RUN TO.

As the Secretary General came up d lectern to speak,perfect decorum filld d hall; was he coming to perform a magic with words dat`ll turn d situation of things around? This silence of great expectations made him shiver deep within him.at first he had enjoyd d prestige of office, now he has to play "Jesus" by carrying d problems of d world on his shoulder. Alone?!

As he spoke, I saw a sharp light flash across my face, and suddenly his heart looked like glass to me. Behold could see his conscience and his tots. I was quick to compose myself, in order not to miss out on what he was saying, yet this new supposedly new gift in me saw thru his conscience…he was weeping inwardly as he spoke. The Chairman later called on the Indian leader to speak, and then the Pakistani, then the Croatian, then the Indian, and then the Australian. My heart broke as I saw thru the hearts of these leaders…they totally loved and served their people whom they represented at this international gathering. As some of them spoke, they inwardly said a short prayer and wandered how deir citizens wer faring at back home. They all spoke with genuine passion and anguish. One leader practically got me sobbing were I was, his heart was so open and bright as all his general concerns, unlike the others, was staged towards the problems of everyone. He practically begged God, to save the World, and not just the US which he represented.

The first African leader to be called was my president, and then south-Africa’s and then the Gambia’s etc. As I looked thru the hearts of the majority of the African leaders, a fierce rage came up within me. While one of them spoke, he was thinking of how to take advantage of the disunity in his country by staying in power. Another leader was thinking of the call he was expecting from his finance minister after ordering d transfer of huge funds to his secret account. These leaders practically sold the education, health, good roads, electricity and wealth of their people for their personal enjoyment. Just then did I ask God for a little favor…”could You please kindly command the ground to swallow them up?” ….and as simple as this prayer was, I did it with all the faith within me.

As though, d chairman felt what I felt, he asked for me to be prepared to speak.

As I walked up to the lectern, I did it in a majestic manner; I walked past the Zimbabwean PM, and briefly gave him a look of pity. When I got to d lectern, with a frown, I looked at my president sharply, and den I saw fear. There was silence, so deafening, and I seemed to be in-charge. The world looked at me…and I looked at them back in the eyes….and it was a whole five minutes of dramatic silence. And I could see d hearts of everyone. I could see truth, I could see a lie, I could see beasts and I could see angels….oh…with my eyes did I see things in that gathering. And then, I began my speech in which I was to compromise, and den I made a decision to stand for what is right..and began to say the truth…. There was a loud roar in the room..and everyone in it came to a conclusion that “I was insane”.

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