Normally one thinks of mermaids as living in the ocean, but in the inland African nation of Zimbabwe Water Resources Minister Samuel Sipepa Nkomo has stated that the aquatic creatures are impeding the installation of water pumps at two dam sites. This is an interesting case because it sounds like what's going on is not just superstitious dread, but actual encounters with something at the two sites.Nkomo said officers from his ministry had refused to return to a dam in Gokwe where they were installing water pumps after allegedly being harassed by the mermaids.
"All the officers I have sent have vowed not to go back there and I am now appealing to the chiefs to do what is necessary to correct the problem," he said.
A similar problem had also been experienced at Osborne Dam near Mutare where white contractors had been forced to abandon the site.
"We even hired whites thinking that our boys did not want to work but they also returned saying they would not return to work there again," he said.
He urged traditional leaders in the respective areas to brew traditional beer and organise ceremonies to appease restive spirits who are believed to be responsible for the problems.
These sound like great locations for paranormal research - that is, if I were willing to travel to Zimbabwe. I'm not, simply because the country is a dangerous place for magical practitioners and if my reputation happened to precede me I could be in a lot of trouble. But I wonder if any of the folks working on the dam have videos of the alleged mermaid menace. That would really be something to see.
I would venture a guess that these are Jinn of the Marid tribe. They frequent water sources as their homes, and can be EXTREMELY violent and dangerous when approached. I encountered them once and had MUCH of the same reaction as the people in this story... "no thanks!"
ReplyDeleteWould be interesting to go investigate. Pay me and i'll go on your behalf ;)
Very interesting. If you're willing to share, what exactly were they able to do? Was a it a full physical manifestation, or something more subtle?
ReplyDeleteWith all seriousness I wish I had the money to pay people to travel around the world and investigate paranormal stuff on my behalf. If I ever find myself in that situation it's probably one of the first things I would do, and I'll be sure to keep you in mind.
My encounter with the Marid tribe was less physical, and more of a threat, as I was "testing the waters" so to speak, pun intended. I was trying to reach out to the different tribes, and what I received from the Marid was a whopping headache as if the pressure in the room suddenly increased. I've felt that similar feeling while scuba diving in deep waters, only this was to a great deal more in the pressure area. I received a warning that should i ever "venture into their territory, I shouldn't expect to return".
ReplyDeleteI had a more physical encounter with an Ifrit who would occasionally throw books and items around the room at me or my then roommate. That Ifrit spent a year hanging around, causing everyone around me to be perpetually angry with me and feel physically hot when they were within a meter of me. The Ifrit hung around to persuade me to stop teaching a course on Jinn. It worked... That was a lonely year...