Kentiba Mender the God of Thunder and Lightning: How Kentiba Mender Liberated Africa from the Clutches of the British Empire and Defeated the Colonialists, During the Scramble for Africa

By Embaye Melekin

Mender was a wonderful man who followed in the dictates and aspirations of the Lord. He fought vigorously to ensure that Africa did not fall into the hands of the British Empire. His history is a story of a brave and a daring African who singlehandedly decided to liberate Africa from the hands of colonialist Britain. I know no other person that had done so much for the continent of Africa as Mender in our entire history.

Mender's name is not a household name for obvious reasons as could be understood from reading of this book, but his legacy shall remain etched in the hearts of all Africans. His contribution is immense and his role in the liberation of Africa is incomparable with any other individual in the continent.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris UK
• Release date: Oct 5, 2015
• ISBN: 9781514461747

Embaye Melekin

I am an Eritrea and currently retain the citizenship of Canada. I have written five book, prior to this one, and claim to have inspiration from God in all my writings. Most of my books delve into unknown materials that are very empowering to the ordinary man.

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Copyright © 2017 by Embaye Melekin.

Library of Congress Control Number:   2015911212

ISBN:      Hardcover      978-1-5144-6176-1

                Softcover       978-1-5144-6175-4

                eBook            978-1-5144-6174-7

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Rev. date: 12/21/2016

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Bow down, the

father instructed the young boy who refused to honor the religious leader. The boy reluctantly bowed his head but rejected the sage father’s demand to bend down and honor the revered religious leader. The religious leader eventually intervened and said, leave him alone, he is just a kid. But the father wouldn’t relent and he whipped his son with his cane until he grimaced terribly for the lash fell right on the center of his back.

This is how Mender learnt how to behave and respect his elders and honor his seniors. But Mender was not a man who would be tamed. His wildness was so obvious and the Kentiba was expressing grave concerns. His son was becoming a wild man and had no regard for any authority. That was not normal among the Mensas for they all revered their Kentiba with heartfelt adoration and honored their religious leaders greatly. But Mender’s name became synonymous with rebellion and no one mistook him for another for he was tall, elegant and extremely muscular.

Mender called his own mother, Mahlet, even though her real name was Mahla. He called her so because she was known to be very a very strict woman and she disciplined all her children and especially Mender very severely. She never wavered from inflicting her wrath upon Mender whenever a report came to her saying that he had violated one form of rule or another that were observed by the Mensa people.

Eventually, his father, the Kentiba, had enough of Mender who was merely ten years old, and immersed him among the miimenan (faithful) in the convent of Debre Sinna (Mount Sinai). There, Mender leant the contents of the Bible and also how to pray and behave himself. While he resided at Debre Sinna he sometimes became highly emotional every time the leading priest bowed down in reverence to God and conducted his regular preachings. Prior to that Mender never had any knowledge of the bible and the reverence of God apart from the little his mother had imparted in him.

Mender lived in Debre Sinna for more than two years and he gradually became more docile than even the priests. Prior to coming to Debre Sinna, Mender was a hyper child who disregarded all religious rituals but in the monastery of Debre Sinna he became well versed with the tenets of God and he read the holy bible extensively. His education became more refined and he understood every verse of the holy book as time went on.

One day, the father, the Kentiba, was passing by Debre Sinna riding his horse and accompanied by his assistant and found, to his ultimate excitement, that his son, Mender, had become a highly refined gentleman. He spoke to the chief monk and wanted to find out how he succeeded to tame his wild son and convert him to a highly disciplined and elegant young man.

The head monk assured the Kentiba that it had nothing to do with him or any members of the clergy. All they did was blessed him and baptized him and then they continued to pray for him. He assured the Kentiba that his son, Mender, was never disciplined, not even one time, and no one laid a hand on him throughout his stay at the monastery.

Mender rose among to a higher hierarchy among the clergy and began to preach on the pulpit with great faith and no one was known to preach with so much zeal as him. He believed in every tenet of the bible and revered all the prophets and understood their messages clearly. Isaiah was his favorite. He normally never knelt down while praying but always stood up and sang with his loud baritone voice.

His head was always covered with the same hat that all the monks wore. However, despite constant demands from the head monk Mender refused to trim his hair and hence, kept his diglel (dreadlocks) intact but only reduced them whenever they grew beyond the tip of his shoulders. He was dark chocolate in complexion and his height grew even more while at the monastery. He would eventually become seven feet and six inches tall when he grew up fully. He had broad shoulders, and was very muscular in stature, and never was seen such a height and condensed muscles in the history of Mensa land.

