Play time: 15:38 minutes. Recorded in Sabatia, Kenya, May 13, 2014.

Vana Vetu

John Lubang'a

Kuhusu liva anoho komolomanga ku avana vitu avana va kwivuyi ni vatava vageli ku inyinga ya lelo kijira lidiku liu mukoloni kwavola musungu, na kalunu musungu wa koveye naye ni baba weve na mama weve. Avana vitu vagoveye mima jia kwatali najio mu litanga. Mima jyitu jiali ku ndio dave. Mima jyitu jiali wa vasakulu na vakere vikaye mwana watsitsa yo dave, mwana wagangana ndi lwa baba na mama vatsa vanyole eng'ombe eveye ni inzala, vanyole hango hano kilitsa kivuguyi viminyu, navandeve ndi. Inze sasa mbe musikali hango hano, ni vatsa vanyole tsing'ombe ndakwaitsa, tsiakunwa amatsi, ya kokela iyi iliyi vulahi iligitsi maveere gereye vutsa. Lwa mukeli yenya kutsia kokera atulitse mu mavere malahi ga kunwa ku kandi ga kuvika ku mmbofu. Ku avana vitu vavukanga asubui, asimuchi ahenzi kunzila atsitsa kwikala ku street. Mundu niyatsa anyagulaka tsimbilu atsia amukalitsa atsia ambola mbe tsiange. Ku ogenya ndi tsisendi tsia asava yitsi undumi nzie kumwenyela tsisendi. Mwana usuyi, avana vitu vang'ele vasuyi vahandi kunzila venyanga kusavasava. Na koveye nu mulimi hango. kali niva ni nusu acre, mwana uyu alimi atage ku vitagwa ku vivie, ajage kohenza alakola ki. Atsie avuguli ku tsingutsa, atsie asave ku undi nataveye ni imbegu atsie asave visivu via masuguma, tsimbegu atsie kusimika, atage ku ,vitunguru na anyole cha alia. Na niva utsiyi oyechi mmalwa, mwana uyu atula mu malwa vudiku na amoloma nahanzuka nalembana, nalanga vandu amita. Mang'ana yaga gakudambitsi. Ndakegombi serekali yitu ya koveye nayo especially kuli avana viitu vaveye mu town valangwa chokora yava. Ni yakatamwa cha kola atsitsa mu town yekola chokora, avugula igamu avika ku munwa afwana mundu utamanyi chakola ni yamanya chakola. Serekali yakavuguyi kuli mu kivala chitu kinu, koveye ni mirimi kuli Maasai Mara, Samburu, North Eastern, Ivukamba; koveye ni mirimi minyinge sana jivula igasi. Serekali ikavuguyi ku tsisirinji tsia CDF ilakaraga kiwanja kenene, ilasava musaada. Viviliyi, mfano kuli mbritish iye wali mkoloni witu wa Kenya. Amereka ya ku mu ovateka sasa aveye super power, serekali yitu nitsia kuvalila ivavole kwenya mukuhe eloni ya kwumbakila machine , kwumbake kindu kuli igaraji, ifactory yu kwumbaka masonry. Vakalage kiwanja na vacollecte vana yava vosi vatsie kuvika mula. Mwana atatsia kusena ku mu muliango dave; avana vala vigi igasi ya mechanicsa, vigi caperpentry; vigi vitagwa. Mwana natula mula atuli ni certificate nu vujutsi vwa kutsia kwisingila anoho vwu kutsia koleta income. Avana vitu serekali lwa yagaya sasa ma yalola kuliindi vutsa lwa yiva ni kulasa, ni yakagwa ku kashadi ku munzila pengine mundu yayinzila yagula rishadi, mwana ula lwa aduka hango ahenza hala ni hala anyola mundu avula hango, adola ku kashadi yiluka nako avandu valonda ku vagwa ku vagumila ma vasamba. Kindu yicho ndakahombi serekali yitu niiyanza ehenzelitse tsiserekali tsia kutsa mu tsicounty, vavole governor, henza vandu vahambika vuvi, voneka vuvi ubahenzele kindu cha vanyala kokola angalau vagehitswe ku mima jia vaveye najio kijira lwa mundu amuhetsa tsisirinji likomi anyagulaji wa malwa gita vandu yaga; ichang'aa yita vandu iyi. Ni vulahi dave, ku avana vitu vaveye ni tsishida. Kunyi kwamenya limenya liveye ndio dave. Kweli vukoloni vwali ho lakini kwanyala kosoma dave lakini kwatia vasakulu, kutua vakere, kwatia kodola kindu chu mundu kunyagulaga nacho. Nare nicho kijira nyasaye yakwimila ndi nacho kijira kufwana sia kufwana ndi; otherwise mbeye na mang'ana manene sana mu vivala vyitu especially vivala vie kiafrika. Ku vandu vagelitsa kogenda vavugula miradi anoho tsi project kuli tsia kuhandika ndi vakonya sana. Ni vanyola vasakulu kuli ndi vahindila vamanya mang'ana ge mima; kwigitsa mima jiveye vulahi sana. Suvilanga ndakayanzi kovola avana vang'ele vakili vayayi vigi kuli vanyala