They called our ways backward and insisted on disrupting our way of life to make us more civilized.
They who came with the gospel in one hand and a sword in the other,
Pretending to trade with us
they lived among us, because our culture was one of good nature & kindness to all
Who in the real sense were wolves in sheep’s clothing.
They came to teach us civilization
They with an insatiable thirst for conquest and war,
They allocated our lands to themselves, entreated our chiefs to elusive, devilish ways,
yet they called us pagans, we who worshiped our God and respected his laws,
They,
They came to turn us savages into civilized society,
Or did they?
Our bushman ways lacked the flamboyant eloquence of ‘civilization’. Yet they gave our nakedness clothing, telling us that is how civilized world dressed,
ironically today we wear the clothes, we cover our bodies(occasionally strip the scantily clad woman on the street), they walk naked and call it fashion.
Goodbye African socialism. Goodbye trust, goodbye neighbourliness and communalism. Goodbye good morals, goodbye virtues, welcome to the age of civilization.
Where our neighbors go hungry, while others steal from them to amass wealth that could feed a 100 generations yet never share, where we never help strangers in need, where we are suspicious of everyone and don’t even know who lives next door, where our kinsmen see us once a year and do not get to share in raising our children, Strangers raise our babies and occasionally strangle our babies,
is this the civilization that we gave up our culture and ways for.
Our Way…..
They called it Savage, and we the savages.
Yet,
We had laws though unwritten, we had leadership in our elders, we had utilitarianism though unwritten, Nobody tolerated laziness. We worked besides each other, singing, tilling our lands, building our houses, weaving our baskets, herding our cattle together, we went to the river together, bathing and fetching water to take back to our houses.
Who needs cellphones, tablets, TVs and radios when your grandmother or great grandfather told you your history in endearing tales of the wise and the wherefores? Let’s not forget the beautiful village dances or the beautiful village feasts…..ah! What great memories! Oh what great loss!
It makes me wonder, couldn’t we have kept our culture and ways, yet adopted the best of creature comforts from the civilized savages with duplitus tongues?
Yet it is this desire for their creature comforts that pulled us away from a loving caring way, into a cold unloving culture that cares only for the self.
Haven’t we left civilization to become savages in monkey suits?
Our wisemen said, ” Mwacha Mila ni mtumwa”
Personally, I would rather run semi-naked wild and free, be loved, work and live in a loving community, than live in a concrete jungle with many friends but still alone, a slave to my 8-5 job, rarely home to see my child let alone raise her, I would rather have the support and loving care of my family and community than be an urban Savage.
Who is the savage now?
They call us the dark continent, emerging markets, the developing world, meanwhile Dividing people and sowing discord to reap the benefits of our beautiful land that we may truly never move forward, but are stuck in a forever loop one step forward, two steps back.
Beware the smiling face and pretentious helping hand that gives with one hand and takes with the other.
Beware the peace maker who champions dialogue then funds war for a profit
Beware the savage!
Here’s some more images of our beautiful culture and way of life:
I am Kikuyu and have some experience with this culture. Growing up though born and bred in town, my holidays were spent in Murang’a County where I got to experience living in my grandmother’s home.
I got most of this pictures online especially on pinterest, if you are not Kikuyu, you can search on pinterest or google for some photos of your own people’s culture. It is a beautiful thing, a beautiful people, perhaps even more superior to the foreign culture we have adopted.
Here are some photos I liked that potrayed various women from different cultures, pre-colonization:
Gurfield's Gurlfrend 
