rĩmwe. Na nĩkĩo Agĩkũyũ a tene arĩa meciragia mũno moigire atĩ
‘Muhwo na matũ merĩ ndaiguaga’.
Tondũ ũcio-rĩ, nĩwega o mũndũ eciragia ũhoro wa ũndũ ũrĩa egwĩka
kana enaguo, na arĩkia gwĩciriria ũhoro wa ũndũ ũcĩo na aũmenya
agatambĩrĩra ũndũ ũrĩa ũngĩ, naguo akambirĩra kũwĩciria ihinda rĩagwo
mwanya kinya mũthia waguo.
Andũ arĩa ogĩ-rĩ, magacoka makaigua ng’aragu ya mĩgambo mĩega,
magathondeka inanda, na mbeni, na tũrumbeta iria ina mĩgambo mĩega
gũkĩra ciĩgamba na coro kana thongori.
Nyũmba ciao igathera, o na cikaro ciao ciothe hakaga handũ mũrukĩ
mũũru ũngiuma. Magekĩra indo cia kũnunga wega nyũmba-inĩ ciao o
na nguoinĩ ciao, ta mahũa kana maguta makwĩhaka mwĩrĩ ona njuĩrĩ.
Magakoma handũ hega matckũhihinyũo. Hĩndĩ ĩrĩa andũ arĩa matoi
ũhoro megũkoma mĩaro igũrũ na ndarũa-inĩ.
Utonga wothe ũgakoragũo ũgũteithia mũndũ kũgĩa na maũndũ ta
macio, magũkenia mwĩrĩ wake.
Narĩo ihinda rĩkoneka harĩ mũndũ mũgĩ rĩa gũcokeria Ngai ngatho
tondũ wa kũmũhe maũndũ macio mothe mega, mũndũ ũcio akagĩa na
hinya mwĩrĩ o na meciria-ini.
Akaiyũrũo nĩ thayũ ngoro, akahota kũruta wĩra wake na hinya, na
kũhoya Ngai, nacio indo igakĩria kũingĩha. O hĩndĩ ĩrĩa andũ arĩa akĩgu
maroiga atĩ ũtonga nĩ wa ngoma. Na ũthĩni nĩ Ngai.
Na tondũ ũcio ũguo nĩ kũruma Ngai, tondũ wa gũkĩga. Na nĩkĩo
andũ aingĩ megũcaria ũtonga ũcio mawaga, na mathaya, makaiguĩraarĩa
atongu ũiru, magagicaria ũndũ ũrĩa mangĩhoreria ngoro ciao naguo
itige gũtangĩka.
what should we do, our people?
233
Intelligent people continue to move ahead with an appetite to know
more. Th
ey seek the beauty of knowledge or beauty itself. As we saw,
there are fi ve senses through which human knowledge passes.
Th
ey know their eyes wish to see beautiful things, so they plant fl ow-
ers in their homes. Th
e fl owers beautify their houses, and then all their
work becomes something to please their eyes. Th
e heart also is glad to
see such beautiful things.
Th
e heart cannot be pleased if, when you look at fl owers or other
beautiful things, you think not about their beauty but, instead, about
other things like eating.
Our mind is such that it is supposed to be occupied by one thing
at a time. So you cannot appreciate the good of many things all at the
same time. Th
at is why Agikuyu thinkers of the past used to say ‘One
who is whispered at in both ears cannot hear.’
It is therefore better if one thinks of what he wants to do and then,
[only] when he has thought it out and knows it properly, does he go
on to the other thing which he then thinks right through.
As for intelligent people, they get an appetite for good music, they
make record players, and trumpets with good sounds—better than
traditional Kikuyu leg-rattles, horns and bells.
Th
eir houses become clean, and in their homes bad smells are driven
away. Th
ey apply things with sweet fragrance in their houses and on
their clothes, like fl owers and body and hair ointment.
Th
ey sleep in comfortable places for comfort, while the unintelligent
sleep on skin mattresses.
Wealth should help one get such things as make one’s body com-
fortable.
