WOMEN EMACIPATION; THE FEMALE TAXI CONDUCTOR

A medium sized, light skinned, casually dressed woman. Dressed in khaki tour shorts, a red loose fitting t-shirt, sneakers and the last detail I could pay attention to is the pair of small gold quoted ear pins. She calls me to the taxi already. “Mukwano jangu tugendde.”  Meaning let us go friend.  Ha! How could I not go, knowing that I needed an experience with a female conductor? I thrust myself into the taxi and before long we got going.

She continues to call in her tom boy style, “Wadegeya, Mulago, Kamwokya, Bukoto n’ eNtinda.” At every stop we made, the male brokers seemed to bother her while they asked her for some money. She kept asking them, “ngakweyanza ki” meaning, what will I be thanking you for? At every stop it is the driver who kept convincing her to give at least one of the brokers some money. At the look of things, she would not have given any those brokers money at her own peril. In fact the brokers kept lamenting about how mean ladies can be.

I noticed she does not let men bull her that easily. I also noticed she cared about female passengers more than the males. I overheard her say, “These men fool around if you treat them well unlike the women who will reciprocate the good treatment.” The other thing I noticed is once she says, “muziweleeze”, her word is final. You just see everyone digging deep into their pockets to give the madam her fare, quietly without even complaining, whether you have reached or about to reach or not even close to your destination. Oh! how I love to see corporates humbled. This was one of those opportunities. I actually wondered why this was so?  The lady was not tough, abusive, and arrogant or any of those bad things you can imagine of a taxi conductor but I mean she was feared.

I began to think about girls like those MUN-G describes in his song Kyaba Too Much. Doesn’t she get disgusted at the sight of such girls? I also thought she is a kind of lady; you will not simply walk to and begin telling her your fake stories of “I have no job”. I imagine she would just shatter your head into sizable pieces in dismay and assure as to why you that people are selective while look for jobs and that is why they have no jobs. To me that was a good example of attacking the reality bull by the horns. Applause to you female Taxi conductor!!

MY DAYS, MY MEMORIES

Back when I was a child,

All was well, all was fine

I craved for sweets, I craved for ice cream

I cried for tea, I cried for bread

As if I did not know they were purchased

I enjoyed playing in the soil

I did enjoy the dirt, all was food

I was great, we all thought we were

I sang, I did not care the payment of vocals

I did not lie, it was not necessary

All that is gone, all that is past

I will not say it is not well though it is not

I crave not for sweets anymore, I crave for survival

I crave not for ice cream today, I crave for a life

I do not cry for tea, not bread I know it is bought

Not with stones, not with a smile but with some coins

Now, I have to be smart and clean,

So I can gather a moss

The more it is the better

I cannot dine on earth any more

I save it for the mad

Great people are because they strive

They are because they toil and sweat

If you must sing, you should be a singer

Music heals the soul

I cannot speak like I spoke then

Many will lose me and none will lend me

Man hides in a mound of deceit

I KNOW WHEN IT SHINES

 With a clatter of tatter

I am amazed by the flutter

When I lack the butter

But I will cling to the later

The later,

Where I belong

The later is smarter

Oh yes, it is lovely

True, it is gone

And I am sad it is

I have no hand in this

May be for the better

Reality knows it is for the worse

Am lost of words

Only to describe my sadness

But I hope for a better day tomorrow

I don't know how

I honestly think it is lost

Lost completely

I need miracle

But I am hopeful,

That one day, the later will come again

That darkness will scrap off

Like dry algae off earth

I am hopeful oh yes I am

That gradually, the will rise

Amazingly like it does above two lovely hills

I know when it shines

Oh yes I know when it does