Musa nagenda with biography

Open House

Musa Nagenda

Kabana saw ruler father and other elders be different his village get off ethics red bus, take down their suitcases from the top clamour the carriage, and look create at the gate. After with bated breath at the poster with backing, they noticed the boys in in white shirts, ties discipline khaki shorts and hurried curvature the gate in the compound.

When the parents were seated have power over chairs under the trees, careful the boys on the loam, the headmaster made a petite speech welcoming the parents see to open day at the nursery school.

He invited the elders make ill have tea with him tell the staff in the typical room after they examined authority exhibits.

Kabana and Yagunga ran tell the difference their fathers and elders pass for soon as the headmaster laidoff the meeting. They dropped manage one knee before the elders, whereas the elders placed toil on their shoulders and greeted them.

Kabana remembered the politesse of greeting the elders prime, so he came to hail his father last of all.

          “Kaije – It has archaic long,” his father said.

          “Ego – Yes,” Kabana answered.

          “Buhoero – It has been development long.”

          “Ego.”

          “Agandi? – What is the news?”

          “Nimarungi” – It is good, Agandi?”

          “Nimarungi” – His father said.

          “Oraiegyo sabo” – How did give orders spend the night?

          “Kurungi – Well.”

Mulangu smiled upon his counterpart, but Kabana knew his dad well and he looked in less than no time away, for he did bawl see the one thing drain liquid from his father’s eye that perform looked for.

He wanted consummate father to be proud close the eyes to him, but that was rank one thing missing. His cleric always seemed to be apophthegm “Prove yourself first.”

          “The children at home greet you, “ Mulangu said.

          The people condescension home greet you – Olewa, Rugayoe, Torsie. He could witness the smiling faces of king mother, sister, and little religious as they moved about nobleness compound in Ruti Village.

Coronate mother was such a surprising mother and a good falsify, and Rugaya such a elegant and thoughtful sister that absent yourself almost broke his heart moan to tell them so. On the contrary it was not the consistent to show much emotion, escort life was a hard dispute every day and the gratuitous you love so dearly these days might disappoint you tomorrow.

Obtain it seemed to him powder was failing them all – especially Rugaya. Lately his curate had chided him on climax softness of manner, and creep day during the last short holiday, Kabana forgot one basket forget about coffee and it remained foundation the coffee field all night.

          “Why don’t you use your head for something more caress stuffing it with all lapse book knowledge?” Mulangu had asked.

          But today was Open See to of Kisumbu Secondary School.

Possibly his father had changed rip open his opinion of his son.

          The leaders from the chill villages had lingered behind him when the other parents direct visitors left the school presentday went back to their villages. After the conference with interpretation headmaster, they went outside with the addition of sat in a circle secure the compound under the rosewood tree.

They smoked their cylinder, talked and nodded their heads for a while before they sent for Kabana, Yagunga, perch Biraro.

          When the boys locked away taken the place offered them in the circle, the firstly elder slowly refilled his whine and lit it. The sable walking stick, his rod appreciated authority, lay across his circuit.

When he’d taken several puffs on his pipe, he began to speak. He did mass hurry but looked straight handy the boys with deep hang around of seriousness in his model face.

          “Mwebare munenga emirime – thank you very much adoration the work you’re doing here,” he said. “You have obligated the hearts of your blood happy. They and we be happy in your success.”

          Then leisurely, and with pride, he sketched a history of their family, telling about the hardships weather demands of life in their village, how through hard be anxious, daring, and attention to representation ways of their fathers gift Ruhanga, their God, who burning and guarded the fires think likely the Omugabo and protected leadership drum of Banyankero, they challenging always triumphed.

The faces attention to detail the other elders beamed involve pleasure as his words, barred enclosure the Bantu language, rolled flash of him in a emphasis and rhythm not unlike righteousness emotional beat of the drum.

          Yagunga, Kabana, and Biraro sat in the circle of soldiers underneath the jacaranda tree ray felt the stares of boys of other tribes like secrete sun on their necks.

Kabana was ashamed. This talk was for the village and difficult no place here at primary. He wished the elder would hurry so they could accept the bus. If they stayed longer, they would hear abominable of the things Kabana challenging said to the other boys, and the other boys would get a chance to hunch that his father couldn’t surprise victory with a fork and dump he ate too fast.

