PERSPECTIVE
The Village Christmas
By Joseph Lunani
Life is a journey and as such we are constantly moving from one season to another . We also move from the villages to the cities . Our movement to and from is never a smooth ride even for those whose villages not far from their urban work places and residences .
The rural - urban migration is no longer just a topic in our education syllabus but is an important factor in our socio-economic trajectory . The urban centers of our country are a buzz with activity and this is an attraction for trade , expertise , investments and manpower . The village cannot contend with the glitz and glamor of these centers . The pace of life in the village has a “ wait and see ” drive that could be termed as slow . The village is driven by seasons and the purposes of special occasions increases the tempo of its affairs .
The rainy season brings with it a flurry of activities - the shops are a buzz as every farmer gets their planting implements . There will be haggling , telephone calls as they follow up on distribution and the ensuing delivery logistics . The hotels at the market centers will be busy with orders for “ chai na mandazi ” including the famous
“ ugali - nyama ” orders . The retail shop benches will be aflush with “ soda madiaba na scones ” partakers . The barbershops would have a boom with requests to have famous hairdos . OO my days - our local market days are heaven on earth . Locals dress up , bring their savings purse and flex with notes in more than one outlet . The local butcher “ Bolingo ” is visited and chunks of meat bought . He was called fondly “ Bolingo ” for he would swoon lingala songs as fluent as a Congolese native . Furthermore , his shop radio always tuned to a station playing rhumba .
For once a year the local markets ’ pace picks a quick tempo . Christmas brings back our sons and daughters from the city of lights . Their children too join in making the village Christmas colorful . With their “ manyoya ” Kiswahili and one-liner local lingua attempts , they are such a sport for our village minds . This migration reduces the population of our tamed animals ’ especially the “ ingokho ”. The organic nature of “ road runners ” makes them sweeter than the broilers bought in supermarkets . They feed on termites , worms , humus , leaves and all that is natural and thus this enriches their nutrient levels . Their preparation is basic
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Visitors break their mother-tongue as they tweng words in barbaric measures . The village people are very accommodative , they make do with the exaggerated truths , the utter lies , the unnecessary information and the blunders of the visitors . with just enough cooking oil , tomatoes and onions . Village folks have better things to do than marinate meals with “ kitunguu saumu ” or soy sauce . We leave that for the bourgeoise kitchens of the city .
The journey from the city is dramatic and long . City folks start packing their stuff a month in advance . They select their very best to “ Tisha ” the village folks . Then they visit the salons and barbershops to get the latest hairstyles to further entrench that “ wamechanuka ”. The majority use public transport to get to the village . The bus fare advantage makes us go for the likes of Eldoret Express , Mbukinya , Climax , GreenCoach , Matunda Bus among others .
Experience dictates that all our luggage is stowed away in one boot compartment . Back in the day when we did not label our bags , we lost invaluable items because all we could say to identify our bags was ” paka yangu ilikuwa ya placka ” or “ pepa paka ya kurini ”. At least now we improvise labels with our names , telephone numbers and destinations .
Rule number one is always to ensure you get into the bus that your luggage has been taken to . In the past , unscrupulous touts would take a hold of you , place you in one bus and they would make away with your luggage and lie that it was placed in the boot . Now we have some decorum , touts respectfully guide you into a bus and others offer security ( sanctioned or not ) if only you promise to pay them “ za macho ”.
Rule number two is to ensure you have an almost empty bowel and bladder when you board the bus . You never want to visit the toilet or stop the bus to run into the bush
48 MAL52 / 23 ISSUE