When the Tiger Roars

by Graeme Cann

  “‘Men and women of Sampa,’ he began, ‘I have come to this debate tonight because you all need to know the truth. We are living in a fool’s paradise. We have been told a lie and if we do not wake up to this deception soon, a terrible suffering will come upon us. Sampa has been ruled since the very beginning by a procession of wizards. They have the power to conjure up mystical and frightening images of tigers, and they have done so to convince us all that the myth of a covenant with the Great Tiger of the forest is real. This has given them great manipulative power over every generation of Sampians.

  “‘I myself have been in the rainforest and I come to tell you today that it teems with prey for us to kill, and there is an abundance of fruit on the trees and fish in the streams. But listen, there are no tigers! No tigers! I followed Galildra into the forest on one occasion and I witnessed him working his evil magic. Before my very eyes a huge creature materialised out of nowhere. Yes it looked like a tiger, but it did not attack either Galildra or me. It did not attack because it was not a real tiger. Galildra, like all the Mother-Fathers of the past, is a sorcerer. He is a black magician and he controls us all by his evil wizardry.

  “‘The mountain villages are full of superstitious people who hate the Sampians. It is only a matter of time until they come by their thousands and there is nothing we can do to stop them. Look around you: Do we have an army? No! Do we have lookouts on our borders? No! When they come, they will destroy our houses, kill our men and our sons, and rape our women and daughters. No conjured-up tiger will save us then. What manner of protection will our ancient, crippled old Mother-Father afford us against such a hoard of marauders?

  “‘I grew up believing in spirits and magicians and spells. I have seen what happens when a society substitutes superstition for reason and relies on spiritual intervention rather than strong, decisive leadership. I am here to tell you. that what a society needs to be prosperous and safe is not more devotion to spirits or deities but intelligent governance and a strong army.

  “‘Now is the time to throw off the shackles of false and useless beliefs. Now is the time to raise an army to protect us. Now is the time to benefit from all the wealth of the forest. Now, I say, is the time to free ourselves of the tyranny of the wizard. Rise up, Sampa, choose a real leader that will take you out of your dark history into a bright new future.’”

  “Mordeca’s group of one hundred men cheered and applauded their leader raucously, but the rest of the crowd was silent. The man himself raised a fist into the air as a gesture of open defiance, and moved to join his supporters at the front of the platform. Galildra walked slowly to the edge of the platform and, looking at the young men before him, raised his hand for silence. It was his turn to speak, but they were in no mood to listen to him. They continued to shout obscenities at him in a show of disrespect that no one in the crowd had ever witnessed before. Suddenly, Mordeca cried out, ‘Silence! Let us hear what the wizard has to say.’

  “If Galildra was shaken by what Mordeca had said, it was not obvious. Later when people spoke of that night, they said that Galildra seemed to stand taller and straighter than ever before. He did not shout or rage, but spoke in a quiet and measured way; addressing them, whilst seeming to ignore everybody else.

  “‘I wish, Mordeca, to speak to you and your followers directly. You spoke about me tonight as a crippled old man, but as I have listened to you, I have seen for the first time the difference between one who is physically crippled from birth and one who is crippled by fear as a result of what they do or do not believe. I came to Sampa as a deformed child. Not one adult asked, “Why is he like this?” Not one person blamed some spirit of the mountain or the jungle. Not one person was afraid to reach out to me as if I was their very own child. As a result I grew up in a village of love and acceptance, and there are those here tonight who remember the day when from the very forest you have claimed to have searched, a giant tiger came and chose me to one day become Mother-Father of Sampa. In those days a very wonderful lady, full of love and grace, held that position and years before, she had also been chosen by the Great One of the Forest.

  “‘Ever since Abele made a covenant with the Great One of the Forest, the people of Sampa have lived without fear of the tiger, who up to that time had been our dreaded enemy. We do not need to build walls around our houses or fences around our fields. We do not need an army or watchmen on our borders, because we are a people of the Covenant. For centuries, each generation of Sampians has warmly welcomed the stranger and the refugee. Each of them has come with their fears as I and as your parents did, but for many, the love that they experienced drove the fear from their breasts, and the belief that they came to have concerning the Covenant enabled them to live at peace with themselves and others.

