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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
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WHEN WE REFER WRONGLY

My friend, a member of Ufahamu Diaries group, during one of our good old meetings said that ‘people do grow in thinking.’ Bet you me, the time he said those words I knew that he least understood them- the way we always run for music lyrics and people’s quotes only to serve our deficiencies. In this meeting, he was ‘protecting’ his reputation for no group assignment to him was done. He never lacked an excuse. For his comment, surely I nodded to for it had taken me several wrong turns to develop one questionnaire sentence for the meeting.

When people stand to talk of words they least mean or understand I get a queasy feeling down in the bowels. When you wrongly quote a person, or argue stupidly for fear of losing a contentious topic I feel like I do not exist- no imaginations here.

When you stand before pupils in the robes of mentorship and tell them you were raised from a poor family, sleeping on floor, eating once a day and your careless father having run away from the family, what do you mean? Some words prompt pity- to make the audience feel sorry for you instead of doing what you should! That is to give them a hope by talking good things. Not the past old sad memories that we may want to cling to.

In a refreshing meeting, a man was going through slides displaying pictures of a marine man doing the salute thing to black Obama. He was of the words that a black president is ruling as per a black man’s prophecy- Martin Luther Junior. If I told him that he is wrong, he will call me a careless youth. What he does not know is that Americans elected a President. Not a black. The marine is doing his professional stuff- not a boot licking habit. That is how messages are wrongly imparted.

For some time now, I do not know what to tell people when we are talking. I do not know when it is wise to quote a person and when it is better left. I am always of the feeling that we are all operating in a state of equableness if we hanged the boots of titles. When you speak to me, do not think I am your junior. Know that I am ready to stick to bragging words which will aid me take a judgment look on you. Speak less of dreams. Take me to another world and prove your point without merely saying that if you made it I can also make it. Puff.

The Preachers are slowly growing into similar fangs. They start preaching about ‘Following Jesus’ expecting you to be seated for a full hour listening to a children story. Life has too much to experience than following a person. Obviously the preacher does not mean what he says if you interviewed him after the church. A friend of mine gets nuts and call them mother something because of their shallowness to research and critical thinking. Preachers as some say need a heavenly calling, I think they need a thorough intellectual training of questioning what they are saying to the masses. Do not speak because you feel inspired. Inspirations can be so misleading.

There will always be followers to an idea. An employee is expected to follow an organization’s order and regulations. When he breaks the first law in 48 laws of power, honestly, what do you expect of his boss? A topic for another day has something like we are into our different positions because we can be dump to think so. When Barack Senior could not fathom directions from a junior learned person, he was at war with Kenyatta. As some will lie to Kenyatta’s side, others will defend the Luo blood.

I had forgotten this. peers are into the revolution ideas citing Sankara and Marcus Gurvey in their posts. Some consider Gadaffi a legend. It is not bad I may agree. But when you start citing them to communicate to the ruling authority, you are simply a fool. Some who do so have not opened a book about the very people and heard how their good thoughts were a source of lawlessness. It is better to let reference be unless you want to dishonestly communicate.


In short, when you take over the podium, focus your discussions to something critical. If you can’t convince your bed that there can be a side-look to your idea, deny the speaking request. I, the audience can be so pissed off by a shallow speaker and quote nothing in the diary. 

At large, we should own our words and experiences. Rarely should we cite external sources unless there was no otherwise.

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