In the heart of Uganda, a long time ago, there ruled a king mostly known for his cruelty. His subjects would tremble with fear at just the mention of his name, since he was always finding new ways of making their lives miserable. Every single day, the lives of the people were filled with sadness, and not even the sun’s warmth or the beautiful singing of the birds could dispel this sadness caused by the king’s cruelty.
One fateful day, the king asked Walukagga, the chief of the blacksmiths, to come to his palace. With an evil twinkle in his eye, the king made a ridiculous demand.
“I want you to create a man, not a lifeless iron statue, but a living, breathing, talking, and walking human being”, he said.
Walukagga felt his heart sink as he thought about the king’s words. He knew that such a task was beyond the abilities of any blacksmith, or indeed, any human being. The king’s true intentions were clear – he meant to put an end to the chief blacksmith’s life once he failed at the task. After all, only the Creator could make a real human being.
As Walukagga walked back home, weighed down by the impossible request, he met someone that he totally didn’t expect to. A mad man whom he had known for a long time, approached him with a big smile. This mad man had been Walukagga’s friend and had always been kind to him.
The mad man, not knowing the difficulty that Walukagga was in, greeted him with a lot of excitement.
“Why the long face, my friend?”, he asked.
In that moment, Walukagga made a decision to pour out his heart. He confided in the mad man, sharing the king’s impossible demand. The mad man listened attentively and then, to Walukagga’s surprise, offered advice. Filled with a renewed sense of hope, Walukagga set off for his home, and the mad man proceeded with his journey.
Over the next few days, Walukagga thought about the mad man’s words and, when he had finally gathered enough courage, asked for an opportunity to meet with the king.
When the king laid his eyes on Walukagga, he couldn’t help but laugh, saying, “So, have you created the man yet?”
Walukagga stood his ground and courageously replied, “Your Majesty, I have thought over your request, and I have come to ask for your help. Creating a human is no ordinary task. I need a rare kind of charcoal, one made from human hair, and I require three large sacks of it.”
The king was surprised at the strange request, but he went ahead and ordered his messengers to collect human hair from all corners of the kingdom. However, when the hair was turned into charcoal, it was not enough to fill even a single sack.
Walukagga returned to the king and made his second request.
“Your Majesty, before I can proceed, I need water – not just any water, but the tears of men and women. You see, it takes countless tears to breathe life into a human being. I need three large water pots filled with tears.”
The king, once again, dispatched messengers throughout his kingdom, demanding that the people collect and send their tears to the blacksmith. Yet, despite all efforts to collect tears, they managed to fill just one water pot.
Finally, Walukagga approached the king one more time and knelt before him, saying, “Your task, sire, is as impossible as it is divine. If a mighty king like you cannot perform a seemingly simple act, how can a humble blacksmith ever hope to assume the role of the Creator?”
The king, realizing how crazy his request was, conceded defeat. He rewarded Walukagga and sent him on his way.
From that day on, the people of Uganda, whenever faced with difficult problems, take to heart the lesson of Walukagga the blacksmith: “Find a mad man and ask his advice.” It became a widely adopted saying, a testament to the wisdom found in the most unexpected of places. And so, the land of Uganda gradually transformed, as the reign of the cruel king gave way to a more just and merciful era, where the impossible no longer seemed quite so scary.
