Hello,
Nowadays, when you go to burials, you see most people donning black attire from top to bottom.
Which committee sat and decided that you must wear black during burials and white during weddings?
Why do Bats fly at night?
Growing up, we always looked forward to the school holidays, especially the December holidays. It was the time the whole family took a trip down to the village to visit grandma. The holidays were always full of fun: Playing with cousins we had not seen year-long, eating fresh foods from the shamba, and wild fruits without being bothered that you would become sick, and to top it all, the sweet stories from our grandmother that could go on for hours.
These memories make me wish I could grow younger to enjoy the folktales right from grandmas mouth. Folktales are stories passed down through generations, mainly by word of mouth. The different folktales are fairy tales, tall tales, trickster tales, myths, and legends.
In Nigeria, a folktale is told of Emiong the bat, who had a great friend, Oyot the rat. As in human friendships, the bat was jealous of the rat, reasons best known to him.
The two friends always ate together. The bush rat noticed that whenever the bat cooked, his soup was tasty. He asked him the secret ingredient, and the bat saw an opportunity to finish his friend. Emiong prepared a pot of hot water and jumped into it, then came out. On tasting the soup, Oyot found it as tasty as the one he had before. Uknown to him, the bat had replaced the soup in the pot.
That evening he went home and told his wife that he was going to prepare a tasty soup. He told her to boil water and jumped in. But alas! He died. When the wife realized what had happened, she was bitter and reported the matter to the king.
The king gave orders for the imprisonment of the bat. Realizing that everyone was looking for him, he was forced to change his routine and only came out at night to feed. And that is why you will not spot bats during the day.
The philosophical significance of Mûratina in the Agikuyu culture
Mûratina is a traditional alcohol brew among the Gikuyu community. The drink gets its name from the fruit of the “sausage tree” (Kigelia Africana), one of the ingredients used in the preparation.
The brew is made by mixing sugarcane juice, honey, water and muratina fruit. Here is a detailed explanation of the steps and processes involved. Benjamin Njui also shared a youtube video that details the process of making and bottling commercial Muratina that I recommend checking out.
In the Gikuyu culture and traditions, the spiritual Muratina was used only during special occasions like ruracio, births, prayer time, initiations, weddings e.t.c
Check out this educational piece by the team at Matirî Ngemi podcast to learn about the philosophical significance of the ingredients, the uses of Muratina, who was allowed to drink and brew it, and so much more.
Special Mentions
📌 Nyawawa(the spirits of the dead) - Nipe Story
📌 The clever Wakasanke -African Folktales Podcast
📌 Ice-Kul Xperience: The lows of our high school moments-The Podcast with No Name KE
RIDDLE🧠
Discovered in Africa, I spread like a tide to become a hot staple known worldwide. A necessity to some, a treasure to many, best enjoyed among the pleasant company. Some like me hot, others like me cold. Some prefer mild, others only bold. Some take me straight, while others like to savour my essence to which a flavour has been added. So put down your cares and sit awhile with me; I'll send you back refreshed and full of energy. What am I?
PROVERB
Agya bi wu a, agya bi te ase (Akan)
Translation: When one father dies, another father lives.
Meaning: Raising children in the Akan is a communal responsibility. If a child's biological father dies or is absent, there are many others to individually or collectively play his role.
This proverb is in line with the African ubuntu philosophy that says all children belong to the community. It is the responsibility of everybody to ensure children are safe and disciplined.
DID YOU KNOW 🚀
The oldest known mathematical object, the Lebombo bone, which dates back to approximately 35,000 B.C, was discovered in the Lebombo Mountains of Swaziland.
Enjoy the best of Mugithi Kikuyu mix.
Special thanks to Stephanie for editing this issue.
Thanks for reading. - Mike.
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