“Enkoba Enyatie”: Part 1

The community I was born and brought up in has an interesting way of emphasizing a point. Just express your doubt about an event or a narrative in a conversation. If that is the speakers’ truth you will hear:

“Enkoba enyatie, ima!!”

Speaker exclaims right hand simultaneously shooting into the air like an aerial as if to say:

“And let thunder strike me and the charge flow quickly through my arm if I’m lying”

Or mention an unusual event like a distant neighbor having landed in his compound in a helicopter. Listener Joe will quip:

“Tiana ngo?” that is to say “Can you swear?”

Mr or Mrs speaker spontaneously will respond:

“Enkoba endie!!” which literally means “let the lightning ‘eat’ me

Or the other expression:

“Enkoba engite!!” that is “Let lightning ‘kill’ or ‘beat’ me!!”

Now in a hilly, fertile rain belt area where  the downpour is in torrents with lightning and thunderstorms as the norm, you have to believe the speakers words. Otherwise, who wants to be electrocuted by lightening?!