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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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Izava Walk : When a spring dries

A path that gets lost as it tries to follow the turns and roundings of Izava got me beating a new one through the trees to pour self at Gwaranda. Gwaranda is an open area with what used to be a coffee factory standing naked opposite the road that rises to Gaigedi. Here Izava is joined by a stream that we would better term Gwaranda. It flows clean and shallowly, having its source near up at a spring.

This second coffee factory stands unrobbed. Iron pipes that conducted water from the standing generator were all in position. Heavy and hard pulleys have with time grown permanently stuck to their fulcrums. Too heavy they are that they produce no sound when you hit it. In an opposite room, a safe laid vandalised with papers pouring out. One dated 28/5/1986 I picked. It titled Chandelema Factory with Names of Unpaid Members as subtitle. Laurence Isagi debted them 1,386.80. His number 618. The lowest debting man was none other than L. Ndevela of 1.60. A shilling? His number 2649.

Unattended to also are the dams. They seemed to lie there. Fish needed a good fencing to farm. Lest they were farming cat fish. Two voluminous diggings they are and must have been a long term project. The initiators must be very old and dead. Water is not received from Izava for there are springs beneath them. They offer Izava the excess. And Izava at this point exhibit nylon papers prevented from the flow by roots of trees.

So it follows that Gavugogo gives up the ghost in Izava, handing over the mantle. Had I been in a position to measure the cubic metres per second I'd have done so. Cleaner than Izava by appearance, this river -larger than Izava joining streams- forces Izava to embark on a westward motion having been flowing southwards. Suggestively, there is a greater communication as to why the streams and rivers meet wherever they do. It ever seems a harmonious connection.

Gavugogo sources up in Hamisi to drain the ridges of kiritu and Mambai of their streams. At Chandelema, a stream joins gavugogo whose name I wasn't told. But I know what used be Mbato's land. Tea beautifies it if you stood at the remaining tarmac sect on Kiritu- Mambai road. Chahilu tells of a time when vahaga went to the grassy valley bottom to wrestle. The area is now full of eucalyptus.

The adjoining area is a low flattening land and a man hurriedly weeded maize growing there. Another was waiting for his hook to catch something.

Beside, as the Mudete-Kigama road bussied with motor zooms, youths waited for those that would stop for washing. Business was down. In rainy season is when washing services are needed. All the water leads to Izava despite Mudete Tea Factory having raised a conservation poster near them.

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