  “‘You saw me enter the forest because I had been summoned there by the Great One. You followed me there and experienced something that in the past, only a Mother-Father had ever experienced. The Great One spoke to me of a darkness that had entered Sampa. She was not speaking of you, Mordeca, but of the terrible darkness that has taken over your heart and mind and the hearts and minds of your followers. That darkness I speak of is fear and unbelief. Such fear from the beginning of time has destroyed people, communities, and indeed whole nations, and if allowed to rule in our hearts and lives, will destroy us also. You speak of wizards because you have a religious spirit. You were taught to believe in black magic, evil spirits, witch doctors and spells. You are full of fear, and the greed that drives you and the murderous thoughts that occupy your mind feed off that fear. You think that you can see things that other people cannot see, but you are blind. You think that being afraid will protect you from your enemies, but you are deceived. You must turn from your darkness, Mordeca, before it destroys you.

  “‘The choice to be governed by fear,’ continued Galildra, ‘has always been ours to make, but historically Sampians have rejected it. They have rejected it not because of some rigid allegiance to a system of religious beliefs, but because they refused to give up the benefits of living without fear. They have valued the safety and support of a loving and generous community, and they have refused to put that at risk by adopting a political philosophy that puts the so-called safety of a community into the hands of a powerful, controlling minority. You, Mordeca, are not presenting the people of Sampa with an option that they have not had before, but instead you are attempting to politically manipulate their freedom to choose their own pathway.’

  “Galildra stopped speaking and stood for a long moment with his head bowed. Those close to the platform said that when he raised his head to gaze once more at Mordeca, his eyes were filled with tears. ‘He looked like a man looking upon his enemy,’ they said, ‘but at the same time loving him like a son.’

  “From that very night a new atmosphere existed in Sampa. As men and women worked in the fields, they talked of Mordeca’s speech and his accusation that Galildra was a wizard. Sometimes they were approached by one of Mordeca’s followers who would make dark comments about ridding Sampa of Galildra, Mesila, and the Elders and replacing them with an enlightened leadership. Those who were loyal to Galildra began to be afraid for him, but were powerless to protect him.”

  CHAPTER SIX

  A NEW PATHWAY EMERGES

  “Sometimes people hold a core belief that is very strong. When they are presented with evidence which works against that belief, the new evidence cannot be accepted. It would create a feeling that is extremely uncomfortable, called cognitive dissonance. And because it is important to protect the core belief, they will rationalize, ignore, and even deny anything that does not fit in with the core belief.”

  Frantz Fanon

  “One dark and very wet night as the Council of Elders met in the meeting house, Mordeca and his men surrounded the building. It was cold, the weather was becoming worse, and the men had waited for nearly an hour for all the council to gather. They were cold and impatient, and some of them, even though they had thrown their lot in
with Mordeca, were very, very afraid. They believed that no one knew that they were staking out the meeting house, but they were wrong.”

  “Mesila, Galildra’s son, had been approaching the meeting house from his own home when he had seen dark forms flitting between the trees. He realised that someone was launching an attack on the building. His heart pounded as he crept closer. His father, who was in the meeting house, was in great danger, and there was no way of warning him. As he reached a spot a few metres from the back of the meeting house, the attackers, oblivious of his presence, stormed the building from the front. Inside, the Elders and Galildra were taken by complete surprise, and did not stand a chance. Two Elders, one male and one female, stood between the attackers and Galildra, but they were struck down and killed, leaving him unprotected. In the midst of the noise and confusion, for the surviving Elders were putting up a strong fight, Mordeca entered the meeting house. As he cast about looking for Galildra, what he saw filled him with rage. Mesila had burst through the back door and had swept up the old man in his arms, and was already on his way out of the building. By the time Mordeca had forced his way through the struggling men and women and stumbled over the bodies of the dead and injured, Mesila had disappeared. He gave chase in the direction he felt sure that Mesila had gone.

