One time in class, we talked about childhood fears, and it made me remember my fear of Alabukun Powder. I must have been seven or eight years old, visiting my grandma’s house, back in Katsina, for a holiday. That’s where I picked up all these insults from the kids in the neighbourhood. It was normal for them, just playful street banter, but I came back home armed with a whole arsenal of words to use, especially against my immediate older brother. Every chance I got, I would throw them at him in Hausa: “Kai Wawa ne” (you’re very stupid), “mahaukaci” (mad man), and many others I can’t even bring myself to say now.
My family, of course, were fed up. They tried everything to discipline me, in that relentless, classic African-home way, from beatings, scoldings, and even dramatic threats. I remember one time my other older brother, probably out of sheer desperation, lit a matchstick and threatened to burn my mouth the very next time I insulted anybody. The house itself seemed to shake with warnings and threats, yet nothing worked. I did not stop.
Then one ordinary afternoon, my life, or at least my fear scale, changed forever. I saw Alabukun in the room I shared with my sisters. My curiosity got the better of me, and I asked my siblings what it was. With a mischievous grin, they said I could taste it if I wanted, and I did. Immediately after, they said to me: if I insulted anyone again, I would die instantly, that Alabukun powder kills anyone who insults people.
My heart sank. Die? From words? I looked at that powder with a mixture of fear and disbelief.
That afternoon, I cried, oh, I cried! I spent the whole day sobbing, convinced I was in serious trouble and would be dead very soon.
When my father came home, he found me crying, and I told him everything that had happened. I remember him laughing; a good, hearty laugh, before reassuring me that it wasn’t true, and reminding me that insulting people was wrong. From that day on, I made a real effort to stop. It wasn’t easy, because I was used to it, but I did.
Looking back now, it’s funny. The memory is almost absurd, but also a little terrifying. Childhood has a way of turning ordinary things into legends in our minds. For me, Alabukun Powder was a lesson and brings back a memory that still makes me laugh.
PS: Alabukun powder is one of Nigeria’s most iconic pharmaceutical products. Produced by Jacob Odulate, it is a powder formulation that combines aspirin and caffeine and is commonly used as a remedy for various ailments, including fever, headaches, toothache, and general body pains. The powder is usually dissolved in a small amount of water, stirred, and then consumed.
As narrated by: Fatima Boyi Mahuta (Kano, Nigeria).
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