AMA NIAJE WAZITO?

AMA NIAJE WAZITO?

It makes me very sad when I notice a grown up who’s unable to communicate in their own mother tongue and the excuse, one was brought up in town. To me, there’s just no reason why one should fail to know their mother tongue however orthodox the method that would be used to learn it. Save the post election violence that happened in our beloved motherland that made tribe gang up against another, I have always believed that we should promote knowledge and understanding of our tribes to keep alive the beauty of unity in diversity in our country. It should also be easier to learn other people’s languages and that’s the reason I once thought a school offering local languages would be a great entrepreneurial idea and watch this space if I don’t mint millions on such simple an idea. My appreciation of language has made the reading of my bible even more fun coz if not reading English, I’d be reading Kiswahili or kikuyu or kamba or Dholuo. But Luo has been the only challenge coz it dawned on me later on that it’s easier spoken than read; the more reason I’ve been looking for a sheng bible with no success in those city bookshops.

You cannot however talk of language away from culture. Language tends to squeeze one into the culture and the traditions of the spoken and makes one feel a sense of belonging and attachment to the culture of the spoken language.

There’s not a language that lands me in traditional and cultural home like sheng does. This is the reason Juliani remains my best musician of all times coz of his ability to juggle words and give me a concoction of words that inspires me  nisiogope hell, niogope kutoka hii dunia sijakamua kenye mola alitarajia. For this reason I joined the bandwagon to make sheng an international language. This is the language of the Kenyan youth the bulk of who are city dwellers. That’s why Omosh and Oj of Tahidi High, then MaDVD of Machachari have won the best TV actor at Chaguo la Teeniez awards over the last three events; because they speak sheng, they are admired and well able to connect with the youth who are of course our leaders of tomorrow.

But this are not times when sheng was the language of lazy youths who sit down mitaani to fantasize like Ayeiya put it, ‘’Lack of vision among the you makes…’kazi ya maboys nikuamka wakae baze waanze kuvisualize…..zao ni ku-imagine…imagine umetembea tu tao upatane na briefcase iko na ten million……mwingine anajibu…hiyo ni uraaadi……hiyo dream yako usiachilie.’’. This aren’t times when sheng was for thugs kushika fe, ukapi na kuchapana nyongolo na kutrade gadgets za magendo imbo. It’s no language of people with potential lakini hawaoni past tumbo ego inafly tooo lowwwwww…… low..low..low.

This are times when sheng is a force for change to reckon with; to be used like Mbusi of ghetto radio is doing to change our mentality; like Juliani is using it to encourage us to take responsibility and be agents of change for the betterment of every sector of our country and the world at large. Yes it’s time to say, ‘walitudharau…..aha…aha…aha…who’s laughing now? Exponential potential……wanadrown kwa machozi zao, tunaogelea kwa jasho zetu……who’s laughing now…Tuko na exponential potential. It’s time to get out of the pond into the ocean….yaani. ’vision za ku-swim kwa ocean, hii papa….imefungwa kwa aquarium, purpose….si four walls za church….stadium status’  zitaendeshwa na nani ka si sisi, zitanunuliwa na nani ka si sisi, tutabadilishwa na nani ka si sisi, simaanishi mwengine ni wewe na wewe na mi-mi. Kama si sisi sioni.

That’s just the reason sheng should remain and let language teachers teach English and Swahili and leave sheng alone and not force kids to unlearn it. It’s our way of life and our connection to new inspiration for the youths to take responsibility over their lives and our country.

But for our sheng language assasins like postbank, this’ what my friend had to say,  "JISETI NA POST-BANK." I don’t think that some of these marketers actually know what they are talking about. "Kujiseti" ni kujiingiza kwa noma. Mfano katika sentensi...Sikujua kwamba Juma angejiseti na huyo dame. Next time u r looking for a promotion sheng, call the Shengists...N I am one of them.’’

But some words from Sir God are worth considering, ‘’ Saa juu ya hii story, God alipenda world sana mpaka akageiana Mtoto wake wa pekee ndio kila msee atam-believe a savike, asilost laini apate life ya forever’’ (John 3:16).  This is the strength in life that God has given us and so He says in 2 Corinthians 12:9 ‘Lakini akanishow, “Grace yangu imekutosha mzeiya, juu nguvu yangu huwa made perfect kwa weakness.’’ ‘Kwa hivyo naweza do kila kitu through Christ mwenye ananipatia mahinya.’ (Philippians 4:13.)

That only means we have exponential potential and we must shout it atop roofs in sheng, a language we best understand.

Ama niaje wazito?