THE AFRO-BRAZILIAN AFFAIR

Meanwhile, an army officer, Disebek, working effortlessly for Pharaoh Seti 1, tells his 

lover, the sensuous Yunet, that he is going to help her move into the palace as the maid 

to the Princess Henutmire. Yunet, whose heart is corroded and evil, is happy at the 

opportunity to rub shoulders with the high and mighty, is thrilled and takes advantage of 

the opportunity to be closer to Disebek and to have luxuries like she has never seen 

before.

Princess Henutmire, daughter to Seti 1 and Queen Tuya is a beautiful and kind 

princess. Arguably the most humane person in the palace aside her mother and the rest 

of the staff and members of the harem. Pharaoh Seti 1, proud of Disebek for leading the 

army into greater domains, gifts Disebek the chance to be his son-in-law and marry his 

daughter, Henutmire. 

Henutmire is thrilled to be getting married to Disebek as she deems him very 

handsome, courageous and just what every woman would want in a man. However, this 

union is not pleasing to Yunet, who after being made head assistant and maid to 

Princess Henutmire by Queen Tuya, is inwardly outraged to see the man she craves by 

the side of the princess whom she secretly detests.

In the Hebrew village, the time has come for Jochebed to give birth. The couple, wildly 

afraid of the prospect of their coming baby’s impending death, set sail with two friends 

on the other side of the great Nile, where they hide in a cave at night. 

Jochebed gives birth to a beautiful baby boy and with much fear but guts to defy, set 

sail back home where they keep their baby hidden from the public.

In the palace, Disebek and Yunet continue their secret love affair. They meet secretly in 

the king’s prayer sanctuary where they cover the heads of the idols. At this time, Yunet 

is already married to Paser, a very kind hearted and diligent priest at the king’s service 

whom Yunet secretly abhors.

On a secret night raid in the village by the officers, Bomani, the most ruthless of all of 

Pharaoh’s soldiers catches Amram with his family preparing to leave. He wonders why 

Amram would be moving his family very late in the night until they hear Moses’ cry in a 

basket and Bomani is surprised. In defense, Jochebed runs with her children while 

Amram and his young friend and confidante, Num, put up a fight during which Amram is 

stabbed by Bomani.

Jochebed goes to the Nile and prays to God for the protection of hers on, just as Amram 

did on the day he was born (dedicating him to God for protection). Miriam, afraid for her 

baby brother, escapes him that night and sleeps among the reeds at night, after 

tirelessly following the basket as it flows in the Nile until it came to a halt, stuck among 

some water plants. 

Jochebed, afraid since her husband is seriously wounded from Bomani’s sword and 

Miriam’s running off suddenly, enlists Num and Amalia’s help. Amalia helps her look 

after Amram while Num goes out to look for Miriam but does not find her.

Disebek is getting closer to his wife and Yunet is getting more jealous by the day. She 

wants to continue the affair although Disebek tells her it could be dangerous. Paser 

almost catches her in the wrong one time as she waits for Disebek in the Pharaoh’s 

prayer sanctuary and she lies she came there to pray.

Miriam goes after the basket and stops when she sees that Princess Henutmire has 

heard her brother’s cry. The princess sees the baby and has compassion despite the 

fact that the baby is Hebrew. She tells Yunet that she will keep the baby as she believes 

he is a gift from the gods and names him Moses. Since the baby is crying and needs 

feeding, Miriam emerges from her hiding spot and tells the princess that she knows a 

nurse who can care for the baby.

A very ecstatic Miriam goes back home and tells her mother and father of the amazing 

news of her baby brother being saved by the princess and tells her mother to go to the 

palace to be the baby’s nurse.

Queen Tuya, who is always on her daughter’s side is afraid of what the king may say 

but Henutmire is not willing to see her father kill the child since she deems him special. 

Upon her arrival at the palace, Jochebed tells Henutmire that she too has recently given 

birth and the princess tells her that she will pay her to take care of Moses in her house.

Thus, Moses goes back home and grows up alongside his sister and brother. At the 

same time, Num and Amalia are courting each other and even get married.

Over time, Yunet gets pregnant and gives birth to a daughter whom she names 

Nefertari. The daughter is being passed off as Paser’s but she is really Disebek’s 

biological daughter. Henutmire is happy for Yunet and informs them that she too is 

expecting much to Disebek’s happiness. Yunet is angered especially since Disebek has 

shown no interest in Nefertari.

Bomani, who is still in rage after the lifting of the decree on killing the babies of Hebrews 

tells Amram, still recovering from the wound, to go back to work. They plead on but 

Bomani will have none of it, he wants to see Amram suffer. On the first day of work, 

Amram is too weak to lift the bricks and ends up collapsing and dying much to Bomani’s 

amusement.

Jochebed is in agony at Amram’s death and alongside Num they decide to go and bury 

him and although Miriam wants to join them, Jochebed tells her daughter that this is a 

trip only for adults. During the trip, however, Amram’s leg moves and he awakens. Alas, 

he is not dead, but very weak. In a consensus between the three, they decide that it 

would be unsafe for him to go back home as Bomani would want to see him and as 

such, agree that everyone must deem him dead, even their children. Num accompanies 

Amram to the next caravan that is headed to North Egypt.

Many moths pass, Jochebed misses her husband and wonders how he is doing. Num 

and Amram are now engaged to be married and Jochebed is receiving food and 

supplies from the palace, much to the contempt of one of her neighbors who claims she 

has sold herself to the enemies for food!

