A wind of change in the Mountain is slowly blowing from the Rift headed to the Lake.
The new drumbeats from the Lake are enticing and soothing to the soul.
They are softening and changing the hard stances taken by those who swore to stand by the Prince from the Rift.
The new orchestra is fresh and appealing to the eye.
It’s tunes are reverberating with the current songs of redemption blowing across the villages, hills and hillocks in the Mountain.
The Mountaineers say that the gods have given an order.
An order to The Tribe. An order to the elders, young and the old.
An order to the poor and the rich: to sing and dance to the new tune.
At first they were hesitant when the King faced the Lake.
Those who opposed the King said that he had betrayed them.
They scorned him.
They castigated him for “abandoning” them.
The daily gatherings by men in the villages stopped.
Women wailed. Village boys stopped their hunting missions.
Girls ceased playing “banya.”
Dancers abruptly halted their traditional dances like “gitiiro”, “mwomboko” and “muthirigu.”
The once bubbly Mountain was like a mourning field.
There was a studious silence in all the eleven villages.
In the midst of this silence, homesteads rose against each other; village against village, brother against brother and clan against clan.
There was total confusion.
However, the gods started reappearing.
The King started regaining his control and authority.
The gods said he is right.
Yes! He is right.
And the Mountain started dancing to the Lake Orchestra.
By Wanderi Kamau
