People Of The World,

No politician I voted for, or supported dearly has ever won an election. Ratibu Hussein Ali lost to Nathan Kahara, Achieng Oneko lost to Mwangi Mathai, Jaramogi Oginga Odinga lost to Moi, Raila Odinga lost to Moi, Gore lost to Bush, Kerry lost to Bush and Raila lost to Kibaki. I equated this lack of winning in my voting history to the Curse of the Bambino. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curse_of_the_Bambino

So in early October, I asked you to advice me how to vote in the recently concluded elections, in an attempt to reverse this losing syndrome. 99.9% of you insisted that I give Obama my vote lest he loses by one vote. One person advised me to follow my gut feeling even if it was not consistent with what my 10th great grandfather, Ragem was suggesting.

I reasoned that in the US of A, they do not have chiefs, provincial commissioners, administration police, and the culture of ‘kula huko, kura hapa.’ I also reasoned that in the US of A the president does not appoint election commissioners, rather the election is conducted by civilians, and the votes are not tallied at KICC. I concluded that the probability of Obama losing contrary to all polls indicating otherwise, would only be as an act of a bambino-like curse. Now didn’t your grandma tell you how to reverse a curse? Mine did.

Faced with the dilemma – to vote for Obama and he loses based on my record, I asked my ancestors to give me a sign. A vision flashed right before my eyes and I saw Raila asking his tribe to circumcise. I also saw Raila Odinga changing his tune and saying that those responsible for the election violence would face the law. You need to understand that I was awe struck. How could Raila turn against the very people who fought and even died so he could be where he is today? Then I realized what he was doing. He was doing something different, and this was not congruent to Obama’s message of change. Another vision pointed to Mandela forgiving his captors and MLK asking his people not to be violent faced with abject discrimination. They all did something different, and this again was consistent with Obama’s message for change. In fact, in his story about the Pie Restaurant owner who admitted that his business was not doing well, he quipped, “If you keep hitting your head on the wall, it will begin to hurt, and at some point you will need to stop and do something different!” Can’t you see, my 10th great grandfather Ragem, asking me also to do something different, something drastic. Ssssh it is something I would not want my descendants to know I did.

Like a lunatic, I run to the polling station and cast my vote forthwith for Senator John McCain, so Obama could win. Sure enough, the bambino-like curse is no more, and yes a Luo (another bambino-like curse was that a Luo could not be a leader of a nation) is going to be president of a nation which is the leader the free world, yet I say it not.

Please do not let anyone wake us up from MLK’s dream, which until recently we had no idea had us embedded and intertwined.

—
Joram Ragem
wuod Ndinya, wuod Onam, wuod Amolo, wuod Owuoth, wuod Oganyo, wuod Mumbe, wuod Odongo, wuod Olwande, wuod Adhaya, wuod Ojuodhi, wuod Ragem!
(Are you my relative?)

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Date: Thu, 6 Nov 2008 21:37:29 -0500
From: Joram Ragem
Subject: President Obama? A Luo? – The Curse Of The Bambino Is No More.