In recent years, courtesy to Barack Obama, the Luo tribe has become well known. With homelands bordering on Lake Victoria, this Nilotic tribe – which has close relations in Uganda and South Sudan – is one of the largest and most prominent in Kenya, with a reputation for intellectual achievement, fishing and craftsmanship.
While working as a management consultant with Coopers & Lybrand in Nairobi, I became friendly with a Luo colleague, Denis Osano, whose pride in being Luo was matched only by his sublime confidence. Denis was more than willing to discuss all matters Luo and, one day, explained to me that Luo names (which almost exclusively begin with either As, for women, or Os for men) usually are derived from the circumstances of birth. For example, a boy born on a sunny day might be called Ochieng, or a girl born at night might be called Atieno.
We then established that my Luo name, in the absence of any special distinguishing features, would likely have been Omondi, signifying that I was born early in the morning. Happily, Tom is also a popular Christian name for Luo boys, I think because of the high regard still held for Tom Mboya, a charismatic union leader in post-independence Kenya, tragically assassinated in 1960s power struggles. I went on to ask Denis whether there was a Luo name that described being born on the roadside (as happened to my eldest child Alfred), and was glad that this infrequent event did indeed exist in the form of Oyoo (born on the way). From that moment, Denis habitually called me Omondi and would, occasionally, enquire how Oyoo was developing.
Armed with this knowledge, I wondered recently what the name Obama signified. Apparently, it means "crooked" (as in limbs rather than morality), which suggests that Barack Obama senior may have been born with some curvature in his legs. Barack itself means “blessings” in Kiswahili – and this is a much happier and more appropriate name for the American President.
Much has been written about President Obama's extraordinary achievements. That the son of a Kenyan immigrant student (who then abandoned his American wife leaving her to bring up the young Barack in relative poverty, albeit with the staunch support of her parents) should rise to the Presidency is the stuff of fantasy. It also bears witness to the mobility that American society still permits – and redeems the constitutional American promise of equality of opportunity. There is a word in Luganda, biyinzika (coincidentally the name of one of AAC’s Ugandan investee businesses) which literally translates as "everything is possible". What better example is there of the spirit of biyinzika at work? Sadly, at least at present, it is impossible to imagine that a young African could rise from a similarly humble background to aspire to the presidency, such is the dominance of the post-colonial elite in African politics.
What impact, then, will Obama’s election have in his father’s continent of birth? My hope is that Obama will be an inspiration to Africa's young generation, to transform the corrupt and unrepresentative gerontocracies which dominate African governments on this most youthful of continents into a new and vibrant meritocracy. Goodness only knows, transformation is needed. We can but hope. Biyinzika!
While working as a management consultant with Coopers & Lybrand in Nairobi, I became friendly with a Luo colleague, Denis Osano, whose pride in being Luo was matched only by his sublime confidence. Denis was more than willing to discuss all matters Luo and, one day, explained to me that Luo names (which almost exclusively begin with either As, for women, or Os for men) usually are derived from the circumstances of birth. For example, a boy born on a sunny day might be called Ochieng, or a girl born at night might be called Atieno.
We then established that my Luo name, in the absence of any special distinguishing features, would likely have been Omondi, signifying that I was born early in the morning. Happily, Tom is also a popular Christian name for Luo boys, I think because of the high regard still held for Tom Mboya, a charismatic union leader in post-independence Kenya, tragically assassinated in 1960s power struggles. I went on to ask Denis whether there was a Luo name that described being born on the roadside (as happened to my eldest child Alfred), and was glad that this infrequent event did indeed exist in the form of Oyoo (born on the way). From that moment, Denis habitually called me Omondi and would, occasionally, enquire how Oyoo was developing.
Armed with this knowledge, I wondered recently what the name Obama signified. Apparently, it means "crooked" (as in limbs rather than morality), which suggests that Barack Obama senior may have been born with some curvature in his legs. Barack itself means “blessings” in Kiswahili – and this is a much happier and more appropriate name for the American President.
Much has been written about President Obama's extraordinary achievements. That the son of a Kenyan immigrant student (who then abandoned his American wife leaving her to bring up the young Barack in relative poverty, albeit with the staunch support of her parents) should rise to the Presidency is the stuff of fantasy. It also bears witness to the mobility that American society still permits – and redeems the constitutional American promise of equality of opportunity. There is a word in Luganda, biyinzika (coincidentally the name of one of AAC’s Ugandan investee businesses) which literally translates as "everything is possible". What better example is there of the spirit of biyinzika at work? Sadly, at least at present, it is impossible to imagine that a young African could rise from a similarly humble background to aspire to the presidency, such is the dominance of the post-colonial elite in African politics.
What impact, then, will Obama’s election have in his father’s continent of birth? My hope is that Obama will be an inspiration to Africa's young generation, to transform the corrupt and unrepresentative gerontocracies which dominate African governments on this most youthful of continents into a new and vibrant meritocracy. Goodness only knows, transformation is needed. We can but hope. Biyinzika!
Tom "Omondi" Adlam
March 2010
No comments:
Post a Comment