The Wheel Of Life

Recently, I read an interesting book by a Nigerian writer; Joys of Motherhood by Buchi Emecheta. The book centers on motherhood and womanhood. However, it takes a peek into the concept of reincarnation and rebirth. In the book, a character- a slave- is forcibly and brutally killed by her master. Before she dies, she vows to reincarnate into the master’s family as one of their own. This time, not as a slave, but as a legitimate member of the family. The slave has a distinctive mark on her body. Many years later, the master’s daughter gives birth to a child who not only resembles the slave who was brutally and unjustly killed but also bears the same mark in the same spot. While analyzing this book in class, our lecturer asked us if reincarnation is real and whether the slave truly reincarnated as a legitimate child.

Over the years, literary writers and even scholars have explored the concept of reincarnation and rebirth in their works. There are many theories that support this concept with strong evidence, while other theories disapprove of them with similarly strong evidence. So, what should we believe? Is Reincarnation possible? For today’s edition of Hive Learner’s prompt, we are asked to discuss the concept of reincarnation and rebirth. Despite many people believing that the concept of reincarnation is only a myth, others believe that their loved ones are coming back to life in another person’s body. What are your thoughts?

There's no scientific evidence supporting or disapproving reincarnation and rebirth. Ultimately, it is up to us to believe whatever we want and stick with it. As a book lover and someone who loves to explore and learn about different things, I have read many books about reincarnation. The Yoruba tradition offers detailed information about this; Abiku. Abiku is a concept in Yoruba culture that refers to a spirit or child that dies and reincarnates repeatedly. Here's the whole idea: During childbirth, it is always the joy of the family, particularly the mother where the child lives. Every mother, after carrying the child in the womb, would definitely want them to live. However, Abiku is a child whose main goal is to terrorize the family, bringing pain and suffering.

After nine months of carrying the child and finally bringing them to life, Abiku would often return to the spirit world, sometimes almost immediately and other times after a while. This cycle would repeat, with Abiku coming back again and again. In an attempt to break this cycle, parents would mark Abiku's body, warning them not to return. However, Abiku would often come back with the same mark. In Igbo culture, they're referred to as "Ogbanje." For a deeper understanding of reincarnation in Yoruba and Igbo traditions, read J.P. Clark's and Wole Soyinka's poems on Abiku.

In 2020, during the Covid-19 lockdown. I had all the time to myself. So, I took to different websites and apps to learn about different things. YouTube was my favorite. Interestingly, I watched many videos and read articles about the concept of reincarnation and rebirth. I watched videos of kids remembering their past lives and videos of kids who got reincarnated into the same family as another child. One story that has stayed with me is about a little boy who died while his grandfather was still alive. They had been very close and often sang a particular song together. Sadly, the boy passed away, and his grandfather died sometime after. Years later, the parents had another child. Although he looked nothing like the previous one, he somehow knew the exact song the first child used to sing with his grandfather—without anyone ever teaching it to him.

During the lockdown, I came across a Twitter thread about reincarnation and rebirth. Unfortunately, it was midnight and I couldn't sleep afterward. I read how people shared their experiences with their kids, friends, or close ones who they strongly believe reincarnated because of theif strong appearances or because they remembered certain experiences.

Maybe these videos, articles and Twitter threads are not real. Maybe people created them to generate likes and traffic, but I still believe in them. With the many books I have read, I believe in the concept of reincarnation. I believe that there is life after death, as well as the concept of reincarnation. I believe that when people die unjustly, their souls foam around the spirit world as well as the surface of the world. I also believe that when people die when it not their time to, or their souls want to experience life again, they reincarnate into another body. Of course, there are scientific evidences to back it up, but that's what I believe in. It is up to you to choose whether to believe or not.

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Thanks for reading.