Dear nephew Milambo,
GREETINGS from this city, where the weather has a very good resemblance to a confused chameleon.
I hope that by the grace of Limatunda you are all doing fine, you and your family, and all the folks in my beloved Ukumbisiganga.
Here in the city we are all doing fine my dear boy, we thank Liwelelo and all the Nyamwezi ancestors led by Chief Mirambo for the protection we continue to enjoy.
I was informed that your wife was not feeling well and I hope that by now by the grace of Limatunda she is doing okay.
My dear son, I was surprised when I was told that your wife was planning to visit the Mfumu because she believes that there is an evil spirit in her life and I was very sad about that.
You see son, I don’t disagree that in Tabora we have great mfumus who can compete anywhere in the world, but I believe that we are living in an age where we have to get rid of those beliefs.
The thing is, the world is very corrupted now and coming across a genuine Mfumu, like the great Kalimanzila, whose reputation spread far and wide is very rare.
Nowadays my dear son people have become more interested in money more than the welfare of a fellow human being, that is why there are so many fake mfumus in this country and many other parts of Africa.
Even here in the confused city, vulnerable people are being preyed on by so-called witch doctors, some who even claim that they can cure cancer in exchange for cash.
Some also go as far as claiming to cure gambling addicts and alcoholics – for a price, can you imagine that?
My dear boy, these fake mfumus know how to coerce people out of their money, they know how to start hooking them in through veiled threats, especially when those threats are in the spiritual domain.
It is unfortunate that there is currently no law in place specifically aimed at stopping the so-called ‘witch doctors’ from scamming people and prosecutions are rare.
I remember the first time I came to this confused city, I was walking somewhere with your aunt and we came across a very funny signpost which was handwritten in a very poor handwriting.
The post read ‘Black magic problems, relationship issues, sexual impotency, unwanted pregnancy, exams and court cases, finding lost loved ones, removing bad spirits, curing illness and solving nightmares’.
Of course I had to laugh out loudly my dear son, because just thinking about it sounds weird, but your aunt told me that these conmen and women actually have clients, especially those with ‘impotency’ issues.
On another street, we came across another one which read ‘Getting your wife, boyfriend or girlfriend back in your life, sorting out husband or wife’s changed behaviour, removing bad luck, passing exams and driving tests, drink or gambling problems, removing black magic, business problems’.
This made me to wonder how they deal with the problem of, for example, passing your exams, or driving test, because from what I know, if you are dumb you are dumb, and it will require great effort to remove that stupidity from someone’s head.
But then I realized that the clients of this group of conmen and women mostly consists of lazy people who love to use shortcuts in life, because it is simple, for one to pass any exam, you have to study hard, and not involve a witchdoctor.
These people, my dear son, are by no means a united front, and some of the so-called ‘healers’ will look down on others who appeal to their patient’s desire for prosperity, or engage in what some might consider darker acts to bring about good fortune.
I remember when I was growing up, most rural villages had their own ‘Babu’, who was a healer who often lived in a hut set away from the community.
Those days the Babu was the primary port of call for any ailment of the body or mind for anyone in the village, and often before the patient seeks more modern medical advice elsewhere.
Despite possessing a vast knowledge of local plants and herbs, the basis of the Babu’s healing was always grounded in the supernatural.
Divination was sometimes used as a diagnostic tool, and Babu’s often reported being visited by ancestors or spirits in dreams who reveal medicinal recipes.
This spiritual element of their practice was precisely what gave them local credibility amongst a community who share this awareness of, and respect for, the spiritual realm.
I remember those days my dear son, when the great Kalimanzila was still alive and plying his trade, and the first time I came across him, I have to admit, I was shivering in fear and reverence, because I had heard a lot about his prowess.
I was taken to him by my grandmother, (may Limatunda rest her great soul) because I had a wound on my left leg which refused to heal even after using the ‘white man’s medicine’.
I looked at him in great awe, as if Chief Mirambo stood in front of me, and it took me several minutes before I could close my mouth.
Anyway, that is our African life my dear son, but you should sit down and talk to your wife before she goes to some of these mfumus, or in any case, I do not see the reason for her to do that.
I hope your daughter also is okay, because I was also told that she was not feeling okay, because as you know, your aunt was worried.
Let me pen off here my son, because I have to go and take a shower because in a short while we are going to visit a sick friend who is admitted in hospital.
Say hallo to your family and my people in Ukumbisiganga, and may the protection of Limatunda and the Nyamwezi ancestors watch over all of you.
