Pɩlakɩ ɛzɩ pɩnzɩ mɩnʋʋ yɔ, evebiya sakɩyɛ yebi pa-ɖɩsɩ nɛ pɛɖɛɛ you. Piseɣtaɣ-wɛ yem mbʋ pʋyɔɔ yɔ paa weyi lɛ, ɛñɩnaɣ se ɛ-ɛjaɖɛ ɛwabɩna. Pɩnaɣ 1914 taa Amerika sɔɔja nɔɔyʋ wokaɣ you ŋgʋ kɩ-taa lɛ, ɛmawa se: “Man-taa wɛ leleŋ kpem nɛ alɩwaatʋ kɩbandʋ ndʋ tɩɖaŋ-ɖʋ nɛ ɛzɩdaa yɔ.”

Ɛlɛ pitileɖi lɛ, pa-taa leleŋ ɛnɩ, ɩpɩsɩ ñaŋ kɩdɩ kɩdɩ. Nɔɔyʋ taapɩzɩ nɛ ɛmaɣzɩ se sɔɔjanaa sakɩyɛ kaɣ labʋ you Pɛlɩzɩkɩ nɛ Fransɩɩ ajɛɛ taa pɩnzɩ sakɩyɛ mbʋ. Alɩwaatʋ ndʋ tɩ-taa lɛ, paya you ŋgʋ se “You Sɔsɔʋ.” Ɛlɛ sɔnɔ lɛ, payaɣ you ŋgʋ se “Caama You Kajalaɣ ñɩŋgʋ (1914-1918).”

Caama you kajalaɣ ñɩŋgʋ kʋ ɛyaa sakɩyɛ kpem. Nabɛyɛ ñɩnaa nɛ pana se ɛyaa mba pakʋ you ŋgʋ kɩ-taa yɔ, patalɩ ɛzɩ miiliyɔɔwaa 10 mbʋ yɔ, nɛ pɩcamɩ ɛyaa miiliyɔɔwaa 20 mbʋ yɔ. Kaakendu sɔsɔtʋ kɔnɩnɩ you sɔsɔʋ ŋgʋ, mbʋ pʋyɔɔ yɔ Erɔɔpɩ ajɛɛ ñʋndɩnaa taapɩzɩ nɛ pɔcɔnɩ ñaɖɩŋ weyi ɩhɔyaɣ pa-ajɛɛ hɛkʋ taa yɔ, ɩ-cɔlɔ. Pɩtasɩ lɛ, “You Sɔsɔʋ” ŋgʋ, kɩwɛɛkɩ ɛjaɖɛ. Ɛzɩma kɩlɛɣzɩ ɛjaɖɛ yɔ, pitukuuni-ɖʋ halɩ nɛ sɔnɔ.

Lɩmaɣza kɩdɛkɛda kpaɣʋ cɔlɔ Caama You kajalaɣ ñɩŋgʋ lɩnaa. Takayaɣ ŋga payaɣ se The Fall of the Dynasties—The Collapse of the Old Order 1905-1922 yɔ, kalɩzɩ pɩ-taa se Erɔɔpɩ ajɛɛ ñʋndɩnaa taamaɣzɩ kpa se lɩmaɣza wena pakpaɣ yɔ, akɔŋnɩ kaɖɛ sɔsɔɖɛ kedeŋa kpeekpe yɔɔ mbʋ.”

Pakʋ Otirisi awumbu nɔɔyʋ nɛ pɩla kpɩtaŋ nɩɩyɩ pazɩ yem lɛ, Erɔɔpɩ ajɛɛ ɖoŋ ñɩna tɩŋa sʋʋ you taa, ɛlɛ ataaɖʋna. You paɣzaa nɛ pɩla kɩyakɩŋ nɩɩyɩ pazɩ lɛ, nɔɔyʋ pɔzɩ Caama ɛjaɖɛ ñʋʋdʋ se: “Ɛbɛ yɔɔ pɩtɩŋa pɩlakɩ ɛzʋnɔ?” Nɛ ecosini pʋtɔdɩyɛ se: “Hmm, ye ɛyʋ kaanawa.”

Ñʋndɩnaa mba pakpaɣ lɩmaɣza kɩdɛkɛda wena ayeba nɛ you ŋgʋ kɩpaɣzɩ yɔ, pataaɖiɣzini ɖeyi ɖeyi mbʋ pɩkaɣ lɩʋ pɩ-taa yɔ. Ɛlɛ, pitileɖi pʋcɔ nɛ sɔɔjanaa mba palakaɣ you ŋgʋ yɔ, patɩlɩ mbʋ pɩɖɔŋ labʋ yɔ. Patɩlaa se pa-ajɛɛ ñʋndɩnaa ɖʋzɩ-wɛ, po-coocinaa ñʋndɩnaa peɣzi-wɛ, nɛ pɔ-sɔdɩŋ cɛtɩ-wɛ. Ɛzɩma tɩyɛ?

