This drew the kids’ attention and they chuckled with amusement at the struggling and annoyed Mama Kama. The kids’ chuckles were echoed by the donkeys taking turns to protest at Mama Kama’s sharp rebukes with loud simultaneous ‘Eooohs!’
This drove Mama Kama into delirium. She then sharply turned around and ordered the nearest boy to take the donkeys and tie them to a pole in the shed. In other words, she was showing her authority over the stubborn ‘mocking’ donkeys. That will teach them, she thought as she walked away.
This she thought would stop the flowers from shrivelling in the sun, and to ensure the donkeys didn’t reach the flowers around their necks, or else, she would deal with them mercilessly.
She stormed off in a huff to get herself dolled up for the occasion for the next four hours, maybe more, as was her custom. The queen thought that Mama Mondo fancied herself as a queen, because of the way she carried herself, with all her airs and graces.
Around midday, visitors from the Garanga Village streamed in towards the king’s compound in a procession. They had their elderly leader in front, followed by his armour-bearer and a clutter of middle-aged and younger strong men and some women and some children.
The men were walking aloof with pride and broadened shoulders. The women looked more intimidated with baskets of fruits and other foodstuffs they had brought with them as their tradition of carrying tokens of delicacies when visiting.
This was done as a sign of gratitude and friendship. They were welcomed by the king’s senior subject, Mondo, and his four chosen helpers and ushered them towards the open sitting area they designated for them. The women as if by instinct walked towards the cooking area where the Goza women and children were gathered and watching them as they approached.
Mama Mondo greeted them with ululation that echoed into the distance, as a sign of welcome, and the other women went over to help them offload their parcels. Like they had known each other for years, the introductions began and the new arrivals were offered drinks and a place to rest while they waited for the arrival of other guests.
Within twenty minutes, another group arrived from the Towa Village. These were very short people and walked very fast like someone was chasing them. They didn’t seem to have any hierarchical order among them as they arrived in a group with no distinct divide. They did not bring any women or children with them.
The king’s subjects greeted them the same as they did with the first group and ushered them towards the next space for seating. The women looked in bemused at these little men and inwardly wondered why they didn’t bring any women along. Mama Mondo ululated reluctantly at the visitors and it was a short one, unlike the one she did for the Garanga people. The Goza women were already forming opinions of their guests based on appearance and how they arrived.
Kioma, a young woman who was married only a year earlier, protested as if on behalf of the Towa women and said with rage, “Selfish little men, who do they think they are leaving their poor wives behind, who would want to miss on this special occasion?”
The rest of the women just stared at them without responding to Kioma’s ranting. She continued, “Anyway, if it was me, I wouldn’t accept it, letting my darling Daku out of my sight for one minute would kill me!”
Mullah melancholically murmured, “You would if you got to my age, it would be a God sent!”
They all looked over at Mondo in the distance and thought of his fairy tale stories and they laughed, knowing full well why Mullah had said that. By that time, drums started beating in rhythm and traditional dancers from the Goza clan entered the centre circle to entertain with their gallantry dance routines, to the amazement of the visitors. Almost immediately, the third village Makoma arrived dressed in leopard skins and the women with coloured feathers on their full heads of dark full bodied, long and luscious hair.
These people were very light in complexion and had brilliant white teeth. They looked elegant in their regalia, which matched their feathers for women, and the men’s leopard skin outfits made them look like warriors. They were ushered in to sit beside the throne on the lower platform to that of the king. Likewise, the women were taken to their own sitting area by one of the boys.
The waiting women had seen them as proud, as they didn’t bring themselves to join them but waited to be escorted unlike the Garanga women, who had made a bee line to where the rest of the women were seated. Judging from their light skin, the local women thought the Makoma women were mermaids who spent all their time under the sea learning beauty secrets, using sea salts and minerals to cleanse themselves. The subject remained a mystery.
The Makoma women were ushered in to sit with the Garanga women and the women started talking after a few minutes of silence and evil glances from both camps were exchanged. When the festivities were underway, the women went and joined the men when the trumpet was blown as an indication of the arrival of the king and his family.
The king and queen were riding on donkeys that were prepared earlier by Mama Kama, who by now was standing with pride admiring her handiwork as if she was seeing it for the first time, as all the others stood and watched the royals approaching. Whistles, shouts, ululations, drums and trumpets were sounding as they approached.
The king on his donkey was leading the procession, with his wife on her
