Your Space Magazine (2025)

04/11/2024

One Christmas Eve.

So last week, Jane, my little and youngest daughter reminded me of a Christmas gift and school items that I had promised her. As I get into delivering these her, it has reminded me of a day in the earlier years of Christmas.

Christmas mood would fill the air starting from school closing days. Speeches and prayers would be laced with Christmas themes and need for us students to celebrate with caution. Though, as soon as we left school gates behind, the thrill of Christmas celebrations would run through our heads like fire.

As we looked forward to receiving gifts, we would also form work groups and save money for attending tea parties of the month of December. We would also be excited to see our friends from the big cities who would start to arrive with their parents in our villages, for Christmas celebrations.

So on this particular Christmas eve, we prepared ourselves as usual to go for evening mass at Madiany Catholic church. Our home was near the main road to the Catholic church and we could see many people who carried mats as they were going to spend their Christmas eve at the church.

We hurriedly took the road to the church,but on reaching Madiany Market we stopped to watch two young men who had put an open air show by the roadside. The young men, Okwayo who was from Nairobi and Jakoyo who was from Mombasa were competing on the latest dance moves by then. They had put a double speaker radio cassette and were dancing to the music that came from it. The music was so good, even though the dance moves were so strange and interesting to us. That was when I and some of my friends learnt of Electric boogie and breakdancing.

There was no clear winer, though. And, they never charged us . It came to us as a gift.

24/10/2024

Of Woke Soyinka and Our Village Elders.

'Jagongo, I want you to help write my euology' it came to me as a shock. I could also see uneasy faces of my customers who were present in my cyber cafe.
That was Mzee Jared Amuok Aburu, requesting me for help on his eulogy, though he had never died. He was so calm and meant business. He had been one of my trusted customers in my cyber cafe and friend, at Madiany. The job was tricky as I had only helped people write eulogies of their dead relatives but not like this one that I was about to do.

I remember helping three other elders with their own eulogies even though they were still alive. We also had one man near Lweya primary school who prepared his own grave and bought a very expensive coffin for himself as he happily waited for his death!

Presently I came across an interview of Larry Madowo with one of Africa's finest writers Wole Soyinka. The writer of 'The Road' said that he had made arrangements for any eventualities to include his death. He was so composed during the interview and just like Mzee Jared Amuok, he was so much at peace with himself.

The author of 'The Lion and the jewel', 'The strong breed', 'The man died' amongst many other books is now 90 and is fine as mature wine.

One thing in common amongst them is their positivity towards deat

22/10/2024

One Night At L. Victoria Beach.

Have you ever been at a point where you can observe Lake Victoria at night? For a first timer, it looks like a very beautiful city dressed in its magnificent lighting.

It happened to me too and only to be told that these were lamplights used by fishermen to trap 'omena' or dagger fish. The curiosity in me never stopped there, so on a weekend my parents allowed me to visit my relatives who were residing at Wichlum beach market

By those days, Wichlum beach was known for producing lots of 'Omena' and 'Mbuta' (Nile Perch) fishes. This made the beach to be one of the fast growing beaches in Siaya District by then.

I remember seeing fishermen who were busy mending their nets or selling their fish at the fish banda. Others plus their women had spread 'Omena' on fishing nets to dry under the Sun. There was good music blaring shops and people were just so happy.

In the evening a bus that was branded as 'Roya' came with many people who could be seen alighting with fishing gears and huge fish baskets. Where the bus had stopped, huge basket loads of fish could be seen by the roadside ready to be loaded into its overhead carrier.

The moon was so brief up the sky and I could hear people saying that it would be a good night of fishing as there would be no moonlight to interfere. I begged my host family to allow me to go and see, and down the beach we went with my two nephews to their friend's boat.

Lots of things happened, including us rowing the boat and setting the nets plus the lamps. It was just another world of its own. It was just so exciting. After that a fire was lit at the beach to warm ourselves. We roasted maize, potatoes and made some tea as we waited for 'Omena' to get trapped enough for pulling out.

I never got to see the end process because of a thud and a shout of 'HIPPO!'. It was enough for me to find myself running towards my relatives' house.

If you see them selling their fish, please buy and pay without credit.

Address

Website

facebook.com

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Your Space Magazine posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Business

Send a message to Your Space Magazine:

Your Space Magazine