konyola vwekonyi, kuli vanyala kuyinzila vanyole lilia. Na vulava vulahi sana kijira natsia ku wu mundu amuyinzili ku kibarua anyole ho kindu kidi alatsia mmba mwemwe alie vulahi, agone vulahi vujila lihenda mwoyo ndakubwa, ndalaswa, anoho ndasambwa. Malitsa nu kovola ndi kuli mboye lyita liange ni John Lubang'a, baba vamulanga Gaidano Lidede. Na always kuvalitsanga mita gavaga. Lyita liange inze omoloma uyu ni John Lubang'a Lidede nzivulwanga mu lovega lwe Ivusali na ndakamilsti ni kovola sande muyayi Alulu kutsa kuvugula mang'ana gitu na nimalitsa kovola ndi mang'ana gitu gene yaga ugaviki vulahi ma nundetele ku icopy ye kitabu yicho ndasome ku ndalole kwakola mang'ana malahi anoho kwakola mang'ana ga lugano ki. Kuhusu mang'ana ga Murang'a; tsing'ende tsiatsa yo na lwa kwaduka 1950 na vasungu valola mugikuyu utsi himbe sana, usinzi vasungu vala vakutsi, vasungu vakola vogeli valeta tsing'ende ni vatsihula Murang'a. Tsing'ende tsialia vagikuyu va Murang'a virenge vifwa. Tsing'ende tsila kogotwa vukindu vwatuminya ni vuhila mu Kenya mwosi. Every where kwali ni kindu cha valanga tsing'ende kila. Mukoloni yali mundu wa ajabu. Yali ni vogeli tsiu kohenza kolola noveye ni tsimoni tsinzugi tsilola vulahi, paga atsihenze kuli atsiduhitsa tsivuli kolola vulahi dave. Kijira si yenyanga yatse kufudula tsimoni tsitsio wazi wazi dave, yenyanga atsiduhitse nu vugeli vundi. Kijira mbola ndio, vachifu va kale vali na vakali munane, likomi. Kali koveye nu mumaasai undi vamulanga Olendutu senior chief atula maasai mara nutula Narok nutsia Suswa hambili hala uviti ha chifu mula vamulanga Olekorieta, utsie hambili Molot nukili kuduka Bomet ulanyola mumasai wa valanga senior chief Olendutu aveye na vakali komi na mbili. Ndamumanya. Kali mwana weve yaveye ku MP kandi Ass. Mn\inister Stephen Olendutu. Ku vukimwi vwamela ndi kuduka ku vasakulu yavo na musakulu oyo yakamenya na vakere veve paga usakuyi sana. Mang'ana gu vukwimi vuno paga galoleke vwatsa kusuvwa muno ku nangwa vandu yava vanyole imarket ye tsinyasi. Na pengine ni kindu kiveye vutsa simplevavisa, ku vandu vakutsa vutsa vavola ukimwi. ANoho valola kolomba kindu ukimwi ku kutihitse vandu yava kwivulana otherwise valivulana vakuviti. Kijira yavo vagumila livula tayari. Kali Japan yila uhula tsa mundu yivuyi avana vavili anashtakiwa; yivuli mwana mulala weng'ine. Ku mang'ana kuhusu tsing'ende tsialetwa nu mukoloni tsisiuvwa mMurang'a yani tsifupishe vagikuyu kunyagulaga ni kusava vwami. Na mugikuyu yakasana nagaya dave. Na kandi yali mugikuyu weng'ine dave, kali embo. Nohenza kuli Otiende; yali mulala ku va lwanila vulwani. Sujaa hano Asava yali mulala ku valwanila vulwani. Nutsia Ochieng Aneko, nutsia Paul Ngei kutula Ivukamba vagimila vahila mu detention, Fred Kubai vamugimila kijira mang'ana gu kusava kivala chitu kwiyamihi, Fredrick Kaggia. Kenyatta naveye iye wavavola iye vidila ku; munene wa Kenya, Kariuki Njiru yagumilwa, mundu wa valanga Mbiu Koinange niyiluka natsia engereka, Otiende niyiluka yatsa kwivisa hambale hano, nende ifaili yi chama cha KAU otherwise Otiende yali ahilwe detention. Vanga Odede, ise Pamela yagimilwa. Mundu witu Kiburu kutula mulung'ele yaha, mwne uyu vagumila vatsia vita kali kwamulola ku dave; amwavo my grandfather Avega vagumila vahila mu vulwani ni vita nakutsila wene yila na kilindwa chiche kwalola ku dave. Kotsa Musinya yakutsial mu vulwani vwu kutanga. Vandu vitu vakutsial yila kwavalola ku dave na koveye nu voveleli. Nimbandika mang'ana yaga mbandika nimbola professor uhandika oyo akwitsulitse kali kunyi kwasala koveye ni tsimbala kwalema. Gadukana vakuganagane vakutungi ku, angalau kurili kwene yikwo. Vakwitsulitse ku ivulogoli yinu; kwahuga vatunga ma vindu viene yivi vitigala mu tsi ofisi tsia vachifu na vagavana yitsi; kwagotwa, manyi dave. Sande.

Our children

