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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...

Viegombwa (Desiderata)

Genda nuwitul'lii hagati hiriyoga nirihambagil'la
Ma wizurizi mirembe jinyara kuva muvuchiring'anu
Murigeriza rinyarika, vujira rietima mwoyo
Ove nimbul'lizana na vandu vosi
Vora girigari gogo muvuchiring'anu kandi muvuravu nu hul'liza vandi
Kari kuvaasiniara na vaagotwa; vo navo vavee nurugano

Isuhi vandu viriyoga namahaga
Vagerizaa riiva mwoyo
Nuwerenganyia kuvandi
Unyara kuva kihanzahanze nohomba wuvuzunu
Kijira kazozo nakoveho
Vakurundu nindi vake kwivi

Yihul'li muvikorwa nindi zinganagani zizio
Yidinyi muvusiza vuvwo kari voveye novogeheru
Numwandu gwigirigari
Murigirung'ana riezingavi muzinyinga

Ove mwihul'lizi murienyel'liza ririo
Kijira ikivara chaizura uvugaza
Nutareka yiki kikuvakurizi
Ku vurahi voveeho
Vandu vanyingi vahandal'laa kuguuta
Na hosi rimenya riakira uvuhaga

Ove nivi.
Kenene taveha wakayirwa
Nohomba tava nengede muriyanza
Kijira muriva riekivasu nirigenya
Vivee viviti nang'ana vurimu

Vugura kuvurahi gariho kutura kare
Muvuyari noreka gavee guruyayi
Hindiriza vunyari vwu mwoyo wayirinda kivi nikitul'la
Nutiminiza zinganagani ziekisundi
Vuti vunyingi vuturanaa kul'luha nuvumanani

Komeda kovohocha
Va mwehozerizi
Ovee mwana wiriguru, sogehaa misara nizing'ereng'ani
Ovee wigirigari kuvaho.

Na nigava noho gavuri havuravu kwivi
Ni risuvira riguru rikoraa genyekaa
Navuza ove nemirembe nuMwami, shiumuvuguraa kuva
Na kari miyinzi nirienya
Hagati hiridundana rie rimenya, va numurembe mumwoyo
Nuvubara, rivoyong'ana, rivunika mwoyo, kikiri kivara kirahi
Yizanzarizi. Handal'la ove wuvuyanzi.

With thanks.
Original poem by Max Ehrmann
Translated by Lung'afa Igunza.

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