Br. Moko

Sometimes I wonder how young men who do not even have a single hair below their nose come to acquire so much wisdom, at their age. I know of only one master and his tricks on the minds of elders at the temple when he was only a teen (Lk 2:41-52), but he was the son of God so he knew a great deal of this universe because they built it with his father! Let me put this way: A man dressed in jeans and clad in an Arsenal FC jersey is not a perfect image of wisdom, right? They are supposed to be hanging themselves after their team has lost. At least that is how I know sports fanatics, empty heads, until you think of Jude Moko. Ka-game is his style, even his former buddies at the minor seminary thought so of him.

          A while back, I thought I knew it all, or at least I knew more than Jude. I would talk to him instead of sharing with him. After all, that is how juniors should be treated, rather less important! One morning as I was talking TO him, and giving commands to him to follow me, he did. Right at my heel, I knew an empty headed young man was in need of me. It was a great feeling to be superior or to feel superior. Like any proud and stress-free mind does, I whistled with pride as I led him to wherever we were going. Jude must have been listening to my whistling for quite a while before he said. “Najua hiyo whistling yako sio wimbo, unajua nyimbo nyingi watu huwa wanawhistle hazikuagi nyimbo kwa kawaida, nikujiskia vizuri tu.” And it was true, there was no song, I was just dancing in pride of being needed! Why would God allow such a young fellow to sound so wise? As I grapple with that, I remember a psalm that I had read of another young man who had become wiser than his elders (Ps 119:100). A few more times when we were working together, I learnt that his understanding of things comes pretty easy and yet he is never boastful of it.

I have really aged in foolishness!

Br. Shumila

        I wonder whether John Mbiti verily meant to say that an African has no sense of time and his life is shaped by events. If that is what he meant, then I am truly an African. When Shumila paid us a visit, he sparked in me a lovely thought. It is a thought of an event. It is of an awesome evening with him, then my formatter. If I was to recount this by beginning like a true son of this African soil, I would do it in this manner. A long, long, time ago, when I put down this interesting evening with Shumila I ate and drank from his fat pockets. In my memory it looks like last night.

      

Apparently, I had never thought I really would like to go to the airport to receive strangers and hold a placard all night, seemingly the best form imbecility because I was holding that piece of paper at the wrong exit. Eventually our strangers arrived though they never saw me. I was only informed later. On our way back, we had a hungry lot that was coming from Rome, so shumila decided to treat us in some Kenyan way. He turned to me and said, “riiich, leo niko na pesa nyingi. Hawa watu wa Europe hatuhitaji pesa yao.” That was the beginning of my merry-filled evening (i was alone in that merry spirit). This is why i was alone, at the choma place, one fellow said he wanted to taste monkey meat because it was long since he came to Africa-congo (he was Congolese by birth). We don’t have that in Kenya, so our money could not buy us monkey meat. So we settled on something Kenyan. As soon as they brought mbuzi choma and Guinness baridi, the begging cats camped at our table. Hell was on us, (rather one of us because i did not care). The fellow, a Nigerian born, knew nothing of cats except witchcraft! So he fled and left the meal. So I munched the whole meal meant for four people alone, and my beers on top.

       A few weeks ago, shumila paid us a visit. We did the same thing all over again. This time I wanted to do what we call “revenge for the generosity”. Like that evening, he told me the same thing again, “hapana, mimi niko na pesa nyingi huwezi nilipia.” One day, perhaps I will repay that generosity. Unlike most of us who are always broke or lying we have no money, he has and I know it from experience.

Because he says he has money, I believe him!