Last weekend Nyinamwiru finally let me see her breasts and even let me take photos after hearing about them for a long time. They were everything I thought they would be and then some more.
And Wilson, the man who gladly took us to where they are also brought back sweet memories of primary school lessons of Tooro Kingdom history. The mention of names such as Bihogo (the darling cow) and Bukuku left me and my travel mates nostalgic.
I think I even shed one tear when the song ‘Ngayaya muhuma wange’ was played as it was one of my favourite songs as a child and to think that I had forgotten all that. It’s unfortunate how quickly we forget our childhood and instead get carried away by strange stories about poking fingers in angry leopards’ behinds.
For fear of boring you with my sentimentalities, I will get straight to the point. The festive season is soon coming to an end and if you are lucky, you have been spending the better part of them with the people that you treasure the most.
The problem is that it doesn’t matter how much you adore someone. If you stay in the same space for long with everyone in each other’s face with no destruction such as work or school, there is bound to be squabbles, slights, irritations, disagreements, inappropriate pronouncements, etc.
It is true after all that too much of a good thing is bad. So here is the question, how do you get through this holiday without fighting with the people or person you said you couldn’t wait to spend time with?
Back to Tooro.
For the few days that I was there, I noticed that everyone seemed to be in a trance of joy, kindness and laze especially the women. I don’t know if they were simply putting on a show, if they were, they did quite well and would win a Grammy for best pretending actresses. The people I interfaced with were slow to speak and quick to listen.
Even when the woman at the restaurant told us they didn’t have the food we had ordered for, we simply smiled and agreed to whatever she had and yet on an ordinary Kampala day, we would probably express our disappointment and storm out in protest with our mouths in our noses but not in Fort Portal.
Apart from one ill-mannered woman who served us beans and swore it was beef, everyone else was slow to speak, quick to listen and even slower to anger.
Those that wore the traditional apparel complete with bare feet and lowered eyes even looked more serene, down to earth and beautiful.
Now this is obviously not all there is to the beautiful people and culture of Tooro but it does make one wonder what life would be like if every so often we behaved this way. Cut back on the talking and getting offended even at the drop of a pin. Can you imagine how many fights would be avoided?
I don’t know about you, as for me, as we enter the new year, I will channel the Mutooro in me. No unnecessary fights, arguments, quickly forgiving and moving on to enjoy the next moment, not holding on to grudges but enjoying the warmth of friendship and family and thanking God for the gift of love. Happy New Year.
jnapio@ug.nationmedia.com
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