About life or speaking about our children that we have given birth to if they wont be clever in this times! Because during the colonial period we used to say white man, and today the white man that we have is the father and the mother. Our children are having behaviors that we didn't have initially. Our behaviors were not like that. Our behaviors were where men and women were seating children were not going there, the child was thinking like this that when the father and the mother comes and find that the cow is hungry and the eagle has taken the chick I will be responsible to answer. He was now the watchman in that home, when they come they find that he has grazed the cows, they have taken water, the one that we are milking from has eaten well and it has milk. When the woman will go to milk she milks good milk that we can drink and also ferment. Our children wake up in the morning and they go on the road to the street. When someone comes they run to him and they ask him to give them their share. You wonder the money that he is borrowing did he send you to go and retrieve for him. Our children have refused and they want to stay on the road and borrow. And we have land at home. Even if it is half an acre this child should dig and plant his crops, and he starts to think of what he can do, he can go and take vegetables, he goes and borrow the seeds of kales if he does not have them, he plants the onions and find what he can eat. And if he has gone for alcohol the child leaves the place at night and he comes while shouting and complaining, as he calls people names. These issues are affecting us. I will like the government that we are having especially the children that are in town called street boys. When he has been defeated with what to do he goes to town and pretends to be a street boy and he takes glue and puts it on the mouth and pretends not to know what he is doing and yet he knows it. The government could have taken like for our nation we have land at Maasai Mara, Samburu, North Eastern, Kamba; we have a lot of land that is idle. The government could have taken money from CDF and allocate a certain portion of land and ask for donation. They have forgotten for example British colonized Kenya. America has overtaken us and it is super power, if our government convinces them to give us a loan to build machines, we build a garage and a factory for masonry. They allocate the land and they take all the street boys there. Those children should not go and step at the door they learn mechanics they learn carpentry and farming. When the child leaves there he comes with the certificate that has skills that he can use to sustain him or earn an income. Our children since the government has cautioned people it just waits when one steals and they shoot, when he has stolen someone's shirt maybe someone has worked and bought the shirt, when that child goes to a homes and he sees that there is not one he steal the shirt and runs away with it and people chase after him they catch him and they burn him. I will like the government to consider that thing since we have county government they should as the government to look for the people who are drink alcohol in a bad way, they seek for them something that they can do at least they reduce the behaviors that they are having because someone gives them ten shilling and they run where alcohol is killing people; the beer that is killing people. It is not well our children have problems. We didn't live such a life. It is true there was colonialism and we could not read but we respected elders, we respected women, we feared taking someone's property and running away with it. And that is why God is leading us and we are the way we are; otherwise I have many words about our nations especially African nations the people who are moving around and taking the projects like the ones that we are doing they are really assisting. When they get elder men they know the laws of the culture; teaching good