Something I always wanted to do...

Giraffe Centre, Nairobi, Kenya

Don't Mess With...

It has become a ritual, of sorts, at St Anthony friary to watch "Don't Mess With Kansiime" (pronounced kan see may') on DSTV between the end of supper and the beginning of Night Prayer.  Kansiime Anne is a comic who does these 5 minutes skits where she freely gives her mind to anyone who crosses her path.  She is very funny even if I don't get all that she says.  You can catch her on Youtube.  Just search for the title of the show or by her name.  Here is a link if you want to see her in action.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZBaJIaFOqlk

The reason why I bring her up is because on October 31st she aired a skit about Halloween.  She always has another person as her foil in the skit and usually her feelings are dumped on this person. This night her partner was an English man who comes into the scene dressed as a Masi warrior with his face painted to look like a zombie.  He encourages her to 'dress scarry' and join in the Halloween fun.  She tells him in ten different ways how stupid it all is.  At one point she says, "You never saw an African ghost, have you? If had you would really be scared." She goes on to say that there are very many scary things in Africa and you don't have to dress up for them.  They are real. Her partner continues to try to get her into the spirit of Halloween but Kansiime will have nothing to do with it.  She at one point agrees with him and says, "You want to see scary?", and of course he agrees. She ducks down behind a wall and comes back up with two machetes (although they are called Pangas, here). They look very sharp and it frightens the man and he runs off.

The truth is that there is more here than just the humor that comes from the juxtaposition of cultures. The message for me is that you don't really see your own culture until it is reflected in the light of another culture.  Life and death are serious things here.  Many people, Catholics included, believe that Spirts roam the earth.  Misfortune, illness or even success can sometimes be attributed to witchcraft and evil spirits. These are serious matters and are taken seriously. Dressing as a spirit in a village anywhere in Kenya or Uganda (I mentioned these places because I have lived there.) could result in being chased out of the village and being properly beaten or even killed.

I did't mind hot having Halloween this year.  I haven't observed it in many years.  I did miss the Candy Corn, which I would eat one color at a time.  I also missed the cool weather and the promise of winter in the air.  When I was a kid I would love it when a neighbor would put an apple in my Trick or Treat bag, especially if it was a juicy Macintosh.  So take it from Kansiime Anne, don't mess with mixing cultures.  You may get a scary surprise. You may get a gift you don't want.

Kansiime Anne