The 39,000 Days In Pursuit of it

By Dr. Paul Vincent Mroso

The exploits of Nakuvesia revealed the life of the people who settled on the rich, fertile volcanic soils at the slopes of Mount Kilimanjaro, after many wars to prevent annexation or to avoid domination. It was peaceful during the days of Nakuvesia, who triumphed, relaxed, and was contented with the wealth he acquired or created in that rich land. The arrogance that developed was the beginning of the commitment of the seven deadly sins, which played a role in stripping all his fame to become the joke of the village. It was his dedication to his grandchildren that eventually helped him to attain solace and happiness in his old age that spanned 39,000 days.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Austin Macauley Publishers USA
• Release date: Aug 31, 2018
• ISBN: 9780463557754

Dr. Paul Vincent Mroso

Dr. Paul V Mroso was born of the slopes of Mount Kilimanjaro. He studied in Tanzania and in UK to become a Pharmacist. He worked as a community Pharmacist in UK and now on the path to retirement. He spends his free time as a gardener and takes pleasure in growing fruits and making jam with his grandchildren

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Dr. Paul V. Mroso was born near the slopes of Mount Kilimanjaro. He studied in Tanzania and UK to become a pharmacist. He worked as a community pharmacist in UK and is now on the path of retirement. He spends his free time as a gardener, and takes pleasure in growing fruits and making jam with his grandchildren.

Dedication

I dedicate this book to my family for their love, and friends for their support and encouragement.

Dr. Paul Vincent Mroso

The 39,000 Days in Pursuit of It

Copyright © Dr. Paul Vincent Mroso (2018)

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Publisher’s Cataloging in Publication data

Dr. Mroso. Paul Vincent

The 39000 Days in Pursuit of it

ISBN 9781641821469 (Paperback)

ISBN 9781641821476 (Hardback)

ISBN 9781641821483(E-Book)

The main category of the book— Fiction /.Historical

www.austinmacauley.com

First Published (2018)

Austin Macauley Publishers Ltd™

40 Wall Street, 28th Floor

New York, NY 10005

USA

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Printed in the United States of America

Acknowledgments

To my wife, Dora, the tower of strength that enables me to carry on. To my children, Heidi (Alisha), Anthony, and Steven for their hard work, love and co-operation.

To my grandchildren, Junaide, Kiambu, Unaysaah, Kai, Ammarah, Rayyaan, Renee, Rowan, and Rianne who are a breath of fresh air. They coined the word grandad abuse as an act that they should never commit and pledged never to ignore their grandparents.

Chapter 1

The Orphan Boy

On the slopes of Mount Kilimanjaro, the frequency of the clan wars was in decline but the hostilities were not truly over. A group from one area would fight a neighboring group for supremacy, property, or in some cases, sheer theft. When the groups were on a war footing, they were led by a Chief called Mangi. Over a period of many years, the many small groups were merged through conquest to become three large groups, each lead by a Mangi. Each of the three groups did not want to fragment again with further incursions. A defense strategy was adopted for preservation, instead of attacking the neighbors. The three most powerful Mangi, that ruled the people on the slopes of Mount Kilimanjaro, were on the process of a peaceful co-existence. They had larger territories, and they embarked on consolidating their rule and power as a means of accumulating wealth. The rivers with deep gorges that separated the three, then larger Kingdoms may have offered physical barriers that reduced the need for conflict. Rombo in the East, Vunjo in the south, and Hai in the West were the final three powerful Kingdoms that occupied the slopes of Mount Kilimanjaro. They had one common language with slightly different accents as one traveled from one Kingdom to another. There were close similarities in culture, dress styles, drinks, and foods. When the non-conflict periods became years instead of weeks or months, people learned to relax and enjoy celebrations like child births, weddings, or at times of harvest seasons, use their wealth to communally build better dwellings; moments that were also great periods of social gatherings.