Ajɛɛ ñʋndɩnaa heyaɣ pɛ-ɛyaa se you ŋgʋ, kɩkaɣ yebu nɛ ɛjaɖɛ lɛɣzɩ nɛ pɩtɩŋa pɩñɔɔzɩ. Caama ɛjaɖɛ ñʋʋdʋ kaatɔm se: “Ðɩlakɩ you se ɖɩkandɩyɩ ɖa-ñɩm yɔɔ, ɖa-caanaa sɔnzɩ yɔɔ, nɛ ɖɩlʋkɩ se piɖeni-ɖʋ cee wayɩ.” Etaazuunii ɛjaɖɛ ñʋʋdʋ Woodrow Wilson seɣtaɣ ɛyaa se pɛwɛɛnɩ lidaʋ se you ŋgʋ, kɩkaɣ yebu nɛ “paɖʋ temokrasɩ paa le ɛjaɖɛ yɔɔ.” Piyele nɛ Krandɩ-Pretaañɩ ɛjaɖɛ taa lɛ, ɛyaa maɣzaɣ se pɩkɛ “you ŋgʋ kɩkaɣ yebu nɛ yoŋ sɩɩ tɩnaɣ yɔ.” Ɛlɛ pa-tɩŋa pɛcɛtaɣ pa-tɩ kɩcɛtʋ.

Coocinaa ñʋndɩnaa ɖʋ nesi you ŋgʋ nɛ kpekpeka. Takayaɣ ŋga payaɣ se The Columbia History of the World yɔ kɔtɔm se: “Coocinaa ñʋndɩnaa mba pɩɩwɛɛ se pawɩlɩ ɛyaa Ɛsɔtɔm yɔ, peyeba nɛ pasazɩ-wɛ se pɛɖɛɛ nɛ pala you. You ŋgʋ, kitukuni ɛyaa kpeekpe nɛ kɩkɔnɩ paɖaɣyɛ ɛyaa hɛkʋ taa paa le.” Nɛ mbʋ ɛzɩ coocinaa ñʋndɩnaa ɩsɩnɩ ɛyaa nɛ pataakɩlɩ ɖama paɖʋʋ lɛ, pɛtɛzɩ ɛyaa seɣtuu kiseɣtu se papaɖɩ ɖama. Takayaɣ ŋga payaɣ se A History of Christianity yɔ, kɔtɔm se “Coocinaa ñʋndɩnaa tɩpɩzɩ nɛ pasɩnɩ ɛyaa se pɔsɔɔlɩ Bibl wɩlɩtʋ nɛ pɩkɩlɩ pa-ajɛɛ. Nɛ pa-taa sakɩyɛ taasɔɔlɩ se pala mbʋ. Pa-taa sakɩyɛ ñamaɣzaɣ se Bibl wɩlɩtʋ nɛ ɛjaɖɛ sɔɔlɩm pɛwɛ kɩmaŋ. Nɛ pasazɩ sɔɔjanaa se pakʋ ɖama Ɛsɔ hɩɖɛ taa.”

Sɔɔjanaa ñʋndɩnaa yaa sɔdɩŋ heyi pɔ-sɔɔjanaa se pakaɣ wabʋ you ŋgʋ kɛlɛʋ yem, ɛlɛ pɩtɩkɛ mbʋ pɩlaba. Pitileɖi pʋcɔ nɛ sɔɔjanaa mba, peɖiɣzina se you ŋgʋ nɔɔyʋ ɛɛpɩzɩɣ nɛ ɛna mbʋ kɩkaɣ tɛmnʋʋ yɔ. Caanaʋ taa tɔm taa tazɩyʋ nɔɔyʋ tɔm se tɩlasɩ nzɩ sɔɔjanaa miiliyɔɔwaa mba pakataa yɔ, “pʋtɔma yɔ, ɛyaa wezuu caɣʋ taa payɩ lɛ, wiɖiyi ɛyʋ tɩnɩɩ siziŋ e-tomnaɣ nɛ ɛ-lɩmaɣza taa mbʋ nɛ ɛna.” Pakʋwaɣ sɔɔjanaa pɩdɩɩfɛyɩ, ɛlɛ sɔdɩŋ kaawɛɛ nɛ ɩsazɩɣ-wɛ kaahɛzaɣ se palɩɩ you kadaɣ taa ɖenɖe peɖiɣni malɩfanaa huzuu yɔ. Mbʋ yebina nɛ sɔɔjanaa sakɩyɛ kaɖɩnɩ pa-ñʋndɩnaa.

Ɛzɩma Caama you kajalaɣ ñɩŋgʋ ŋgʋ kitukuni ɛyaa? Sɔɔja nɔɔyʋ yɔɔdɩ tɔm natʋyʋ nɛ pama-tʋ takayaɣ nakɛyɛ taa. Ɛyɔɔdaa se: “You ŋgʋ . . . kɩwɛɛkɩ ɛyaa sakɩyɛ lɩmaɣza nɛ pa-lakasɩ.” Toovenim lɛ, you ŋgʋ kiyeba nɛ kewiyisi sɔsɔsɩ tɔlɩ. Kpaɣnɩ you ŋgʋ lɛ, calɩm kpɛdʋʋ kadadayaɣ paɣzɩ ɛjaɖɛ yɔɔ. Nɛ paa le lɛ, ɛyaa paɣzɩ kaɖɩnʋʋ kominawaa nɛ kewiyisi.

Ɛbɛ yɔɔ you ŋgʋ kisidi tɔm ɛjaɖɛ yɔɔ mbʋ? Ɛzɩ kɛgbɛdɩsaɣ sɔsɔɔ yem kɩkɛnaa? Tɔm ndʋ tɩ-yɔɔ cosuu wɩlɩɣ-ɖʋ nabʋyʋ cee wayɩ yɔɔ?