Friday, December 17, 2010

Oh Harry!


I have been trying to write this note for the last two weeks. Every time I seat to write, Laziness slithers quietly on the floor, stealthily steals up my legs, sweeps past my torso and its lethargy settles on my fingers, stilling them and slowly guiding me towards that wondrous talent of mine, Sleep. *sigh* But this time, like a gangster warrior, the courageous Amazonian I am, I fight against those two nefarious brothers Laziness and Procrastination…and emerge triumphant. So, Friday night finds me propped up in bed, eyes squinting at MacMilliene my trusty sidekick, sweet faithful MacBook, as I type merrily away about a subject that trul fascinates me….Harry Potter.

Yes, yes the jokes flow fast and free as you snicker behind your calloused palms whispering “…typical Nigerian, of course she is fascinated by witches and wizards!” Despite the fetishness of the citizenry of my nation state, I am replete in the confidence that I have a different covenant, one with the creator Himself, ruler of all things temporal and extemporal and so you see, I have no interest in witchcraft and wizadry and other odious doings, imagined or otherwise.

Alors, allons y.

I saw the movie adaptiation of the 7th of J.K Rowling’s Harry Potter novels and I am once again amazed at the depth and insight of this woman. People who do not know better condemn the book savagely; some as merely a child’s tale that has been cleverly packaged in such a manner as to deceive grown folk into falling in love with a child’s fairtytale. Others, more conservative and peppered with the heat of an interpretation of their religion, denounce the book for being a heretical study of dangerous ideas, an insidious method of spreading devilish messages. Still others simply determine it is simply an over-rated work of art.

Opinions as I suspect you are aware, are like orifices in the nether regions of every human body, every person has and is entitled to one. I, have always been a fan of the Harry Potter franchise and the latest movie confirmed the reason. More than anything else, the Potter series is the story of a young person’s coming of age. So readily identifiable, incredibly accessible to anyone who knows what it is to try to find and stay true to yourself in a world that is perpetually trying to pull you to its dictates. At the heart of the tale is a story of that rarest of gifts; Friendship. It is a tale of good, solid Friendships standing the test of time, growing and maturing with its owners, enriching their lives by its very presence. But more than anything else, it is a tale of courage. Of people standing up to systems that inefficient and cruel systems, challenging the status quo, people in a constant search for Truth. In recent days, I have been thinking of courageous humans, people that care for much more than themselves and are able to break out of their barrier of comfort, unwilling to sit and let Destiny master the ship of their lives…men and women who look into an uncertain future and refuse to hand over the rein of their lives to this elusive vixen called Destiny.

From book one to seven, the Harry Potter series chronicle courage at the height of tyranny and unrestrained evil. And reading the author’s speech about her inspiration for the book (http://roomtorite.blogspot.com/2009/07/oga-pota.html) moves the characters from black and white manifestations on a page, makes me think of the real-life people of courage all over the world who persistently stand up for Right and I wonder, what will my legacy be? When I leave this world, how much would I have contributed to my corner of the world?

How did I get here from the story about a frightened looking 11 year old who lived in a cupboard?

J.K Rowling’s skill.

[J.K ROWLING'S SPEECH: http://roomtorite.blogspot.com/2009/07/oga-pota.html]

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