He was wearing tattered clothes, but he was driving a Mercedes. Like the good messiahs of the 21st century – firmly established in the tropics – the latest viral prophet has failed in his predictions, but he has signed a good deal.
He called himself Ebo Noahtranscript of Noahand, like the protagonist of the biblical story, began building an ark in his native Ghana, far from the coast. He convinced many of his neighbors that the world was ending on December 25 amid floods caused by heavy and unexpected rains.
So much so that He built not one, but ten arks. He liked human beings more than the vengeful God of the Old Testament and he considered saving thousands of them.
As he progressed through his videos, The construction of his image of the messiah also grew. Scruffy beard, unkempt appearance, arms in prayer to heaven and frequent conversations, he says, with God himself.
He does not clarify, of course, the reasons why he was chosen nor the tone of voice of his Interlocutor.
Truth or fiction, began to gain followers. In one of his videos he even boasts of having convinced a woman from neighboring Nigeria who had traveled to Ghana to see his ark.
A smile escapes and it is difficult to discern the full story in his thick accent, but, of course, he seemed like a happy man with his destiny.
But how have we survived December 25, Christmas Day, if God promised that we were all going to die?
Ebo decided to intercede for us. A personal marathon began of three days of prayers and fasting to ask God to cancel his plans.
Before, as members of his guild usually do, had asked for donationssome of which he had dedicated to the blind, the deaf and the prisoners. The same blind, deaf and prisoners who were going to die in the flood a few days later.
Three days later and hours before Christmas, he sent a message of happiness to the world: “Through my prayers I have managed to have a vision.”
In his supposed appearance, God told him that he was aware of the high number of people who had come to his ark to be saved and not all of them could fit in the boat.
“After my intercessions, God has given me more time to build more arks, in addition to the ten that I already have, and that will have space for everyone,” he stated to the surprise of no one.
Of course, he warned that the flood would come, which allowed him to send a contradictory message: “Repent, repent, repent. May God bless you.”
But his story held one last surprise.
He was not resurrected on the third day, but, upon realizing that the world was not ending on December 25, went to a mega rap party in which it became a sensation. Like a star he addressed the audience on a stage and in front of a big screen.
In it, a flood threatened to come out of the plasma and devastate the room. In front of the waters, Ebo demonstrated his skills as a mediocre frontman and incipient rapper.
If he fails as a messiah, perhaps he has already made an alternative, although the career of an artist is less lucrative than that of messiah.