by M G Vassanji
And a letter from Amina.
Baba weh!
It’s been many months since you went, without saying goodbye. I hope your business there is soon finished. Mummy is giving tuitions in English, and I am helping her. In January I will start nursery school. Since you are a teacher, I hope you will teach me some things. Upesi.
Wako Amino. (Transcribed by her mother.)
Sona writes.
Kala.
Are you there? This is the third letter … Anyway, about Books II and III, as I wrote before, II apparently contains old bhajans. “DG’s Favourites,” in a sense. Do you know if he sang? I’m getting confused. I swear he’s made up some verses—a case of genuine interpolation from DG! Now III. This one begins with a string of prayers, in Arabic, for different occasions. Perhaps illnesses. But it also has what sounds like a version of the Gita. Now why would the old man write his own version of the Gita? He was probably recording it—the language seems too archaic: imitation Sanskrit, and so on. (These types of forms are known, from other communities.) If so, why don’t we know of other versions? Can you shed some light, from what she said to you? Why did the old woman have to die before leaving this? And also, some of the pages have not been copied well. Surely you noticed? Perhaps the writing is fading … there are ways of preserving it, you know. I am so excited, I wake up dreaming about these damn books!
Sona.
Perhaps, Dhanji Govindji, as he sat at the doorstep outside his shop listening to the ocean, in between his sporadic journeys in search for his son, would hum these bhajans. And if he did interpolate, what did he have to say about the sin of stealing from the community? What horrible punishments befell you and on those who came after you—
She lies on the floor, crumpled, her throat cut, guts spilled, blood on the floor. Dark crimson blood of a forgotten murder caked on the muslin shirt which Ji Bai preserved for so long, reminder of the tragic sin. On the table, the three fragile books, the originals with writing fading perhaps, packed to be sent away, their secrets unlocked but by no means uncovered. A gift for Sona. To lie anaesthetized in some locked cupboard, these dreams and hopes, these sins and prayers of a bygone generation—for the peckings of academia. The shirt, to be burnt, the rest to be discarded or preserved individually. Thus the disposition of the past. To be remembered and acknowledged, if only partly understood, without the baggage of paraphernalia.
The running must stop now, Amina. The cycle of escape and rebirth, uprooting and regeneration, must cease in me. Let this be the last runaway, returned, with one last, quixotic dream. Yes, perhaps here lies redemption, a faith in the future, even if it means for now to embrace the banal present, to pick up the pieces of our wounded selves, our wounded dreams, and pretend they’re still there intact, without splints, because from our wounded selves flowers still grow. We had our dreams, Little One, we dreamt the world, which was large and beautiful and exciting, and it came to us this world, even though it was more than we bargained for, it came in large soaking waves and wrecked us, but we are thankful, for to have dreamt was enough. And so, dream, Little Flower …
Glossary.
Note: Swahili words are denoted (S), the other words are Cutchi-Gujarati. The last vowel is always pronounced.
afande (S) officer, of any rank; also: Sir! as a response
aisei (S) from English: I say!
akida (S) local leader or Government representative
al hamdulillah (S) from Arabic: praised be God!
alishaan luxurious
an-fata-ha-tin … (S) mnemonic device for teaching to read an, in, un … from the Arabic reader
aré an exclamation: what! etc
asante (S) thank you
askari (S) policeman; soldier
aulaad progeny
ayat from Arabic: verse
baba (S) father
badmaash evil
bahu daughter-in-law
bakuli (S) bowl
bana Indianized form of bwana, used as “man,” etc
banda (S) shed
band-waja band
bao (S) a board game common on the Coast
bapa a respectful term for an old man; father, grandfather
baraza (S) meeting
barazi (S) a bean
bas Indianized form of basi
basi (S) enough
beta child
Bhadalas an Indian community in East Africa
bhajan a religious song (hymn)
bhajia a fried food
bhang a narcotic
bhut ghost
boma (S) administrative or government office; stockade; fort
budha, budhi old man or woman
budhu fool
buibui (S) a thin black garment used as veil, usually worn over dress and head
bungalas bungalows; used of separate-standing houses
bwana (S) sir
Chaleh Charlie Chaplin; any funny person; comic
chevdo a mixture of nuts, dals, rice fried with spice
chakas plural of chako
chako a six in cricket
chokra boy
chuchuma! (S) on your haunches!
crore 10 million
dada (S) sister
daku bandit; the villain in movies
dengu (S) dal
duka (S) shop
dukan shop
dumé (S) man, with emphasis on manhood and bigness; a big man
duriani (S) a fruit much loved in Zanzibar
elan notice
eti (S) an expletive used in many senses: what, I say, as if, etc
fujo (S) disorder; used for the free-for-all that follows when a vendor runs away upon sight (or threat) of the police
fundi (S) used of any craftsman or workman; in the shops, used of a tailor
gadi wheeled vehicle; motor car
garba a dance in which men and women perform in a circle
gathia a fried snack
geet song
goli (male: golo) slave, servant
gopi cowgirls: Krishna used to tease them
Govind used of Krishna
hai hai! an exclamation to show one’s embarrassment
halud a perfume
hanisi (S) impotent
haraka (S) quick
hartal strike
haya, basi (S) okay, then
hebu (S) please (if I may; move; etc)
hijab veil
hodi! (S) knock!; may I come in? etc
homa (S) rallying cry of maji maji warriors
hundi promissory note
Idd a Muslim festival
jamani (S) folks
jambo (S) how are you?
jedel girl friend (of another girl)
jelebi a sweetmeat
jemadari (S) a local leader
jembe (S) spade
jhannam hell
joshi fortune-teller
jugu Indianized form of njugu: peanut
jumbe (S) a local leader
juth bolte ho! you are lying!