During the conflict periods, there were people who hid in the forests. They observed that the lands were at peace. They needed more and lasting security. Slowly and methodically, they started approaching the village in Rombo by bringing forest products like honey or herbal medicines as gifts, until they were eventually accepted and merged with the village folk. They were few of the remaining Wangassa, a different race of lighter skin people. Many of them had been driven out by the warriors, the Wachagga people, when they invaded the slopes of Mount Kilimanjaro. Lasting peace was on the horizon, but the state of being alert and readiness to fight did not diminish. The training of its youth on combat techniques and survival methods, in the event of an invasion, kept the village in a state of alertness with the ability to mount a defensive attack. Some years had passed, life in the village was normal and the village, for the first time, had youngsters who had heard of wars but had never witnessed fighting. Many older folk predicted lasting peace, enabling normal activities like building of houses, farming, and other wealth creation methods, to take place at full speed.

He heard the sound of drum beat. It was very clear and definite; it was an invasion. It was the sound of the biggest drum in the village with the lowest sound. It was struck once then followed by a quick succession of double beats. Thus, what he heard was:

"Drum mm mm…Drum-drum, Drum mm mm…Drum-drum, Drum mm mm."

On and on, the drum beat was heard. It was heard by the villagers and the invaders. The drum beat, which went on up to the onset of the conflict, was to warn and declare to the invaders, the readiness of the village to fight, and to call all the village folk to prepare and be ready for war.

All the villagers, old and young, were aware of that drum signal. They knew what to do in order to keep alive, and to protect the women and children. The adults, who were the warriors, were drilled in fighting and camouflage skills, and where ready to meet and confront the enemy. Spears, machetes, knives, bows and arrows, double sided daggers, and cutlasses, without forgetting the shield, were in display as part of the warriors’ full armor, complemented by the leather attire as they moved into their defense positions.

"Go…war on, go…war on, go…" was the meaning of the drum beat, announcing that the village was on the verge of an invasion. All residents became alert and formed a war footing. It was a worrying time. No one could be sure of being alive to see the next day. It was late afternoon and that incident would be imprinted on many young minds.

Nakuvesia was only thirteen. Just a boy, his mind trying to make sense of life, responded as he had been drilled. He hurriedly gathered all the animals, sheep, goats, and cattle, to guide them into a safe enclosure. It was an underground den, below the banana plantations, far away from the grass-thatched huts. The concealed underground den was just a cave, where women and children hid in such frightening moments. He got into the den with the animals, knowing that his parents would arrive shortly as that was the rule to follow. When war drums sounded, all the women and children had to return home to hide in the dens, while the men had to collect their weapons and lay siege, to surprise the invaders. While in the underground den, Nakuvesia waited and waited, while becoming more worried, hungrier, thirstier, and lonelier; to an extent that his little body could not withstand the stress. He then started to cry. When he remembered that silence was required, he became quiet and noted that the animals made no noise as they were in a strange, dark place. He remembered that a group of men and women had gone to the forest to hunt, and collect wood, respectively. His parents were among them. The alarm was raised by two people, who ran to the village to report the attack by a group of strangers. While inside the underground den, Nakuvesia heard lots of activities above ground that gradually faded away, but could not tell whether it was day or night. When he heard people calling his parents’ names, he got out and answered that they were not there. The people were in a joyful mood as they succeeded in killing all the invaders, who were just a bunch of livestock thieves. They also recovered all the cattle that those thieves had attempted to take away from their village. It was the search party that discovered the bodies of the villagers who had gone to the forest. Those killed, included Nakuvesia’s parents. The drums, that signified victory and a danger-free village, were sounded. They were high pitched drums, which recited some of the folk songs with rhythmic melodic notes that moved people to dance, to raise their spirits in order to rejoice and celebrate victory. Everyone vacated their dens and went to aulo to get the news.

The invaders were only thieves and they were not Wachagga, but the Maasai, a migratory people who thought that the village was easy to rob. That victory increased the confidence of the people in defending their village and the possibility of lasting peace, encouraging hard work that produced more food, allowing celebrations to take place, and thus, prompting an increase in population.

