Eikoki Ole Nkirotet

Netii apa, netii oloiboni oji Mbatiany. Eeta apa Mbatiany ilayiok aare obo oji Senteu oo likai Olonana.

Nemoruau apa Mbatiany oo metamodoo. Ore naboolong, neipot Mbatiany Senteu amu ninye apa ole nkirotet. Ero, ore amu etaa kae ou taeku taisere tadekenya oleng tumurutoi olorere pooki eton eitu edumunye likai tungani peyie ilotu maatoliki apa entoki naaitujung. Naa mayianaki nemening likai tungani.
Pee meeta aikata likai tungani lekimurut te ngolon. Neaku iyie oitore pooki. Niaku iyie olarikoni le pooki.

Ore inakata eirorieki Senteu aaliki nena baa naalo aas, neningito Olonana amu eewuo duoo ajing atua olale aisudori. Nening imbaa pooki oo mpukunot duoo naatiakaki Senteu pee elo aas. Nening sii entoki natiaakaki olikai pee eelo ayau neyiolou pooki.

Nelo aliki ngotonye. Nejoki ngotonye. Tayiolo naa nena pukunot pooki nitoningo naatiakaki Senteu. Tayiolo pooki mincho kilang hoo nabo. Pee iyok taisere kewarie oleng eton eirura iltungana, alo amurutoo enaduoo rishata natiaakaki Senteu. Nilo ajoki minyi ira Senteu pee ilo aaya enaduoo toki naishori Senteu.

Nejoki Olonana ngotonye. emaayiolou sa papa ajo mara Senteu. Amaa tenayiolou ajo nanu oewuo alej kaa aaitaas?

Nejoki ngotonye ninye mee kure kiyiolou minyi amu etomode. Naa tenelo duoo ninye nikiyiolou, nemeeta enikinko amu aaikitoiwuo sii ninye apa iyie anaa tenetoiwuo Senteu. Miureyu ilo amu etomode etaa keirura.

Nenyoraa Olonana. Nelo airura. Ore ake pee epishanayu enkewarie nelotu enetii menye. Nejoki menye

Ira iyie ngai? Nengamaa Olonana nejoki Papa kara Senteu. Nejo menye

Hoo Senteu lai ilo? Nejoki Tinyiku naa wou olgoo lai, ou tanaaki olngejep.

Nelotu nenak, neimulumul nemayian. Nejoki inyo taa shomo tasioi eton eitu kiduuaya likai tungani.

Neinyototo Olonana alo eidipaki aaishoo enaduoo toki naishori Senteu.

Ore ake pee epuku Olonana nenangare Senteu te kutuk aji neitu eirorie mejo keshomo enetii menye.

Nejingu Senteu neningu menye nkejek eikum enkop elotu nejo

Aingai ilo? nengamaa Senteu ajoki
nanu enkerai ino Senteu. Ore ake pee ening menye neyiolou oltoilo ajo Senteu ilo. Nejoki aingai toi ilo laishoo enaduoo toki naaisho? aime yie toi?

Nejoki Senteu menye atapaashare toi Olonana tene te kutuk aji najo duoo nanu itayiolo ajo ninye duoo ilo.

Nejo menye Kajo duoo nanu iyie, metaa ore enaduoo toki najo peyie aaisho naidipa aaishoo ninye. Eewa nemeekure aaidim atorrinyu atooru amu aidipa naa duoo aishoo ninye naa, katoiwuo toi apa sii ninye anaa tenaatoiwuo sii ninye iyie. Niteyiete naa ore duoo iyie irura nekilotu Olayioni le ntiki amurutoo.

Ore taata iyie imbunga enoshi kidong. Pee itum eishoi  nimiye sii nimilo asakutisho. Kake meekure itum engolon nimurutie Olonana amu ore enaduoo toki najo pee aaisho naidipa aishoo ninye.

Ina oshi pee eji eikoki ake ole nkirotet nening ole ntiki.

Translation in English

Long ago, there lived an Oloibon called Mbatiany. He had two sons one called Senteu and the other Olonana.

Mbatiany was getting old and blind. He called Senteu to his bedside because he was a son of the favourite wife.
” My son I am about to die, and I want to give you what you are entitled to inherit. Go rest now then come very early in the morning. Early before anyone has woken up, so I would bless you when nobody can hear. So that no one can ever be more powerful than you, and you will dominate and lead all”

At that time while Senteu was getting instructions for what he must do, Olonana heard everything. He had come and hid at a calfpen inside the kraal next to their father’s bed. He also heard everything that his brother was told to bring and he noted everything.

Olonana went and told his mother.
“Then you must remember everything that your brother was asked to bring.” his mother told him. “Remember everything Senteu was told and forget nothing. So that tommorow morning while everybody is asleep, you go before the hour Senteu was asked. You will go and tell your father that you are Senteu so that you shall take that which was to be given to him”

Olonana asked his mother,
“Would my father not know I am not Senteu? And if he did learn that it was me tricking him, what could he do to me?