  “They were on a rough, stony pathway that led toward the forest. Galildra only weighed about forty kilograms, so Mesila carried him with ease. If he could get his father to the forest, he would be safe. The Great One would protect him. He knew that Mordeca would be pursuing him and would be making up a lot of ground. Galildra said nothing, and when Mesila glanced at his father’s face, he did not see fear in his eyes but rather an expression of intense grief.

  “Mordeca had slowed his pace and was now walking, carefully examining the track and the undergrowth, all the time becoming more certain that the son and his father had come this way, when he was startled, first by the sound of someone breathing heavily, and then by the sight of Mesila, standing alone on the pathway watching him approach. He was unarmed, and his eyes blazed not so much with anger but with determination. ‘Mordeca,’ he demanded, ‘why do you seek to kill my father?’

  “‘Your father is a fool,’ the man of darkness sneered, ‘and so are you if you think that you can defeat me without a weapon. By now all the Elders will be dead, and from tonight I, Mordeca, will rule all of Sampa.’

  “Mesila’s voice was steady and measured: ‘Your heart is full of darkness and bitterness, and you have poisoned the minds of many others. You have the spirit of a snake, but my father and I are strengthened by the Spirit of the Great Creator. You cannot defeat us. Light will always be more powerful than darkness. You are ruled by fear and selfish ambition as well as greed. The very thing that drives you will destroy you.’

  “The two men faced each other on the narrow track, and Mordeca spoke again. ‘I know your father’s secret,’ he said. ‘He is not a man of virtue; he is a wizard. He has seduced the people of Sampa and plans to destroy them. He must die. His secret must be exposed. The myth of the tiger and the covenant must be seen as it is: a terrible lie. You stand between me and him. Step aside, Mesila, or die with your father.’

  “‘My Father is safe, Mordeca. You have failed, and tonight you will die, because your heart is closed to the truth and is filled with evil.’

  “Suddenly Mordeca screamed a terrible rage-filled scream, and leapt upon Mesila, lunging wildly with his knife. As the two men wrestled frantically it was clear to them, and to Galildra, who now stood quietly watching the battle, that one of them would die that night. It seemed that Mesila was prevailing. He was the stronger of the two, and he now had Mordeca pinned to the ground by his shoulders. With a huge effort the dark prince rolled suddenly, freeing his knife hand, and as he rolled back the other way he plunged his knife into Mesila’s heart. As his son died on that lonely track, Galildra bowed his head and tears rolled down his cheek, but he did not move. Mordeca rose shakily to his feet. On his face was the exultant look of the victor as he shouted: ‘Mesila is dead! And now, Galildra, you also must die!’

  “As he approached the old man, with his knife held menacingly in his right hand, he realised that the Mother-Father was not looking at him but behind him. ‘What are you looking at, old wizard?’ he snarled, but even as he did so he felt a strong compulsion to look behind him. What he saw brought him to his knees. For there, standing over the body of Mesila, was the same great tigress that a few weeks ago he had seen and heard conversing with Galildra in the forest. Now the enormous animal seemed to be shrouded with an aura of great gentleness as she lowered her head over Mesila’s face. She breathed on the dead man a long and gentle breath. As Mordeca watched, like a man caught in the midst of a terrible nightmare, he saw Mesila stir and ever so slowly rise from the ground. The heart of the ‘dark prince’ thudded in his chest, his whole body shook uncontrollably, he began to gabble incoherently, and then pitched forward onto his face. Mordeca, the evil, would-be revolutionary was dead. His heart, racked with overwhelming fear, had failed him.”

  “Father and son stood holding each other in a deeply emotional embrace. The tigress had gone, and they were alone. Galildra spoke with a sob in his voice. ‘My son, my son Mesila, I stood and watched you die.’ For a long time both men were silent and then Mesila quietly spoke.

