BARASA THE VILLAGE PARROT

Chant! “Oyaya Flora soumbakho vindu.” Whenever this arranged lyric, rhythmically chanted in its original tune as it is poured out of the village soloist’s mouth while the instrumentalists spiced it with their instruments, it sparked ears and penetrated deeper into the to souls of the people of mlembe nation announcing to them with goosebumps that the season has come. A season to separate men from boys, chaff from the grain. A season to slaughter bulls and celebrate without forgetting condemnation of evil caused by people. In the Bukusu community specifically, the line is sung on a special occasion of circumcision in August according to the Bukusu traditional rite of passage calendar, one of the Luhya sub-tribes found in the western part of Kenya. For anyone who had committed an atrocity, a song would be composed and be sung during this special occasion for condemnation (khuminya). Praise songs for warriors made part of this celebration. This celebration was a community mirror that shaped responsible individuals to reflect accountable morals and discipline in society. This was a ceremony of its own indigenous traditions that the whites brainwashed us to believe were demonic. Atanasi, the famous Bukusu warrior, brought the initiation practice to existence during the early days of Bantus immigration to Kenya. He gained experience and skills when he single-handedly skinned alive a giant killer snake and thereafter chopped its head off at Mount Masaba with a well-sharpened machete. The snake had terrorized villagers for a long span of time. Praises were made of his bravery and his name was written on the hearts of many. To show bravery and maturity, it was a necessity for every Bukusu son of the origin of Mwambu and Sela to undergo this initiation by cutting foreskin. Elders sat around a round small molded clay pot (enyungu) full of traditionally brewed brew (kamalwa) sieving as they spat blessing to vasinde, the young boys awaiting to undergo the wrath of a knife. This was to initiate them from childhood into manhood. You were to show bravery even when going through the torment of this tradition. It showed that you have become a warrior and a young man ready to have a family and make your own decisions. Any young man ready to go through this initiation rite was to approach his father for preparedness and arrange required items. This ceremony was incomplete without aunties and paternal uncles. It is believed to today ladies have a soft spot for any brave man; privilege any Luyha man couldn’t afford to lose. That even explained why whenever a lady fell in the enticing arms of a Luyha man if she was your wife, that is when your marriage was stormed by thunder and lightning. Don’t be surprised when I tell you Flora was the third wife of Kuchikhi. Kuchikhi was the richest man in our village back in those green days before the white man came to explore this virgin land and introduced us to the roots of modernization to our attraction. Wealth was measured by the number of children, wives, and domestic animals someone had. Kuchikhi was a household name in Mumbo village. His name was uttered with respect of the highest order. Having begotten a lot of heroes and heroines, he was known in every corner of this land. This automatically gave him the privilege of being a key decision-maker in the inner kitchen cabinet of the council of elders. He ran errands and pulled the strings of the shows in this council of elders’ kitchen. “Where elders are gathered nothing goes wrong”. Having said so much, every market has its own mad person just like this Barasa, the village parrot who wanted to marry his step-mother, Flora. You don’t trespass where your father brought you through. Having been brought up in the right ways by his father Kuchikhi, Barasa grew up as a feared warrior having led many successful raids from a young age. His heroic act made it easy for him to be loved by the hearts of many maidens. Maidens could easily get into fights as each one claimed she belonged to him. It was so serious that others could even go to the extent of seeking a witch doctor's charm to keep him for themselves. Despite the fact that Barasa knew their interest, he never gave them a listening ear. They maidens finally fell out of the race when he finally met what softened his heart during one of the village night discos. This maiden’s spectacular beauty and her soothing vocals struck and melted Barasa’s heart. Indeed, this lady was an extremely pure beauty that was still blossoming. A maiden blessed to be the epitome of exotic beauty standards. Honestly, Some ladies were far-off from beauty while others were beautiful from far, but this one was a gift from Wele khakaba. Her name was Nekesa, meaning that she had been born during the harvest season. She was a village star because of her soothing, talented, and melodious voice. As she sang on that chilling night at the village event, people were dancing with their partners; men holding women with both hands controlling the waist as the females’ hands rested on the males’ shoulders. Isukuti spiced the dance as others shook their Kamavega (shoulders) in a vigorous manner. Barasa’s mind sank into this singing voice as he fell deeply in love. After many wars this warrior had finally been conquered with no weapons, just a smooth voice that had shaken and stormed this standing tree. He wanted to inquire more about her since he had never encountered her in this village. Barasa moved to one of his childhood friends. The maidens who he was dancing with had simply taken advantage of him, knowing that they were using him to be close to Barasa. “Hey Wafula,” approaching him as they moved aside from the noise, Barasa enquired, “Who is she?” Wafula asked, “You mean the singer?” “Who else do you think I am asking about?” Barasa continued. Wafula had every detail of all the ladies present and hence he had no problem informing Barasa. “The singer is Nekesa,” he started, ”she inherited this singing talent from her grandmother Nangekhe who came from the lineage of celebrated village singers of the early days. History narrates that Nangekhe’s beauty and singing talent during her early days melted our grandfathers’ hearts. Any man seeing such a lady of substance could not stop at anything to have her even if it meant bringing a breathing lion. Her father’s compound was always full of suitors daily staking their bets. It is said that a brave, young warrior who had killed a lion and brought it to their compound finally became her chosen and they lived happily thereafterWafula finished as he joined the maidens who were awaiting him. Barasa was determined to marry this maiden. Time was running as fast as the seasons which passed within no time. Each day as the sunset to the west, Barasa’s love for Nekesa deepened in tandem with the depth of his soul. A clear message to all maidens a suitor of their preference had chosen this particular blossoming flower. Nekesa was a flower with detailed beauty and no maiden could dare make the mistake of challenging her in the village contest. Competing with her was degrading yourself. It was so ironic that even beautiful maidens automatically appeared ugly whenever her presence was detected amongst them. Not that I am in her defense. I am a living testimony with my naked eyes, will proudly brag, “I the son of the soil “witness this kind of raw cardinal beauty. Therefore I will not be biased when giving credit where it deserves. Prove me wrong if you have the guts to when I state that, “Kizuri chaliwa na wengi” attractive is dished out amongst many. Time waits for no man as Fate twisted its direction and Barasa became a laughing stock. It was so heartbreaking that his biological father Kuchikhi married Nekesa. ”How could my father marry the one I intended to make my one and my only better half?” It’s a paradox. To date, I can’t create words to explain the magic in this twisted script. Those questions kept ringing in Barasa’s mind. The culture did not allow him to question his father with the many queries that ran in his brain. Barasa was heartbroken and frustrated so much. He could not stand this to even a point of being caught by the webs of drinking kamalwa. He was no longer that respected and glorified warrior. His dedication developed into drinking from morning to evening. His father had taken away his happiness. It would have been easier to bear if it had been another thing, but not this beautiful flower Nekesa. He drank and slept in trenches and bushes. Now a hopeless man, he was celebrated only by flies wherever he passed. Any secret in the village could be found at his exposition, and that is how he became the village parrot. This man was so depressed that he became a petty village thief. The funny thing is how he went on to propose to marry his stepmother Flora from his father. Thus the origin of the song; “Oyaya Flora soumbakho vindu.