The shock of losing both parents at a young age was significant. It was a shock that sent Nakuvesia into an uncontrollable cry, depressed with a feeling of being alone. He had few friends to run to for comfort. He had suddenly become an orphan, let alone the fact that he was left in a severe state of poverty. A few neighbors took pity on Nakuvesia by giving him some food when they had enough for themselves, as they were also poor families. The traumatic incident of Nakuvesia losing his parents influenced, and shaped the path and lifestyle that he had to follow. He learned the issues of survival and self-preservation, very fast. He had to work hard, independently, and above all, he always fought for his rights. With time, he overcame the initial shock of losing his parents and realized that he was alone with adult responsibilities upon him. During that traumatic time that he was facing, he remembered the poor existence of his past, the moment that made him more determined to have a pleasant and successful future as his goal!

From then, he was in pursuit of it.

The undisclosed, the secretive, the dreaded future! Without knowing the outcome, he struggled in search of it!

After a period of mourning for the casualties of the war, there was a new vigor to build the village, as the people had the confidence to defend it. That buoyancy and new dynamism kicked off the start of wealth creation enterprises. There was an increase in crop farming to boost food security and increase the level of their livestock.

The death of Nakuvesia’s parents meant that he became the sole owner of a shack built on top of a small mound. It was shabby and could fall down at any moment. The small plot of land (shamba) that surrounded the unkempt hut, was neglected and prone to severe erosion. The trees that marked the shamba boundaries, were a sign of a mismanaged property. There were fallen, damaged, and diseased trees. Some trees were cut for firewood by those who took advantage of the late couple’s weakness.

He was the only child. He knew no uncles, aunties, grandfather, or grandmother. He was truly alone. Nakuvesia remembered the good side of his parents. It was when they slaughtered a sheep on a rare occasion that they feasted for days as there were no friends to share the meat. When the meat became rancid, it was thrown away. It was his only moment of plenty, followed by wastage. Whenever he was hungry, he remembered that meat discarding incident and shook his head with dismay. He had learned something.

He had to make tough decisions. For the first time, the decisions were his own! Nakuvesia’s first act was to reduce his parents’ livestock as he could not provide fodder because he was alone. He decided to exchange some of the animals, in order to have a better hut built. It was a great set back and shock when he was told that his parents’ livestock did not belong to him, but the animals were on loan and had to be returned to their owners, in the event of failure to feed. It was then that Nakuvesia was told by the village elders about how to get into the property ladder! Nakuvesia was introduced into adulthood by those first pitiless lessons.

With anger and frustration, he agreed to return all the property that did not belong to him. It was a traumatic moment that made Nakuvesia cry. A sudden knowledge that all you had for yourself belonged to someone else, was really heart-breaking. In a moment of despairing, crying, and remembering his departed parents, a neighbor, held him in his arms, comforted him, and promised that he would set him up to gain property as an adult. The pleasing words helped to calm Nakuvesia and in a relaxed mood, he took the chance to learn the process of gaining property. It was a friendly advice, a way out of the poverty. Makyusa, was the man, the neighbor, and the friend who was comforting Nakuvesia out of pity of the orphan boy but also with a view of increasing his own wealth.

Nakuvesia’s parents were very poor, materially, intellectually, and socially. They had a very small crop farm i.e. shamba, only few animals, and a shack that could fall down at any moment. They worked hard but not brilliantly. They did not afford entertaining by making mbege. Mbege was an alcoholic brew made from boiled, ripe bananas, a drink that was the center of the social fabric of the village. Inability to entertain could cost a person their popularity, and may reduce the chance to make and retain friends. In the eyes and minds of the village folk, Nakuvesia’s parents were the poorest in the village. During mbege parties, Nakuvesia’s parents were given the mbege of poor quality with sediments and with an acidic taste. They were treated in a distasteful manner, similar to the treatment that beggars endure. They were down trodden but they went through life by working casually for others for food or by begging. That character did not attract many to become willing friends. Those who took pity on them were the friends they thought they had. Friendship in the village was an important element for a happy life and mbege was the central component.

