ALPHAN THE PRESIDENT

CHAPTER 1

The hills are still sleeping since the first day of creation, rivers are flowing respecting the force of gravity and making noise as expected. Birds with their stupidity are flying along the rivers just to hear the noise made by the rivers, the busy birds are chirping all over the forest and occasionally a hyena would be heard crying out loud maybe due to hunger. Trees are still standing tall to break the winds and to provide shade to the ground as their natural responsibility. All these are happening in the beautiful Tanga forest. A forest whose real origin is not well defined by the Tanga people. There are many myths sorrounding it trying to explain its origin but there is no specific myth. It is said that its existence was from a man by the name Tanga who planted all the trees in the forest, he had supernatural powers maybe. Nobody would explain where he came from or anything about his family or even marriage life, all in all it was a respected place since it was still believed that the gods of the great tribe of Kanywela still lived in the forest.

Down the river there were many meanders which looked like a long snake moving in a higher speed, the meanders are of different sizes, and on the biggest meander was a "man", actually a mature baby,  averagely four years old. Alphan must be pondering about something.only he can tell what it was. Not once or twice has this ever happened, it has happened anytime he felt lonely or distressed. It seems that this is the only peaceful place along the whole river he felt comfortable since the waters at this stage were ever still and silence was the only solution to his problems as young as he was.

It takes no time and he undresses his pair of shorts and a T-shirt which had a big label of the well-known reggae musician "Bob Marley"  then jumps into the river just to swim. This must be a special place to him since whenever asked by his grandmother where he is coming from he would jokingly answer "nimetoka peponi" simply to mean "am from heaven". It was a special place for him and he loved it. Maybe nature always have a special way to treat all kinds of problems.

This was his daily routine whenever bored or whenever he felt to be alone. His parents left him when he was two and not his parents but specifically his mother, he never said where they went and even if he knows I really don't think he can tell, he only knows his grandmother whom he has been living with for two years now. As a small boy he never knew or even had an idea of his existence but due to the forces of nature he discovered that he is different from others, while others are talking of having two names and a surname he only had one name. not only that but also he had nobody to call "mama" mother or "baba" but he only had a "Bibi" grandmother in his life.

Back at home Alphan's grandmother is sitted on a three legged chair singing all traditional songs that she knew. Outside the so called homestead there was a cowshed, a home for three emaciated cows and a well bearded goat. A compound of about twenty-five meters square and a two huts made from the stool of the four livestock. The entrance to the compound was open and was surrounded by some cactus which was traditionally accepted as a good fence.

The granny seems to be enjoying all these moments alone in such a "big house "singing with the voice of an angel all the songs she had known since young, her best was..

"malaika..nakupenda malaika,

nami nifanyejeje ningekuoa malaika,

pesa na gari mi sina weeeh

ningekuoa malaika....."

A song where a poor man sings to the woman she loves and she is unable to marry here because of his poverty. The birds were silent not as usual chirping; seems they had accepted the defeat from the old granny. behind the hut were tamed ducks and chicken which as birds also had accepted the defeat. As she sings she is facing the house and her eyes are set on the old rusted roof sheets and occasionally she could just lower her eyes and focus on the week hanging half door, rhythmically.

"ssssssssssssss, ssssssssssssssss, ssssssss.," a voice came from a nearby bush this must have been a snake, this brings Alphan back to the current world. Seems that he was in the second world if not in the third world...although he is used to all these, today seemed to be different, he crept to the nearby bush and when near the bush he jumps when he sees the snake, it was a big snake and had coiled itself while eating the sand the hungry snake didn't discover his presence. He had finished his swimming and he was in the creator's suit just as he was born. Quickly he dresses back into his short and the oversize T-shirt and leaves for home.

In most occasion s Alphan's swimming was always cut short by the wild animals, if not a snake then it was a hippo and even sometimes a crocodile. he must have now become used to this and as a small boy who listens to granny's advice that anytime an animal comes across he should go back home immediately. Alphan takes it as a normal occurrence and as an usual happening.