When I mentioned my mobile phone of the 1950s, somebody said they found ‘him’ intriguing. However, if only they knew half his story! He was known as Gakara.
When I mentioned my mobile phone of the 1950s, somebody said they found ‘him’ intriguing. However, if only they knew half his story! He was known as Gakara.
Gakara, Umumotsi of Bukamba at the slopes of Mount Muhabura, land of Guhonda the mountain gorilla, was the mobile phone of every resident of the area. Umumotsi is the Kinyarwanda word for ‘man who barks’. He was the special assistant to Surushefu (Sub-chief) in colonial Rwanda, a job he coveted the way you covet that leg-crippling job on your desk.
Among his briefs, Umumotsi had the specific duty of calling everybody for a court hearing on every Wednesday of the week, whether it was to answer or lodge a case, or simply to participate in arbitration.
As a rule, there was always a case to settle or a matter to discuss. Like, for instance, the matter of why wholly grown-up men should allow the colonialist, a man who wore his skin inside out, to whip them like small boys for, so often were they thus whipped.
Gakara was called the ‘man who barks’ because all his tasks involved calling out to people. He called them to assemble for a meeting of the colonial chief, to listen to orders from the colonial government, to stop trafficking goods illegally, from Uganda, or for any of the Wednesday Gacaca hearings.
Rutuku (the ‘red one’), on the other hand, was the white colonial chief of the area and was so called because, after living under the African sun for a long time, he appeared red to the natives. That is why he was believed to ‘wear his skin inside out’.
Owing to his job, Gakara was always up before cockcrow and so was his wife, since she had to prepare him something to swallow so that he could ‘chase the demons away for the day’. It was generally believed that you could meet some evil if you talked to people before swallowing something.
Gakara used to kneel and bend like a Muslim in prayer on his bed for his voice to ring out! He would then bellow: "Yemwe banyabyaha mweeeh! All ye men of crime, assemble at Surushefu’s compound! Today is the day of Agacaca, the day of reckoning!”
Surushefu (the native sub-chief) had a big house that had a big compound in front of it, with a big tree in the middle of the compound that provided a big shade; the tree was called Inganzamarumbu. The compound had a well-manicured lawn that always seemed smooth and was evergreen, called Agacaca.
It was under this tree that the native sub-chief held court every Wednesday, sessions that he used to take advantage of in order to explain the ills of colonialism to his people. If it happened to rain, his house had a big sitting room that could double up as Agacaca hall.
Under the tree then, a council of elders used to take pride of place, facing a group of the villagers. These included men but women also would attend if there was a case that involved a woman.
Everybody was free to give an opinion or ask a question if there was a point that was not clear. There was always an elder to answer a question or seek further clarification, in between puffs at his long smoking pipe.
In case there were any inhibitions, drinks of the banana or sorghum brew were served at the end of the sessions where people mingled freely.
These beverages were in plenty because if the crimes were not serious, which they often were not, then the culprits were fined pots of the local brew. Only occasionally were the crimes so serious as to warrant the fine of a goat or a cow.
Sometimes the council of elders would deliver a verdict of guilty to a young man who had been a nuisance, like being drunk and disorderly or insulting elders. In such cases, they would ask that the man be given a number of strokes of the cane.
If the guilty person was known to be well to do and the crime did not call for any fine, Surushefu would conclude, in jest: "Kajye mu Ruhengeri!” It was taken seriously, even if it was understood to be a joke, and the person promptly organized the funds to buy Primus beer, which could only be bought at the trading centre of Ruhengeri.
Alternatively, he could say: "Wagira ngo meh-heh-heh!” whereupon the guilty party sought funds to buy a goat, for it was understood that the men, especially the young ones, were hungry and needed roast meat.
In essence, therefore, Wednesday was party day and no person could miss it, and yet serious cases would have been resolved and important lessons learnt.
The wrongdoer and the wronged would have reconciled, failing which the punishment would be forced blood brotherhood, kunywana. Once the two parties exchanged blood, no one could ever dare wrong the other again.
No need for a prison, no need for capital punishment!
Gakara and Gacaca working in concert to reconcile Rwandans.