Jabari ya Nyota // Adult // Uagadou's Former Headmaster

✧ Gemini ✧ 27 | May 25th, 1997 ✧ ESTP-A ✧ Tanzanian ✧ Muggleborn ✧

Appearance
A young man of a fiery spirit, he wears modern dashiki shirts with embodied patterns and regular pants. Even during special events, he is not known to participate in formal wear. A youthful rebellion against traditional standards. He is, however, known to participate in wearing kitenge, a fabric of colorful designs and patterns. A newly popular trend among younger men; he has one wrapped around his waist with various colors to represent all countries that enter Uagadou. Jabari's hair was twisted into dreadlocks over the years of him being a nomad. In which he linked with cuffs of various colors that also represent the various countries that enter Uagadou. Dense, colorful bangles can also be found on his arms.

However, times when it is called for him to wear formal wear (ceremonial rituals), he can be found wearing a grand boubou, a pure white robe that doesn't touch the ground.

Jabari stands taller than the average; 5'8 ft (176.7 cm). His eye color is the typical brown (hazel) found in Africa. He possesses a thin, muscular build from his nomadic days of traveling solo, and constantly relied on himself for survival.

Personality
A playful nature, and a nature that dislikes formality and tradition. To hide his struggling insecurities and doubts about his greater responsibilities, he covers his true nature by viewing himself as an 'older brother' rather than a 'headmaster.' A graduate of Uagadou, Jabari was a student who excelled in most of his studies before his bizarre decision to become a nomad for the next few years.

It can be argued that his fresh inexperience causes his leadership role to instead rely on being a consultant and his charismatic behavior, rather than being specific, conventional and straightforward in his rules. With some arguments even declaring him as simply 'lazy' when it comes to his 'laissez-faire' approach on handling student matters. But those who are used to approaching Jabari would realize that he makes decisions based on his own personal experiences and sympathies.

A child from a burned-down village was a child coming onto a new home in Uagadou. A child who is mean to his peers was a child who have not yet established Uagadou as his new home. A child who haven't found comfort yet in Uagadou was a child who needed a comfortable pillow to lie on.

Despite his empathetic and kindred nature, Jabari also easily grows bored of conversations that hold nothing of value besides being based on 'facts and logic.' He grows even more bored of issues only achieved by standard solutions. Even then, Jabari can't help but also enjoy committing to childish antics of his own. Something his older staff members are sure not to be thrilled over.

This is the mentality that Jabari possessed. It is still unknown to even him if this nature of his is why the Council of the Wise decided upon him.

Background
Jabari, despite his rather cheerful nature, was not blessed with a happy upbringing. When he was young, and before his magic could ever manifest, his tribal village was targeted by another tribe in an act of civil war during the night. His father, who he was not even gifted his name, had perished from the conflict. Jabari and his mother barely escaped and hid in nearby villages. Unfortunately, his mother would eventually succumb to a muggle illness. Her final words telling him to always look towards the stars, for she would be there watching him.

On that same, fateful day, Jabari would notice a new star that formed in the night sky. This caused Jabari's belief that all stars in the sky were those of the deceased watching over the living.

This would leave Jabari defending for himself for a few days after, still in grief while fighting amongst other orphans for scraps and Tanzanian shillings all at the age of seven. As if the stars aligned properly, a woman would appear for Jabari. A pale woman covered with a long-brimmed, straw hat, dim robes and heavy, thick 'sun-glasses' would come across him. Other orphans ran away in fear while Jabari stayed in a haze of confusion and curiosity. She would be his newly, adoptive mother (by the name of Zahra) that he would take tribal residence with amongst many other children and women until his acceptance into Uagadou.

The adoptive tribal village is women-run and located in Kenya. There are no men and only young boys. This tribe is known as Mwanamke (link to more information on the tribe), the name meaning "woman" in Swahili. It is filled with women who can cast magic, and those who can't. The tribe is meant for those escaping from conflicts and witchcraft accusations. Zahra, Jabari's adoptive mother, is an albino witch. Albinism, despite being uncommon in western civilizations, are quite common in sub-Saharan Africa. Due to stigma, they are heavily discriminated against. Tanzania is amongst the highest in nations in having documented people with albinism.

During his time at Uagadou, Jabari became talented in multiple classes and sports. He would end up graduating with flying colors abet with a track record of disciplinary issues, only to turn off to becoming a nomad who traveled throughout Africa until his new residency at the African Great Lakes.

In a form of a joke to himself, he heard of an opening occurring for Uagadou and decided to apply to see where that leads him. Who in their right minds would accept a non-experienced wizard who got bored at everything and anything that came into his eyesight anyway?

FIoM
In his newly adoptive tribe, Jabari would help the women more with chores rather than take to playing with his peers. Mostly out of concern for his adoptive mother's health, along with getting 'rewards' for his help that was issued in treats and first helpings of the meals for the day. One day, surrounded by women at the age of eight, Jabari was working on weaving a basket with dried grass. A threaded grass piece ripped, causing Jabari to experience a new, unsettling emotion he couldn't describe correctly. He panicked, and amid his panic, the grass somehow was repaired by a single touch of his hand. The women watched in astonishment as his adoptive mother gave him a loving embrace along with a few other women.

Despite the cheerful atmosphere, Jabari couldn't help but experience guilt over the loss of his birth mother. If this 'special ability' manifested earlier; if he could've saved what he lost.