Leading the Night

Kenya

98 Leading the Night other water bodies to be freed from human greed. Lake Turkana and the other water bodies were in danger of death. Where would the home of soft creatures that should teem in waters that give life be? What will dry humans look like? Kenya Rei was not going to miss any chances. He was used to late hours. Reading about Kenya in the past, he had wondered, and this discussion had come up in London, how Kenya maintained her beauty in spite of so many contradictions about her. The Sabasaba Defence Force! Why, they are interesting and some facts about them drew much curiosity. They pray, facing Mount Kenya and their own secret select mountains and hills. They have rituals and are asking a main question about Kenya’s poor. Who made promises to them and then broke them? Rei in their eyes is a defenceless white man! The Sabasaba Defence Force he knew, were anti the mzungu as the white race was nicknamed for what some people say was apparently wanting to go everywhere in Africa. Kuzunguka is an infinitive verb for going round and round which is similar to kizunguzungu which means dizziness. Mzungu is a noun in the singular form in the A/wa first class of Kiswahili nouns which hosts all life, persons and all living things. But now, Sheng, or a mixture of English and Kiswahili spoken in towns had the term Jungu. Luckily it was still in the A/wa class of persons and living things. In Kenya, some Africans knew they were called Miro, a name they called themselves too. It seemed as if these names were needed for simple conversations. Coolie was derogatory and so was Chute, a name that hang around for Asian people. Was this a language of ecomomics more than of colour? This world arrogantly divides itself Leading the Night 99 into three races and a few languages. It often forgets every village has its lingo and every race, its races. Capturing African voices telling their own story was not going to be easy. Rie knew that there were entire philosophies in languages. This was something he could only attempt to do with much support from the people he would meet. He felt inadequate but excited to try. He had not told Rika about his secret plan to investigate the gang. He was afraid that her advice to him would have been to forget it and stay in Geneva. After all, he knew that the Sabasaba Defence Force were against dealings with Caucasians. Some members of the mili-gangs wanted no connection with the Western world. Yet others realised that some contact was useful. They spoke to journalists from time to time. They knew that their work could give them un-paralled international exposure. This would make Kenyans fear them more. This would make people feel their power and even get confused about the secret gang with international wings.They liked to see people from the West feeling and looking challenged and sometimes even threatened. They like their feeling of power over others. For them, it was great to see educated people both local and foreign seeking them out. Their leaders were informed. But strictly too at this stage, their strongest weapon was mainly in privacy and secrecy- mystery. They only let out some information, well scanned and studied and no more. “ Only 50$ sir, for taxi to the city. Taxi! taxi! taxi! sir?” the man pleaded. Rei was making his way out of the airport. He knew the story of the foreigner and taxis in African and other cities. There will be the cab owned by a company. A handsome amount would be asked for a ride in a taxi owned by a company. Then there was the one owned by an individual but which depended on a broker who met you right at the arrival deck as if you had given him your arrival time before. In Nairobi, before the brokers were were pushed out of the venue, you will pay the taxi amount and his commission inclusive. Then there is the humble 100 Leading the Night driver who is at the wheel of a visibly run down machine, that cannot even afford to pay up a parking bay at the airport but which works so smoothly, you are surprised. Some famous people both local and foreign have an un- written...