forever myself

“sikuizi tunamumunya maji" were the words I received from a passenger sitting next to me in a matatu as I was going home. These Kitengela matatus are conveyers of people with interesting personalities. They are candidly expressive in all situations it's like they've known you forever. This young adult keenly watched me as I drank water from my straw bottle. His lips were dry, probably he spent the whole day laboring in the scorching sun of October. “sikuizi mambo ni ya ulaya" he added and I simply nodded in agreement to his statement. I guess my water bottle was unique and made him marvel at how Africans are quickly adopting the western Culture.

Culture is a vital component of someone's identity. It dictates our language, mode of dressing, food, customs and traditions. I always appreciate people who respect their ethnic roots. I admire those who are able to speak their mother tongue fluently. Those who whe woken up in the wee hours of night can recite a whole bible verse in their ethnic languages. Personally I struggle in that sector and it brings me great shame. You don't know how embarrassing it is to try and speak fluently in your mother tongue to your relatives and they giggle and mock your poor articulation. And they make the situation worse by calling you “people of the city”

No matter how hard we may try to equalize ourselves with our friends in the west, some things will remain part and parcel of us. Including our melanin and kinky hair. When we bleach, we have to maintain those procedures to keep the melanin out. When we relax our hair, we need to retouch because of growth.

I wish that people may love these qualities about themselves because it's what makes you an indigenous species in the world. Occasionally, I watch a program called Botched on the E channel. My heart breaks when I see people spending millions of dollars just so that they may achieve beauty goals through cosmetic surgery. Some want to be completely transformed into their role models or favorite celebrities without worrying about the risks that may occur with these procedures.

Are you satisfied with the person God envisioned you to be?

Each country, region and village have different cultures that enable us to identify them to a given group. We should hold on to our identity because it gives us a sense of direction on how we should behave and provides the customs and rules to follow with respect to the areas we reside in.

Are you proud of your roots RAIRgem?