He was unusually heavy but was adequately supported by his strong and broad bones and he walked everywhere as if he owned the world. His dreadlocks were numbered to be exactly thirty, for he ordered his groomer not to exceed that number and she did a wonderful way of dividing his entire hair into evenly distributed portions.

Dar was his favorite friend at the monastery and he waited for him to complete his prayers daily and then spent the time together, discussing the verses of the Bible. Mender and Dar both became known as the individuals who delighted in the holy book and analyzed every section of the bible. Mender remained at the monastery for another two years and began to feel lonely, suddenly, and missed his mother tremendously.

His mother was always a disciplinarian and Mender felt squeezed sometimes, but now he realized how much important she was in shaping him into the man that he had become. His love for her never diminished and he aspired to see her and four years was just too much without seeing his dear mother, he thought. Hence, he asked for permission from the head monk to visit his mother at Mirrara, but the holy father rejected his pleas and never wavered from his stance. He warned Mender that such a privilege was only allowed by the synod and he advised him to present his case to them.

Mender never pursued his case and never requested any form of application to the synod for they would want to know if he had fully absolved himself from the love of man and committed his life wholly to God, which he did not. His love for his mother was just too tremendous and nothing would wipe it away from his heart and memory. One day, a monk argued with him violently and wanted to know if his convictions were adequate. Mender never knew that he was being examined surreptitiously to determine if he had fully committed himself to God and was ripe enough to be anointed as a monk.

The head monk led him to a field of grass and they both sat for a while then the hidden interrogation began without revealing any of his intentions to Mender. How are you allowed to live your life in the monastery as a monk when you should have lived your life as the son of the Kentiba? asked the same senior monk.

Mender, in his normal attitude, replied, I wish I had the opportunity to assume the Kentiba’s powers for I would have made several changes to the Mensa laws and even changed some church rules. And the conversation went on and on until dusk when they finally returned to the monastery for dinner and final prayer of the day.

The chief monk that tested Mender was so impressed by Mender’s knowledge of the local laws of Mensa and hence, he advised his subordinate to convey the information to his father, Kentiba Dair. When he did so, he was surprised by the response of his father. The Kentiba was very furious and wanted to know why his son was not exclusively being groomed to become a holy person. The Kentiba felt that they were wasting his time teaching him the laws of Mensa, a duty that was the business of his mother, when he was younger.

The reporting monk dispatched the Kentiba’s anger to the head monk who inquired if Mender was well versed with the bible and if his baptism had borne any fruits. What he heard pleased him and he made it a manner of honor to visit Irra, the headquarters of the Kentiba. He spoke to the Kentiba as if he personally converted Mender to become a holy man and assured the Kentiba that Mender was an asset to the monastery and Mensa land. The father was highly impressed and he immediately sent emissaries to search for a wife that was suitable for Mender. And he was not disappointed for they found his eventual bride-to-be within just a couple weeks of ardent search.

Mender married in a lavish ceremony and the stage was set for him to reclaim his manhood and the shingal (ceremonial shaving) was conducted by a family member of his mother’s side. He was then declared eligible to sit with the elders and confer with them and resume his sage manner of discussion pertaining to any topic that emerged from his mind. He vowed never to be a nuisance and hence, made it a habit to remain a good listener and only intervened and contributed when he felt only absolutely essential. Soon, he became known as the man who spoke little but made tremendous contributions, for all the words that came out of Mender’s mouth were words of absolute wisdom.

Bad things happen and his father fell ill and Mender was by his side until he expired, at the age of sixteen. Mender was the youngest of all his siblings of five girl and five boys. He was anointed as the Kentiba, at the age of sixteen, and he resumed his duties without much learning much from his elders and only armed with what his mother had taught him in his younger age. He also had the privilege to regularly sit by his father, after he left the monastery, and learned the ropes of being a Kentiba before his father’s death. However, his heart was filled with great sorrow by the loss of his father, the man he loved and admired so much throughout his days.

His mother was also greatly grieved. However, her spirit was not greatly depressed and she was in constant watch to ensure that her son, Mender, did not deviate from the sage laws of Mensa land. Mothers were the honor of the Mensas and their roles as life-givers never ended until their deaths. In Mensa land, mothers were accorded high virtues and commanded absolute powers over their children. They were never relegated by their children all the days of their lives for if any of their children disobey or abused them the children were always castigated as outcasts by the Mensa society.

Mender never wavered from the norms and dictates of Mensa laws and conferred with his subjects in the normal manner that his ancestors had sustained for many centuries. He had his hilay (folk songs) to appease his heart whenever he was down and he heard constantly messages of the Lord from the Celibet (sage woman.) He was also known not to pass an opportunity whenever there was dirge dance in the community. He knew that the people always applauded him and demanded that he danced in his elegant manner. The Celibet was always around him on such occasions, and mostly as a guest of honor. She constantly shared her messages from God with Mender whenever he asked for his counseling.