Makyusa took Nakuvesia to his house, gave him a cup of milk, as he was too young to drink mbege. He slowly drifted to a relaxed mood. Makyusa took the opportunity to explain to Nakuvesia, how he could acquire riches on the basis of working very hard. Makyusa offered to give Nakuvesia a pregnant cow as a loan and told him that the first calf will belong to the cow’s owner but the second calf would belong to Nakuvesia. The price was the work he had to do to care for the cow, like feeding and protecting it. In addition, if the calves were both male, Nakuvesia could exchange for a female as his own. Nakuvesia understood how to get into the property ladder. With another cup of milk, Nakuvesia took two cows with the hope that in a year’s time, he may have two cows of his own. The same method was used to acquire goats and sheep, which could have twins, making the growth of one’s wealth, in some cases, very encouraging indeed. With some confidence, Nakuvesia asked Makyusa for help. He pleaded to Makyusa for help to build his hut which was in a state of disrepair. Makyusa promptly agreed to help him build his shack, in order to keep his animals safe. He was excited as he saw the cow he had to take home. He vowed to work hard to escape the poverty that his parents experienced and to lower the expectation that the whole village appeared to predict for him. He became ambitious and was determined to succeed. It was a moment on a stepping stone to property acquisition.

In Nakuvesia’s timeline of life, the start of the route to acquire property was a moment, a stepping stone, towards manhood, and seven years later, at the age of 20, he had a few cows, sheep, and goats of his own. He was no longer the poorest. In fact, he was wealthier than some of his colleagues of similar age who had the luxury of having parents. He was slowly earning respect of his village. The honor was evident when the older folk invited him to talk about his progress. That level of advancement elevated his position among the village folk, which in turn, boosted his confidence to such an extent that he was seriously thinking of acquiring a wife. An ambitious undertaking for an orphan!

Makyusa heard of Nakuvesia’s ambition, he clearly knew that it was rather a pre-mature wish. He advised him to be patient and create more wealth. The fact that it was not impossible, Nakuvesia kept on working hard and setting his goals within a year or two.

After a hard day’s work, Nakuvesia sat down to rest in front of his hut on a large smooth volcanic rock, rubbed to such smoothness by the many bottoms that had sat there before him. It was close to sunset. He was thinking deeply, as he had some worries and issues that he had to resolve. At his foremost, in priorities, was a wife. To find one could be easy, to pay the dowry was difficult for an orphan boy who was soon to be twenty one. His parents died during the war years, seven years ago, and left very little of what could be classified as wealth. Someone with a couple of cattle, sheep and goats was deemed very poor as that was far short of the level of dowries that had to be paid. He looked at his hut. It was not fit for the purpose of inviting a girl, intending to propose to her to be his wife. He thought about food for another person. That was worry indeed as he could hardly feed himself! He recalled Makyusa’s advice, and declared to work harder and likewise, intelligently.

The sun was setting and the red skies were gradually changing to dusk, and in a matter of seconds, the whole village was set to pitch darkness. That was the sudden style of sunset, on the slopes of Mount Kilimanjaro. His thoughts on the quest of acquiring a wife dominated his mind, as he remembered the complex formalities that he had learned from the elders on how one had to follow. The expenditure however, made him shiver when he realized that he had no one to help. He lived alone with neither a brother nor a sister, a disturbing thought indeed! More disturbing was the fact that he had neither an uncle nor an auntie to run to in case of an emergency or just for an advice. He had Makyusa, a friend and a mentor, but he could not take the place of a blood relative!

The worry led him to skip observing the beautiful sunset or hearing the last of the animal noises of mooing, bleating or grunting, and birds, as they tweeted, whistled, chirped, or squawked on their way to roost. The gentle cool breeze from the mountain followed by the airy silence, coupled with the darkness worried, and compelled him to go into his hut to light a log fire and prepare dinner. It was when he was roasting his beef steak given to him earlier by his old friend Makyusa, that he heard the beating of drums. He started to tremble with fear as he remembered the incident, seven years ago, when he heard the drums! He ran out, trembling and sweating as panic set in, leaving his succulent steak on the log fire, to ensure he understood the meaning of the drum beat.

