I AM A DESCENDANT

I just read an article titled DESCENDANT. Written by a Kenyan named Wanjohi. A Kenyan with a very beautiful mind. It was a wonderful read. I lay on the floor imagining what my maternal ancestors-my mother, grandmothers, great-grandmothers, e.t.c- would think of the life I currently live. I wondered what they would say. Would they be proud or would they be disappointed? Would they be impressed or would they shake their heads in pity?

What would the mother of my great-grandmother say if she finds out that I am not married at 21. That I have no baby of my own. That my 'hearth' is empty, devoid of the cries of babies. That my womb hasn't produced a child. That I am not even a fan of babies.

What would the Umuadas say, the committee of women's crimes punishment that have existed long before my grandmother's generation, if they heard that I am a supporter of gender equality and that I believe that some únprogressive' / regressive parts of our 'culture' should be scrapped, Hahahahaha, I even used the word 'unprogressive'. Maybe they'll fine me 4 big goats and a barn of yams for 'failing to uphold the tradition' like they fined my aunty 4 years ago.

Just like Wanjohi, just like all of us, I am a descendant. A Descendant who no longer follows the 'old way'. A Descendant who no longer worships the old gods. Who believes that those gods are false. I am a descendant who doesn't believe in Amadioha or Sango (gods of thunder, fire and brimstone), who doesn't believe in evil forests, who doesn't believe in the sanity of war, who doesn't believe in a lot of things that I should ordinarily believe in.

Evolution of the mind. That's what I call it. That's what we call it. We've all evolved. Time will tell if this evolution is for good or for bad. Until then, I still remain...A DESCENDANT.

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