Now and then he heard good news and also bad ones. He told his maa’di (counselor) to tell him the good news first before narrating the bad ones. One day, the maadi sat comfortably beside him and thought very hard for he didn’t know how to break the bad news to Mender. After a grueling time and after the normal formalities of verbal verses of acclamations, he stood erect and said, your mother is dead.

Mender never flinched at first and looked as if he didn’t care for he was in a terrible shock. He suddenly burst into a wailing shout and wept profusely. The Ferados (judges) who were present during the announcement let him exhaust himself, as he wept, and did not intervene nor did they try to console him, for that was their tradition. Then suddenly one of the eldest Ferados rose up and shouted for order to be restored for many were overwhelmed by Mender’s reactions and were weeping with him. Mender, who had eventually calmed down and was merely moaning in silence also gathered himself and listened to the Ferados as they all expressed their condolences.

One by one, the Ferados proclaimed their love and admiration for Mahla, Mender’s mother. Afterwards, one of them began his hilay (folk song) and the rest followed in chorus. The prayer that the Ferado formulated would be known throughout Mensa land and would become his title hymn throughout the tenure of Kentiba Mender. Virtually all the Mensa leaders were known through the mentoring and grooming of their mothers, whether they become good or bad rulers.

A successful Kentiba was assumed to have had a good mother who coached him appropriately while a bad Kentiba was resented by the Mensa people as would also be his mother. Kentiba Mender was fortunate for his mother dealt with him harshly whenever he strayed or deviated from his forefather’s laws and edicts. As a result, his knowledge of Mensa laws and traditions were intact for his mother groomed her entire children accordingly.

During his mother’s burial Mender waited for his turn to pour a glass of water in his mother’s grave and say, the Lord gives life and the Lord takes life, go your way and retire and be with the Lord. He then waited again, until her grave was filled up with soil and then a cross mounted on top of the small mound that was made, with stones surrounding it, to show the exact location of her burial ground. He immediately returned to his throne and began to administer his normal duties and he dared not show any emotional outbursts for that would have been construed as a sign of weakness on his part. His mother lived a fruitful life and her time eventually ended, and she departed to be with the Lord and her memory would be remembered by the conducts of her children.

Mender was confronted with numerous subjects of contention on his first day of his return to normal duties, after two days of absence, and after the burial of his mother. The main issue plaguing the Mensas was adultery and Mender couldn’t figure out how to curb the number of issues that were raised concerning those who cheated on their lawful wives.

Many Mensas had affairs outside their marriages and were discovered by either their neighbors or the women they slept with spoke loudly and proclaimed them as their own, much to the dissatisfaction of their actual wives and even their children. There was no law promulgated against consensual sex, for Kentiba Manna had struck down the previous laws that forbade such acts for he was a womanizer himself.

Mender fantasized having an affair with many of the women that claimed wrongness but never did so for some of them were excessively beautiful and attractive. His heart ached whenever he saw a woman weeping before him because of the betrayal of her lawfully married husband and did not know how to reveal his total animosity towards such men.

He spoke with reverence to such women and always gave them hope and raised the name of the Lord to be their judge and redeemer for he was powerless to do anything to help them. Many of the women were honored for forgiving their husbands for their indiscretions, after the intervention of the elders. Usually compensation was made in the form of gold necklaces and other ornaments and according to the demands of the forgiving women.

It was a common knowledge in Mensa land that a woman that was betrayed by her husband who delved into an extramarital affairs was a damaged good. Such women never recover from their hurt and would always remain bitter from thereafter. Forgiveness of such adultery was considered to be bestowed by the strength of God. No woman that ever was betrayed by her husband had ever had the mind and heart to forgive entirely, even if she pretended to do so. Such women never revealed their secrets for most of the time but were always heavy-hearted and the shame of such betrayals always played havoc in their minds throughout their lives.

Mender mended numerous discrepancies in the laws of Mensa with his wett’o power (Veto power) and he was not very popular with the Ferados (judged) and the Con-grasse (Congress) that were representatives of the various clans that made up the people of Mensa. They constantly accused Mender and felt that he regularly usurped the people’s powers and saw him more as a dictator. However, Mender was a very smart Kentiba. He merely bypassed the Ferados and delivered his own messages directly to the Con-grasse (ability-of divisions.) He assessed the responses of the clan leaders before promulgating his own laws, an anomaly from the conducts of previous Kentibas before him.

