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Heavy responsibilities for elder aunt among the Logooli

With Seenge Fonesi. She is the elder grand daughter of Isagi and elder daughter of Amugasya. She is often present in functions involving the family of Amugasya. Pic taken on 18/4/2024. The elder sister soon becomes the elder aunt. It is this “seenge munene” (elder aunt) tag that she is tied to many cultural responsibilities – back home. To her marital family she may appear as any other woman, but she is not so in the eyes of her people. Marriage does not steal her away as it would happen with other daughters of the old man. To her, as days go and the old man and woman of the estate are dependents, she becomes increasingly present.  Her brothers also need her for almost all traditional markings. They are marrying, she needs to welcome the new wife. They are giving birth, she needs to come to midwife or “bless” the new born. They are paying dowry she needs to lead the women delegate. There is a conflict she needs to come for a hearing.  And many others. Traditions does not expect her to

...POOR DANDORA


Will there be a time when Dandora will look like….?
Or better?
Or never?

Have you ever passed by Juja Road and straight across Outer Ring Road?
Mathare slums pleases none, does it?
The sleeping urchins along the road
And the dust on the foot paths
Doesn’t make you sneer, does it?
All this is on our way to Dandora.

If your phone is not snatched at the roundabout,
The bone oduor will kill your smell sense
The rusty vibandas will redefine beauty
Your long afro hair is dyed brown-red-grey

The bottoms creek as the front tires immerse
The engines fail and get restarted
A minibus opts for the pedestrian side
For the road is a neglected rocky farm.

Noise, dust, sun, robbery and hunger
Mud, sewer, breakage and tribalism.

But still people live there
It may be my narrow thinking
For there are people
Who love D!


This picture I took in Kawangware. The situation is not different from Dandora. 

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