Burden of being a luo

Theres nothing as good as a country with diverse ethnicity, whereby varied tribes live together. Kenya is sure lucky to have fourty two tribes at her disposal, something totally unheard of in some states. Stereotyping is inevitable because each tribe exhibit unique traits largely influenced by their respective cultures. If you have been around for quite some time then you've probably heard of the kikuyu and their prowess in business or maybe the Kalenjins and their expertise in long distance races. Kenya is sure an interesting place to be but without the jaluos it would be a little devoid of the ever unfolding drama and the amusement that go with it. This is so because of obvious reasons, the luo people have become so attached to this country through time and are firmly part of her history. Neither once nor twice has being a luo been termed as a burden, it's so normal to hear that. And infact the slogan has been given a facelift by some fellows as "being a luo is a lifestyle" or "being a luo is a software". All these boil down to the pride and ego the luopeans have with regards to their culture, the luos believe their dialect is intelligible to all and are never shy to express themselves in any environment. But really what are some of the burdens of being a luo?

The jersey
It is percieved that most if not all luos have pledged their allegiance to the mighty kogallo alias Gor Mahia FC. Named after the famed fighter Gor Kogallo the club receives a huge support from the luo community in Kenya. The luos support Gor with so much vigour and gusto, the hype is all over the cyberspace and has been termed by some as sickening. Walk the streets of Nairobi on a matchday then you'll witness an influx of fans donning green jerseys and all forms of regalia from all corners of the country. The names written on the jerseys will leave you in stitches for instance riek machar, omboto (fleas), wuoyi mosomo (learned boy), jawuoro (glutton) among others. Despite some matches being marred by chaos propagated by a few hooligans, the fanbase never shrinks an inch. If you are a luo then it will always be an up hill task convincing someone that you are not indeed a Gor fan, which therefore makes it a burden.

The intellect
This is perhaps one of the biggest burdens most luos have to contend with. You did not seriously think that this would go away any time soon. Luos are believed to be very vibrant, intelligent, outstanding and eloquent. This has clearly been manifested by the high number of notable engineers, professors, doctors the community has yielded over the years. Luos choose to express themselves so fluently yet so easily in the language of English. It is presumed that luos speak the best English in Eastern Africa even though their mastery in Swahili has been considered by some as pathetic or just way below average. The burden of being intelligent and fluent in English for an averagely literate luo is ever present.

Finer things in life
In as much as everybody wants to have the best, the luos have an enourmous appetite for luxury and high end valuables. Their need to drive the best cars, live in upscale suburbs, posses the latest smartphones and be the best dressed in undisputed. Luos are considered to be perfectionists too as they always want everything done to precision, be it a tailored attire or hairdo. Most have been known to acquire high tech gadgets in their homes and drive only specific car brands like Mercedes, Volkswagen, BMW, Range Rover, Audi among others. This desire for fine things in life has become a burden because most people only tend to view luos from this aspect. If it happens that a luo does'nt live up to the expectations then you'll hear people pour scorn "huyu si mjaluo" (this ain't a luo)

Obama, Lupita, Adongo
This is not new, neither is it some sort of hearsay, to those who have been in Kenya for a considerable period of time. We remember vividly that there was a parallel voting exercise in Kogello which declared Mr Obama as U.S president before the polls in the U.S were even halfway done. And no one is out to dispute the fact that the American flag has always been sighted several times in political rallies, Kogallo matches and many other social gatherings. When the Oscars came calling it was Lupita Ny'ongo who scooped the award sending shockwaves globally that it was Nya nam (luo girl) who triumphed and yawa as if that's not enough Dan Adongo who plays for Indianapolis Colts became the first African to play the American football proffesionally. These are names that will occassionally pop up whenever you are conversing with a luo, and the next thing you know will be possible blood ties, perhaps they being related with those named. It becomes a burden because most people now seem to believe all luos are Obama's blood relatives and so you have to convince them you aren't. Sounds funny but it's the truth of the matter though a large majority of luos do that for sheer pride.

Baba
Baba is a swahili word meaning father, this word has some sort of a political connotation in the luo community. Raila being the current kingpin and political maestro in the luo community is often referred to as baba. He has a whole bunch of other names like Agwambo, Tinga, Nyundo, Jakom. It is percieved that luos are politically influenced by Raila because he is the most decorated and expirienced politician, and of course for his relentless fight for democracy. Whereas it is not necessarily true that a luo has to be devoted to Raila, it becomes a burden convincing people from other tribes of that disloyalty. To be candid luos just seem to follow the dynamics of Kenyan politics whereby each tribe has their own king.

The fish and the waters
Since luos predominantly occupy the Nan Lolwe  (lake basin) it is assumed that they are all very good swimmers and good at fishing too. Well, this may be true to some extent but not entirely credible, since I know of luos who can hardly swim at the shallow end of the pool. One thing that a luo finds completely undeniable is their love for fish paricularly ngege (tilapia).  They will meticulously eat the fish living no trace of flesh as you watch in awe and they are never shy or sorry about it, call it heritage. If you are a luo by blood but has never had a taste of tilapia because perhaps you've been born and raised overseas,  then you'll have to go an extra mile in convincing people because they just won't buy your story. This therefore becomes a burden, whether you like it or not.

The list seems endless but our brothers from the lakeside have to bear with all the stereotyiping. We love to have the luos as part of this lovely country, they make Kenya so complete. The drama from these fellows is never enough, and our legislators can attest to this straight from the parliament, and it's one reason I like to watch parliament proceedings quite often. What astounds me most is the pride and bravado we see in our brothers, they've embraced their culture so much that there is'nt an ounce of discontent. That is something worth mimicking and a challenge to everyone who has apparently strayed from their culture.