One day, he was sitting in his normal throne and listening to the various grievances of his people. Those in attendance made their normal praises and even denigrations, in proses, and it was not long before Aflam confronted him. He accused him of turning blind eye while the priesthood raped their daughters. Aflam went on to describe the abuse of powers of the priesthood and how they were corrupted. The people around him showed their agreements and praised Aflam for being courageous enough to point out the facts that were eating them internally.

Mender listened carefully and demanded verifications. Aflam reserved the right to remain silent and awaited to see if any of the members of the audience would voice out similar concerns. But there was none. Hence, Mender made his own ruling on the aforesaid subject and asked the scribes to make a note and pass it to the Ferados for investigation. Aflam wailed in praise for he gained victory without implicating himself. He knew he had a point but had no sufficient evidentiary facts to support his claims.

Mender went on to other matters of the day and assumed everyone was satisfied with his rulings for there was no dissent that day. However, Aflam’s comment disturbed him so much. He didn’t take action immediately because Aflam asserted his right not to implicate himself by being the main witness to whatever he perceived were taking place. Mender had no clue that such malpractices were being committed by the priesthood while he was at the monastery.

Mender was very disappointed because the law protected Aflam and could not use even his Kentiba powers to make him talk, and expand on his claims that the priesthood was involved in anomaly of some sorts that involved women. He ordered the scribe to fasten the process of delivery to the Ferados and the Congress and for the billet (sayings), or bill, to be delivered to them the same day, and before the end of the day. However, the Ferados were on sabbit-ical (stop-fulfillment) leave and were not to confer together for the next one month.

Mender was not aware of the Ferados status, and when he learnt of their absence he decided to follow in the same pattern that had become his mode of operation. He ordered multiple copies of the bilate (bill) to be sent to all the clan heads of all mainlands Mensa.

The scribes made many copies and delivered them to the various clan heads, as instructed by Kentiba Mender. The clan heads had their own methods of settling disputes and mostly took time away from their priorities whenever a situation was urgent. They deliberated upon the billet (bill) sent to them by Kentiba Mender and they realized that it was an urgent matter that required their immediate attention.

Mender never knew that he had blown open a can of worms that was simmering in the minds of the entire mainland Mensa people. The message that was sent to the con-grasse (Congress,) a congregation of all the clan heads, had triggered heated debates among the various members of the clans. They were excited that Mender, their Kentiba, was also expressing the same concerns as the people of the entire mainland Mensa land.

The godly people praised the Lord for giving them such a good leader and even the peasantry expressed gratitude to the Lord for the sage leader that the Lord had appointed for them. Mender never knew that he was to be shouldered with such a heavy burden of resolving a grudge that had plagued the mainland Mensa people for over a hundred years.

After many sessions of regular hearing among the clan heads he was informed that a decision had been taken, by a unanimous vote, among the con-grasse (Congress), the heads of all the seventy clans in Mensa land. Mender wished that their decisions would be final and would not be tampered with by either the Ferados or the Kentiba, himself. Mender was a strong believer that the people’s power was the ultimate decision making process particularly when assented by a unanimous vote. However, Mender was surprised at the speed the decisions were taken of such a crucial matter. He wondered if the contents of the decisions of the clan heads were adequate enough to promulgate them as laws of Mensa land and for him to endorse them without changes.

He was aware of his wett’o (veto) powers but Mender was not the one to use it against the will of the people for a Kentiba had the powers to override any laws endorsed by the Congress, Ferados and Senate (Senators.) He could do so if he felt that a bill endorsed by the people proved to be against the interest of the mainland Mensa nation. He had to prove and convince the people that such bills, if ultimately assented by him, will produce adverse effects in his society. And he also had to prove that the new law’s befits were less beneficial to the people and will ultimately have a harmful effect on the overall mainland Mensa people and threaten the stability of their nation.

Mender gathered all the clan heads in the Semin-a’riy, strength-and shown (Seminary) and waited for the delivered werid-cte’ or tabled-argument, (verdict), to be opened and made public after the deliberation of the clan heads. The con-grasse (Congress) members were all silent and no one spoke while Kentiba Mender elaborated on the bill before him. However, Mender did not know why the normally chaotic members of the clan heads were in complete silence. He declared and ordered the floor to be opened for discussions, arguments and debates. Mender then urged some of the clan heads of the major clans to resume their presentations. The bill had passed the process and was endorsed by the Ferados (judiciary) without alteration. However, Mender found it essential to hear the arguments of the clan heads before assenting the crucial bill before him.

Eventually, the clan heads all stood up in reverence to the Kentiba and then sat down without saying a word regarding the bille (bill) they had already assented unanimously. After a few tries of cajoling and even a little intimidation Kentiba Mender realized that he was going nowhere. Hence, he ordered for the bille (bill) to be read in its entirety knowing that he could delete it with a simple word and a stroke of a pen and render it null and void.

