Misinformation
is the undoing of most villages. A few years ago, I was a witness to this kind
of misinformation. It was during a time, when cancer had just reared its ugly
head and started wreaking havoc on innocent families.
Because the name cancer was a mysterious name, it inspired lots of
curiosity. It sounded more like the second name of the devil. Being diagnosed
with it was like being kissed or hugged by the devil himself. No one really
wanted to mention it by its name. It was as if acknowledging its presence would
make the disease contagious. It also breezed in with diverse theories and with
those theories the level of misinformation grew.
One of the theories normally had something to do with some Lilliputian
insect, being the cause of the tumor. The insect was believed to be the same
one that attacks dry wood, making it crumble and turn to powder.
Once in a while, a daughter or son of the clan, who happened to
work in Nairobi or some other city worth its name, came back home with a
cancerous tumour, somewhere in his or her body. Since in most people’s minds,
the cancer did not exist, the son or daughter of the soil would be questioned
on several issues, for example,
"Did you mess up with some members of a certain tribe?"
"Did you snatch someone's wife or husband?”
The 'certain' tribe in question, was one of those believed to have
some very lethal 'traditional chemistry' - read witch craft
Others would ask whether you knew of someone who might have looked
at you with 'bad eyes' whatever that means.
You would then be accosted by several self-appointed and self-proclaimed
'experts' who would direct you from one herbalist to another. You would be
given examples of the diseases the herbalist has treated. They would then give
you the testimonies of the many people the herbalist had helped, who were
actually worse than you. Many people found this appealing because they had
heard harrowing tales of what chemotherapy and radiotherapy could do to people.
A treatment believed to be so agonizing that they called it 'Kuchomwa na stima' - being roasted
using electricity. There was also the whisper that modern treatment could cause
you to lose all the hair in your body. What a terrible nightmare!
So, you migrate from one herbalist to another, who prescribe all
manner of leaves and roots to boil. You try all these without much success and
at some point you actually contemplate visiting a witch doctor, to find out
whether indeed, someone looked at you with 'evil eyes'
Sometimes, sister or brother so and so would visit you for
prayers. They would tell you that the tumour you are carrying on your neck is a
demon, which can be cast out through prayer and fasting. You have to believe
them because it is written that with just a little faith, you can move
mountains. They will also let you know that prophet so and so or apostle so and
so is coming to town and he has healed many people. At this point, you cannot
resist because you are already frustrated.
Of course, one day without a name, you will end up in hospital.
You will most likely be bed ridden. The doctor will confirm that the evil
tumour on your neck is indeed cancerous. He will mention something about 'stage
four' then he will look at you and shake his head, "If only you had come
earlier." His statement makes you feel like you have just been handed a
death sentence by a no nonsense judge. He will attempt to help you by performing
the same chemo or radio therapy, you have been running away from. I think by
now we know where this story is headed right? Well! There you have it folks,
the earlier the better.
