Clan meeting version 2.0

On Saturday, I was introduced to the whole Bakomba clan during thier general meeting as a new member. There was about 400 people there and it was quite the day. Days like that are why I joined the Peace Corps. Days where it is so surreal and so outside of what you know and expect that you can't really believe that it is happening. So here's the scoop:

I knew that the general meeting would be like the first meeting with the clan leaders, but bigger and more ridiculous....man, was I right! To witness the spectacle, I invited my friend Derek to come to the meeting. So we get there in style (ie, in a car, the only members to arrive in something other than a bike or motorcycle) about 2 hours late, which is standard here. Everyone is already assembled and as we get out of the car, the music starts and women start dancing around us and greeting us. After we were sat down in the front, or VIP benches under the Mango tree, the meeting officially started. After introductions they started on general clan business, recounting what happened at last meeting, deaths of members, etc. The most amazing and surreal part of this entire day, was the fact that there were interpreters translating the whole time. Into English from local language you ask? NO! From one local language into another. My clan speaks 2 languages that are totally not related at all. Lugwere, a Bantu language and the one I struggle with, and Ateso, the one that Derek speaks in his area and a Nialotic language. It was amazing to see how quick they would translate. Of course Derek and I don't know enough of either of our languages to understand what's going on, so my supervisor, Kateu told us in English what was going on. The fact that under educated villagers are so skillful in language continues to blow me away.

After an hour or two of boringness, the fun times start. Derek and I both get to give speeches. Derek starts off and kills it in Ateso. He talks for like 10 minutes, which is super impressive. A real crowd pleaser and showman! Of course he's stealing my thunder, cause it's MY clan, who is this guy!! I get over my jealously and stutter through my speech in Lugwere and is not as impressive or even close. They still appreciate me trying and all is good. Then Derek is sworn in as an impromptu member of the clan. Neither him or the clan leadership knew beforehand that he was going to be a new member. He was there and white, so they decided to make him a member and gave him the name of a retired member named Seku and "all the powers that he used to have." As a guy who always jokes about having super powers and being a super hero, Derek ate this up. Return of jealousy on my part... Then he sits on the chair and they do the whole ceremony where they give him a walking stick and tell him that his family is representatives in America. Jealousy is out of control now. MY parents are the reps, not his!! So as I'm stewing, they tell me to come up and go through the ceremony. Here's where the Wesman makes a comeback and claims his dominance as the superior token white guy in the Bakomba clan! They invite me up and it's clear that they have stuff for me that beats Dereks stick. First they give me a Kansu, which is a ceremonial robe. As the Papa Bakomba slips it on, I sense some excitement from the masses. So as a goofy showman myself, I raise my arms out to a huge cheer and yell "ABANTU WANGE" or MY PEOPLE! It was amazing. I was then presented with a clay pot, the stool I sat on, and a cane with a knife concealed. Way better than Derek's cane... :) So after that, the music starts and they want me to dance to tribal music. I break it down and the crowd is going nuts! That's the highlights folks, hope you enjoyed! The moral of this story is that if you can't speak the language, dance around like a fool and people will love you :) Take care America and talk to you soon...