Felam was designated to read the law in its entirety and Mender was heavy hearted for he knew of its implications. He understood the anger of the people but as it was the bill would cause commotion among the people. So he stood and bowed down to the con-gress (Congress) and began to speak in his usual eloquence. He gave numerous verbal assertions of his commitment to the people and their decisions and went on to spell out his responsibilities, as a Kentiba, and his role to protect the people’s interests.

He made it clear to them that the people of Mensa were the ultimate decision makers of their destinies but he emphasized that the people sometimes made emotional errors that would ultimately be detrimental to their wellbeing, in the long run. He gave them his assurance that he would not rule against their decisions and but at the same time he reserved his right to take a few days to digest the cons and pros of their decisions before he assented the bill into an effective law.

The clan heads dispersed satisfied that their voices had been heard and were assured that the bille (bill) will be passed into law and will not be vetoed by Kentiba Mender. Immediately after they were all gone, Mender released a bulletin and all the Ferados were informed in their various locations for they had already endorsed the proposed bill. The Ferados demanded for an immediate audience with the Kentiba and urged Mender to hear their views for Mender had only two days to respond to the heads of the people made up of the various clans. The Ferados immediately convened and all the ten were in utter disgust after realizing that Mender was intending to make some changes to the bill they had unanimously approved.

Mender cautioned for reasoning to prevail and had a hard time controlling the Ferados in their entirety. They accused him of being a weak leader and a disgrace to the Mensa people. He had a veto power and they were incensed that he did not use it to the benefit of the Mensa people. All efforts to persuade Mender to pass the bille (bill) intact was rejected by him and assured them that he would not deny the right of the people of Mensa a law of their choice. The argument went on for more than eight hours and there was no resolution. Mender stood his grounds and the Ferados were also quiet obstinate and nothing was resolved within that period of time

Eventually, one of the sane Ferados suggested his amendments to the law. He tabulated his version of the bill and to Mender’s surprise, all the Ferados agreed with him. The Feraday, Gabir Salim, said, "the idea of beheading a priest for rape and adultery should be modified to read that he should be killed in appropriate manners suggested, by us, the Ferados.

Second, if a virgin is defiled, the defiler should be forced to marry her. Third, if a legally married man by the church commits adultery, he should not be killed but given lashes instead. Fourth, if a person commits adultery more than two times, he should be ex-communicated from the church and never be baptized, even his children. Five, if a woman commits adultery, she should be executed. If they don’t execute her then she should falls under our jurisdiction and we decide by what manner she should die.

Mender heard the amen-dmanet (belief and faith) or amendment and pondered over it for a while. He asked for an hour recess (compilation) in Tigre and went outside for a short walk, all by himself, and knelt down away from any viewing, and prayed his hearts off, asking for the guidance of the Lord. When he returned, he knew precisely what to say. When the qorom (argument) or quorum had convened the Ferados were vehement in their unanimity and threatened Mender with all sorts of repercussions if he did not comply with their recom-mend (patching-repair) or recommendation.

Mender knew the powers of the Ferados and didn’t want to despair them, but at the same time, his loyalty was to the people of Mensa. He sat down and began his praises of the Ferados and their tenacity to do what was good for the Mensa people. He assured them that the Mensa people desired nothing less than their various strata of their governmental structure to work together and in perfect harmony. He said, the people come first, followed by the Ferados and that he, Mender, was just a referee, anointed by the Lord.

The Ferados had heard enough of his adulation and were exhausted and wanted an answer from him and seemed to do so by their constant grumbling making Mender’s speech unheard to their ears. Mender got the message clearly and hence, he began his astute messages with regard to the law that was passed by the people of the entire Mensa land.

First Mender said, "you suggestion not to behead the priest who commit rape or adultery is accepted and thus made into law immediately and as you amended it.

"Second, if a virgin is defiled by a rapist, the defiler should be executed unless she voluntarily agrees to marry him.

"Third, if a legally and avowed member of the church commits adultery, he should be lashed and given twenty-one of them and the manner of lashing and instrument used to be decided by you, the Ferados.

"Fourth, if a person commits adultery, more than once, he should be deported out of our motherland, as was the law that was abrogated by Kentiba Manna.

"Fifth, all that was endorsed by you is acceptable and no woman should be killed who commits adultery and should be lashed, unless she is forcedly made to do so.

"Sixth, any man who rapes a woman should be deported out of Mensa land.

"Seventh, if a woman desires a man, if she is not a virgin, and not married, she should feel free to mate with him, without any repercussion, as long as she sticks to him and he agrees to cohabit with her.

"Eight, no man shall know another woman, sexually, without her consent and if he does, he should be deported out of Mensa land.