Also, in an effort to destroy Disebek and Henutmire’s happiness, Yunet brews a poison 

which she gives to Henutmire in her pomegranate juice and she instantly loses her baby 

after a lot of pain. But this does not deter Disebek, who is still faithful to his wife and 

once again, fires up Yunet’s rancor. 

After a while, Num and Amalia get married and this grants Amalia the gift of family 

which she never had since the death of her parents at an early age. 

Henutmire gets 

pregnant again and as has become Yunet’s hobby, she again slips the poison into 

Henutmire’s drink. 

Her sharp pains call for the intervention of a diviner who performs a ritual to help 

Henutmire conceive again but she ends up losing the baby and almost dies after a very 

persistent fever. 

But that very night, Miriam tells Jochebed that they should pray for the princess after 

she saved Moses and they do so. God’s power touches Henutmire and she is healed 

miraculously but now barren. This turns her into a very sad woman, a shadow of her 

former kind and jovial self, with Disebek not knowing how to comfort his wife.

Henutmire goes to the Nile on night in agony and there she remembers baby Moses. 

She remembers the baby that she saved and is thrilled with happiness. 

The next day, the soldiers are sent to get Jochebed and Moses. The princess is happy 

to see Moses. She tells Jochebed that she wants Moses to come and live with her but 

Jochebed is agony and wants her son to stay with her. She reveals the truth about her 

being the mother to Moses although Henutmire had already figured as much. Seeing 

the agony on Jochebed’s face really has an effect on the kind hearted princess but as 

she is desperate for a child, has Moses taken away from Jochebed.

Henutmire faces her father and tells him of the story about how she found Moses and 

insists that she will raise the child saying that she is probably barren because he must 

have been the one who angered the gods by ordering the killing of the male Hebrew 

babies. Pharaoh Seti 1 agrees to not object on condition that the child never comes 

near him again, that the story of how he was found by the princess never be spoken of and that the child would get accustomed to Egyptian customs and leave his old customs 

behind. Henutmire accepts and leaves although Disebek is not in agreement as well.

After a while, Moses who was at first afraid of living in the palace after missing his 

mother, starts to get accustomed to life there, occasionally asking for his mother but 

Henutmire still showers him with love and even Disebek starts to warm up to the boy 

although Yunet still considers him vermin as he is Hebrew to the point of not wanting 

him to come anywhere close to Nefertari.

Jochebed. Agonized, goes to the palace in rage and demands to see Henutmire. She 

begs the princess to give her her son back. Henutmire is still clearly affected by 

Jochebed’s cries, but still sends her away.

Num and Amalia consider it dangerous that Jochebed tried to see her son and make 

her promise not to put herself at risk again. Jochebed, alone with Num, asks him if he 

has heard of anything from Amram after all this time, but Num tells her he has not. All 

they can do is have faith that the Lord has protected him from harm.

Years pass. Moses and Ramses, the king’s son and Henutmire’s brother, have grown 

into fine young boys while Nefertari is a beautiful young girl. On the day of the King’s 

birthday, the celebrations are jovial and he is gifted with many expensive goods. On that 

day, Moses gifts him and he receives it without showing any coldness although feels a 

bit uncomfortable when Moses hugs him but does not react in any angry manner.

The procession begins and all the slaves have been ordered to go and see the king 

parade on his birthday. Jochebed sees Moses and is awash with motherly instinct. She 

runs toward him and touches him but he sends her away calling her a dirty slave. 

The soldiers almost punish her but Henutmire tells Disebek not to make them do it as it 

is alright. She is feeling guilty. Yunet finds this piece of information interesting while 

Disebek tells Henutmire that one day Moses might find out the truth but Henutmire is 

afraid of losing Moses.

Back home, Jochebed is inconsolable although Num and Amalia tell her that she should 

have expected this after all the time Moses has lived in the palace. Miriam comforts her 

mother as she is also sad seeing that Moses has forgotten them.

Num and Amalia are also in a struggle since Amalia isn’t getting pregnant. She feels 

unworthy of his love but then Num loves her very much and tells her that he will never 

ever abandon her. He will wait because he believes the Lord’s time is the right time.

Moses happens to have a dream where he sees a boy crying as he is taken away from 

his mother. He wakes up scared and Ramses wakes up too and asks him what the 

dream was about. He thinks it is about a battle but once Moses tells him what it is 

about, he tells him that it is probably not important and he should ask a priest if he has 

that dream again.

Miriam is growing into a very stubborn girl much to Jochebed and Amalia’s worry. She 

has no interest in learning how to make bread as a wife should know how to and can be 

a bit temperamental, which is worrisome as Jochebed wonders how she will get a 

husband – at least she knows how to keep a house clean!

Pharaoh Seti 1 plans an excursion to visit the site where his grave is being built. 

Ramses asks his father to take Moses with them after much insistence. During the trip, 

Moses and Ramses play although Seti 1 is still giving Moses the stink eye…

Meanwhile at the construction site, Aaron has joined the men working at the site as all 

male slaves do once they are of working age. Num teaches him some tricks on how to 

work better and Aaron asks about his father. Num tells him that Amram was the one 

who taught him all that he knows…

The Pharaoh arrives with his contingent and an officer stops all the workers and tells 

them that Pharaoh has come to see the grave. They are warned to bow as soon as they 

see him and not to even dare try look him in the eye, else they will meet with Osiris 

before it is their time…

Will Moses and his brother Aaron cross paths? 

Tune in to #MosesAndTheTenCommandments only on KTN Kenya, Tuesdays and Wednesdays at 

8 p.m.

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