Th
e intelligent person should also fi nd time to thank God for giving
him all these good things. He will get strong in body and mind.
He is fi lled with peace at heart, he can work hard, pray to God, and
his wealth increases. Meanwhile, foolish people say wealth is for the
devil and poverty is for God.
Th
is is to abuse God out of foolishness. Th
is is why many people look
for wealth in vain, become foolish and jealous of the rich, in order to
appease their troubled hearts.
234
chapter four
Ngai witũ Nĩwe mũheyani wa indo ciothe njega. Ũtonga nĩ mwega,
Na nĩ Ngai witũ ũũheyanaga, Na ũthini nĩ mũru, kwoguo ũheyanagwo
nĩ ngoma tondũ nĩwe mwene ũru wothe.
39. Ũhoro wa kũrĩkia
Mwandĩki ekwenda kuga atĩrĩ, akĩambĩrĩria kwandĩka maũndũ macio
mothe mandĩke Ibuku-inĩ rĩrĩ ndarĩ na ũgĩ wa andũ ũrĩa matariĩ. Na
tondũ wa gũtereta na andũ hĩndĩ ĩrĩa arari rĩandĩkĩroinĩ-rĩ, arona atĩ
kwĩ mĩthemba mĩingĩ ya andũ gũkĩra ũrĩa aregeragĩria.
Na ngerekano irĩa ĩngĩtũma tũigue ũrĩa mĩthemba ya andũ itariĩ-rĩ,
nĩ ĩno:
Atĩ andũ othe mitũrĩre-inĩ yao-rĩ, mahuana ta andũ marĩ rũgiri-inĩ
rũraya mũno rũa mahiga rũtangĩhaicĩka. Amwe me hakuhĩ na rũgiri
rũu, na angĩ mekũraya naruo.
Rũgiri-inĩ rũu-rĩ, o mũndũ arĩna kahoro gake ga gũcũthĩrĩria mwena
ũrĩa ũngi wa rũgiri. Tũhoro tũmwe ni twariĩ gũkĩra tũrĩa tũngĩ, na
tũhoro tũmwe tũtiumanĩrĩte na mwena ũrĩa ũngĩ, kwoguo ene tuo-rĩ,
magĩtaga kũria arĩa angĩ ũrĩa marona mwena ũrĩa ũngĩ wa rũgĩri.
Rũgiri ruu ohamwe na andũ acio othe o na indo ciothe mahuana ta
arĩ gũthiĩ marathiĩ o na mbere o kahora matekũrũgama.
Mwena ũrĩa andũ marĩ-rĩ, nĩ mwena waan thutha, naruo rũgiri
rũrĩ mbere yao, na hatirĩ ũndũ mangĩka mahote kũhĩtũka rũgiri rũu,
rũrĩikaraga rũrĩ o mbere yao o mahinda mothe. Mwena ũcio wa na
thutha ya rũgiri noguo andũ moĩ wega ũhoro waguo, no wa mwena
ũrĩa ũngĩ andũ no gũcũthĩrĩria macũthagĩrĩria.
Kwĩ ihinda rĩkinyaga mũndũ ũmwe wa acio macũthĩrĩirĩe akagĩa na
kahoro kariĩ gũkĩra andũ aria angĩ, akona makĩria mwena ũrĩa ũngĩ
wana mbere, nake akahũndũra ũthiĩ wake na thutha kana na mwena
akera andũ arĩa angĩ ũrĩa arona na kũrĩa mbere macũthĩrĩirie othe.
Hĩndĩ ĩrĩa andũ arĩa macũthĩrĩirie, maigua ũhoro ũcio, makambĩrĩria
gũthonja makĩũrania ũrĩa kwerũo, narĩo inegene rĩu rĩkanenehio mũno
nĩ andũ arĩa marĩ haraya na rũgirĩ makĩũria nĩkĩ kĩoneka. Nao andũ
arĩa marĩ rũgiri-inĩ makambĩrĩria gwĩkĩra hinya gũcũthĩrĩria na mbere
marore kana ũguo kwerũo nĩguo.