morals. I will like to tell young people who are still young they learn how they can assist themselves and learn how they can work. They will be fine when they go and work for someone they get something small that they can go and use in their home, he sleep well without worrying that he will be beaten, shot or burned. I am finishing by saying that I am John Lubang'a, my father was called Gaidano Lidede. And we always count three names. My name the one that I am speaking is John Lubang'a Lidede I was born at Busali and I will finish by saying thank you Alulu for coming and taking our words and I am ending by saying you bring me a copy of this work I read and see if we did good work or we did which type of work. About the issue of Murang'a there were jiggers and in 1950 the white man saw that the Kikuyu had come close and he had killed white men, the white men brought jiggers and they threw them in Murang'a. The jiggers ate the feet of the Kikuyu in Murang'a and they finished. Those jiggers we wonder if the wind blew them and they spread to the whole of Kenya. Everywhere we had the thing that we call jiggers the colonist was an amazing person. He was wise and he saw if you had sharp eyes that were seeing well he could figure out how he could make then blind so that you do not see well. He didn't want to come and pierce your eyes in open; he wanted to make them blind in another way. The reason to why I am saying this is because chief in the past had eight or ten wives we even have another maasai called Olendutu senior chief he is from maasai mara when you leave Narok and go to Suswa ahead there you pass at chief Olekorieta, you go ahead Molot before you reach Bomet you will find the maasai that we call senior chief Olendutu has twelve wives. I know him even his son was an MP and also Ass. Minister Stephen Olendutu. Where was HIV/AIDS and those men have stayed with their wives for many years. The issue of Aids must have been thrown here so that these people find the market of their medicine. And maybe it is a simple thing that they have hidden and people are dying and they say it is Aids. Or they made Aids to scare these people so that they do not have high birth rate hence defeating them because they have handled the birth already. Even Japan you hear if someone has given birth to two children and he is arrested he should give birth to one child. The issues of jiggers was brought by the colonist and thrown at Murang'a to prevent the Kikuyus from running and asking for leadership. And the Kikuyu struggled and said no and it was not just the Kikuyu even the Embu. When you see someone like Otiende; he was among the ones that were fighting for leadership. Asava the hero he was among those that fought for independence. Same to Ochieng Aneko, Paul Ngei from Kamba they arrested them and took them for detention, Fred Kubai was arrested because of fighting for independence, Fredrick Kaggia. Kenyatta who was the head of Kenya, Kariuki Njiru was arrested, a person called Mbiu Koinange ran away to America, Otiende ran and came to hide here at Mbale, and the family of KAU otherwise Otiende could have been taken for detention. Odede, the father to Pamela was arrested. Our man Kiburu from Lunyerere they arrested him and they killed him, we never saw him; the brother to my grandfather Avega they arrested him and they took him to war where he died and we never saw his grave. The uncle to Mulinya died in the First World War. Our people died there and we never saw them we are so sad. When I am writing these word I am saying that the professor who is writing the book should remember us we are were hurt and we are lame. When they consider us they should pay us and we eat there. They remember us in maragoli we are hearing that they are paying and these things are remaining at the office of the chief and governors; we wonder, anyway I do not know. Thank you.