This is the story of a real Yoruba king from long ago. Sango was the third Alaafin of the old Oyo kingdom. He was a powerful warrior king, winning battle after battle with the help of his magical charm, Edun-ara. The charm gave him the power of thunder and lightning.

Before Sango, his brother, Ajaka, was the Alaafin (king) of Oyo. Alaafin Ajaka was a peaceful king. Unfortunately, some of the neighbouring kings thought it was because he was weak. The Olowu (king) of Owu, in particular, wanted to conquer the Oyo kingdom and make it pay tribute to Owu. The Olowu regularly sent his warriors to Oyo: “Make their lives difficult until Ajaka surrenders to me!” He commanded. Eventually, Alaafin Ajaka visited the Olowu, hoping to settle things peacefully. But instead of a royal welcome, the Olowu captured Alaafin Ajaka and held him prisoner. The Olowu demanded a tribute from Oyo in exchange for their king. This was very embarrassing for the proud Oyo people, so to save their king, the Oyomesi (kingmakers) sent Prince Sango to rescue the king.

After his successful rescue, the Oyomesi declared, “Ajaka is too weak to rule this kingdom. We need a warrior like Sango to protect us from the other kingdoms”. So they sent Alaafin Ajaka into exile and made Sango the new Alaafin of Oyo. Sango immediately appointed two generals, Timi and Gbonka, to lead his army. With their help and the help of Oya, his third wife, Sango brought peace and prosperity to the Oyo kingdom. He conquered the neighbouring towns and kingdoms and struck fear into the hearts of his enemies.

During the period of peace, Oya said to Sango “My king, I’m worried that you wear your charm in the palace. Please give it to me to keep it safe and avoid an accident because of your temper.” “Very well”, he answered. “Make sure you keep it somewhere safe and dry – it must never get wet”.

At the same time, Sango’s generals were restless. They wanted more battles and so they went against Sango’s wishes and raided the Owu kingdom. This threatened the peace Sango had fought hard for and it made him furious. “I will teach them to disobey my command,” he roared. “Kabiyesi, please show them mercy” Oya begged her husband. “Remember, they are heroes of Oyo, so punishing them will look bad. Why not send them to the border towns instead, where they can’t cause any trouble,” Oya advised. Sango listened to her and made the generals governors of the border towns.

Timi knew that Sango was upset with them for the raid in Owu and that in making them governors, Sango was being kind. So Timi gratefully accepted his new post. Gbonka, on the other hand, thought to himself, “Sango has grown weak. This is my chance to challenge him for the throne”. So he rejected the post of governor.

Sango was even more angry when Gbonka rejected the new post and he commanded Timi to capture Gbonka. Timi arrived at Gbonka’s house and a fight broke out between the mighty generals. The two men fought for hours until, eventually, Timi was killed by Gbonka.

Gbonka’s victory over Timi made him feel invincible. He had beaten Sango’s champion and decided it was time to publicly challenge Sango for the throne. When Sango heard of Timi’s death and Gbonka’s challenge, he was fuming. “I have to put an end to this once and for all,” he said. Then he called Oya, “Bring me my Edun-Ara”. Oya went to get the charm and realised that some water had spilt on it ruining it. Sango was seething with anger as he stormed off to the top of the nearby mountain to calm down and fix his charm.

Sango’s anger continued to burn as he reached the top of the mountain. He was so angry with Gbonka and Oya that he didn’t notice the massive thunderstorm he had formed in the sky above him. Soon, lightning flashed violently, and one lightning bolt struck Sango’s palace, burning it and everyone in it.

As Sango came down from the mountain, he ran into one of his servants “Kabiyesi! I have sad news,” he said, “lightning struck the palace and burnt it and everyone in it!”. Sango’s heart broke “I killed my own family,” he thought to himself. In his grief, he decided to leave Oyo forever. The Oyomesi found out about the king’s decision to leave, and they ran after him and begged him to stay. “Kabiyesi, your people need you. Please don’t abandon them” they pleaded because they were afraid the peace they enjoyed would end without Sango.

Just then, Gbonka appeared ready to fight the king. Seeing the man who caused him to lose his temper and his family, Sango exploded with rage. “Aaargh Gbonka!” He screamed as lightning and fire flew in every direction. The Oyomesi hid in the bushes to avoid Sango’s wrath. Gbonka however, wasn’t fast enough and was struck by a lightning bolt and died on the spot. When the strange storm and lightning passed, Sango had disappeared, never to be seen again.

Some people believe that Sango was also killed in the storm that day. Others think that he turned himself into the storm and now lives in the sky. Regardless of what really happened that day, Sango will forever be remembered as one of the greatest Yoruba kings that ever lived.

The End.