Afii 100 ni eho nɛ lɛ, oblahii akpekpei abɔ shi amɛshĩai ni amɛtee ta. Maŋhedɔɔ mumɔ ni ehe shi waa yɛ nakai beaŋ lɛ ji nɔ ni ha amɛná he miishɛɛ waa akɛ amɛaafee nakai. Yɛ afi 1914 lɛ, oblanyo ko ni jɛ Amerika ni kɛ ehe ha akɛ ebaaya ta nɛɛ eko lɛ ŋma akɛ, “Eŋɔɔ minaa waa ni mimli efili mi yɛ gbii ni yɔɔ miishɛɛ ni jwere wɔhiɛ lɛ ahewɔ.”

Kɛlɛ, eyeee be ko ni amɛhiɛ tsɔ yaje amɛsɛɛ. Mɔ ko mɔ ko kpaaa gbɛ akɛ asraafoi babaoo nɛɛ baayatsomlo afii abɔ yɛ Belgium kɛ France. Mɛi ni yɔɔ no beaŋ lɛ tsɛ ta nɛɛ akɛ, “Ta Kpeteŋkpele” lɛ. Shi ŋmɛnɛ lɛ, gbɛ́i ni wɔkɛle lɛ ji klɛŋklɛŋ jeŋ ta lɛ.

Anɔkwa, klɛŋklɛŋ jeŋ ta lɛ ji ta kpeteŋkpele, ejaakɛ mɛi ni gboi kɛ mɛi ni pila yɛ mli lɛ ayi fa waa. Mɛi komɛi buɔ akɔntaa akɛ, mɛi aaafee akpekpei 10 gboi ni mɛi aaafee akpekpei 20 pila waa yɛ ta lɛ mli. Eji ta kpeteŋkpele hu, ejaakɛ tɔmɔi wuji ji nɔ ni ha eba. Maji ni yɔɔ Yuropa lɛ ahiɛnyiɛlɔi lɛ nyɛɛɛ afee majimaji ateŋ bei lɛ ahe nɔ ko aahu ni ebatsɔ jeŋ muu fɛɛ ta. Shi ekolɛ, anɔkwa sane ni sa kadimɔ fe enɛ ji akɛ “Ta Kpeteŋkpele” lɛ fite je lɛ kwraa. Ni bɔ ni etsake jeŋ shihilɛ eha lɛ miisa wɔhe lolo ŋmɛnɛ.

Nii ahe ni ayasusuuu jogbaŋŋ lɛ ji nɔ ni kɛ klɛŋklɛŋ jeŋ ta lɛ ba. Yinɔsane wolo ko (The Fall of the Dynasties—The Collapse of the Old Order 1905-1922) tsɔɔ mli akɛ, yɛ afi 1914 mli, dani ta lɛ baafɛ lɛ, maji ni yɔɔ Yuropa lɛ ahiɛnyiɛlɔi eyakɔɔɔ sɛɛ akɛ yiŋ ni amɛkpɛɔ lɛ kɛ oshara baaba jeŋ fɛɛ.

Agbe Austria odehe ko, ni yɛ otsii fioo komɛi asɛɛ lɛ, enɛ ha Yuropa maji ni yɔɔ hewalɛ lɛ fɛɛ kɛ amɛhe wo ta ko ni kulɛ amɛsumɔɔɔ ni eba lɛ mli. Beni ta lɛ je shishi sɛɛ gbii fioo komɛi lɛ, abi German maŋsɔɔlɔnukpa lɛ akɛ: “Ni te fee tɛŋŋ ta lɛ je shishi hu?” Ekɛ gbee ni yɔɔ mɔbɔmɔbɔ ha hetoo akɛ: “Aa, namɔ aaale?”

Hiɛnyiɛlɔi ni kpɛ yiŋ ni ha ta lɛ fɛ lɛ lé akɛ sane aba ni aye lɛ aflaŋaa emaaa nɔ. Shi eyeee be ko ni asraafoi ni yɔɔ ta lɛ naa lɛ na akɛ ayakpɛ amane abaha amɛ. Amɛna akɛ amɛhiɛnyiɛlɔi lɛ eha amɛnine enyɛ shi, amɛsɔfoi lɛ elaka amɛ, ni amɛtatsɛmɛi lɛ ejie amɛ eha. Te ebalɛ tɛŋŋ?

