Play time: 12:24 minutes. Recorded in Mago, Kenya, March 27, 2014.

Mundu Yaheya Na Mukali Wavene

Jedda Mmbone

Ma vamuvolela yivi ugosi kutsia koheya nu mukali wu mundu kandi mundu mwene ula niyamunyola tsa umunyo siyamuleka dave. Nmunyoye vutsa paga aviki ku alama; ateme kerenge anoho amukubi amwate logoma lumanyiange mundu uyu anyoleywe naheyanga nu mukali wa vene. Mukali kandi yalange na mang'ana. Vamuteva, "na yive ukastiyi kuheya na uveye nu musatsa, kijiri nutsia koheya ni kindiki. Kandi mukali mwene ula yavugulangwa na vakere vatsia vamuteva nokola ndi uleta chitano. Ma vateva mukali mwene oyo "nokola ndi wali nokoli ndi?" Ma vandu vataku mukali wa vuyu ni lilaya kijira aveye na masaye manyinge gajira nahenzahenza na atsia ku vasatsa vandi.

Mang'ana gene gi liheya, vwoni vwene yivu vwali vudinyu ku konyola vwatula ku Adam na kuli vaafrika kwavigitsanga kuli vanyala kubungusa vwoni vwene yivu. Na yive kuli mukere wakaviluka walola vakere vandi mbula vakere vene vala vavola ku vavula kokola ku vwoni vwene vula na vasakulu vavalola ku hambili hala?

Vwoni yivwo vuveye ku vandu. Vwoni voveye ku vandu vandu vanyala kokola kivihili. Navutswa kijira malagi ga yesu yakutsa ku musalaba ma navambwa, kijira vandu valala vamanya vavola niva voheyi; mbeyi tsa na mukali wu mundu; ngori kindiki, ngori vudamanu? Na vandi vatsia vavola lwu mukali uyu waheya, ma nalangwa vandu vavola "yesu, mukali okoli vudamanu." Vandu vavola yitwe. Yesu yinama nahandika umundu utakola ku vwoni vugula ku ligina ulase ku mukali uyu. Yesu lwa yahenza yanyola vandu vosi vakutula ho. Ku lilombwa mu masaye na mang'ana go voheyi; voheyi voveye ho ku mundu wosi nitali yive mwene uvuguli iseria umenye nayo. kali kwavola niva uveye ku musatsa wovo kijira nuheya yiki? Mulala avola mbeya ambetsa kindu mba, mbeya ambetsa tsisendi mba, anoho mulala mundu musatsa uyu aveye ni myika mba. Vakali valala vaginga masye gene yago ma kwajiranga kuvavola noveye na masye yago duya kerenge wiganiri uve tsa nu musatsa wovo mulala. Ma aveye nu vugasu sia mulala watia malago ku madiku gaveye gala na kalunu vavohola.

Madiku gali ga hanyuma hala mundu niyativula dave; yala ni nzingulu tsingekeke tsiu kwivula, vavugula amwavo weve; vakere vamanya tsisiri atsia kwivulanga mwana ma vavolanga ni wa vuyu ngani ni amwavo weve yivula. Olola mang'ana gene yago galange malahi?

Mang'ana gene yago si uhula yilwo lwa ngovola yilwo lwa gali madamanu. Kweli kale mang'ana galaho na kale si vavola isiri dave; Kale kali nivanwetsa malwa gavo sivahumbukitsa kuli vahumbukila ndi dave. Valolanga mukali ula nu mukali mulahi vamutuma, yalinda ihiri, vamenya vulahi ma vatevana vavola ku mukali uyu kali nya mwene musatsa yalanga mukali ula amuvolela "inze ndi si nyenya utuli hano dave". Na mukere mwene ula si yamanya tsa kutula mu lisinga mwana weve yali yamanya mwana weve si alikola kindu dave, utavola yali niyagotwa dave, yali niyamanya mwana wange uyu nu musatsa. Na mwana natevey musatsa kandi mukere yamanya, risinga no kohenza. Ku lwa garange ndio ma muyayi mwene ula atsia aleta mukali ma valola mukali oyo ni mulahi ma vamonyela mukali; vavola musatsa mwene dave. Ma kandi valanga amwavo weve; vamuvolela kwenyi mukali uyu atuli hano dave. Muyayi uyu si aveye okola kindu dave na mukali uyu kumukwele avuli kuva musumba dave. Mukana mwene vamuvolela yive nawibange wakalola mweli ma wisinge samu ma muyayi hamunyolalina ma yiho ha mutumika naye na nonyola inda. Nu muyayi oyo alivola ku mba; achiling'ana tsa garaha kandi mukali vamuvolela nulivola uyu alita amwavo. ma yivula avana ni vavola tsa vana va vwaha vu mukali oyo na yivu umanya tsa inze ndayivula vana mu mukali wu mwana witu. Ma vamenya ndio vandu vahindila. Pana wa kalunu anwe avole "yive nu mundu, ngwivula mwana wovo ninze wivula." ma muhone? Ku kale valange na mang'ana gala gi isiri; mundu siyavola mundu dave. Vakubani vutsa vakubana. Mundu oyo avetsanga tsa na vana yavo avola tsa na vana veve na amwavo amanya tsa inze nzivula mu mukali wa amwavo wange.

