Play time: 04:36 minutes. Recorded in Mago, Kenya, March 19, 2014.

Mukeele Mugumba

Alice Mugasia

Kwali ho nu mukere undi yali mugumba. Siyanyola mwana dave. Yamenya madiku manyinge ku vujira mwana natsia ku vaganga nagenya ku nyala kokola ndi nduhi nzivuli ku mwana wange ku nangwe mama flani. Yamanya natsia mundu namwahila lunyasi. Yatsia ni vavika sasa lunyasi lwene yilwo ndio mwilina liali mmusala. Lwa yatsia yagona vucha mugamba atsia ahenzaho alola kandu kavemu kelomba; natsia lidiku lindi nanyola kandu karuchi mu kuli lisiagali. Natsia sasa nanyola kandu ka kahindiraga mu, kakagua mwana. Lidiku lindi natsia nanyola agwiyi mwana./ Lwayamenya mwana naneneha niyenya sasa ovosera. Lwa yenya ovosera yahulila inzala natanga ilyimba:

Tsia uvolele mama yengo na makaka*2

Umwana yenyanga ovosera na makaka

Sasa mundu natsia navolela mukere oyo ndio, "mbiti havundu mmusala yaho ndio, mbula mwana niyimba ho, avola yenya ovosera, vatse kokovola yenya ovosera." Mama sasa mukere aminaga ovosera ashila. Kandi ave ave kandi lwa amanya ahuli; lwayatanga lilia vindu kuli matemwa, mabwoni; natanga lyimba:

Tsia ovolele mwana yengo na makaka*2

Umwana yenyanga litemwa na makaka

Mukere aduva litemwa amushila alia. Lelo lwa yaduka muhindila siyasoma dave, yali tsa mwene yimwo ndio. Sasa lwa yali yakaduka kiwango chu kutsia kukevwa, kandi natanga lyimba:

Tsia uvolele mama yengo na makaka*2

Umwana yenyanga kokevwa na makaka

Mundu natsia navolela mukere oyo ndio, natsia ni vamuhenzera mukevi ni vatsia ni vamukeva. Vakamukeva nava nava namenya ni chukulia adeka tsa namushila. Yakaduka tsa sasa natanga lyimba:

Tsia uvolele mama yengo na makaka*2

Umwana yenyanga mugogo na makaka

Sasa natsia namuvolela "mbiti yaho ndio mbuliyi mundu yimba yenya mugogo." Sasa mukere vamuhenzela sasa mukali nivamushila. Lwa vamushila mukali ni vamenya sasa nivatula yaho ndio nivumbaka inyumba nivamenya mu. Lwa vali vakamenya vamanya ni vivula mwana muyayi. Mukere yatula atsia mmulitu atsia kohenza vindu naleta nivalia. Nu mukere weve vamulanga Sofia. KUl lelo vatsia mmulitu na vandi. Lwa vatsia mmulitu vatsia kotenya, vandi yava ni vatsa; sasa nahenzela isaa niduka alola Sofia weve tsanangwa oyo da. Nahenzela nateva vandi "vaya Sofia wange mmulechi hayi?" Na mwana natanga limusumbula nalila, ma nagenya tsa "ku nangole ndi?" Yamanya navugula indeve ya hasi niyikala hachova hamuliango. Natanga kwimba ndi:

Sofia wange yajira ni ndola iliuva

Sofia wange yajira ni ndola umweli

Sofia wange yajira ni ndola iliuva

Mukere mwene udambi nangole mbwena*2

Sasa alola Sofia niyatsa mba. Natsitsagilila tsa kwimba na lwa yimba tsa ndio na indeve niyingila tsa:

Sofia wange yajira ni ndola iliuva

Sofia wange yajira ni ndola umweli

Sofia wange yajira ni ndola iliuva

Mukere mwene udambi nangole mbwena*2

Ma sasa lwa yamanya natsia tsa niyingila tsa ni indeve yeyo nu mwana weve mwilova yimwo ndio na yamanya naloleka ku kandi dave. Ma luhela yaho ndio.

A barren woman

There was a barren woman. She was not giving birth. She stayed for long without children. She went to a witch to asking what to do so that he could give birth to her own child and be called a mother to someone. She went to someone who gave her herbs. They kept the medicine in a ditch next to a tree. When she went home and spent a night, the following morning she found something inside. She went the next day and found something like a lizard. She went and found something was growing, and it was a child. When she stayed the child grew and asked for porridge. When he wanted porridge, he was hungry and he started to sing:

Go and tell mother at home very fast*2

The child needs porridge very fast

Someone went and told the woman like that. I have passed near a tree I am heard a child singing; he is saying that he wants porridge. The woman cooked porridge and took it there. She stayed and then when the child started crying for things like bananas, potatoes, he began to sing:

Go and tell mother at home very fast*2

The child needs porridge very fast

The woman prepared the banana and she took it to the child, and he ate. When the child grew he didn't go to school. He continued to stay there (in the ditch next to the tree) when the child was at the stage to be circumcised. The he began to sing:

Go and tell mother at home very fast*2

The child needs porridge very fast

Someone went and told the woman like that, they went and look for someone who can initiate him. After circumcision he continued to stay there and they used to take food to him. Then he started to sing:

Go and tell mother at home very fast*2

The child needs porridge very fast

Someone went and told the mother that he has passed there and he has heard someone asking for a wife, now the woman looked for a wife and took her to him. When the wife was taken there, they left the place and they build a house and stayed in. after staying for sometime they gave birth to a child who was a boy. The woman used to go to the forest to bring food for them to eat. Her wife was called Sofia. One day Sofia went to the forest with others, to fetch for firewood, the others came back home, he waited for her but she didn't come back. He looked but he didn't see her. He asked the others where they left Sofia. The child began to cry and he wondered what to do. He took a seat and he went to sit outside near the door. He began to sing like this:

My Sofia made me see the sunshine

My Sofia made me see the moon

My Sofia made me see the sunshine

The woman is missing what shall I do*2

He didn't see Sofia coming to the house, he continued to sing like that and the seat started getting back inside:

My Sofia made me see the sunshine

My Sofia made me see the moon

My Sofia made me see the sunshine

The woman is missing what shall I do*2

He continued to sing and the seat, the child and him went underground and they were never seen. And it end there.