Juzu (S) a first Arabic reader used in coastal East Africa
kalidas servant of Kali; a commonly used (Hindu) man’s name; used to denote Africans sometimes
Kali Yuga the age of Kali
kaniki (S) a black cloth used by women, in colonial times, now abandoned kanzu (S) a long garment of light cotton, usually white, worn by Muslim men
karibu (S) welcome, come in
khamsa ishrin (S) from Arabic, meaning 25 and used to denote the punishment of 25 strokes of a whip
khandaan dignity, respectability, etc
khanga (S) a colourful cloth worn by women to wrap around the body; usually has a proverb written on it as part of the design
khungu Indianized form of kungu, a fruit considered wild
kibaba (S) a cup measure, standardized to the commonly-used milk can
kidhar se ate ho? Hindi: where do you come from?
kikapu (S) basket
kikoi (S) a piece of cloth with its own distinct design
&nb
sp; kinate (S) belly
kitale (S) a coconut with no cream but an inside that can be eaten
kitenge (S) a colourful cloth
kofi (S) a beating
kofia (S) a cap or hat
koni Indianized form of kwa ni, used in the sense of: as if; and now
konyagi (S) an alcoholic drink
kuja-ne, kuja-to a Swahili word kuja = to come, with Cutchi ending
kula wali (S) to eat rice
kumbe (S) So; I see; etc
kuni (S) firewood
kwa heri (S) goodbye
kweli (S) true
ladoo a sweetmeat
lalu derogatory term used in the sense of: a good-for-nothing
maandazi (S) a sweet, fried bread
machar mosquito
machela (S) a litter
machungwa (S) oranges
maghrab dusk
maji (S) water
malai cream
manuari (S) from English man o’war
marad a man; he-man
marungi (S) a leaf chewed for its mild narcotic effect
massala spice
mbona umerudi (S) why have you returned?
mbuyu (S) a baobab tree
mchawi (S) a witchdoctor, magician, etc
Mdachi (S) German person (cf. “Deutsch”)
mela a fair
Mhindi Indian
mhogo (S) cassava
mimi (S) I
mithai sweetmeats
mnyama (S) beast
mohor a settlement negotiated for the bride before the marriage ceremony takes place
moto (S) hot
mpishi (S) cook
Mshiris (S) an Arab community
msuri (S) a cloth used by men on the Coast to wrap around the waist; often worn in place of trousers
mswaki (S) a toothbrush, or branch used to brush teeth
mukhi religious leader of a local community; head man
murid disciple
mutu mubaya (S) a way of saying mtu mbaya (bad person)
mwalimu (S) teacher; used for Julius Nyerere of Tanzania
mwanangu (S) my son
mweupe (S) white
mweusi (S) black
mzee (S) respectful term for an old man
naam! (S) Yes!
nataka (S) I want
ndizi (S) a banana
ngalawa (S) a dug-out boat
niani a female; a ritual meal to which girls are invited
nipe (S) give me
njo (S) come
pachedi a light cloth worn round the shoulders and head
panga (S) a machete
penda a sweetmeat
pili-pili-bizari (S) spices
pir a holy man, usually with followers
pisha (S) move
polé (S) sorry
rasa a dance in which one or more persons go around in circles clapping hands and clicking fingers to a beat
salaalé! (S) an exclamation
sana (S) very
sanyasi a man in the last of the four Hindu stages of life, in which he renounces home and possessions to practise religion
Shahada (S) the Muslim creed
Sharriffu (S) an honorific title with religious (Islamic) connotations, used loosely
shehe (S) same as sheikh
sheth boss, master
shoga (S) a woman’s (woman) friend; also: a male homosexual
siasa (S) politics
simba (S) lion
starehe (S) relax, take it easy, don’t trouble yourself
subhanallah Arabic: God is perfect
sufuriya (S) a deep pan
taarabu (S) a Swahili song set to the tune of an Indian film song
tafadhali (S) please
TANU ya jenga nchi (S) TANU builds the nation
tasbih (S) prayer beads
tembo (S) elephant
tena (S) again
tengo Indianized form of mtengo: a portable coop or container made of light sticks
thapo a game of hide-and-seek
thumuni (S) the fifty-cent coin
tuna kwenda (S) we are going
ugali (S) maizemeal
uhuru na kazi (S) a populist sloga of the time, meaning “freedom with work”
ujamaa (S) socialism; Tanzania’s official policy of socialism
ulu fool
unga mkono (S) join hands; support
upesi (S) quickly
vigegele (S) ululation
vitumbua (S) sweet, fried delicacy of the Coast
wako (S) yours
wé, weh, wey (S) you!
yar friend
zanana show ladies’ show
About the Author.
M.G. Vassanji won a regional Commonwealth Prize for The Gunny Sack (1989). He is the author of four other novels: No New Land (1991); The Book of Secrets (1994), which won the inaugural Giller Prize and the Bressani Prize; Amriika (1999); and The In-Between World of Vikram Lall (2003), which made Vassanji the first writer to win the Giller Prize a second time. He is also the author of a collection of short stories, Uhuru Street. He was awarded the Harbourfront Festival Prize in 1994 in recognition of his achievement in and contribution to the world of letters, and in the same year was chosen as one of twelve Canadians on Maclean’s Honour Roll. Born in Kenya and raised in Tanzania, M.G. Vassanji attended university in the U.S. and lives in Toronto.