Na tondũ tũhoro tũu tũtiganaine, amwe makona hanini na angĩ
makaga kuona o na hanini kũringana na wariĩ na ũkunderu wa tũhoro
tũu, arĩa tũhoro twao tũtarĩ tumĩranu o na arĩa matarĩ hakuhĩ na rũgiri
makagita gwĩtĩkia o ũrĩa wothe marirũo nĩ acio me tũhoro-inĩ.
what should we do, our people?
235
Our God is the giver of everything. Wealth is good, and God pro-
vides it. Poverty is bad, and is brought by spirits,146 the source of all
wickedness.147
39. Concluding matters
Th
e writer wishes to say that when he started writing, he was ignorant
about the people around him. But from talking with people while
writing, it dawned on him that they are more diverse th
an he had
thought.
A parable that may help us distinguish between people is this: People
in their own cultures148 are like people behind tall fences149 of stone that
are diffi
cult to climb. Some are near the fence, others are far from it.
Everyone has his own hole in the fence through which to look to
the other side. Some holes are wider than others, some do not go right
through to the other side. So their owners have to ask others what they
can see on the other side of the fence.
Th
e fence, the people and every thing else seem to be slowly moving
ahead, without stopping.
Th
e people are in the rear with the fence in front of them, and
there is no way they can pass the fence, which will always be in front
of them. Some people behind the fence know this very well, others
simply stare.
Someone among those who are staring may sometimes get a wider
hole than others and manages to see right through to the front. He
turns and tells the others what he sees ahead.
When those who are looking on hear this, they start to murmur,
asking what has been said. Th
is murmuring is amplifi ed by the people
who are far from the fence, who ask what has happened. People near
the fence start putting pressure, looking in front to see if what has
been said is true.
Because their holes are not equal, some see a little and others see
nothing at all, depending on the width or narrowness of the holes. As
for those whose holes don’t go right through and those who are not
near the fence, they end up believing what they are told by those near
the holes.
236
chapter four
Na mũndũ ũngĩ angĩcoka amere atĩ ũguo merirũo tiguo, andũ acio
no morage mũndũ ũcio tondũ wagi wa woni wao ũgitagĩrũo na ũrũme
mũingĩ mũno, kana maga kũmũraga marege ũhoro wake biũ.
Tareke rĩu tũtaũre ngerekano ĩo:
Rũgiri rũu rũraya rũa mahiga nĩ Ũrimũ witũ wa ũrĩa gũgekika rũciũ,
tondũ hatirĩ mũndũ ũĩ rĩrĩa agakua. Andũ arĩa me hakuhĩ na rũgiri rũu
nĩ kuga nĩ andũ arĩa ogĩ na gĩthomo mũno ona arĩa ogĩ na ũhoro wa
ndini mũno, na arĩa meciragia ũrĩa gũgatuika matukũ marĩa magoka
ona andũ arĩa ogĩ na ũgĩ wa mũciarire.
Tũhoro tũu twĩ rũgiri-inĩ rũu o mũndũ gake nĩ kuga atĩ, tũhoro nĩ
meciria o mũndũ make, na gũcũthĩrĩria mwena ũrĩa ũngĩ wa rũgiri, nĩ
gwĩciria ũhoro wa maũndũ macio magoka.
