“i Got Back Home One Day And My Family Tagged Me A Witch.” Mithrol Iruvwe Shares On #withchude.
Mithrol Iruvwe, sits with Chude Jideonwo to share the story of his harrowing childhood experiences and his journey of survival and forgiveness.
Mithrol recounts his experience being labelled a witch. “I was playing outside one day, and I came back home. My mum was seated, this man was seated, and there were two of my elder siblings. I think the man should be in his thirties at the time. Because with my calculations, my eldest brother was his friend. So, they should be agemates. I saw everyone seated, and then he came and slapped my face. At five. I was shocked. Normally, I run to my mum when things like that happen, but that was the first time I ran to her, and she turned her eyes off me. They beat me that day, and I didn't know what was happening. My mum couldn't hold me. I was really heartbroken. Everyone was seated in the evening, like 8 p.m., and then he said that from henceforth, you will not be sleeping at night. They then made an arrangement amongst themselves because I'm like the youngest of 10 of my siblings. They made an arrangement amongst themselves for the people who will stay with me at different hours to make sure I don't sleep. I was really confused. That was how it started, and my sleeping hours went away. I was treated as if something was wrong with me. Four days later, I heard that they gave me something to eat, and I'm now a witch.”
He reflected on the lasting impact of his childhood experience, “Before my healing, I felt all of the emotions. Thank God, I'm now healed; I have done so much work on myself. I am unable to express how I felt back then, but it was a horrible time”. Mithrol also narrated his ordeal after dropping out of school. “I was going to primary 6. This was when the man now called my mother and convinced my mum and my siblings that I'm just going to waste money in school. I have to be a mechanic. I cried; I didn't know who to talk to. Because these are the people I'm supposed to be running to, but they are the ones doing this to me. Now there was this man who was picking children when we were like two. He just takes us under a tree and teaches us. I remember this man had started a primary school, so I ran to him. He spelt something on the ground and said I should pronounce it. I couldn't pronounce it. He then asked what class I was in. I said I'm going to primary 6, but I don't mind coming back to your school. I could start with primary two.”
“This man took me with this bandaged hand into the bush and flogged this hand with the bandage on it. He flogged it so much that the hand started bleeding. The bandage was soiled with blood. In the morning, I didn't want anyone to see the mess, so I stole my mother's money and went to buy a bandage from a chemist, and I wrapped the hand by myself,” he added.
Entering puberty, Mithrol shares how he became rebellious. “My rebellion was that I started sleeping at one of my friend's houses; I didn't want to come home again. The luck I had was that the house was a good home.” He went further to narrate how his story eventually changed: “My mother told my brother to pray, and she said, 'Remember to ask God to take away this evil spirit from Iruvwe's life.' I don't know where that power came from, and I screamed, 'Mummy, will you keep quiet and shut up?'. Everyone in my house stood up and wondered what was happening.”
Watch the excerpt: https://www.instagram.com/p/C8L2ZOYuc7L/
#WithChude is a network of media products across TV, Film and podcasts telling stories that enable and strengthen the mind, the heart, and the spirit. The weekly interviews are widely syndicated across terrestrial television and social media platforms reaching an average of 8 million people weekly - positioning it as the most watched and most syndicated weekly talk show (digital + traditional) in the region. It has become a safe space for guests to talk about things publicly for the first time. Actor Joke Silva revealed that her husband Olu Jacobs was dealing with dementia with Lewy body for the first time on the show, and producer Kemi Afolabi opened up about her experience dealing with Lupus on #WithChude. That month, Lupus and Kemi Afolabi were among the top Google Nigeria searches. The interviews have been featured everywhere, from the BBC to the New York Times. The documentary and travelogue series #ChudeExplains has tackled issues from criminal justice reform to Gen Z coming of age.
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