Our difference’s the beauty of our country

 “You know these Luos...” is a statement I know very well. Despite the fact that it hurts me to the core, when such a statement is made with the sole motive of criticizing a group of Kenyans from the tribe where the love of my life hails from, I still have to bear it as some people continue to recklessly utter these tribalism inclined words all around me. I must say, however, that many a people in Kenya are learning how to co-exist with their brothers from another tribe. Even as this is the case, we cannot wholly shut down our eyes and ears to those who are still deeply engraved in the cocoons of tribalism; sadly, I have to interact with some of them and their negative reaction towards people from other tribes takes me aback to think about my boyfriend and other kind hearted people from the Lake region. 

Many will say that I am biased towards where my ‘mister’ comes from, swearing by the ‘red bible’ will do no good, neither is biting a handful of soil make things better; the fact is simply that I am not biased, on whatever ground, towards any tribe, be it from the Lake Region or any other. If you are meeting him for the first time, you would probably think that he is a Swahili since his name ‘Badia’ (Swahili word for fake) says it all; however, his very dark complexion betrays him and creates a sweet confusion…mmh don’t they say that “The darker the berry…” anyway, I proudly tell my friends and others who care to listen, that my ‘mister’ man is from Lake Region. 

The Desiderata has taught me humility in its true meaning and it is from it that I will quote some words for your reference, “As far as possible without surrender, be on good terms with all persons...” Having been raised up in a Christian family, I very well understand the act of forgiveness; however, I have grown up to appreciate the importance of peace.  As far as I am concerned, peace entails understanding that I am neither perfect nor an island; understanding that if I appreciate and love people, then I will live a good life. Peace entails the revelation that we are different and born with strengths and weaknesses; understanding that at any one point, I am a compliment of someone else, their efforts, beliefs, lifestyle, and culture. I have appreciated that I cannot live alone and succeed; rather, I clearly appreciate that I need people around me, since united we soar unimaginable heights!

Dear ones, our country is made up of 42 tribes for a reason; the reason which says that we all exist to complement one another. Believe me when I say that Kenya would be a very boring land without the Maasai culture marked by the Maasai lesos, morans with red hair, spears, and cows; what a plainly boring land it would be without the pictures of the Luo men fishing in Lake Victoria and their women balancing heavy baskets full of fish as they take them to the market…the list of the spectacular sights we see from various tribe’s cultures is endless… I bet you agree with me that, indeed, this is a beautiful country! I therefore, beseech thee, let us appreciate one another. The differences exhibited by each individual, clan, tribe, are what make our country to shine with beauty. Remember, one Meru may be hot tempered but not all of them, just like one Kikuyu can be willing to give anything to have money, but not all Kikuyus.

Happy and peaceful 2015 to you!

An Article by Sarah Makena

Co-founder Ukabila Zi Society

Purpose Accomplished at Death? Only God Knows…

My sweet mama is now 75 years of age. I thank God for her life; the God of Kirinyaga has preserved her life since she was born years before the State of Emergency was declared in Kenya. She was unique; a ‘white girl’ with black hair. Many a young man would come from villages far and wide to see this ‘white girl’ who had black, long, shiny hair...oh was my mama beautiful? She was not tall and not short, she had a beauty gap in between her teeth on the upper jaw…probably now you understand where I borrow some features from (wink). Oh mama, the woman who brought eight of us, my siblings and I, to this world. Today, we are six out of the eight, who mama gracefully carried in her womb and raised amidst all the challenges of motherhood and hard economic times. One thing, however, happened as she later narrated to me when she was sure I had grown up enough to understand. 

One day, she carried her 3 year old third born child, a son whom she had named after my uncle from my baba’s side; they went to the shamba, to tend to her arrow-roots near the river. That day my eldest brother, her second born son, had gone to school, he was in nursery school; mama was determined to educate all her children despite the fact that she was denied education. Yes, her mama, my grandma, decided that mama would not join school during the Emergency in 1950’s because she feared that mama’s mind would get ‘corrupted’ by the ‘white man’; she preferred that mama stayed at home and helped her fetch water. Despite this, mama clearly understood the importance of education. Therefore, when she enrolled her second born son in school, mama was left with no choice but to always bring along with her the youngest son to the shamba. She did not have anyone else to look after the young boy.