Tũhoro tũmwe kwarama makĩria ya tũrĩa tũngĩ nĩ kuga atĩ meciria
ma andũ amwe nĩ inaingĩ gũkĩra ma andũ arĩa angĩ na tũhoro tũũ
tũtoimanĩrĩte na mwena ũrĩa ũngĩ wa rũgiri, nĩ kuga andũ arĩa matarĩ
na meciria makũhota kũmenya ũrĩa gũgatuĩka. Tondũ ũcio makagĩta
kũria andũ arĩa ogĩ ũrĩa megwĩciria gũgatuĩka thutha-ini tondũ nĩo
marona mwena ũrĩa ũngĩ wa rũgiri,
Gũthiĩ kwa rũgiri rũu ona mbere nĩ ũrĩa ihinda rĩthiraga, ndagĩka kwa
ndagĩka, thaa gwa thaa, mũthenya kwa mũthenya, mweri kwa mweri,
ona mwaka kwa mwaka. Na gũthiĩ kwa andũ o na mbere nĩ ũrĩa andũ
maikaraga magĩciaragwo magĩtwika twana na thutha ningĩ magatuĩka
andũ akũrũ. Na gũthiĩ kwa indo ciothe nĩ ũrĩa nacio igĩaga kuo na thutha
igathira. Hatirĩ kĩndũ o na kĩmwe kĩrũgamĩte tiga no gũthiĩ irathiĩ o na
mbere, tondũ hatirĩ kĩndũ ki mwambiririo gĩtarĩ mũthia.
Mwena wa na thutha ũcio andũ marĩ, nĩ kuga nĩ mwena wa
maũndũ marĩ mahĩtũku, kana wa ihinda rĩrĩa rĩhĩtũku, naruo rũgiri
kũgĩa mbere yao nĩ kuga atĩ hatirĩ hĩndĩ kwagaga rũciũ. Rũciũ rũu
rũathirahakagĩa rũngi, o ũguo o ũguo kinya rĩ na rĩ. Na tondũ ũcio
hatirĩ ũrĩa andũ mangĩka mahĩtũke ihinda, tondũ angikorũo ũmũthi
nĩ mweri cigana ũna, tuge mweri ithatũ wa January 1945. hatirĩ ũrĩa
ũngĩka ũhĩtũke mweri icio ithatũ, ũtuike atĩ, hĩndĩ ĩrĩa andũ arĩa angĩ
tũrĩ mweri-inĩ, ithatũ, we wĩ mweriinĩ ithano kana ikũmi, ũkĩendaga na
ũtekwenda no mũhaka ũkoruo kuo hamwe na ithuĩ mwerĩ ithatũ, na
no mũhaka tũgakinyanĩra hamwe ithuothe mweri icio ithano. Ihinda
rĩtihĩtũkĩkaga.
Andũ kũmenya ũhoro wa mwena wana thutha wa rũgiri nĩ kuga
nĩ ũhoro wa maũndũ marĩa mahĩtũku, kana wa ihinda rĩrĩa rĩhĩtũku.
Tondũ mũndũ amenyaga wega ũhoro wa maũndũ marĩa arĩkĩtie kuona
o na kũigua. No ũhoro wa maũndũ marĩa magoka mũndũ no gwĩciria
eciragia, na nĩguo gũcũthĩrĩria.
what should we do, our people?
237
When someone else tells them that what they are being told is not
true, they may kill him, because of their staunchly held views. If they
do not kill him they completely reject his views.
Let us now unravel this parable: Th
e tall fence is our ignorance about
what will happen tomorrow, since no one knows when he will die.
Th
e people near the fence are well-educated people, religious experts,
those who think about what will happen tomorrow, and those with
prophetic insight.
Th
e holes in the fence assigned to each of them are their minds. To
look through to the other side is to think about the future.
Th
at some holes are wider than others means that some people
have more insight than others. Th
e holes that do not go right through
the fence refer to those people who lack insight on what may happen
tomorrow. So they depend on what others think will happen, since the
latter can see what is happening on the other side of the fence.
Th
e forward movement of the fence is the way time passes, minute
by minute, hour by hour, day by day, month by month, and year by
year. Th
e movement of the people represents the way they are born as
children and then turn into old people. Th
e movement of things shows
how things appear and disappear. Nothing stands still, but everything
is moving ahead, since nothing with a beginning is without an end.
Th
e rear of the fence, where the people are, refers to past things or
past time, and that the fence is in front of them means there is always
a tomorrow. Aft er one tomorrow there is always another. Th
is becomes
an eternal pattern, so it is impossible for anyone to get ahead of time.
