Your Education Must Redeem You!

When villagers reach Kampala, they are always surprised by our high levels of "ignorance", born out of education and disconnect from reality.

Do you know what it feels like to sit in a meeting meant to discuss the issues of delayed rain for the season. In the meeting, people exchange ideas and normally come up with practical solutions which they execute without any ounce of procrastination.

Last month, there is a teacher who was summoned to a village meeting somewhere here in Bugisu; it was supposed to discuss the sudden deaths whose cause was pointing in the direction of witchcraft. Apparently, the teacher has gone "under water" and returned with voodoo (mayembe) which is picking the villagers one by one. 

(Author at Nyero Rocks in Kumi District)

Poor man had attended the meeting to defend himself against all allegations. He had succeeded in clearing his name until one of the dead guys came out and affirmed the accusations against the teacher. No, the dead guy did not rise, he spoke through one of his emissaries. 

The emissary started with hallucinations which attracted other members of the gathering. He then went on to mention the list of the people who are lined up for the grave, some of whom were in the meeting. He then dropped the bomb shell of the cause of their death.

The meeting did not end well, it was not as well organised as the one which was discussing the delayed rains. This particular one amicably adjourned when they had resolved to go and beat up the one who was "tying the rain". On their way to the suspected umukyimba (title given to people who stop rains), they met a government official who explained the consequences of their action. But what do these kids know. 

The entourage matched on to their destination. When they did not find their pick for the beating, the anger was channeled to his goats. Later in the evening, it rained heavily and destroyed a number of houses.

These things came to mind when I was being told about a woman in Busoba Sub County of Mbale District who was hacked to death a few days ago. Her crime; she is a witch. Don't you think that we have a long way to go?

When you find us thinking hard, just know what is on our mind: How shall we treat witchcraft in in the middle income economy? If one can bewitch the other, why do we bother with going into an election when we can line the witches and do away with our tormentors? 

On a serious note, let us who have been to school help to enlighten our people; these brutal, rudimentary behaviours need to end as soon as yesterday; we can predict rain, we have very many cancers which cannot be detected in village clinics, stop this village talk of; "they have checked and not seen any disease"

There is a pertinent reason as to why we spend some few years in school!