"Nine, any member of the Ferados or heads of clans or even those in any number of administrations that use their influence to garner money, grain, donkey or horse or even sexual favors should be removed from their positions immediately and lashed more than twenty-one times, as decided by the Ferados.

That is all I have to say, and that is the law of the land, and I will require no consideration from either you, the Ferados, or even the people, whom I am sure will be pleased with my decisions and the decision of the Lord.

The Ferados were shocked at his audacity to verbally assent it without even bothering to seek any more suggestion from them. They all clapped their hands with their little finger to show their disdain and showered him with their disagreement and promised to torment him in other legal considerations in the future.

Mender used his wetto (Veto) power to delete and rewrite a new form of the billet (bill) that was unanimously endorsed with great acclamation when it was read before the people representing the various clans. Mender was seen as the mender of all the people’s woes and tribulations and all accepted the fact that no man would ever have sexual relationship with a woman that was not bestowed to him. However, the Ferados named the bille (bill) that was brought before them to endorse, Mergem Mender or Mender’s curse.

The bille (bill) went into effect a few days after it was assented by the people and the draft copy signed by the Ferados and assented by Mender, himself. Not long after that numerous women came out of their woodwork and exposed the priests that were having sexual relationship with them, outside their marriages.

The Ferados became ruthless and lashed nine of them and the last one of them was hanged in public accused of raping a virgin. And thus, the Ferados were able to cleanse the church and serenity reigned over all Mensa land and numerous men were lashed twenty-one times for their adulterous behaviors. Soon the land was in perfect harmony and no one complained and the church was once again highly respected and revered by the entire inhabitants of mainland Mensa.

After barely six weeks, the nation was in absolute calmness and the people felt proud of their Kentiba and never felt threatened any more. However, news began to trickle that some of the Ferados had indeed abused their powers. Six of them were removed from their positions because they had taken bribes and seven of them were lashed twenty-one times because of their past adulterous affiliations. The whole Mensa clans knew of the laws of Mender and many implemented it in their jurisdictions in various forms and shapes to avert adultery, corruption and prostitution in the entire Mensa nation.

Those who wanted to denigrate Kentiba Mender did so through hilays (folk songs) and there were not a few of them. They battered him so much by those who disagreed with him and attempted tirelessly to wound his reputation. At a stage Mender even contemplated giving up his throne and to pass it to his very youngest son. However, his faith was so strong in the Lord and that kept him grounded and less distracted from his normal duties. His wife was vilified as a secret adviser to him also and they condemned her in the same vicious songs.

However, most of the clamors came from the people in higher positions, who were deprived of the fringe benefits they enjoyed in their various strata of the nation’s administration. Ninety-nine percent of the local and ordinary people were ardent lovers of Mender and that pleased him very much. He therefore ignored any invitations coming from the higher hierarchy of the people and only attended ceremonies organized by the lower class and supporters of his leadership.

One day, Mender was going for a walk, as usual, for he had never worn shoes since he was seventeen for his feet were so large that no cobbler could produce sandals that could contain them. He was known as the bare-footed Kentiba, and that did not bother him a bit. As he walked past the guard of the Zawils he noticed an unusual movement. He stopped and asked the guard what was taking place. The Zawil guard told him that they were practicing war games to attack the Mensa people and occupy their land.

The Zawil guard, seeing Mender without shoes, never realized that he was speaking to the Kentiba of Mensa. Mender further inquired how they were going to accomplish such a deed and the Zawil named all their strategies, thinking he was just another Zawil farmer. So Mender run all the way to his home and convened the Ferados immediately. When they were all gathered he narrated to them what he had heard from the Zawil guard. They were so alarmed and wanted immediate and lasting resolution to the problem that had lingered between the Mensas and Zawils for many years.

The Zawils came to Eritrea many years ago when the then Kentiba Dair felt threatened by those surrounding Mensa land that were deported from mainland Mensa land and the other surrounding tribes. Even the Maryas became enemies because they had always been Moslems and had lost their identity as the descendants of Prince Moroni. The Marya declared themselves to be of the children of Yezidi and the descendants of the Syrian Marwia caliphate.

Powerful Mensa never felt threatened by the Maryas for many centuries but assumed them as foreigners because of their assimilation with outsiders that were not of African descent. However, the Maryas still maintained their faith in their ancestor, Maryu, and that saved them from being exterminated by the powerful Mensa forces. This time, however, the Mensas were very weak because they made too many excursions into numerous parts of Africa, because of the European and Arab invasion and intrusions into the continent. As a result, the various tribes surrounding proper Mensa land took advantage of such a weakness and attempted to invade and annihilate them.

