JEXJALUO ****
Michael Mundia
Kamau
P.O. Box 58972
00200 City Square
Nairobi
Kenya
21st July 2003
LOVE BREWED IN AN AFRICAN POT
East meets west, north meets south, 67 plus 28, is the contemporary equation
of love. In one stroke Peter Mbugua has acquired a wife, a mother, a grandmother,
a godmother, a lover and a friend, and Wambui Otieno, a husband, a wife,
a son, a grandson, a brother, a daughter, a grand daughter, a cousin, a nephew,
the
works.
Peter Mbugua and Wambui Otieno’s wedding is a mixture of absurdity, daring,
boldness and recklessness. But this country today can be described in as
many ways, so the wedding of the year fits appropriately into the script.
A finger pointed at Mbugua and Wambui is a finger pointed right back at ourselves.
A pat on the back for Mbugua and Wambui is a pat on the back for ourselves.
Wambui Otieno and Peter Mbugua have done us the good tiding of dusting the
mirror on the wall, and gone the extra mile of washing the dirty linen in
public.
Yes, this is one occasion where dirty linen needs to be washed in public
for a nation to heal itself. The revelations being made are curious and an
indication
that we are dealing with a much bigger problem than we care to realise.
In exasperation, for instance, Wambui declared that there are several middle
aged and older women with live-in “boy” companions. A women’s lobby referred
to it as “thousands”. Wambui went on further to state that at least she had
the decency to wed an individual over the age of eighteen years, unlike many
prominent women who had boyfriends under the age of eighteen years ! My!
My!
I do not why we even try to pretend anymore that we are a God fearing, upright,
moral, just, and conservative society. The “thousands” being referred to
above probably never fail to attend church every Sunday. Are what we have
today churches or cults ?
These cross generational liaisons are a clear indication of the lacking
work ethic in a nation that probably needs it now more than at any other
time in it’s short history. It’s one thing to want the best in life and work
towards it, and an entirely different one to want the best in life and not
want to make any real effort towards getting it, which is what we can be
described as. These obsession with short cuts is what will ultimately spell
the doom of this country. No able bodied young man or woman has any business
being a gigolo or mistress, but this is the road we
have chosen.
Promiscuity and immorality both in the church and outside is a fact of life
in Kenya. The revealing manner in which women dress up leaves no doubt about
their intentions. Women’s empowerment should not be about seduction but
about induction, dignified induction. Vulgar, obscene, pornographic publications
litter the streets of major towns in Kenya today, making nonsense of Attorney
General Mathew Guy Muli’s 1985 ban on pornography. It is against this backdrop
that Wambui and Mbugua are getting some of their most vehement criticism.
It is also curious to note vehement criticism of Wambui and Mbugua from
Wambui’s “single” mother daughter and Mbugua’s “single” mother. The irony
here is that Wambui passes as respectable, having been a widow. Wambui’s
children are publicly hurling insults at her appearing to have forgotten
that if it wasn’t for her, they would not be what they are today ! They had
opportunities that Mbugua and many of the rest of us never had, and probably
never will. It’s all one big drama unfolding and a country sees it failings
of the past 40 years on display. At the back of the stage obviously, is a
Pandora’s box begging to be opened. Wambui and Mbugua have opened the floodgates
and a number of marriages similar to theirs will almost certainly follow
in the near future, as we re-invent ourselves in the wrong way.
The weekend of 19th and 20th July 2003 will certainly rank as one of the
most memorable in Kenya’s history. A Nation reveled in a satirical spectacle
and was
roundly entertained. This could not have come at a better time given the
difficult times and prospects. Many are entertained and laughing. But as
we laugh, let us remember the famous phrase in “The Government Inspector”
, “ What are you laughing at ?………………. you are laughing at yourselves !
Michael Mundia Kamau
Ka in gi mari moro ma di wandik ka to orni
Akelo,Nyar
Kager
jaluo@jaluo.com
Daher winjo dwondi in bende,
iwinjo?
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