Angela Wainaina: Gone too soon

By Tony Mochama

We walked across from our I&M offices, Pulse editor Charles Otieno and I, to the Holy Family Cathedral for Angel Wainaina’s funeral service. This was last Tuesday, and it was one of those hot mornings where a haze seems to hang over everything. What did Charles and I speak about, as we ‘vukad’ a Uhuru Park that looked slightly surreal, perhaps because of the funeral mood that lay ahead of us?

Nothing much. We spoke of our how seldom we miros walk when we have vehicle options, the koroga we eat, then complain when the kilos pile up. And, in-between our small talk as we walked, we felt the presence of an angel hover, even as we kidded about ‘dying on the way to the funeral’ after a bus – either a City Hoppa or KBS – gave us a small scare. I got a flash of Angel Wainaina in Cobra Squad, chasing some villain through this very park.

In the church proper, Orie Rogo Manduli in one of her multi-storey headgears was raging against the callous supermart folk who "locked people in, to stop them looting milk." Her voice got so loud a baby near the front pen began yelling in terrified mewls.

But one of the saddest moments was when she invited Angel’s fiancÈ, blonde mop-haired moppy Maarten before his late beloved’s coffin. The sad devastation on his young face was heart-breaking as he posed before that pine box, perhaps seeing the dreams that will never be — marriage, beautiful children, a long happy life together…

Government spokesman Dr Alfred Mutua was up next, complete wit a Cobra Squad team, all of them in black suits, white shirts, red ties, and eyes red with tears. Dr Mutua’s speech recalled a natural born actress, Angel, shooting into the sky from a chopper, in the ironically Nakumatt – sponsored programme that is the good daktari’s creation.

"Is Death Fair?"

That was the reading of the day from the HFB Lady Deacon, and it was most touching: "People’s minds are full of foolish thoughts while they live. After that, they join the dead. But anyone alive still has hope; even a live dog is better off than a dead lion!

The living know they’ll die, but the Dead know nothing. Dead people have no more reward, and people forget them. After people are dead, they can no longer love or hate or envy. They will never again share in what happens here on earth. Enjoy life while you can! So got eat your food, drink your wine and be happy, because that is what God wants you to do. Put on nice clothes and make yourself look good."

That is in Ecclesiastes.

"God said ‘enjoy your wine,’ but tis the devil who tells you ‘enjoy vodoski,’" O.J Aenea, actor and Angel’s good friend whispered to me, and brought a smile to the sad moment …

August 18, last eyar

That was the last time I saw Angel Wainaina, at a literary party in Kileleshwa, where she was enjoying a glass of red wine and good conversation with Kwanites like Bill Kahora and Binyavanga Wainaina. She asked me about some of the poems I’d written and we shared a lively discussion.

Angel was one of those rare and beautiful creatures … a multi-faceted, multi-talented person who is all things to all persons, a Kenyan who lived her life to the full, bringing joy to others through a joyful talent, someone we all believed in.