Sasa kuveye na vushahidi vwa kutosha kale vandu vali vanyala kusangitsa mukali lakini vandu vamanya dave; ingawa vandu vikura vamanyikana na vandu vaharika. Kindu yicho kisumbura sana na kivitiyi mu tsibunge, marago lugano luygano vakilinda tsa uhuru asaini; venyanga mundu natadukana nu mukali mulala dave alete undi. Venya kuleta liharika kisheria. lakini ku vandu vakali vagayi mundu mukali ave nu musatsa weve. Ku yivi ololandi lilago liene yili?

Si olola mang'ana kalunu ga katsia mu sheria. Vandu vakasoma ulamugaya kweli? Si alavola tsa isheria ivoye. Alaleta vakali vavaga vatano na aveye ni lyinyalitsa dave. Vakali vala valamenya tsa vakubana, mulala inzala imbushi na yilwo lwa vaheyela ligali ni vakutsa. Kalunu vulwaye vwaitsa na vaheya vagona da. kale vaheyanga ni vavaho vutsa vutsa. Na kalunu nava uvoye iseria, iseria yeyo ni ya vutsa; ni malago mba. Eyo ni iseria yitsi kukubitsa kivala kivi. Kivala kigasa dave, vene valoli vaveye vang'ele kokole yaga. Mukali kali nohevwa likomi anoho vatano ulanyala? Ni inzala yiyi ni chuklia yiki umanya unyale? Ku kumanyi dave niva alata isaini yene yila basi lilava lilago mu kenya. Navutsa kuli yinze ndolanga mundu mukali ni kuli tsa uhula inzala. Nutsiyi mu vugeni ma valete michele, tsinyama, tsingoko si umala da. Onyola wa kwiguta na tsikili tsa yaho. kandi mundu musatsa itama vutsa nolola mukali ovola aveye lugano; mukali vutsa ni kindu kilala.

Niva mukana aduchi mu lukali na yanyola migitsu gadukila dave. Isa yindi adeka chukulia vulahi dave, agendagenda ichova. ma musatsa amuvolela tsia umwigitse mima ma utsi. Lwa yaduka wavo vakola ndi?

Vandu va kale vashila vavola mukana winyu adukani komenya mu lukali dave. Ma vateva mukali uyu avuka mba; mulala anyala kogona vutsa kali agotwa vuchie. Musakulu navuka anyola mukali akegona mudisi mula ma ateva "aye, mwana muyayi uyu yaleta mukali wi tsinganagani ulileta vutuji hango anoho nu mukali omenya vutsa?" natsia kodeka tsingutsa kivi chere, yogitsa tsingutsa yitsio da, alomba mmba da, na vandu si va kale valomba. kalunu si olola vunifu vwa itsula. kale vwalange vutsa kamesa ubangusa kandi olola tsa kamesa kange yaka ni kalahi. Ku mundu ni yitsa anyola mukana mwene aveye ndio ma kali niyakatsia yengo na yivi wamuvilukitsa, wamusomela mamg'ana gene yago da. Ku yakaduka mihiga komi na nane osoma ahuli dave. Ku vamanya vavola musatsa tsa nguyu yamuyanza alivula vana vamufundishe kijira musatsa yahanda koye.

Someone who commited adultery with another man's wife

They used to tell him that he has wronged by committing adultery with another man's wife. And if the man got him, he didn't spare him. If he found him he had to put a mark on his body, either by cutting his leg, or he beats him and injure him to show that he was found committing adultery with another man's wife. The wife had issues also. They used to ask her "you have gone to commit adultery and yet you have a husband, what made you to go and commit adultery?" that woman was taken by other women for a sermon that she is bringing trouble with such kind of trouble. Then they ask her "by doing this, you had done what?" then they name that wife as a prostitute because she has more blood that is causing her to move with several men.

The things of adultery, is a sin that was difficult to discover where it came from. Adam and African people were taught how to reduce this sin. And you as a woman after maturity you used to see other saying that they do not do such sin, and the men used to be told that before.

