The Villager

As I always say, there are no permanent enemies though there could be permanent friends. This statement may be subject to change basing on the classical and the true meanings of the word ‘friend’! What is a friend after all? To villagers, nearly any one that smiles and talks nice to you could be a friend. This reminds me of the late Kavancha, who used to say that, “a stranger was a friend you had not yet met”, that could be true! I am not here to lecture you on a friend or foe, but according to the ‘Free Online Dictionary’, it says that, “A friend is a person whom one knows, likes, and trusts, a person whom one knows; an acquaintance and a person with whom one is allied in a struggle orcause; a comrade.” Back to the story, in those years when we used to roam the plains and hills of Mfashumwana village, the sky was our only limit. We did as we chose and liked and if we erred and were caught, we earned real punishment. Not like the kids of today who have never tasted the sweetness or sourness of the cane (kibboko)! One of the most favouritesayings for many parents was, “spare the rod and spoil the child”, true, it these days where the rod has been destroyed and so have the children been spoilt or can say ‘very spoilt’! The way many dress, walk and behave would make many of our ancestors groan in their graves! There is nothing we can do, today is today, we must accept to live with modernity and all its evils. Going back to Mfashumwana village, there was this neighbour of ours, a one Byarugaba (though he pronounced it as Dyarugaba) who had a huge chunk of land on which he grew all tribes of crops save for the breeding of a handful of goats and sheep. In real terms, he was a true tiller. Since we were a bit lucky, my old man had some few cows in their tens. They say, a one eyed man in the land of the blind is a king and so, my day was in that respect! Dyarugaba had plenty of sugar canes, uavas, paw paws etc. He always took this stuff to Poloti on the marked day to earn himself enough money for ‘Kasese’ (read kanyanga). This guy was so mean that, at one time, he found us grazing near his sugarcane field and immediately went home to report that, he had caught us stealing hissugarcanes! As they say, “God does not Eat Bribes”, we kept him and after a month or so, during the peak of the rainy season when his potato vines, beans andmaize were looking so fresh and we decided to hit back. As it was beginning to rain, we drove the cows into the crops; that day, they must have thanked their creator! They ate and ate and ate (read grazed) till the garden was as if a tractor had been used to harvest the immaturecrops. Before the rains could stop, we drove the cows as far away as possible so that, all the foot prints (read hooves) would be washed away. That night, the cows had suffered from multiple stomach aches! Come the next day, Dyarugaba was stunned by the destruction, in his heart, he knew who had done the damage but legally, there was noevidence! He came and reported and a village council was called to examine the case. There were no traces of the foot prints of any creature that had caused the havoc, some suggested that it was wildanimals in the night; others attributed it to evil spirits. Though many suspected us, there was no proof.That evening, having thought deeply, Dyarugaba came back to our home; at his sight, we began to flee only for him to call us back. “I have come to make peace,” he announced. He gave us unlimited permission to enjoy his sugarcanes, guavas, etc. From then onwards, the cows lost their appetite for Mr Dyarugaba’s crops. As they say, “if you cannot beat them, then join them”