RASPUTIN!

By Omoseye Bolaji

“There lived a certain man in Russia long ago
He was big and strong, in his eyes a flaming glow.
Many looked at him with terror and with fear
but to Moscow chicks he was such a lovely dear…”

From Boney M’s hit, Rasputin.

I was with a white friend or acquaintance, of mine in the South African suburbs. I seldom went to his place and whenever I did, I initially had to jump through hoops of the intimidating presence of his dog (in the courtyard)! But here we were now, in the sitting room.

It was, I suppose, an average sitting room. A big television set, sound system, an impressive library to my left; and the inevitable laptop on the table. Some sofas were dotted around in the room. David (that’s his name), after giving me a drink, said he wanted to play some music.

“I suppose you won’t appreciate the music, though it’s English” he said. “One of my old favourites. It’s Boney M, You know the old group?”I nodded absent-mindedly; my mind was engaged on something else for a moment.

Then I found myself almost freezing, goose pimples coursing through me! All because of the music of Boney M, David was now playing! It was “Rasputin," and its “bizarre” melody and lyrics were affecting me adversely! It was as if I was about to faint!

“What’s going on Bolaji?” he said, “Have you suddenly come over a bit sick?” I forced a wry smile, trying to pull myself together.But my mind had gone back to decades ago, when I was a very young student at the university, University of Ife, Ile-Ife, in Nigeria. I stayed at Angola Hall of residence and there was a particular student in my room who used to play Boney M, especially “Rasputin" rather late in the night almost every day.

He knew by then that most of the inmates in the room did not like this particular song.I remember one of them complaining: “What the hell is this? What type of music is this? It’s like I must run to my mother for protection when I hear this song…Rasputin!”

Yet I found myself fascinated by the lyrics of the bizarre- sounding song (a great international hit decades ago, overseas). Over the years, I was to learn the real-life details of the erstwhile Soviet Union’s Rasputin even more, the gentleman who had caused a stir in Russia many years ago, garnering the reputation of becoming something of a philanderer and manipulator.

I was in Sierra Leone some years ago when I read an authoritative book on the life and times of Rasputin, written by his daughter. Thereafter, I appreciated even more the legacy of the charismatic, controversial Rasputin; and how his life and demise spawned the many legends, myths, exaggerations that still survive him (including the Boney M song on him).

Yet the killing, the murder of Rasputin, is one of the most horrific ever; if contemporary accounts can be believed; he was not only poisoned, but shot many times, stabbed, his manhood cut off, his body thrown in an icy lake etc…all these factors combined to overwhelm me when I heard the “Rasputin" song again!

I said to David now: “Don’t worry. There’s no problem. I was just carried away for a moment. I’m enjoying your drink. Thanks,” Rasputin!!!