That sin is on people. That sin is on people who can cause problems. But because of the blood of Jesus who died at the cross and was crucified, that is the reason to why some people normally say that I was with someone's wife but I didn't do anything. I didn't do anything bad? And the others go and say when this wife did adultery and they called Jesus and told him that woman had done bad (* refers to the bible on the story of the woman who committed adultery and was brought before Jesus) the people said that she should be killed. Jesus wrote down that whoever had not done sin, was to pick a stone and hit her. When he looked up he found that all the people had vanished. With the creation adultery is there to everyone, but you take the law and stay with it. We used to ask, "Since you are with a husband why commit adultery?" One says that the husband does not satisfy her. Mbeya does not give me money. Or for some the husband does not have the energy. Some women used to have such excuses and we used to tell them that they should repent and have only one husband. She has blessing she that kept those laws in the previous days, these days they release those laws.

In the past years, if someone was not giving birth, she didn't have enough energy to do it. They used to take her sister, and the women used to keep the secret and then she gives birth and they say that the child belongs to her, and yet it is the sister who gave birth to her.

Do you think those behaviors were good?

Those behaviors the way I am telling you they were bad. Long time ago those things were there, but they didn't reveal the secret. Those days even when they took their beer they didn't get drunk the way people do these days. They used to see that wife is good then they send her. She used to take care of the clan. They were staying well and then the mother tells her that she doesn't want her to leave the home. And the woman knows that from the way of his sons bathing, that he cannot do anything. Don't say that he had forgotten. She had known that the son is a man. And if the son was not a man enough, the mother knew, from the way of his bathing and also by looks.

It was like that, the man goes and bring his wife, they see her if she is good they whisper to her. They do not tell the husband. Then they call the brother and they tell him that they do not want that wife to leave the homestead. "This man is not doing anything and we have paid dowry for him, so that he cannot be a bachelor" the committee says. Then they ask the wife to the man who his not performing his duties well to go and bath, and they organize a place where she will meet the brother to the man who his not performing his duties well and that is where they will share a bed and she becomes pregnant. And that brother wont say anything, he keeps it to himself, and the woman is told not to reveal, if she does the husband will kill the brother. Then when she gives birth, the children belong to whom? That wife and you know well that you have given birth through the wife of your brother. They used to stay like that, they were not like the ones of these days who drink and say "are you someone, I am the one giving birth to your children" do you think you will survive? Long time go they had secrets. They were not mentioning someone. They could fight. That person was there and the children were there and the brother knows that he gives birth through his brothers wife.

Now we have enough evidence; long time ago people could share a wife without anyone knowing. But when the people were mourning people knew it from the way the woman mourned (* For example if the woman had slept with another man, she was not allowed to stand near her husband's grave or look on her husbands body. * another way of knowing it was if she was given her husband's coat, watch and walking stick and she refuse to put it on) people who knew are the ones who were taking care of her during the pregnancy and after pregnancy, that thing is really disturbing.

We have different laws and they are waiting for Uhuru to sign, they want polygamous to be allowed. But they do not allow polygamous to women, a woman should have one husband only. How do you take that law?

You see things today are working under the law. People have read, do you think you can stop them. You see the law has allowed. Some marry three to five wives and he is not stable enough. Those women will keep on fighting. Some hunger attacks them and that is how they perish. These days there is disease and the adulterous people do not sleep (*means they do not stay for long, they die) long time ago they used to commit adultery and they survive. These days they say law is nothing they are not laws. That is a rule that has brought trouble to the world. The world won't be good. They have seen they are young and they should do that. Even if you are given ten or five will you manage them? With this hunger and inadequate food, will you manage? We do not know, if he puts the signature then it will be a law in Kenya. But the way I know is that a woman is like you are just hungry. When you go to the party they then rice, meat and chicken you wont finish. You find that you are contended while they are still there. That is greed in a man; whenever you see a woman you say she is good. A woman is one thing.

If a woman got to a point in marriage, and she didn't find enough teachings, for example she does not prepare the meals well, she walks outside and the husband chase her away to go and learn morals then she come back. When she arrived at home what was the first step that the parents did or what was done first?

People in the past used to say that your girl is not capable to be in a marriage, and then they say that the woman doesn't wake up. One can sleep and she doesn't even know if it morning. When the father in law wakes up he finds that the daughter in law is still in bed inside the house and he says, "my son has brought here a woman of stress, that will not bring development but one who will just stay" when she goes to prepare meals it is problems. She does not clean vegetables; she does not clean the house. These days you see there is a lot of cleanliness. Long time ago it was a table only, and you could clean and ensure it is fine. If someone realized that the girl was like that, and she comes home, it means that you who were taking care of her as she grew up, you didn't teach her those things. If she is 18 years she cannot understand those things. They used to say since the husband loves her, she would give birth to children who will teach her lesson. And the husband used to accept her and refuses to release her.