Tripping around the Arushan Week!

By Valentine Marc Nkwame

Feel like living somewhere between, Cape Town and Cairo! Well, how about this trip round the seven days in the Arushan week?

Monday:

It is called, "Jumatatu" in Kiswahili, meaning, "The third day!" But in reality, this is actually our first day of the week. Mondays are usually slow, cumbersome and most of Arusha residents like to spend them at Mount Meru hospital, Central Police Station or in the local courts of law.

Much better than Monday, due to lesser hangover effects but still a "Blue" day. The offices in town are usually quite busy on Tuesdays ... People there are usually very busy trying to look busy! People here also love to die on Tuesdays for some reason and this is also the day that the local madmen and women come out to wreck havoc in town.

Ever noticed any Wednesday in Arusha? Definitely not. These days usually go unnoticed because they are always grim, cold and even misty sometimes. Mind you, almost all cellular phone networks, normally crash on this day.

Also crashing on Wednesdays are local motor vehicles, especially the ones bearing blue plated, licence numbers. In other words if people who happen to have missed their chance to die on Tuesday, then by all means they should grab the opportunity on Wednesdays.

Trumpets come out of their boxes in every Thursday. By the way, this is also the day being used for the weekly "Send off" parties.

Ah! You may not know what exactly could the words; "Send off" mean here. Well, they mean getting some rather life tired, ladies from their parents or guardian homes, then whisking them to hotels or community halls, where their gullible future husbands will be lead to believe that those are pretty (courtesy of make ups), hard working, ladies ... Ha! Ha! Ha!

"Thanks God it is Friday!" Once sang the American crooner, R. Kelly. Apparently, this is also what most residents here, sing every Friday.

Friday usually signals the end of working days in Arusha, though is normally celebrated by people who hardly work at all.

Whether it is during rainy seasons, Winter (Yes Winter) or Autumn (!?) Arusha Fridays are always hot, but especially in the evening or at least, that’s what the male population say as they rush to the nearest pubs to "cool" their throats, with some frothy liquids served at the right temperature ... or something.

God save us all, but this is usually the day when people get married here.

In other words, the fruits of Arusha Thursdays’ "Send off" projects are normally seen on Saturdays. It is also supposed to be a half working day, but somehow we treat it as a half resting day ... With the other half added of course.

Good Gracious! Tomorrow is Monday but it is today that we are actually concerned with. We go to Church mainly because either our mothers, wives or mother in-laws want us to.

Then we have to sit and weep over our mates who foolishly got themselves cheated into marriage the previous day.

We also weep because it is also the realization day! That is people get to discover the loss of either their wallets of the wallets’ contents

This explains why the following day should be spent at either the Police, court or hospital the local places where money losing excuses are usually formulated.

"...The Money? I spent it bailing out old Steve...!" and "Did you know Jim’s mother is sick, well I visited her at hospital, taking with me a bottle of Ribena (TM), worth Tsh.60,000!".

nkwame@eudoramail.com

Last modified: October 16, 2003.
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