The Maryas became emboldened and sent emis-sary, (clinch-enemy) or emissaries and began to round up many Mensa clans and forced them to convert to Islam. Many run for their lives and wished to live in hinterland with the rest of the people of Mensa and abandoned most of the border towns to the Maryas. These undesired conversions disturbed the reigning Mensa Kentiba and he was forced to take drastic actions.

Then something else took place that alarmed Kentiba Dair greatly. The Negarit informed him that the Adwas were gathering their forces to attack the Agames. So Kentiba Dair was besieged by the Maryas from the north and the Adwas from the south and he did not have the weapons or the forces to defend mainland Mensa. After many consultations with his advisers he decided to utilize his forces in Beja Midir (Begemder.) In previous times he had asked the Beja Midirs to contribute forces in his adventures in the rest of Africa. At the time, the northern parts of Africa were peaceful but the southern regions were embroiled in conflicts between rival tribes. The Negarit took more than two months to get to Kentiba Dair and over six months for his troops to reach Azania.

Historically, the Mensas were numerous in number and were known to be great warriors. History reveals to us that when the Mensas became too many in numbers and land became scarce in their jurisdictions they selected some clans, by ballot, to resettle them in other parts of Africa to inherit new lands. Local Mensa history also disclose to us that the continent of Africa was originally inhabited by the Yaredites (Jaredites) some of their remnants could still be found in Southern Sudan.

The Mensa clans slotted for resettlement marched with the Mensa army to their new locations. The Mensa army fought the Yaredites and killed all their men and left their women to be inherited by the new settlers. That way, it is assumed that the Mensa people gradually settled all over the continent of Africa and in essence most of the African tribes in the continent trace their origin to the Mensa people. Hence, it could also conveniently be deduced that all Africans are descendants of the Book of Mormon depicted Prince Moroni who is the ancestor of the Mensa people.

The ancient Yaredites (Jaredites), the first inhabitants of the continent of Africa, were divided into thousands tribes and spoke thousands of different languages and dialects. This was so when the Lord confounded the languages of the world after the building of the Tower of Babel and the people were made not to understand one another. That is how the many languages in Africa evolved.

When the newly settled Mensa occupied the lands of the Yaredites they kept the Yaredite women as concubines. Hence, when they produced children they spoke the language of their mothers and hence, the numerous Yaredite languages were preserved. And that is the reason why there are still thousands of tribes and languages and dialects in Africa, even though most of the tribes were originally from Mensa land and spoke only the Tigre language.

As more and more Mensa settlements grew in the rest of Africa disputes began to evolve among them. Hence, mainland Mensa was forced to be the main arbitrator and they sometimes used their military powers to quash any rebellions and those tribes that harassed their neighboring tribes of Mensa origin were disciplined. What started as a small contribution to quell disputes between rival tribes continued for many centuries and hence, the Mensa warriors were involved in resolving tribal conflicts for many centuries.

As a result, mainland Mensas had governed the whole of Africa for many centuries. All the tribes in the continent emerged from mainland Mensa and could trace their ancestry to Moroni. At a time, mainland Mensa controlled vast territories extending all the way to Oromo land. But as time went on, all the tribes asserted their liberties and governed themselves independently. The Mensas were involved only when there were tribal conflicts that resulted in wars between rival tribes.

Hence, mainland Mensa land shrunk in size dramatically. The Amharas (Lemanites) were totally encircled by the children of Naphi’ (Nephites) and never advanced anywhere beyond the area they occupy till today. But the Mensas (Nephites) expanded their spheres to all parts of Africa. However, the children of Lema (Lemanites) or the Amharas did not stop their ambition to coninually attacked the children of Naphi (Nephites) in an attempt to anihilate them. That was the dream of their forefathers, as depicted in the Book of Mormon, and the hatred that was passed to them from generation to generation and from the time of their original ancestor Lema (Leman.)

Over the years, the Mensas expanded their territories to encompass the entire continent of Africa, with the exception of Amhara land (Lemanites). It was the responsibility of mainland Mensas, exclusively, to prevent any wars or tribal rivalries and to keep the peace in the entire continent of Africa. And the Mensa did so for many centuries until they gradually dwindled in influence after the advent of the European invaders that eventually conquered the continent of Africa.

Those who rebelled and tried to dominate other tribes in the entire continent of Africa were punished severely and some even totally exterminated. No one had such massive powers as the mainland Mensas and no one dared attack, molest or disturb the peace in Africa in those days, prior to the arrival of the Europeans. All the tribes in Africa knew their exclusive jurisdictional areas and they respected one another and remained within the confines of their territories. Africans lived in perfect harmony for many centuries and evolved as distict societies all in their rights and in their dominion of land and territorial controls.