If today is a certain date, say 3rd January 1945, there is no way you
can bypass this date so that, when the rest of us are on the 3rd, you
can be on the 5th or the 10th. Whether you like it or not, you must be
on the 3rd with the rest of us, and will have to get to the 5th together
with all of us. Time cannot be bypassed.
People’s knowledge of the rear side of the fence refers to things
past, or past years, since one can know only what one has witnessed
or heard. One can only speculate about things to come, and this is
[signifi ed by] the staring.
For somebody to get a wider hole refers to people who have more
; insight than others. Th
e writer beseeches any reader with a courteous
heart150 never to suppose that the writer is here saying that he is more
intelligent, or has more ideas, than other people. No. He is just talking
about what he has thought. To see the front of the fence better means
238
chapter four
Ihinda rĩu rĩkinyaga mũndũ ũmwe akagĩa na kahoro kariĩ gũkĩra andũ
arĩa angĩ. Nĩ kuga nĩ mũndũ agaciarũo akagĩa na meciria maingĩ gũkĩra
andũ arĩa angi. No mwandĩki egũthaitha mũthomi o wothe ũrĩa wĩna
ngoro ya ũhoreri ndakae gwĩciria atĩ mwandĩki nĩ kuuga ekuuga atĩ nĩ
mũũgĩ gũkira andũ arĩa angĩ, ona kana atĩ, akagĩa na meciria maingĩ
gũkĩra andũ arĩa angi. Aca no nĩ kwarıa kũringana na ũrĩa egwĩciria.
Na kuona makiria mwena ũrĩa wana mbere, nĩ kuga nĩ ageciria na
akamenya makĩria ũhoro wa ũrĩa gũgatuĩka thutha, o na atĩ ũndũ mũna
na mũna, weturanĩra ũtuĩkaga kana ũrehage ũna.
Nake akahũndũra ũthiũ wake na thutha kana na mwena, nĩ kuga
nĩ rĩrĩa mũndũ ũcio ambagĩrĩria kwĩra andũ acio matarĩ hakuhĩ na
rũgiri ũrĩa onete, acio nĩo mena thutha, nao arĩa me mwena wake
nĩ andũ arĩa angĩ ogĩ take, arĩa macũthĩrĩirie hamwe nake. Kana arĩa
meciragia hamwe nake. Ũhoro wa ũrĩa gũgatuĩka thutha, na ũria ũna
na ũna ingĩturanĩra ituĩke ũna, na ũrĩa kĩna na kĩna ĩngĩturanirũo
ituĩke kĩna.
Mũndũ ũcio ambagĩrĩriria kwĩra andũ arĩa angĩ ũrĩa ecirĩtie gũgatuĩka
thutha, tondũ worĩa ekuona atĩ ũndũ mũna ũciaraga ũndũ mũna na
no kinya ũtũre ũciaranaga oro ũguo.
Gũthonja kwa andũ arĩa macũthiriirie nĩ kuga nĩ ngarari cia andũ arĩa
ogĩ magĩkararania kana ũguo mũndũ ũcio oiga nĩguo kana tiguo. No
andũ arĩa matarĩ hakuhĩ na rũgiri, kana andũ arĩa matarĩ ogĩ metagĩrĩra
o kwĩrũo, magakĩria kũnegena makĩũria ũria wonekete metĩkie. Nao
andũ acio ogĩ magakĩria gwĩciria na hinya na gũtuĩria na hinya ũhoro
ũcio kana nĩ wa ma.
Na tondũ ũgĩ kana meciria matiganaine amwe makamenya, angĩ
makamenya hanini, angĩ makaga kũmenya o na hanini, o mũndũ
kũringana na wariĩ na ũkunderu wa meciria make. Arĩa matarĩ ogĩ, na
arĩa matethagathagĩte kũhiga, makagwata gũĩtĩkia o ũrĩa wothe marĩrũo
nĩ acio meciragia.
Na ũngĩcoka ũmere atĩ ũguo tigwo, andũ acio mateciragia no
Writing for Kenya Page 35