His mother told him,
“He would not recognize you for he has become senile. Should he also become aware of it, then he can not do anything because he is also your father as much as he is to Senteu. Do not fear for he is aged and senile.”

Olonana was convinced and he went to bed. Just after midnight he came to his father. His father asked him,
“Who are you?” He answered his father, “Papa I am Senteu”. With pride his father responded, ” Hoo that is my Senteu.” he continued come closer next to my chest and suck my tongue.

Olonana did that. His father covered him in his bosom and he blessed him. Then he said to him,
” Now get up and go. Leave quickly before anyone can see you.”

Olonana got up and left with that which was to be given to Senteu. Just as he stepped out the door to the kraal, he met Senteu and did not speak to him, wanting not to answer him suppose he asked if Olonana was from seeing their father.

Senteu stepped into the kraal and his father heard the footsteps as he approached.

“Who is there?” the boy answered,
” its me your child Senteu.” As soon as the old man heard the voice, he identified Senteu as the one.

“But who did I just give that which I was to give you? “was that not you?”

Senteu answered his father,
” I met Olonana at the door and I thought you knew it was him” His father answered,
” I thought that was you, and that which I intended to give to you, I gave to him. He has taken and there is no way I can get it back from him since it belongs to him now. He is also my son just as you are. You also came late, while you are asleep the son of a less favored came before you.” He added
“From today be the custodian of the magic snuff box. So that you get a lineage and so you will have no need to curse anyone. But now you will never be able to become more powerful than Olonana because that which I meant for him, now I have given it to him

Thats why they say, a favourite son gets adviced but it is the non favourite son who heeds it.

Story ends there.

Journal Entry: Thursday 11th June 2015, 01:11 HRS

Am listening to Chaka Khan from the laptop. Its the music player in my room since I came to Schermerhorn. You better believe am having a royal stay. My room is so big it accomodates all my stuff with space to spare after the couch and my new Andy Warhol bed has been fitted. Today has been more than a day!!! In a million years nothing would have prepared me for the surprises am having.

So am in Holland on a special invitation of two friends. Jaap Borges and Arie Petersen are two of the most beautiful human beings you can ever hope to meet. The latter is my host as well. Today the show opened at the inauguration of a new beach at Camperduin. This is a place located in the town of Bergen in the Dutch province of North Holland.

Camperduin is next to the beach on the separation of Hondsbossche a Sea wall and dunes.

My mission apart from independent musical and stage performances included participation in the commissioning of a new beach. At 8:00pm tonight we premiered a theater performance with Tinaninani i.s.m. This is a coming together of really talented people each in their own unique way, and to my observation, of a wide range in age group. For constraints of time and space, let us not get into the details of anyone’s character. Again I repeat its never from my incomprehension of a language am hating to love or limitation of adverbs to describe the personalities of the most interesting people I would ever meet.

Lets begin with the youngest hoping not to not mention anybody. That will be Papein. Another couple of disclaimers. First, hope that I never spell any name correct. If I could never address anyone pronouncing their name right, what shall you expect? Secondly, if I never mention anyone it is never from unappreciation and ever I hold you dear too.

I met Papein the first day I was working here. I attended a performance hosted in a large dairy farm. Drama students of my other host Susanna played inside a large barn with cows munching on feeds served on troughs through bars that fit only heir heads. The teenagers ran around with an angry wind outside. Ungeniona mtu nguyaz!!? I was dressed like a tourist. A thick hooded jacket and stylish leather boots. All inherited here thanks to Entawuo Mr Director. But it was not about me. Papein was one of the best actors on the show, at least to me.

Then a girl called Floi whom I met first at the rehearsals. She always came with the boy probably a sibling or they both go to the same school or both. Then Roxanne and Kimberley both sisters whom I met their mother first when she brought them to the rehearsal. She always accompanied them when she could which is a support I believe every kid from anywhere in the world deserves. Gregory a senior teenager comes next. I also met the sister at the show, pretty Amber. Kamee and Fonge, siblings I believe in their early twenties. Then Pernelle my dancer friend from the academy. Twenty three for sure, I first met her in a performance they both danced with Kamee and other girls from the school in Haarlem. We took an electric train for 45min to the college. Maybe thats why am fond of her. Chebet who accompanied me from Nairobi follows closely though she was not able to be with the team today. Then Jasper who graduated on the day of the premier, congratulations my friend. Then Sil, who is a guitarist and a skilled handyman. The latter claim is made available courtesy of very reliable sources. He plays his guitar from the heart, you might have seen him with me on chairs at a stage in Rotterdam. Also met his lovely mum Katerina after the show. Raoul the singer, who is also helping me put a band together here. Liz who is another colleague from home might tie with Marijn the keyboard player. Is anyone from the team of a different opinion? Marijn also introduced me to his entire family. His mother in-law Sylvia, girlfriend Suzan and soon to be born son. Al Maktub, children are like arrows in the quiver of a man. Trust me am a father and to a son too.

