Jesus vs Kwaku Fri; The experience of a local traveler
Air travel has become a bit risky in recent times. Malaysian airline MH 370 is still reported missing without trace whilst AirAsia’s airline 8501 was fortunate to be traced but at the bottom of the sea where not even the black box could remain afloat even after days of intense search.
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These stories seem to be happening only in the Far East, so one can safely assume to be safe when he lives in Sub-Saharan Africa where Boko-haram insurgence in Northern Nigeria alone is but enough to forgo stories as a lost aircraft.
But I do have a different perspective and this brand new perspective was only borne today.
A few hours ago, I was onboard an Accra-bound Starbow Flight S9-105 and the experience I had quickly took me to the minds of all the departed souls in the lost Asian flight.
Have you ever thought of what thoughts will occupy your mind as you face death in the face?
The first time I felt such turbulence was on an Accra-bound flight from Dusseldorf some ten years ago. Here, the Ghana Airways flight I was onboard was actually made to turn back to the Dusseldorf airport after almost 2 hours in the air; and the reason was; it had developed a major problem in the air and if it did not return to the airport, no one’s safety could be guaranteed.
But today’s experience was different, the turbulence was as strong as a rickety car; may be 1955 KIA Mentor, going at 200km/hr on the Suhum road or better still Asankaragua - Sefwi Wiawso road.
I have not been this scared in my life – and to make matters worse – the plane kept coming down sharply with a great force as if all the 3 laws of Newton regarding motion had just been defeated.
I cannot count the numbers of JESUS’S I heard whilst we were 15000ft above sea level but one thing was instructive and it is for that reason I decided to share this experience.
Whilst in the air and with all the Jesus choruses , I must admit I actually said my last prayers and a few thoughts came to mind which I MAY share later. But one voice still rings in my mind even now as I just typed just.
Whilst everyone was saying JESUS, JESUS, JESUS including some guys who didn’t sound like a name they were used to, one person kept saying KWAKU FRI…KWAKU FRI…KWAKU FRI (a name of a thin/small god in Ghana) even at that altitude of 15000ft above sea level.
I was stunned, stocked and amazed at the boldness by which this guy could mutter those words and actually believed that, even at that height, some deity of a sort could ascend that high and save him.
My brother, Timothy tells me, maybe he thought he could have disappeared by the mention of that name and went ahead to ask me, though sarcastically, what if he actually disappeared by his faith? Wouldn’t he have converted someone else to follow suit….?
A work colleague who is a bit familiar with aviation tells me; such turbulence is usually caused by an overhead pressure in the stratosphere- I don’t intend to explain that since I honestly do not have a full understanding of what that means.
Air travel has indeed become very scary but THE SAME GOD who calmed the raging tempest on the sea is still alive to calm the turbulence in the air.
The writer works at Cadbury Ghana Limited, Accra