KIGALI NOTES: Lone strange act causes moral debate at KBC

On the onset of Rwanda’s ascension to the East African Community table, Jaque Ruzibiza whom you can hereafter safely refer to as Uwijenga a 30 something year old small scale investor in Nyamirambo confided in me that it was good that we were joining the EAC. However, he later revealed a deep seated resentment at Kigali’s character and identity being consumed by the vices from other EAC members. He mentioned Kenya and Uganda as being the bases of all sorts of corruption and if their way of life came to Rwanda, ‘innocent’ Rwandans would have their ‘Girl Next Door’ image corrupted and spoiled. Uwijenga aside, there’s another debate currently doing the rounds in the moral circles of East Africa. The debate is concerned with finding out which of the EAC five cities (plus Arusha) is the most perverted. Since their debate is not official in any country goes that the statistics its students refer to can be ignored. However the debate-at its latest postings-states that Dar Salaam remains the most morally corrupt place in the East African region. The reasoning is that having been under the heavy and watchful yoke of communism for a very long-while, Tanzania opened up too soon to the temptations of a free market enterprise economy in the mid 1990s when ‘Baaba wa Taifa’-Father of the Nation Julius Nyerere saw the light and converted. It is also worth noting that during the mid 1990s the world was undergoing its most significant transition in modern times. The move towards the information and communication technology lifestyle, there were simply too many choices of consumer gadgets to make normal life extraordinary. Even in countries where the control and surveillance of communism had not existed earlier, the excitement was beyond imagination. So Tanzania came from the stage of its development where the government dictated or determined the dressing code of common men to the stage where the individual and his/her freedom was an entitlement. The story goes that Tanzanians did everything in their power to catch up with capitalism. My classmate from Dar-as if to emphasise the new vision of his country nicknamed himself Capitalist, the other “American” and another one Washington. The beautiful and large coastal city of Tanzania became a hotbed of many enterprises like a thriving commercial market for body parts of albinos-believed to be helpful in complimenting ARVs-and new lifestyles like homosexuals’. When the new generation of urban commercial pop music became available on ordinary computers, many in Dar became pop artists and the Tanzanian music industry expanded taking up all the traits of American pop star culture like bling bling, bar fights, pseudo rivalries and a couple of anecdotes of women’s thighs, busts and painted faces. You may wonder where this Dar drama is heading, I’ll save you. Last weekend as the city celebrated the arrival of 2009 at KBC, a popular and enduring feature of Kigali’s night life was one of such venues that were set to host the joyous Kigali’s partying people. The club was parked to capacity, the music was not the kind to write home about but the crowd was extremely lively. There’s no amount of words to describe the magnitude and quality of beautiful women that were attending call that night. Everyone seemed happy-or made a successful impression of being so. A gentleman believed to be in his 30s whom you can safely refer to as Kavukire took a seat on one of the open Bingalos in KBC with a clear view of the dance-floor. He unzipped his trousers and openly began masturbating; he stroked his penis according to the rhythm and pace of the music and kept at this ordeal for over four hours. He seemed not to mind even when one patron took his photograph. Finally Kavukire stood, zipped up and walked towards the dance-floor. His story somehow got to the ears of the aforementioned Tanzanians who were quick to opine between themselves about the issue. As usual Kigali Notes correspondent Big Ben Tumbo got some of the Tanzanian deliberations. Capitalist: Huh, Kavukire came, he saw and he conquered! American: What do you mean? Oh, I get it. He imagined himself making love to the beautiful ladies that were on the dance floor? Washington: Uhhmm! These Rwandans, that kind of stuff did not come from the EAC. They are learning too much too quick. If Kigali men are busy masturbating in public who then is taking care of the beautiful women that country is reputed to have in large numbers? Ends