Weekend – Mwishojuma

Saturday, The 6th of February, is known as the International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation. The Guardian has recently published an Opinion piece on FGM.

Weekend. Yihaaaa! Time for some road tripping! During research one gets to know a local community very well during the week and the country sights during the weekends. This weekend we went to Kakamega, a four hour drive from Kisii. It took us two matatu rides, of which the last one was not so comfortable though still an experience you just have to undergo. I am used to travelling in all kinds of haphazard vehicles in Latin Amerika, but the ones in Kenya are winning by far. Because there are too many people in a little van you fold your body in such a way that you take up as little space as possible. However, every now and then the matatu stops because people need to get out and others want to come in. That means you need to refold your body again to let them crawl in or out of the van, and after that the folding can start over again. Do that for two hours and you have had a good yoga exercise. Furthermore, the bumpy dusty roads do not really help on this matter, some roads are just in horrible conditions.

In Kakamega we headed first to Kakamega forest together with Phyll’s cousin. In the evening he drove us to the compound of their family which is located in the rural area of Kakamega, near the sugarcane fields. The compound exists of several small houses positioned in a circle more or less. In every house some family members live. We were very well received and invited for some delicious Chapati. At one point I had to cross the compound from one house to another in a pitch dark night sky. Later I found out I almost stepped on some of the graves in the middle of the compound. Ancestors are buried in there. Like this they are never far away nor they become forgotten. Initially, I found it a scary thought to have a grave in your yard, but the way they explained it to me it definitely makes sense. The next day we had a lovely Sunday morning breakfast in town with Phyll and her two cousins and before heading back to Kisii. We took a stroll in the park where we met some street children high on glue. Phyll got into a conversation with them and took them to a place nearby where she ordered them some food. After that, it was yoga time again! Kwaheri, goodbye!

Kakamega Forest

 

Meeting Phyll her family

 

Chapati