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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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Call me what you want. Am STRENGTH.

None in Mbale is unaware of this bodaboda rider, a man whom I have come to admire save for his lapses in thoughts - going abusive. The only man standing from the many cyclists who once operated on Mbale-Gisambai road, long then before the road was tarmacked, he is the only STRENGTH chap remaining alongside the modern motorcycles that have taken hostage of the road.

Ask him of anything and he got answers. Quick answers. Chaotic answers. Impromptu laughter. Unstoppable when he starts. He is jovial, simple with a T-shirt, a tattered trouser, a pair of slippers and an old double beam black mamba- the Renaissance bicycle.

Only for 20 bob he carries a passenger from the lows of Mbale to the heights of Mazigulu and seldom do his customers pay more. He only carries the abnormal like him and had I not had a bike we would be ziiing on his bike to whenever that he tells me something. Just something. His time is not expensive. A maximum of 100 bob a day is all he expects. Something he says makes him happy.

A little disturbing is that he seems to have less pity for himself or rather he does not seem to think before speaking. He just goes...Kenya we left on banana leaves, this woman is Kosovo, STRENGTH the show of maturity in life, They were found in wilderness, those greedy men, who think a motorbike has no rim, it has. And they are greedy, very greedy, never content. Kenya is feaces, groin fur, people are stupid. You walk in the world normal? No, take beer...and he rants, breaking to abuse a passerby woman, getting on again.

And people know him, children fear him. Once he had carried a person and thoughts crammed his mind. It is said he had left the bike steering into a ditch as he galloped for safety, laughing, the passenger groaning. It was a fall. It is nothing to him, that fall.

How he breaks by the foot, having his T-shirt fly in the air, looking back by resting by the beam, asking for a customer, this man, in his simplicity lives a life that only the sun may tell for it knows everyone's ways. In disguise, people thinking him mad, the man is living whole lot of a cheerful life in what he calls a crazy World.

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