Life in ‘shaggz’ years ago was the best

Growing up in upcountry was something else. You didn't get to enjoy things that the town kid got. You were so envious of that BMX bike, your cousin used to come with in December, stashed in his father's car boot. Unless you were so close to them touching it was a dream. Meanwhile, your folks couldn't even buy you a simple toy. You usually got mad at them and maybe even questioned God for you thought God was to blame for your folk’s inability.

 

Chapati was once a 'once annual visitor’. If you happened to come across them any other day then it was a mere miracle. No wonder Christmas missed us. When that chapati day used to come, the whole clan of your siblings used to sit around the fireplace. A visitor would have been forgiven for thinking these siblings were waiting for blessing from Jesus. Well to them, these round wheat baking flour were indeed a blessing.

 

As you grew up and made more friends so did the happiness. Finally you got to meet with somebody who wished he had what you had. You thought that your one automatic toy was nothing; well here comes John your friend whose mom couldn't afford a toy so he made himself a tin one. The games were enjoyable and so time killing. One hour, two hours, three hours were never enough.

 

From hide and seek, to football made up of polythene papers. The games were just too many to choose. Your mom was always vocal and strict that before darkness sets in you should be at home. Interestingly, there was nothing as fulfilling as getting to play with your friends even after darkness had set in. I always wondered why the last few minutes were always so sweet and enticing. Kids would rather extend and expect mama's beating than leave a game midway. After all "a little bit more" isn't that harmful. I wish you had seen girls climbing trees especially the fruit trees. The naughty boys used to really "look up to" tree climbing sessions with girls for reasons I would rather keep it to myself.

 

Come Sunday it was WWE galore or like many of us casually called it wrestling. There was that one neighbor who had the only TV set in the neighborhood. Yeah "Great wall" it was. The owner of the set was a demigod to all the villagers. WWE usually aired on Sunday at around 2pm. Some kids would even walk from miles to watch wrestling at that home of the 'richest villager' .There was nothing more appealing as watching an innocent soul trying to ape John Cena, Shawn Michael etc. Come Monday kids would take all the styles they gathered on Sunday to their schools. Kids didn't care the PG rating that stated that "You should not try this at home”. I guess they took it literally; let's try it in school then.

When it came to chores it was even more impressive and Mwalimu Nyerere would have been impressed. In the village, age mates mostly the youth used to descend on work communally. If they tilled the land at Mama Omondi's land the next day they would assist in harvesting grains at Kobia's garden. This brought about unity and created such a good relationship between neighbors. Today, nobody not even your own relatives will help you for free.

 

Regards to sexuality matters, the kid of the old days was 'clean'. Considering that family planning was a vocabulary in most families, it wasn't a surprise to find a single family with a dozen siblings. Incidentally, those families weren't very well off meaning that the siblings had to share beddings. Whatever they ate then should be proposed today because even blood siblings don't have boundaries anymore when it comes to sexual matters.

 

When I look at today’s life both in upcountry and town it is so different. Kids are all caught up in Video games like Xbox, FIFA and other play station. No wonder obesity can't seem to go away and keeps lurking. Today's neighbors are ever in suspicion of their fellow neighbors so clearly the relation already crumbled.It’s the high time parents taught their kids on traditional heritage and go back to their roots.