Celebrating African Roots: A Personal Reflection

There is no better year than this one, where I have felt so proud of my roots. My roots here I mean , where I come from, that were it the traditional times when Luos were still practising "Nago Lak " (removing six lower teeth), my umbilical cord would have been buried there. Save for the modern times, I was delivered at around 1.25 a.m at Aga Khan Hospital -Kisumu. I guess that's why I aint a night person, I am very active in the morning. High school memories still testify that truth to my intellect, those night preps at Oriwo Boys High School , were too long.

Back to where I come from, my hometown is the second largest economic centre in the lakeside county of HomaBay. In 1907, the British appointed one famous medicine man, Oyugi Wuon Bala as the first colonial chief of Kasipul.

Oyugis Town was derived from his name.It is said the colonialists always referred going to Kasipul as "We are going to Oyugi's home" and by chance Oyugi's home birthed Oyugis Town. The Odieros would refer to it as 'Oyugi's Place ',overtime for the sake of a better name , the S had to marry with the O after a divorce of the apostrophe in between them, thus it became - Oyugis.

I still recall well, August and December holidays we would be bundled on the back seat of the maroon 'olwenda' (a Luo moniker for some Toyota Saloon used as small public vehicles in the shags). Off we would go, April we were always in Kisumu because as far as my memory stretches , we were always in shags at the first harvest season and the second harvest season.

It is at those times, I discovered out lots of things. Imagine me, I didn't know how a groundnut as a plant looks like. Did I even know how it hatched its sweet legumes in the ground ? No! .............When I found out, I was like wow! That is also the time I came to love Avocados, it was so in plenty that I had to rekindle a love with that Kenyan fruity darling. ( Remember how, they say these days, " sina hata za Avocado")

It is this culture that was inculcated in me at a young age that has seen me , go home atleast thrice a year. There is just something special about and moreso if you are an African as I am. See how Kenya was rooted in Barack Obama Jr. that made him start joining the dots till he was finally in Kogelo. As Nilotes we belong to the father, whether a lady or a man , your identity and story starts from your father's side of blood relations. See it from Luo ladies , even when they are married they'd rather hold on to their family name even as they take up the hubby's surname.

Recently though, this past February, I saw the news that former president Barack Obama's eldest daughter-Malia dropped her dad's surname as she debuted a career in Holywood and also start out as an adult. Well, I had a chat with Atieno Wasal about this,yes , we were all like " just the name Obama itself has enough reasons not to make her drop it ." Help me picture this, if Obama had the deep rooted African kind of upbringing and African values, as a Luo dad , he would have rated that as " cutting yourself in the arm". But again who are we to judge the westerners.

For the record, here is what Atieno Wasal reiterated "The Wasal name doesn't come with money or power, but it comes with my experience of a loving family, an available father and husband, a communicating man, a provider( no matter how small) and protector." With that I totally agreed to it to the latter. To add an icing on the cakey conversation , I told her it is said " A father is a daughters first love and a sons first hero." Again she said " But I think as a man is so important to build a name that your daughters would have to think twice before dropping."

Even as we remain Africans deep into our veins, our African values should stay with us.

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