Dear Kuka

💭 I’ve had my grandparents on my mind since last weekend after listening to Florence talk about the power of exchanging letters.

📮 One of my earliest and dearest memories as a child was the first letter I wrote by hand (yes, we did that back then 😃) and mailed at the post office. I was around 7 years old. Several weeks later, I received my first letter from my grandfather JB👴🏾. I was delighted. It short and sweet and I loved that he begun his response with My Dear Kuka Khakasa. I was elated that he called me Kuka but also confused because I thought only he was Kuka. My Father explained that grandparents can call their grandchildren Kuka or Kukhu as well. It didn’t make much sense to me but I just went along with it. I marveled at his beautiful cursive handwriting, and hand traced the deep blue letters with my hand hoping I could write as beautifully one day.

The next time I saw my grandparents was several months later during our school holidays. I recall my grandfather telling everyone this is the granddaughter that wrote me a letter and started it as “Dear Kuka”. There was an inexplicable joy 🥲 in his voice, the kind of joy that elevates the vibration of the room or in this case the front porch (where we were all congregated). That whole weekend, when I saw grandpa, I uttered that same salutation “Dear Kuka”. From that time, I must confess, I got hooked on the vibe of receiving a good letter. I kept all correspondence and cherished them for a long time.

I’ve also been thinking of my dear grandma Sally. So much love, strength, wisdom.… I digress

Grandma Sally is the one who taught me various Bukusu greetings. Her Kibukusu was so rich (I often regret not having spent more time in shags so I could’ve learnt her deep knowledge of both the language and life lessons). Guys she spoke that old world Kibukusu that pre-dated Christian missionaries and colonization; the language of our ancestors. I had to pay keen attention when she spoke because she had such a rich vocabulary. I digress again.!!!

🤝MULEMBE

Grandma Sally 👵🏾: Mulembe Khakasa

Me 👧🏾: Mulembe Kukhu

👵🏾: Mulembe Tee

👧🏾: Mulembe Tee Tee

👵🏾: Mulembe Mia

👧🏾: Mulembe Mia Mia

👵🏾: Mulembe Swa

👧🏾: Mulembe Swa Swa

I loved this greeting… I think it might have gone beyond this but this is what I recall at the moment. What warms my heart as I recall this is how deep and meaningful this greeting is. You see MULEMBE means peace ☮️. It is a general greeting in my native tongue that can be used at any time of the day and any circumstance. I bring you peace, I speak peace upon you, I wish you peace, I greet you in peace, I walk into this space in peace (often announced as one is walking into a homestead or a home, especially if their visit was unexpected).

While I can’t remember what Tee Tee and Swa Swa means (I’m sure someone will enlighten me), I particularly liked say Mia Mia because it sounded like 100/- and thought it meant I’d get money 😂. It was later that I learnt it meant “Abundant blessings or Abundant Peace”.

🤝 Gosh, I really miss her and the vigorous and joyful handshakes we would exchange as we spoke these greetings/blessings to each other. She also taught me that when you greet a crowd it is good to say “Mulembe Mia Mia” and she would gesture with both her hands clasped together and bellow out “Mulembe Mia Mia”.

👋 ORIENA

This is another common Bukusu greeting meaning “How are you doing?” To which, most folks respond “NDI MULAMU” - I am well/I am OK/I am fine/I am alive.

One response that I learnt from grandma Sally 👵🏾 is “NDI MOYO”. I didn’t use it frequently when I was younger but about a decade ago a series of tragic events had left me so broken 😞 and traumatized and I was doggy paddling through the abyss of suckedness called life, getting sucker punched left, right, and center every time I came up for air. I’d get knocked down, then I’d look at life and tell it “NDI MOYO”, and get back up and knock out the suckedness of life like we were in a UFC match and I only had a few seconds to prove my worth. “NDI MOYO” became my mantra, every time I said those words, I felt as if my grandma 👵🏾 was there with me. She’s always been my spirit person even when she was still alive.

NDI MOYO means my soul/spirit is alive.

Dear Kuka

Dear Kuka 💭 I’ve had my grandparents on my mind since last weekend after listening to Flo

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