Suddenly like lightning in a high seas storm is Ger and Frans or probably the other way round. Both are retirees and to the two of you my friends, whoever claims title to elder hood please say now or forever hold your peace. I will mention here too that there was no other way I could have met sweet Marjoke. To you Mr Ger sir, you have a wonderful wife. These people have not only been friendly to me, they have all given me a deeper insight into the identity of theatre performance. Not only that, about 90% of any knowledge I may try impress you with here to the regard that culture and history of this unique nation is to be considered, I gleaned every shred of it from the above people and a whole lot of others.

From my observation, bicycles and dogs are more in population than people in Holland. If you do not believe me, please explain why you need dog toilets or why would you pick dog poop? At home we let the bugs handle that. Again, determine the ratio of bicycles to people if a single family of 4 is in possession of seven. One of them is a unicycle ama mguu moja. A tandem is another of these bicycles, for all of you who are like me before I visited the Netherlands, this is a kind of bicycle that is pedaled by 2 people.The person behind does not control steering. It was Liz’s favourite. Always her saddle was the one next to the rear wheel.

In this country of its own nature, we all learned from history that a civilization has been built on the floor of the sea. Canals the size of Orkinos River, the most threatening in my rural home at Olturoto ran adjacent to all roads including in the country. I noticed this driving through country to and from Schermerhorn the village am staying, at least to my limited attention. Huge windmills for many years pumped water back to the displaced oceans. Now a bigger number of the magnificent medieval structures tower here and there. Each is bordered on both sides by large fields either dotted by dairy cows or wollen sheep to an assortment of horses. Some big others small. Some smooth others fluffy with thick tails sweeping the green meadows under their hooves. On the other side could be neat rows of spinach or swaying wheat heads running as far as your eyes can reach the horizon.

I should go on forever. If I said ‘thank you’ my feelings are still indebted. Always I will treasure all of you and may the good times roll. Festivities continue tomorrow and to the extent that I can communicate, following is the schedule of events for the next three days.

Many thanks to Keith Pearson of The Theatre Company in Nairobi. How can I ever say enough, ASHE OLENG Arie and Susanna for accommodating me in your humble home and letting loose a modernmaasai and confused rural boy from Kenya, without any condition. I knock the wood for good times always. Susana I will take to heart everything you said to me tonight at the party at Struit and thank you very much for warm and fresh food every meal time including my packed lunch that I never seem to remember to carry. This goes to you too goat leader also known as mascara snake. If ever am in a situation, now I got the magic word… please say BRRrrrrrr!!! thanks alot for laughing with me late into the night everyday. Anyone will need a very big heart to entertain me. My ancestors will always bless the both of you for your generosity and sense of humour. Thanks Jaap for signing the invitation letter and the air gun, am looking forward to hear the bassist on sunday play the note I shot. To Jan, great pictures man. A true definition of artistry you are and for your deep sense of not only fun but support and mentor ship, am glad we meet sailor boy. Now I know why they recycle water in this land. Jabu and Ferri, two artists i’ve met who are also participating in the festival. Thanks guys for letting me shelter on the only home with a green lawn around it in the centre of the beach.

”I think they have woken up this Lion and that is dangerous” (text from the perfomance by Verdroken Vlinders)

Artist Bio

Teto Tutuma and The Purple Warriors Band is a musical force that is gently stirring up in Nairobi Kenya. With sounds inspired by the magical spirit of the maasai plains, acoustic riffs blend with soft african percussion,’chivoti’ and in fuse with maasai chants they create a sound ‘Nation’ newspaper once described as having got ‘an international appeal’ .

From his humble beginnings in a village deep in the heartland of Maasai, Teto Tutuma was lucky to have a musical mother, who inspired him to sing and play music from a very early age. It was not until he moved to Nairobi that his career began. Time spent at the Kenya National Theatre bore fruit when he picked up the guitar.

Teto Tutuma spent years searching his heart to bring forth the style of music which would reflect his uniqueness of coming from one of the deepest and oldest traditional societies in the world, yet at the same time being a contemporary musician in a modern day society of Nairobi. A major break in Teto’s career was in 2006 when he became a finalist for ‘Spotlight on Kenyan Music’, a project of the Alliance Francaise de Nairobi.

His music has taken him all around Kenya, as well as mixed him with great artists. Performances include numerous concerts around Nairobi, the grandest being the World Social Forum held at Uhuru Park Nairobi in 2007. Teto is touring schools and colleges in Kajiado County with his ‘Modern Maasai Tour’. On April 6th 2012 he released an album called ‘Nosim Ai’ (my company)