Ganda greeting

I have recently started reading "The Baganda" by John Roscoe and are being re-educated (albeit with some reservation - but that is for another day)

I wish to differ on his account of greeting among the baganda. The ganda greeting includes a key element 'Okwaniriza'. This forms the beginning of the greeting…

The ganda greeting usually involves two distinct parts that is Okwaniriza and Okulamusa!

Okwaniliza:
Visitor seen coming in…Ululations followed by words like :
- tulabila kuki
- kabuladda
- nga tusanyuse okubalaba
- nga tubasanyukidde nnyo
- mutikule abagenyi
- eeeii mukulike ekubo
- eeei nantalabikalabika
this stage will take anywhere up to 10minutes as the guest is ushered in. Then follows

Okulamusa
This stage begins with okugwingana mubifuba - observing obulombo lombo. The greeting will take on the form of:
- banaffe muli bulungi.
- eradde
- maamu
- nyoge
- bwera
- mirembe
- agafa eyo
- mugyebale
- mulimutyano
- mubalese batya

It is clear demonstration that in greeting the visitor and their host will have known about the welfare of the visitor. This speaks to the fact that the ganda culture and similar bantu cultures are a more relational people group and therefore the inquiry/greeting goes well beyond the simple hello how'dy!

It's Our Turn to Eat

John Githongo with Michela Wrong in London

It's Our Turn to Eat is the story of John Githongo, who was appointed anti-corruption chief after President Mwai Kibaki swept to power in 2002, vowing to eliminate the sleaze that had become a feature of predecessor Daniel arap Moi's regime. Githongo, an old friend, stumbled across a brand new government scandal, dubbed "Anglo Leasing". On probing, he realised his closest ministerial colleagues were involved. They expected him to turn a blind eye for one simple reason: he hailed from the same ethnic community as the "Mount Kenya Mafia", as Kibaki's coterie was known. Instead, he fled Kenya, taking with him hundreds of hours of secretly taped conversations, and eventually went public with what he knew.