from Shem Sam

Mad as it seem, these are my personal thoughts on onslaught of luos as stone throwers and linking it to the PM. Laugh if you must but share your thoughts with me.
NB. the piece is unedited and it should not be published in mainstream media.

shem sam

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GOR MAHIA –Stone throwing is not bad, only the reason matters

David picked five smooth stones from the river and with a slingshot the mighty Goliath was no more. Just one stone! What am I driving at? Stone throwing, stone carving, stone cutting and stone grinding and the stone itself have been part and parcel of human civilization from yore. Perhaps stone is the most crucial part of homo habilis and homo sapiens development. From stone we made fire, whose discovery revolutionized early human existence. Homo Habilis hewed stone to make stone-knife/ machete for hunting and fighting.

I agree stone is not bad. Throwing it is bad. We have assortment of refined metals of precious value from which we make jewellery for human adornment. From copper, cobalt, aluminum, silver, magnesium, lead, diamond, gold et cetera we make a plethora of useful ware, including electricity cables from copper. Aren’t all these metals stones? Almost all metals are extracted from ores. But ores are rocks and rocks are stones. Methinks the different between rocks and stones lies in size. Even our precious diamond (composed of strongly bonded carbon) is stone. If this be the case then stone is not bad. Throwing them is bad.

Is stone throwing bad? Think again. That the victory of chosen Israel over Palestinians was delivered by a slingshot (thrown stone) is no secret. Never in the history of man and mans wars has stone throwing been exalted as in the case of David stoning the invincible Goliath. Women danced and composed instant songs in praise of David for the simple act of stoning Goliath. But that was war. So I should not mistake the context. It is therefore good to infer that stone throwing in battle is permissible, if not conventional.

In Royal Odyssey Polyphemus the Cyclop and Ulysses engage in single combat which the latter wins by craft not force. The former favoured by Poseidon tore the top of a mountain and hurled it at Ulysses without Davidic results. So the Greeks from which philosophy is handed down to us, encourage by a god, tore off top of a mountain (stone) and hurled (threw) it at a wanderer. Even the mighty Ajax and lesser Ajax at one point repelled Trojans with rocks (stones), at least according to my translation of the Iliad by Alexander Pope the author of Essay on Man, Canto, I Rape of The Lock among other works. When Patroclus (Achilles beloved cousin) died by Hectors sword and after his corps was interred Achilles organized athletics tournament, a kin to Olympics Tournament today, of which stone-throwing was part. Is Olympic not a continuation of games performed before Greek gods (Zeus included) at the foot of Mount Olympus? Why stone throwing is not part of Olympic today amazes me? Not shot-put, nor discus. If one of the most sophisticated civilizations on the planet embraced and relished stone throwing who are we to say it is a savage act? Again the context matters.

According to the Holly Bible and the Koran, stone throwing is a divine act of meting out justice or punishment, depending on the way one looks at it. Whoever broke the mosaic laws was to be stoned to death, not decapitated. Very humane and bloodless way of eliminating incorrigible offenders! I think decapitating Saddam Hussein before cameras is more savage than stoning an adulterous woman, whom our Lord acquitted. If those chosen Jews, Pharisees and Scribes stoned people (Apostle Stephen not excluded) who are we to say KOgallo fans are savages? What has that to do with their leader, if they have one in government? Spare me the tag!

How about those white English hooligans? Didn’t they just call them hooligans? They are denied visas to travel and watch world cup anywhere. They report to police stations just to be sure they are not causing troubles elsewhere. They throw practically anything. So the title hooligan suffices. Aren’t English boasting significant levels of civilization? Don’t forget they colonized Africa (Kenya). They execute their hooliganism far and wide on the globe whenever England National Football team is playing, whether faulted or not. KOgallo fanatics/hooligans just launch a few projectiles to register their disappointment with outrageous referees decision meant to slight them. But those are hooligans not fans. They are not even professional stone throwers.

To enlighten you with utmost brevity on the Luo legend, Gor Mahia wuod Ogallo (KOgallo), it is better to note that he was a Luo warrior-cum-magician. During battle combat, a part from outstanding bravery and adroitness, he could practically (not virtually/apparently) turn himself into any object -mostly a stone. The invincible KOgallo confounded all his adversaries and unlike Lwanda Magere he died peacefully in his bed. Talking of stones, Lwanda (means rock) Magere died in the battlefield in lower Nyakach plains and turned into a rock (stone). Don’t the Luo just have a divine connection with stone? Gor Mahia lived undefeated and I had the benefit of meeting his great grandson Makacha also a magician, may God rest his sol in peace, during my days at Mirogi Boys High School in Homa Bay District.

I honestly reckon that those throwing stones at Nyayo Stadium are hooligans and amateurs in the art of stone-throwing, little wonder that no one died. A profession stone thrower selects a smooth round stone, lodges it in a sling, takes and aim, makes three revolutions and project it at a tangent towards the target. The launched projectile must be in a hissing motion. Only two of such professional stone throwers can empty Nyayo stadium when it is full to the brim. The other option is to select a sizeable projectile, take two steps back, toss it slightly above your head in the air, run forward and hurl it at a tangent towards the target. I did not see any of the two scenarios on my TV screen and I concluded that they were neither Luos nor professional stone throwers.

As a child and when I became a teenager I learnt to throw stones under tutelage my uncle John William to scare monkeys away from my grandma’s cassava plantation. I practiced that for twelve years in the lofty cliffs of Mfangano Island on Lake Victoria. Don’t I have the expertise to know when a luo launches a missile?

To sum up the argument, stone throwing and civilization have a dove-tailed relationship. The act is either good or bad depending on the reason. Is our new constitution not a product of professional stone throwing?

Shem Sam