When we arrived in Alego, most of this land that you now see was bush, and life was hard for all of us. But your
grandfather had studied modern farming techniques while in Nairobi and he put his ideas to work. He could make
anything grow, and in less than a year he had grown enough crops to sell at market. He smoothed out the earth to make
this wide lawn, and cleared the fields where his crops grew high and plentiful. He planted the mango and banana and
pawpaw trees that you see today.
He even sold most of his cattle because he said that their grazing made the soil poor and caused it to wash away. With
this money, he built large huts for Akumu and myself and a hut of his own. He had brought back a crystal set from
England that he displayed on a shelf, and on his gramophone he played strange music late into the night. When my first
children, Omar and Zeituni, were born, he bought them cribs and gowns and separate mosquito nets, just as he had for
Barack and Sarah. In the cooking hut, he built an oven in which he baked bread and cakes like you buy in a store.
His neighbors in Alego had never seen such things. At first they were suspicious of him and thought he was foolish-
especially when he sold his cattle. But soon they came to respect his generosity, as well as what he taught them about
farming and herbal medicines. They even came to appreciate his temper, for they discovered that he could protect them
from witchcraft. In those days, shamans were consulted often and were widely feared. It was said that they could give
you a love potion for the one you desired and other potions that would cause your enemies to fall dead. But your
grandfather, because he had traveled widely and read books, didn’t believe in such things. He thought they were
tricksters who stole people’s money.
Even now, many in Alego can tell you about the day that a shaman from another province came to kill one of our
neighbors. This neighbor had courted a girl from nearby, and the families had agreed that they should be wed.
However, another man hungered for this girl, and so the jealous suitor hired a shaman to kill his rival. When our
neighbor heard of this plan, he became very afraid, and came to Onyango asking for advice. Your grandfather listened
to the man’s story, then picked up his panga and a hippo-hide whip, and went to wait for the shaman at the foot of the
road.
Before long, Onyango saw the shaman approaching, carrying a small suitcase of potions in one hand. When the
shaman was within shouting distance, your grandfather stood in the center of the road and said, “Go back to where you
come from.” The shaman didn’t know who Onyango was, and made like he was going to pass, but Onyango blocked
his way and said, “If you are as powerful as you claim, you must strike me now with lightning. If not, you should run,
for unless you leave this village now, I will have to beat you.” Again, the shaman made as if he was going to pass, but
before he could take another step, Onyango had beaten him to the ground, taken his suitcase, and returned with it to his
compound.
Well, this was a very serious matter, especially when your grandfather refused to return the shaman’s potions. The
next day, the council of elders gathered beneath a tree to resolve the dispute, and Onyango and the shaman were both
told to appear and state their case. First the shaman stood and told the elders that if Onyango did not return the suitcase
at once, a curse would be brought on the entire village. Then Onyango stood, and he repeated what he had said earlier.
“If this man has strong magic, let him curse me now and strike me dead.” The elders leaned away from Onyango,
fearful that the spirits might miss their target. But they soon saw that no spirits came. So Onyango turned to the man
who had hired the shaman and said, “Go and find yourself a new woman, and let this other woman be with the one to
barré
(Barré)
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