  “‘Father, it was not for you to intervene. It had to be this way in order for Sampa to be saved.’

  “Back at the meeting house the Elders had miraculously prevailed, despite the the deaths of two of them. Although they were unarmed and outnumbered, others had joined them, drawn by the commotion, and together they had managed to overpower their attackers and bind them with strong ropes. It was a matter of great concern to them that Galildra had disappeared, and they quickly decided that they must go to the centre of the village and tell the people what had occurred. The Elders left their rescuers with instructions to bring the prisoners to the village square and anxiously began their journey through the forest, now eerily lit by the breaking dawn. As they hurried along the track they came upon Galildra and Mesila, and there was great rejoicing that they were alive.

  “The sight of Mordeca’s body on the track heartened them, but Galildra cautioned them against frivolous celebration. ‘Mordeca grew up amongst us. He was one of our sons, and he became a father to many of our young men. But his heart was fearful and unbelieving, leading him to oppose the Great Creator, and to lead others to do the same. Today truth has prevailed, but great damage has been done. Our innocence as a people has been stolen from us, and dark forces will challenge us again. In the past we have not had to live with fear because we are a people of the Covenant. Now we must choose to continue to live without fear, even though our enemies may well dwell with us in our own valley.’

  “When Galildra, Mesila, and the men and women from the meeting hut arrived in the village square, they made a very solemn spectacle indeed. Mesila, supporting Galildra, had a huge bloodstain on his chest, evidence of the stab wound that Mordeca had inflicted. Galildra himself was dishevelled. His countenance was of one who had witnessed things almost too horrible for him to describe. Two of the Elders carried the body of Mordeca. Four others carried the bodies of the two Elders who had died in the attack, while still others limped behind them carrying their own injuries. At the rear of the procession came some of Sampa’s young men and women, escorting the rebels who had been taken prisoners.

  “Mesila stood on the platform, and as he did so the people gasped. The young man’s jet-black hair and beard was now grey. Blood still oozed from his heart wound, staining his shirt. He stood straight, and on his face was a look of both the deepest sadness and the greatest exultation. The people knew instinctively that Mesila had not only been in the presence of the Great One of the Forest, but also in the presence of the Great Creator. He had the look of a man who had been dead and was now alive; a man who had seen things that no living person had ever witnessed. As he spoke his voice seemed to envelope the
whole village.

  “‘People of Sampa, listen to me. What I am about to tell you must live with you, your children, and your children’s children for as long as Sampians are to live as a people who are not ruled by fear.’

  “‘Mordeca came to Sampa as a child and grew up amongst us. His family, refugees from a mountain village, were welcomed and accepted warmly, and despite their rejection of many of our beliefs and customs, they freely benefitted from all the privileges of living in this safe and peaceful place. They had the opportunity, like all those who come to live amongst us, to reject a lifestyle ruled by fear by coming under the Covenant, made so long ago between our father Abele and the Great One of the Forest. However, the family chose to continue to embrace the superstitions and customs of their homeland, making frequent visits to the mountain to renew their allegiance to the spirits, which they believed inhabited the animals and the trees of the mountain. They also returned to their village of origin for Mordeca’s wife and his sister’s husband.

  “‘The fear that always ruled his life turned into anger, hatred, and a greed for power and wealth. He planted that fear and unbelief in the hearts of others and nurtured their hatred which was directed toward the Great Creator and my father Galildra.’ Mesila paused, and as he did so the silence that blanketed the whole valley seemed to grow deeper still. ‘Today we are witnessing the fruit of Mordeca’s fear and the hatred with which it manifested in his life and the lives of his followers. Last evening as the fifty Elders gathered in the meeting house to consult with Galildra as is their weekly custom, Mordeca and a hundred men attacked the meeting house. Two of our beloved Elders, Tusia and Miranda, were killed and dozens were injured. Galildra was saved, as the rest of the Elders fought back, disarming and capturing the rebels.