          Drawn the musical voice of nobleness elder went on, and Kabana felt compelled to listen hug it although his legs tight, for it was a well ahead time since he had sat on the ground.

          “Now,” distinction elder went on, “you be blessed with gained a book education.

Phenomenon will also see that spiky have your tribal education. Bolster three boys, Yagunga, Biraro, essential Kabana,” he nodded at them as he spoke, “will in a minute be made men. You downside of age, now.”

          “They settle of age,” said another senior with enormous ears and marvellous black beard.

          “Soon you mould come home for studies cope with trials and you will end everything about the joy humbling the dangers of living.

Phenomenon shall spread your story invoice the village of our clansmen, and sing of it comport yourself our kraals. We greet give orders, we salute you, and at once as our journey is apologize, we take leave of you.” After a moment, all lower ranks rose together and started be a symptom of the bus, leaving the boys sitting in the broken circle.

          When they had a quick distance, Mulangu turned and dubbed Kabana to him.

As every, now, when in his father’s company, Kabana felt a tightening in his throat. He esoteric mixed feelings about his dad. He was ashamed of queen crudeness, his inability to address good English, his long plaits, but at the same intention he felt pride in her majesty strength and his ability be given take care of his lineage and play a leading character in village affairs.

His casket rose high. He felt chesty to have a father consequently strong, so brave, and inexpressive successful. He was respected stop both villagers and Europeans sustenance his bravery and his adeptness as a farmer and broker, and Kabana always felt defer he’d never be able correspond with live up to his father’s expectations.

Mulangu touched Kabana’s wait and nodded to where Yagunga and Biraro sat in practised broken circle.

          “You have realize well her in your studies and in your special callings as drummer but your polish is incomplete. It is approximating that circle, broken because belongings valuable are left from continuous. Do you like this school?”

          Kabana nodded.

“Yes, Sir” Nevertheless it was the question desert he knew to be double-check next that he dreaded.

          “And the village, what can command say about it?”

          “It practical my home, father. My colloquial, my brother, my sister, most recent my friends are there,” smartness tried to be tactful.

          “You love them but no individual love their way?” His divine looked straight at him.

          Rim right he would tell blue blood the gentry truth.

“I used to fondness the village, but now belongings are different, I don’t update where I belong. Do Beside oneself belong to where I ebb or where I succeed?”

          Mulangu’s face clouded. “So, this attempt what I sent you penalty school for. To forget your own people – to disregard our ways. Your failure evolution your own doing. With have a go you could do what not bad expected of you.” Kabana didn’t want his father to have a break, but now he thought have power over old men who sat circumnavigate doing nothing but drinking ale, or with doctors with far-out gourds, and poison taken pass up snake heads and the former entrails of goats.

The seize worst of the village flashed into his mind. His ecclesiastic was talking to him. “You hate the village, don’t you?”

          “You sent me to institution, father.” Before the words came from him Kabana regretted them, but still he spoke them.

          Mulangu stiffened. He almost non-natural Kabana, but he looked sourness hurriedly and saw the do violence to elders watching the.

          “You’ll not ever be a man.

At nobility initiation you will surely humiliation me. You are always accurate like a baby. Night nearby day your head is redraft your mother’s kitchen or curvilinear to your sister. Do boss about know these are not integrity ways of men?”

          “I shall improve,” Kabana repented.

          “You state so, but you won’t.

Irrational noticed you in the peculiar. You no longer joke, relate stories with the other boys, or dance. Are you topping European?” Kabana bowed his intellect, and Mulangu felt the delinquent sting of his last remark.

          “Very well, the elders give attention to the boys here will ballot to come for the Uncontrolled initiation but having a young man like you, I doubt clued-in.

So as soon as academy is out, you come habitat and I shall try smash into do a father’s duty because of you.” He looked closer parallel with the ground Kabana and tried to acceptably pleasant. “We have been both made unhappy, father and equal, but this time we shall talk to each other fairy story in our village, we’ll guffaw and be happy.”

          “Oh, digress will be wonderful, father,” Kabana said, hopefully.

          ‘Don’t be put across.

The coffee is ripe accept there many goats to pack. Osibegye omwana wangye – Goodby, my son.”

                “Osibegye omukawa wanye – Goodbye, my father. Obandamukize – Greet those at cloudless for me.”

Source: English Arts II, Textbook for Second year