Cause for Celebration

This is my friend Samson, a good name for an askari - a Kenyan watchman/caretaker, who works night shifts on the CHES grounds. Last week Samson was so happy and proud recounting the visit to his home village near Maragoli, half way from here to Kisumu and Lk Victoria.
He'd been home for the celebration marking the end of the circumcision of young men in his village district. This communal circumcision happens every five years and many of his tribal kin had also returned home from all over Kenya to celebrate the young men into manhood. The boys aged 11-15 had just emerged from the two week healing period during which they were 'nursed' by the men from the 'class of 2005'. The community provided the food and shelter for the boys during this period, and then a grand celebration of feasting, singing and dancing took place.I wished I could have been there such was the joy in his sharing of this important event. Here's a local version of the same circumcision celebration taking place on the road outside CHES house in Kakamega.

On the weekend I was invited to a Kenyan wedding in Bungoma, 40kms from Kak. Beatrice, the mother of the bride, works part time for CHES, and her daughter Joyce was a student in the program years ago. The day started on Kenyan time with the arranged bus transport leaving Kak an hour late. The road to Mumias was smooth/rare, and then to Bungoma, typical Kenyan / check your fillings. The first stop was the house where the bride was readying for the event. Sodas and buns came out for the visitors and before Joyce could leave for the church, David the groom and his best man had to present his dowry to Beatrice for approval. (In this case it had been all prearranged, but there are stories of dowries being turned down on the wedding day, and hours of negotiations taking place before the wedding can go ahead – fun!). While many of the trappings were common to our church weddings, the singing/chanting/ dancing of the womenfolk attending was worth the journey.

To say that our bus 'rocked' from the house to the church is an understatement, with the aisles filled with Luhya women in full call and response rhythm, and again as the bridal procession entered the airy, Anglican, St Crispins Bungoma. Thanks to 'Mama' Beatrice for honouring me with an invitation after only a months friendship.

And to finish off, I had the great good fortune to attend the National Festival of Music for schools and colleges held in Kak a few weeks ago. There were hundreds of students from across Kenya competing in dance, choral, solo, recitation, and traditional performing arts. Watching the students perform, and the joyous support they received from the audiences, was something I will treasure for some time. When Kenyans start to sing and dance, being so completely and awkwardly WASP is starkly revealed.