THE STORY OF STELLA

If you're very emotional, you might not want to read this. 😐

When I was much younger, things became tough for my parents. myself and my  immediate younger sister switched from a private school to a public  in the community we lived.


Because of our previous financial state, we couldn't really fit in like the other kids and as a result of this, we were the kids everyone in class picked on to bully or teased out of jealousy and envy... We were the neatest and best dressed kids back then. But we made a friend named Stella.


Stella was same age with us, she was chased away from the home by her step mum who was the breadwinner of the family. She was accused of using witchcraft to remove her achoholic and violent father from work. She was thoroughly beaten with whips, burnt with hot iron and cut with with broken bottles in the process of making her confessed to witchcraft.


She slept inside an uncompleted building that serves as a church. We became friends with her. Yes, we were reported several times to our school teachers who not only called us possessed children by associating with Stella, we were canned several times publicly by our highly religious teachers to the amusement of the other kids.


When mum serves us breakfast, we pretend to eat and pour a large quantity into a nylon bag, or a cloth to give to our homeless friend, Stella.


We sneaked our materials for her to lay on the hard floor, we gave her some of our story books to read, clothes to wear, we were the first to leave the class after the close of school so we could be with Stella.


Stella was always in pains, she sleeps at the mercy of mosquitoes, her body filled with scars, some healed others yet to be healed with flies out to make a feast from those open injuries, passersby who saw her trow stones at her, spat on her "witch, you will die" we've heard them say severally.


We spent so much time with her to the annoyance of other kids, most times, they will trace us to the uncompleted building where Stella stays, trow stones at her calling her "witch", then at us. When the church members come around to clean the church, they would chase her out with whips, call her a little demon and burn her scanty belongings... I mean the rags, those leftovers we gave her to lay on and keep warm... No one tried to protect her 😓... we usually replace  wrappers and clothes... And my mum kept on complaining of missing cloths 🤣 if only she knew...


Our books were constantly smeared with oil from stuffing foods for Stella 🤣 and at school we were bullied by our fellow students and avoided by the teachers... We were just two little girls. 😓


One day, we went to the uncompleted building to meet Stella, she wasn't there, we kept the food and went to school, on our way back, the food was still there untouched and she wasn't there, we knew something was wrong... 😒


The next day we heard the other kids talking excitedly how they heard Stella screaming and crying the previous night... 😢


They argued among themselves who first heard the screaming... Some said she screamed, begged that she is not a witch, then she screamed again, before she became quiet. 😓


Others said she was beaten and driven out of the community, another said someone took her away to be cared for...


We prayed to see our friend again,
We hoped in our little hearts she would sneak to our class window to call us...


Days turned into weeks,
Weeks into months,
And months into years...


We don't know what happened to her and it hurts us so bad that we couldn't ask anyone. We never got any explanation, we were just two scared but concerned kids who lost their only friend. 😭


I wish I could see her again so she could tell me her survival story,
I know she would be a young woman by now, maybe doing well... I don't know... I wish I could really see Stella again.


If you're reading this, ask yourself
Are you one of those confused religious people who tagged old people and children witchcraft?
Are you among those who sees others suffering and look the other way?


There are many Stellas around us,
They are the ones rejected by the society,
Stripped of every form of dignity, beaten and scared by beliefs and harmful cultural practice... they need your protection...

Be their voice,
Be compassionate,
Be human.

PS. This happened in Owhase Community in Udu Local Government Area, Delta State, Nigeria.

A 15 YEARS OLD GIRL COMMITTED SUICIDE after she summed up courage and reported to her mother that she was being sexually abused by her step father for the past 6 years, her mother called her a lair and accused her of wanting to break her marriage... She is still married to the man.


A woman sent her housemaid away after she reported sexual molestation by her husband, it was discovered that the girl was the 5th housemaid she has sent away after they report the husband sexually harassing them... She is still married to the man.

A woman stripped naked her 12 years old daughter and inserted pepper into her vagina after she reported to a pastor that her own father has been having sex with her... The mother accused her 12 years old daughter of marine spirit and the skill of seduction... The girl ran away after another 2 months, till date no one knows her whereabouts... The woman is still married to that man...



Okay I could go on and on with different life experiences, and off course some people who say its a lie.

The truth is most African women are cursed with marriage... The average African woman would rather be infected with a deadly virus than remain single...
The average African woman would rather denies a well known fact than accept that her husband is a paedophile...
Majority of African women knows their husbands are terrible but they'd rather defend it after all that's what marriage is all about...
Majority of these women knows their husbands are chronic cheats but choose to look the other way, after all "all men must cheat"
The average Nigerian woman would rather be a Mrs somebody and endanger her daughters life than confront her husband or take necessary actions.


African women are cursed with marriage.

I just can't believe how a woman would stay with a man who doesn't find you desirable but your daughter, his daughter, a maid or another minor... Come on!!! Come on !!! What happened to your brain?


The energy you spend in defending the man, in accusing these children of witchcraft is enough to connect the missing dot.

And to think that you want to save that kind of marriage makes me sick in my stomach...