“Today is a good day in the offing” said James.
“Today is a good day in the offing” said James. “Definitely yes”, acquainted John Esiralo. “Indeed our historical traditions and cultures which have been there since time immemorial need to be celebrated,” replied James. “Absolutely our history will judge us right if we uphold our historical customs embodied in our culture as an African people. This goes without saying that our own people will carry on with these customs for a very long time,” replied John. It is quite tremendous that we still pride ourselves on the longevity of our cultures,” James exclaimed. “Yeah, I think that is true but at the same time we should view our cultures being dynamic. Our culture still upholds some positive aspects and at the same it is shading some moribund aspects. This the way our culture should operate,” said John. John and James were very good friends. They were of the same “rika,” they had studied in the same schools and this day they were going to join their society’s get together cultural event.
Makhwari village was holding its annual cultural event to celebrate the historicity of its people, place, different times and events. James and John were among the many people who thronged the fully packed newly constructed Makhwari stadium. People knew the order of activities in every cultural event. To pass time, before the beginning of the event, people engaged in conversations of their own. James and John liked conversing and exchanging ideas on various topics ranging from trivial topics, social topics, and geo-political topics. James was a tall young person with a well-toned physique often smiling. He had created around himself an aura of innocence vulnerability, always of cheerful disposition. A magnanimous benign person. John, on the other hand, was short, had well developed muscles, fully-fledged beard, moustache, and side burns. Once striking similarity between the two friends was their ever smiling nature.
The stadium was flanked by two opposite seating sides of people. Vehicles of all kinds were packed inside the humongous stadium. Top of the range such as Porsche owned by the society’s elites were also present. These were tell-tale signs of the high and mighty in the community. Motorbikes and bicycles were also parked in the stadium. The majority of the attendants came on foot. There was a wide disparity growing among the people in terms of social stratification. In the recent past, not so many villagers had financial muscles compared to the present day. A lion’s share of people’s mode of transport was the ubiquitous ”boda boda.” Those days people believed that money was just a sense of means. Currently, among the Makhwari people, money is becoming a sense of security.
People in the stadium were dressed to kill in both their traditional and modern dress codes. Those who were fashion savvy proved a point with their fashion sense. Indeed great strides had been made among the Makhwari people since time immemorial. Back in the day, in Makhwari village people wore banana leaves to cover and hide their private parts. Clothes were later tailored for use among the community members. “This day, people donned in their decent traditional outfits,” said John amid the overly ecstatic crowd. “That is the way people should live. The parents of this generation should be a source of inspiration to the upcoming parents just like we were inspired to be decent by our parents and grandparents.” said James. ”Yeah, and nowadays we are facing unprecedented times whereby girls of this day and age live by the slogan, “my dress my choice”. If opportunity broods itself for me to address my fellow youth, I would advise them to borrow a leaf from our ancient history of teaching. The pedagogic teaching has been principally handed down from generation to generation.” Replied John. Their conversation was interrupted by the master of ceremony.
The master of ceremony took the microphone to announce the start of the auspicious event. His name was Mwalimu Tumbuiza. Mwalimu was once known as Thomas Stevenson from his childhood until his prime. He got tired of his name since it failed to give him a sense of belonging. He decided to coin his new name, a historical African name Mwalimu, meaning teacher, and Tumbuiza meaning to entertain. He often advised parents to give their children African names. The master of ceremony announced the order of the day and told the crowd to wait for an impending surprise performance.
Since the inception of the cultural annual event, prayers were always encompassed in the occasion. They were done by the Makhwari religious leaders. Prayers were done by the Makhwari people even before the coming of the colonialists. The society subscribed to a supreme being. After the prayers, the entertainment part followed. The session was always a matter of formality in any cultural day event in Makhwari. Traditional singers and dancers trooped the podium to show their prowess.
People of Makhwari were synonymous with the “Isikuti” genre of music. The dance from the music was dubbed “Isikuti dance”. The dancers and singers provided entertainment to the masses and the people reciprocated their gratitude by flashing gifts to the performers. The gifts ranged from bicycles, traditional clothes, monies, and other paraphernalia. The art of dancing the Isikuti beat was inborn to residents of Makhwari. The Isikuti dancers were joined by other enthusiasts from the joyous crowd. This was a sight to behold. To some people, they were dancing their troubles away, at least for once.
After the heated, rigorous dancing, people took their seats. The master of ceremony once again returned on stage accompanied by good music rocking the airwaves. The music was hearkened by the crowd. Mwalimu Tumbuiza was singing tongue in cheek.
“Nochia osi ibee
Omwana nochia osii
Abulakho kama Makhwari
Nochia osi ibee
Omwana nochia osii
Abulakho kama Makhwari.”
The song showed solidarity of Makhwari people to love their home just like their ancestors. Mwalimu shouted amidst the song “history has truly shown that your home is still your home.” The saying that goes, east or west home is the best rang true. The master of ceremony then invited Mzee Maarifa on the dais to address the hyped people. Mzee was revered throughout the whole village because of his richness in wisdom, anywhere he would go wisdom would ooze out of his mouth to resolve many issues brought to the fore in the village. He represented the many revered elders who had lived before him in Makhwari village. Ancient history showed that great men of wisdom like Mzee ensured prosperity among the people. Mzee was old, frail, but energetic.
Most people idolized Mzee. Just like chicken coming home to roost, other qualified candidates were raring to go succeed Mzee’s seat since he was almost retiring. The requisites of any elder candidate position included; one was supposed to have undergone through rites of passage like circumcision and marriage, one was supposed to be advanced in age, one was to be successful in terms of wealth, one was supposed to have married and with children. Mzee met all these requirements. He had an added feather to his cloak because of his wisdom. This advantaged him to outwit his competitors. Mzee took the microphone and addressed the people.