Drum beating was, in many occasions, the village broadcasting system. Principally, it was meant for emergencies, as an invasion or a sad occasion such as a funeral. In less serious occasions, like celebrations for childbirth or marriages, a drum beat could be heard. A call to a meeting with either the Chief (Mangi) or his assistants, was also announced by drums. Although, each drum beat signified a particular situation, not all the village folk, especially the younger ones could easily decipher the drum-beat meaning. In order to avoid erroneous interpretation, some messengers would be sent running near the homesteads shouting the specific nature of the drum call. Nakuvesia could not identify the drum call. Although, he was afraid, he ruled out that it was not the call for war, as the drum beat was very different from the call for war drum-beat that was known to all. When he was outside the hut, he heard the clarifying announcement:

"A meeting for all at aulo (Aulo was a public land for meetings), repeated at least three times then the voice would continue, Early in the morning with Mangi."

It was not an invasion. He relaxed, as he was walking back to his hut to continue with his dinner preparation. His body was still shaking but the worry was over. He completed his dinner which was roast bananas with roast steak, made easier to swallow with a glass of sour milk. He ate well and saved some of the steak for the morning. He knew that early the next day, he would be unable to prepare food to eat as the meeting was taking place very early in the morning. He would wake up and proceed to aulo, immediately.

The long, sleepless night that followed was filled with many thoughts. The thought of acquiring a wife faded away, to be replaced by the immediate and more serious call to the meeting with Mangi. He thought that since it was not an invasion, the Mangi may plan to send them to war. In the event that war happened, he would be at the age to go to fight, an act that may kill him before he has had children. He even thought that by being away from home for a long time, there was the possibility that his hut might fall due to termite infestation, or trees may grow in it, as there would be no one to care for it and his home would revert to a jungle. He knew that if he had to go away, he was sure that the few animals he had acquired would die as there was no one to provide feeds. His little field of crops would grow to a forest. He went on with those worrying thoughts, that concluded with the unlikely possibility that someone may acquire it as an abandoned land and that he may fail to claim it back if he survived. Every thought was worrying and uncomfortable, making him turn left and right frequently, and tossing up and down in his bed or fidgeting as some people would describe his state of sleeplessness. He was troubled indeed! He was exhausted; he could neither think nor twitch. It was when he was about to snooze when the many unique sounds from many village animals, namely cows, sheep, goats, pigs, chickens, and ducks, not to forget cats, and dogs that sensed daybreak, kept him awake as dawn was approaching. He was awake just before sunrise, dressed at his best, with his warrior attire that included his spear, dagger attached to his waist by a belt, and walking stick that can serve as a defensive weapon. A shield, which in combat, was to protect the body from a spear throw, an arrow or dagger cut, was securely fixed well on his back. That shield could be compared to a bullet-proof vest in modern warfare. In that attire with the leather protective over-dress, Nakuvesia was viewed as a formidable warrior.

It would be rude to be late in attending Mangi’s meeting. With that in mind, Nakuvesia started early because he had a distance to walk. Using the footpaths, the then village roads, made by many feet walking over and over the same path for many years, meandered as to avoid many obstacles like trees, banana plants, crop areas, boulders or holes, making the walking distance of the path appear a long distance from aulo. In the dark and mist of the early morning, on the way to the meeting, Nakuvesia met other villagers who were keen to know the purpose of the meeting that was so important that Mangi himself was attending. They were all dressed, ready for war. All the people were tense, quiet, and worried in anticipation of what was about to happen. It was usual for the junior chiefs to call meetings and report Mangi’s wishes but at that time, there was a complete change of protocol. Mangi, in person, was attending.

On arrival at ’aulo’, Nakuvesia, as well as many of the village folk, were dressed, ready for war. It appeared that everyone was thinking like Nakuvesia, about a possible call for war. They exchanged ideas on the purpose of the meeting but there was no one who had a clue of what Mangi was going to say. Even the junior chiefs were not informed. Everyone was worried that the talk was about plans for a war. There was an air of fear and worry, as the village had never witnessed war for more than ten years. Many of the