Preying Mantis

The Preying Mantis is an insect. In traditional mythology, there are many superstitious beliefs about it. It is a mysterious and fear inspiring insect. Children are afraid to kill it to avoid unpleasant circumstances. Growing up in the village, I reverenced the praying mantis. Children broke many taboos in the village setting. Nevertheless, when adults witness or hear about any taboo being broken they take children through some form of cleansing. The praying mantis became for me a symbol of control, rigidity of traditions, unquestioning loyalty and blind faith. In 2004, when the Nigerian Tribune asked me to write a column for their Sunday edition, I thought of a way to be obvious while being obscure. I also wanted to be critical in a humorous and respectful way because the Nigerian media in my opinion was full of aggressive and abusive writers at the time. I thought I should prey on the prevailing mindset without denigrating the belief system. Preying Mantis stood for two values: change and reflection.