As usual, she put the boy on the ground, in the shade of a tree, and went to tend to her arrow-roots. It was a beautiful sunny day, rain had poured two days earlier and the arrow-roots had sprung back to life. Their leaves, very green, were swayed from side to side by the morning breeze, a motion that revealed the sparkling drops of water, which resembled ice-crystals in the morning sun. The nearby Kiwe River was full of life as the clear waters collected from rain and various springs uphill made their way down hill and smoothly swept every bend in the canal. The water was clear, as clear as rain water...this was a rare sight because Kiwe River passes through some lands that have brown loam soil, which dissolves in the water during the rainy season and turns the water brown; actually, my mum always avoided fetching water from Kiwe River until two weeks after a heavy downpour. For those two weeks, she would use the water she had trapped from the rusty roofs of our house into her black plastic container. 

A bright day can be mistaken to be a day of fortunes and when the opposite happens, we tend to draw a lot of conclusions; we suspect all types of causes…evil people who do not wish us well, malicious beings who are after our happiness, whose aim is to cause us bad luck and misfortunes. I must say it takes a strong God-fearing heart to know that sometimes things happen, not because of malicious people but because of God’s will, natures will if you prefer. One day my mama told me, “sometimes, it is nature’s only way of teaching us some real difficult lessons, other times it is God’s only way of taking back what He had given to us, for each one of us has a purpose on earth, the purpose of which only the Creator knows.” She went on, “None of us knows when their purpose in the world is complete.” 

According to mama, my brother who I never got to meet, cried and cried, he did not stop crying no matter what mama gave him, he was rushed to hospital but he was not sick, the  doctor could not prescribe any medicine, the boy cried  up to midnight when he finally stopped…up to this day. The following day, mama sort answers and could not find any, her friends and relatives came up with all sorts of theories, but none could be proven, none has ever been proven up until this day. Despite the pain, mama learnt to accept some happenings the hard way; she accepted that her son was gone, that she would never hear her son cry again, that her son would never make noise for her to listen while she tended to her arrow-roots at Kiwe River. 

This story saddens my heart every time I think about it. However, it teaches me a big lesson, which I very much appreciate, that each one of us has been created for a purpose, the purpose which we never know when it is accomplished, and only then, after fulfilling our purpose does the creator come back to take that which is His. 

I remember listening to Dr. Myles Munroe a few weeks before he passed on, as he passionately talked about living a purposeful life on JKL Live in one of Kenya’s Television channels. His words moved me and from hence, I decided to determine my purpose in life and fulfill it. A few weeks later, when Dr. Munroe passed on I was shocked, I fought back tears; this was a man I had listened to three weeks ago and now he was no more, I had woken up that morning to news that this transformational man of God had died in a plane crash. Then, I realized just how short life is; I appreciated the reason for living a purposeful life as I fondly remembered when Dr. Munroe declared on national television, here in Kenya, that he was completely emptying himself to fulfill the purpose for which he was created on earth; with these words Dr. Munroe had prophesied his end time. 

Today, however, I ask myself, “How many people get a chance to prophesy their end time?” As this question lingers in my mind, I remember that my late brother, who passed on at the age of three, who cried and cried for hours until midnight did not prophesy his death, otherwise mama could have been psychologically prepared to accept whatever befell her. I write this article with a grieving heart, this is not because I have lost any loved one, a favor which I cannot forget to thank God for. Believe me; crossing over to a new year, safe and sound, is not a mere favor, glory, glory, to the Most High. But look, it saddens me that even at this time and age, many a people have not appreciated nature’s will, that each one of us has a purpose on earth, and once the purpose is accomplished, despite one’s age, the creator shall fold our old skins, work tools, and carry us to a place neither of us has been to before; a place where we shall leave and never return to our loved ones!

I refuse to be convinced otherwise! I strongly believe in creation, the Supreme God, nature, and purpose…otherwise, only the poor would be condemned to die at a tender age and the rich to live forever. Money does not buy life; only the Almighty, who most of us believe in, knows the day and the hour, and when He decides that your purpose in this paradise is accomplished, He folds your work tools and whisks you off to another place where you live with angels happily ever after! 

To all the souls that have left us, “May you Rest in Eternal Peace”

Happy New Year readers…I wish you abundant blessings in this New Year 2015!

An article by Gladys Muthara.