At a certain time of the African history, the mainland Kentiba, Dafla, was disturbed by the rebellion of the Xhosas who had become too large in number and were exterting undue terrors on their neighbours. They constantly raided the Zullwas (Zullus) and confiscated their cattles and other amenities and disturbed the lands all over present-day South Africa. Dafla was forced to send almost all his troops to quell the Xhosa uprising . That produced an opening for his neighboring tribes to contemplate on conquering mainland Mensa. And hence, his mainland Mensa was threatened by the Adwas in the south and Maryas in the north and he didn’t know how to defend against such insurgencies.

Thousands of the best of Mensa warriors were on a mission to South Africa to war against the rebellious Xhosas and and as a result, Mensa land was exposed to rival Moslem Maryas and the Adwas in the south. His only option was to request the Beja-Midirs to come to his aid. For many centuries, Bahri Negasi (present-day Eritrea) and Wollo, Tigray and Beja Midir (Begemdir) had co-existed as confederate states. They were close allies and defended each other’s territories in unison. As a result, the stubborn Amharas (Lemanites) were adequately contained and their desire to rule these regions was constantly quashed for many centuries.

Thousands of mainland Mensa gilders, (gilde mean massacre in Tigre,) were dispatched to quell the rebellion of the Zullus and their archenemies, the Xhosas. The Namib were highly ferocious people and none dared attack them but the Xhosas were the trouble in the region and their number was too great because they practiced polygamy and multiplied enormously in number, more than the other tribes. Luckily, they were not great warriors but their sheer number was their power and they stormed their enemies and beheaded them without mercy for they were very ruthless if one fell into their hands.

Kentiba Dair was forced to send such a large force because the Xhosas had overrun even Zimba-b-iwe (rain-by-thunder in Tigre) base of the Mensa soldiers and were on the verge of starving them to death by prohibiting them free movements and by totally encircling them. The main Mensa garrisons (gar-rison means compensation-of fighter in Tigre) were well into the south, near the Table Mountain, and had wiped out all those who stood against them. The Xhosas were stupid and did not know that there was a greater military force south of them and imagined that wiping those in Zimbabwe would make them the ultimate powers in the region.

Also, no one told those maniland Mensa garrisons in the southern tip of Azania that the Xhosas had surrounded the Zimbabwean military base. As a result, the mainland Mensas in the south never felt the urgency to march northwards and were enjoying their spoils of abundant Xhosa food and cattle, remained from their conquests. However, the mainland Mensa base in Zimbabwe was in great distress and they had no choice but to seek help from mainland Mensa. They imagined, erroneously, that the Xhosas had exterminated those Mensas who had marched southwards on their way to the Table Mountain.

Eventually, help arrived from the south and from those who had lodged near the Table Mountain for three months devouring the Xhosa cattle and grains. When they saw the Xhosa army surrounding Zimbabwe they were disgusted and immediately went into rage and ravaged the Xhosas to almost extermination but found all the mainland Mensa soldiers dead from hunger. The commander of the mainland Mensas was so angry and swore not to leave any Xhosa alive for he lost the most valuable members of his gilders.

He ravaged every Xhosa village he could locate and the Xhosas knew of the danger and settled in remote areas, outside their villages, and that was the only way some were spared. However, the main power that the Xhosas were soon became insignificant and and their numbers diminished greatly in the region thereafter. From then onwards, the surrounding tribes ensured that the Xhosas did not rise up again, and hence, they constantly waged wars against them to ensure their numbers never became a threat to them ever again.

Those in Zimbabwe who were starved to death by the Xhosas were buried honorably but no mainland Mensa would ever inhabit the town again because they felt the ghosts of those who starved to death haunted the place and became a ruin within a short period of time, because of the incessant rain and thunder storms that constantly ravaged the region. About three hundred mainland Mensa warriors were all buried in the surrounding areas but were not serviced properly for the Bahtawi (peophet) had died without administering the holy rituals of the Lord on the starved Mensas.

When the additional mainland Mensas that were sent by Kentiba Dafla, as support, arrived they realized that their services were not required and all their tremendous journey was in vain. The Zimbabwean garrisons that had advanced all the way to the Table Mountain had dealt with the main trouble makers, the Xhosas, and had restored everlasting peace in the region.

However, the same soldiers did not immediately return back to mainland Mensa for they were exhausted and greatly famished. So they settled in various parts of present-day southern part of Africa in units of a hundred per division and hunted wild animals for their subsistence. Their commander still remained in the town of Zimbabwe but the rest were all divided and scattered throughout the region and were connected through their Negarit system of communication.

Six months passed and the commander was told to return immediately for mainland Mensa was being threatened by those they never expected to attack them, the Maryas. Merhawi, their commander, searched for the main Negari,