This prompt really brought back memories. It happened at a community event many years ago. This event usually takes place every 2-3 years in my community and the purpose is to help foster unity, give people the opportunity to showcase their talents and also a way to bring people closer.
It is usually amongst youth, you know all those big aunties and uncles in the community. The guys plays football, tennis, board games and many more. The ladies dance, play football as well, and sometimes do fashion parades.
The fathers and mothers in the community are not left out as they also engage in throwing balls into baskets(not basketball o), like all those laundry baskets which would be placed not too far from them, then they will try to throw medium balls into it. It is usually fun. Those families that sometimes pick quarrels amongst themselves will forget about their disputes and come together to have fun. The community chairman is often invited, though he is a busy man but he sometimes comes around or sends representatives. Since the community chairman uses about 3 years for their tenure, we have had different chairmen over the years.
I could remember one that we had many years ago, I think I was in senior secondary school back then. This time around, children were included in the event and their part was for dancing and a fashion parade. Since most of the ladies in my area has left, some went to school, some got married and so on, I and one other girl were like the eldest amongst the girls in our street. Me and this girl were not that close but we were acquaintances. The girl lives at the other side of my street.
So it fell on me mostly to teach the children dancing steps. I taught the children lots of dancing steps that I knew back then and of course since children also love dancing, they also brought in their own steps which we incorporated. I selected some of the children(boys and girls) for the fashion parade and some for dancing. The other girl Wunmi also assisted the little way she could.
I carried the whole thing on my head because it's actually the first time children were allowed to participate since the event was usually for youths and adults in the area. Everything was going on well and we were all anticipating the day of the event.
The parents of the children that wanted to participate were very happy. They got the costumes needed for their children's dance. I went along with a woman who has knowledge of getting clothes at thrift stores at a very cheaper rate and we got black leggings and white shirts for the girls and white shirts and black shorts for the boys.
Parents brought out native attire for each of their children for the fashion parade. Some of the children were to give speeches on the importance of education and also words of appreciation to parents.
While all these were going on, the youths were also preparing for their events. A day before the event, one of our neighbors' daughters arrived from school. She is in the 200 level in the university. She learned from her parents about the community event and decided to come around.
She is about 3 to 4 years older than me so I usually add a prefix to her name “Aunty”, so I call her Aunty Juliana. When she got back, she was well received by all, of course she is also a member of the community. She came to where I was doing the final practice with the children
"Aunty Juliana!, Wow, is this you?", I screamed as I rushed to greet her, I hugged her which she reciprocated.
"Hello rukkie, well done o",she also responded.
The children also greeted her and she complimented what we were doing. She sat with us for a while before leaving.
The guys in the community arranged tables and chairs at the venue and everywhere was already bubbling which is very usual since the event doesn't happen every year. I could barely sleep the night before the event as I was waiting to see the outcome of all hours spent practicing with the children.
On the day of the event. Everything was well arranged. Even the chairman came very early. Some of the community elders were sitting beside the chairman and the whole place was filled with lots of people from different streets and other communities. Since the venue was at the back of my house, the children doing the dance and other presentations were at my place with all their costumes. I was busy helping them dress. The other lady also came to lend a hand.
I heard the M.C called the children to start their presentation which they did. They executed the dance perfectly, did the parade so well and all other presentations. Everyone was very happy, the chairman included and while I went to get refreshments for the children, the chairman asked the M.C to call the person representing the children and you guessed right, Aunty Juliana quickly rushed forward, getting a handshake from the chairman. By the time I rushed to join them, they were about to take pictures with the children and I joined in only to be told to go to the back while Aunty Juliana stood beside the chairman and those who came with him, with the children in front.
I was very angry because Aunty Juliana did absolutely nothing and she took the glory while I who worked tirelessly was not even recognized. The worst part of it was when I learned that she submitted her account information to the chairman's people as he promised to give the children some money as a way of appreciating them.
Two days later, Aunty Juliana brought some water bottles for the children and bought fruit juice for me which I gave to the other lady. We learned she was given a huge amount of money and she spent not even up to a quarter of it to get all the things she bought for me and the children. I protested and some mothers joined in and told her to provide the amount given to her by the chairman but she insisted she had used the money to get things for the children.
My parents, seeing that the whole thing is causing issues, told me to let it go since problems like that defeats the purpose of the event we just had.
Writing this post made me realize I never really did let it go. She stole my thunder and she never apologized for it.