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The struggle with many a rigid Logooli cultural practices

  The Logooli community is one of the deeply cultured societies – with near everything supposed to have been done as per custom – to allow another custom to follow. One example is that for a mature man (with a child or more) to be buried, there must be a house structure at home. Another is that a boy must be circumcised and nursed in father land. If maternal family decides to, the boy will have a hard time reconnecting with father people - a dent on his masculinity. There were two children who got burnt to death in a house in Nairobi. The single mother had left for night work. Elders were told that one of the children was Logooli. The other, the woman had sired with someone else. The Logooli family wanted to burry their little one and long discussed the do’s and don’ts. Of a man who died childless and the grave was placed as if he had died as a man with children. It should have been dug on the sides, the grave. A real thorn should have been thrust in his buttocks, his name go...
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Dialogues and Monologues in a game.

See how they support the boards! Listen to what they speak...
Have you ever started talking in a game? Or making sounds and faces? For instance to groan when moving a checker player from one box to another...as if the bottle opener was too heavy for that matter?

It is a day well spent. The men close the doors to their jua kali zones and from nowhere checkers are brought to life. They have no seats and tables and they decide to hold them by their hands and have a nice time before they break to poverty stricken homes.

'Corruption is justified in Kenya. If you do not bribe you will end up in the bars' was one player's remark. To have his way on the board he had to 'give' away a player of his for no otherwise. As he continued playing he spoke of the government and its officers. He puffed the cigar to half and gave it to his mate. I loved the game and requested to take a picture of them. They were not stealing anyone's wife to resist it. Good men.

Chess, Ludo, Cards and Scrabble among other table games call for dialogues that not only make the time pass away swiftly but also meet the player's souls at an inoluntary magnitude of the unconscious world. That is fellowship. You may hear yourself hum along as the opponent respond. Once, twice, thrice he may win the game and for the fourth time, if he is a master, he will allow you to win. And when you are tense for who may win next, nerves can be heard stretching to breaking points.

The words and hums later translate to a different kind of play. Cards are left to fly on the table sharply and in a thud sound. Someone may add a comment in the throw. As the perfections endue, a checker may be pushed with fingures at an angle to confuse the opponent of the prey intended. Wizardry is born thence when 6! is the sound from the mouth and the fall-over of the dice. And another six! And the third in a row! It has never been moving before.

Next time when you play, keep note of the references and sounds you make. They may turn out to be your deeper thoughts and stimulus. Explore them for bliss.

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