Hiɛnyiɛlɔi lɛ wo amɛ shi akɛ ta lɛ baaha je lɛ shihilɛ ahi fe bɔ ni eyɔɔ lɛ. German maŋsɔɔlɔnukpa lɛ wie akɛ: “Wɔmiiwu ta lɛ bɔni afee ni wɔná wɔnitsumɔi ni yaa nɔ yɛ toiŋjɔlɛ mli lɛ ahe sɛɛ, ni wɔnine ashɛ wɔgboshinii lɛ anɔ, ni wɔná shihilɛ kpakpa wɔsɛɛ.” Amerika Maŋhiɛnyiɛlɔ Woodrow Wilson fata he ni aná wiemɔ ni he shi waa yɛ nakai beaŋ, ni woɔ mɔ hewalɛ, ni tsɔɔ akɛ ta lɛ ‘baaha je lɛ afee shweshweeshwe aha demokrase’ lɛ. Ni yɛ Britain lɛ, mɛi susu akɛ ebaafee “ta ni baaha tai asɛɛ afo.” Shi bɔ ni amɛ fɛɛ amɛsusu lɛ jeee nakai eba lɛ.

Osɔfoi lɛ kɛ ekãa fĩ ta lɛ sɛɛ. Yinɔsane wolo ko (The Columbia History of the World) tsɔɔ mli akɛ: “Mɛi ni hiɛ Nyɔŋmɔ wiemɔ lɛ ji mɛi ni wo mɛi hewalɛ ni amɛkɛ amɛhe awo ta lɛ mli. Maji lɛ kɛ amɛ nɔ fɛɛ nɔ wo ta lɛ mli ni enɛ ha hetsɛ̃ he shi waa yɛ je lɛ mli.” Ni yɛ nɔ najiaŋ ni osɔfoi lɛ aaaye abua ni hetsɛ̃ lɛ sɛɛ afo lɛ, amɛha emli wo wu moŋ. Yinɔsane wolo ko (A History of Christianity) tsɔɔ mli akɛ, “Osɔfoi lɛ dɔ amɛmaji lɛ ahe aahu akɛ, amɛnyɛɛɛ, ni amɛsumɔɔɔ hu po ni amɛkɛ Kristofoi ahemɔkɛyeli lɛ aye no najiaŋ. Akɛni amɛteŋ mɛi babaoo sumɔɔɔ ni amɛhe fĩɔ amɛ hewɔ lɛ, amɛkɛ amɛnifeemɔi tsɔɔ akɛ Kristojamɔ tamɔ maŋhedɔɔ nɔŋŋ. Awo asraafoi ni jɛ sɔlemɔi srɔtoi fɛɛ amli lɛ hewalɛ ni amɛgbegbee amɛhe yɛ amɛ-Yiwalaherelɔ lɛ gbɛ́i amli.”

Tatsɛmɛi lɛ wo amɛ shi akɛ etɔŋ amɛ ni eyeŋ be ko ni amɛbaaye kunim, shi eyabaaa lɛ nakai. Beni amɛhɛleɔ shi lɛ, ta lɛ mli efĩ ni ehiii nɔ ko kwraa feemɔ. No sɛɛ lɛ, asraafoi akpekpei abɔ yaje shihilɛ ko ni yinɔsaneŋmalɔ ko wie he akɛ “ekolɛ no ji shihilɛ ni mli wa fe fɛɛ ni ye adesai babaoo awui yɛ heloŋ kɛ henumɔŋ” lɛ mli. Eyɛ mli akɛ agbe asraafoi babaoo moŋ, shi tatsɛmɛi lɛ tee nɔ amɛtsirɛ amɛwebii lɛ ayisɛɛ ní amɛya nɔ amɛkpee tui ni atswiaa basabasa kɛ waya afabaŋi ni afolɔ lɛ anaa. Ebɛ naakpɛɛ mɔ akɛ asraafoi babaoo tse amɛtatsɛmɛi lɛ ahiɛ atua.

Te klɛŋklɛŋ jeŋ ta lɛ sa mɛi ahe eha tɛŋŋ? Yinɔsane wolo ko wie akɛ mɔ ko ni wu ta lɛ eko lɛ kɛɛ akɛ: “Ta lɛ . . . fite mɛi ni hi shi yɛ nakai beaŋ lɛ ajwɛŋmɔ kɛ amɛsubaŋ.” Anɔkwa, ta lɛ ha nɔyelii komɛi laaje kwraa yɛ shihilɛ mli. Kɛjɛ afi 1901 kɛyashi afi 2000 naagbee lɛ, ashwie la shi waa fe be fɛɛ ni eho yɛ adesai ayinɔsane mli, ni ta nɛɛ bafee shishijee nɔ ko kɛha nɛkɛ la shishwiemɔ nɛɛ. Nɔyelii abutumɔ kɛ nitsumɔtsɛmɛi ahiɛ atuatsemɔ bahe shi yɛ nakai beaŋ.

Mɛni hewɔ ta lɛ tsake jeŋ shihilɛ kwraa nɛkɛ? Ani eji oshara wulu ko kɛkɛ ni ba? Ani sanebimɔi nɛɛ ahetoi lɛ baanyɛ aha wɔle nɔ ni baaba wɔnɔ wɔsɛɛ?