Mzee Maarifa begun by requesting people to give him their undivided attention. “My people, our history is the cornerstone that gives us a sense of belonging. From our history, we are able to know where we are going as a people in the future. Today, from a vantage point, we are able to look in the past and see how our moral values were followed to the letter. Currently, our moral values are on a backdrop against moral decadence which has been on an upward scale. People are defying our old historical customs. They are terming them as being obnoxious and retrogressive. “How can one think barring inter-clan marriages be outdated? Let’s wake up! Am well aware just like you that indeed culture is becoming dynamic. I opine with some people that issues like early marriages should be done away with. As we agree to solve this issue, we should not forget that other customs have been there in ages. It is upon the youth of today to tread the way out of this treacherous waters of cultural oblivion. Our younger generation should encourage each other to uphold our tradition as a people for future generations. I hope from the brevity of my speech you have learnt something.” The speech ended with a round of applause from the crowd. “That is a coherent speaker,” said one individual as people stood up to go for the much awaited lunchbreak.
The lunchbreak was the salient feature of the day as seen on people’s faces. The aroma of a myriad of African cuisines filled the air. The food was arranged in a kind-like buffet. People were to take themselves through self-service. A phenomenon never witnessed before in the Makhwari community. Normally, food always provided an opportunity to see the true colors of a person. There were other people who had not attended the first session of the cultural event now they started trickling in at the service points. Their motive was known. All they cared for was to fill their empty stomachs. The same people saw some dogs passing around sniffing and decided to throw stones chasing away the scavengers. One of the attendees shouted to them that both the late comers’ and the dogs’ motives were similar. To scavenge for food.
Some of the traditional foods present included “kunde,” “managu,” and “mrenda.” Other foods like beef meat, chicken stew, and several tantalizing drinks were in plenty. There was no doubt the foods would be savored greatly. There was the infamous “ugali” in the menu too. This was a type of food made from baking corn that never missed any cultural event. As a matter of fact, it was a staple food. Majority of people loathed “ugali” on auspicious occasions. Other foods like rice substituted it in such ceremonious events. To the “ugali” fanatics, rice was just but an appetizer. No day ever missed without the enthusiasts feasting on the meal. They would agree unanimously to have slept hungry if they missed “ugali” even if they had ate another kind of food.
Food was served to Makhwari residents. There were those who went for countless additions of food making others becoming agitated fueled by the happenings. The event organizers were left scratching their heads. The hopeful people stayed firm having founded assurance that the food will suffice for everyone. Before bringing food for self-service cooks had stashed some other food in the inside arena of the stadium which was threefold to the one being served. After the food on self-service was depleted, the cooks hurriedly brought the hidden food to the hungry crowd. People were assured their fair share of food which they ate to their fill.
Immediately after the food and refreshments, people rushed to their seats as they waited to be served with the obscure surprise. The long-waited performance that would crown the day had arrived. In a twinkle of an eye, the master of ceremony introduced certain “people of peculiar profession.” There was a happy countenance written on people’s faces from one part of the stadium to the other. The crowd was taken through riveting and spell-binding tales of how the professionals came into being. James and John together with other villagers observed hawk-eyed the on goings. This was the first time such an occasion was embodied in an annual historical cultural day. At the back of people’s minds, many things lingered. Each person was trying to find out what possibly was promised as the surprise. The people on stage were dressed in strange outfits. They began addressing the crowd introducing themselves as professionals mourners or doyens of mourning. A loud laughter from the crowd engulfed the air. Obviously, it was already in the public domain that there exists such a profession.
The mourning doyens wore “lessos” on their heads which looked like turbans. The mourners said that their profession was born due to lack of employment. They needed to eke out a living to support their families. They stated that their work entails escorting the families of deceased individuals to the place of burial. Once at the burial place, they begin their craft. They wail so loud more than the bereaved attracting the attention of other villagers. This makes them become the cynosure of eyes. Their role is to create the pensile mood for mourning. Actually, the countenance on their faces was deceptive; but their main goal was to earn a living. This demonstration had already endured the professional mourners to the awe-struck villagers. Some people were heard whispering to each other that they would services of the mourning doyens in case of an unfortunate death.
The professional mourners immediately started jumping and running aimlessly and at the same time screaming and wailing loudly on the stage. The act caught the crowd by surprise. It was a performance never seen before. After………… the mourners allowed the audience to raise questions. One short fat round guy stood out from his seat and asked “do you love it when people die?” Obviously the majority of the patient attendees had the question running in their minds. The lead professional mourner who introduced himself as Omkhuli answered the question nonchalantly. “We do not wish people death. By now you should be privy to the fact that death is inevitable. However, death is like good luck for us mourners. In fact, death is like a basic need.” People in the crowd were left in stitches.
The master of ceremony came back on stage after the mourners leaving. He told the people that he hopes they are enlightened. “This is a profession which has been brought into light by those who practice it. It is worth noting that professional mourning has existed for a long time in Makhwari. If you ask the elders, they will tell you that when they were children, this craft was being practiced.”
The master of ceremony invited the area chief to give a vote of thanks and wrap up the event. The chief …………
It was a befitting cultural day of being informed, educated and entertained. The day’s events demonstrated historical activities which came into being at different times in Makhwari. The historical activities were done by African people of Makhwari and passed to each and every generation. The history of the community reminded the crowd where they came from, whom they were, the strides made, and where they were going. They were to come back to their way of life, uphold their traditions and moral values which were on the brink of being forgotten.