[jujusister]

remedios,
you’ll find that there’s a lot of info back home starting with the professor at Uni.Nbi. if you’re really interested in kikuyu culture etc, try dr. githae (i hope that’s his name) the famous herbalist. he has established an institute for traditional african medicine (i know it was in laikipia before the clashes) and there’s been all manner of articles on him in the local kenyan press. you can call up the nation and i’m sure they’ll direct you to him. i haven’t met him but i admire his politics.

**now one last thing before we all move on. you mentioned something in your last post that i can’t leave without commenting on.

you say:
“…i'm afraid that all our beautiful history is/will be lost very soon as few accurate descriptions remain of some of our traditions. the book contains first hand information so it is a treasure…”

listen remedios:
the biggest scam ever pulled, and that continues to be hammered into the african’s psyche is this notion that somehow, ‘real africans’ are a vanishing breed. i am sick to death of all the ridiculous books/documentaries out there – most often written by non-africans – that chronicle the disappearance of the ‘true african’, the ‘last tribe’, the ‘last african’. that’s all nonsense.

it’s an absurd and chauvinistic stance to assume, because it presumes they possess the true definition of what an ‘african’ should be. and they do this because they can’t process the idea of a ‘real’ african who doesn’t wear beads, isn’t poor, living in dust and who doesn’t go hunting. or who isn’t suffering from some tropical disease or whatever. and the idea of the growing number of africans such as myself who make use of western culture but are aligned with and work completely with the spirits, is a very frightening one. it’s about balance remedios. as much as i like buying cd’s and visiting the city now and then, god, my ancestors and the spirits come first. and that’s what gives my life meaning. i know where i belong; where home is. i can walk away from all this pop anytime, with no regrets.

we evolve. debt remains. align yourself with god and your ancestors and you’ll be good to go.