With determination, a young girl named Ìmọ́wùmí returned home one afternoon from school. It wasn’t that her teacher had scolded or punished her. She was simply told that she might struggle to continue in the science department at the first level of senior secondary school. She had already completed the third year of junior secondary school successfully and had moved to the first year of senior school. However, her teachers told her that she must perform excellently in her upcoming exam. That would determine the students who would continue in the science stream.
This situation deeply troubled her mother, Ìmọ̀níyì, because she didn’t want her daughter to be disheartened regarding her studies. Most especially, the young girl had said that unless she used a memory-enhancing charm (òògùn ìṣòyé), she would not be able to understand what was being taught in science subjects.
Her mother pleaded with her, explaining that even if such a charm existed, it would only help her remember what she had previously learned and understood. However, what is called “knowing” something involves understanding it well enough to be able to apply it appropriately.
They discussed the matter with her father, Ìrìnìmọ̀, who agreed to support his daughter’s education so she could have a bright future. He promised to prepare a charm for her that would help her understand her books better. He told his daughter that this charm had been in their family for generations, and his ancestors used it whenever they faced intellectual challenges. As the father was speaking, the mother smiled quietly and didn’t let the girl notice.
The father instructed his daughter to stay at home because they were about to embark on a mysterious journey. He told her to bring a notebook and a pen for documentation. Most importantly, he told her to remind him not to forget a special flute he wanted to give her. The father explained that the flute had the power to make whatever was blown into it become “bàntù-bàntù” (a magical transformation or unity).
He then told the girl to go and play outside with her friends, and not to worry.
The girl joined her friends and they started playing. They sang a song:
Leader: It becomes bitter,
Chorus: Bitter
Leader: It becomes bitter,
Chorus: Bitter
Leader: It combines,
Chorus: Black fish mixes with melon soup
Leader: It combines,
Chorus: Black fish mixes with melon soup
Her parents watched as their daughter played joyfully with her friends, and they commented that if she understood the meaning of the song they were singing, which metaphorically expressed the complexity of science, she wouldn’t have said she couldn’t understand science unless she used a charm.
Ìmọ̀níyì, the girl’s mother, then began to speak:
“Everything that exists in the world is made up of particles—like the tiny parts of fish. Water, air, dust, and light. Whirling particles come together to form molecules, which are particles that bind themselves tightly together. Molecules combine to form all the elements in the universe. Sometimes, the particles of one element can combine with those of another—just like the tiny bits of fish mixing with the particles of melon soup—and from there, another compound or substance can emerge.”