When I was in Livingstonia, Rumphi East, 2 Kwacha stated that Rumphi should have its own group name. After all, we reside in the region with both Nyika National Park and Vwaza Game Reserve, very remote and equally roughing it. And so he founded the Nyika Klan, symbolized by NTK, the T for Tumbuka: the language of the region. He also concocted a finger snap as our gang sign, along with various gang traits that would inevitably make us feared and renowned such as: carrying a bag filled with rocks wherever we travelled, telling far-fetched tales of our adventures in Nyika, and other such feats of grandeur.
On my way home, I stayed the night at Wellesley’s. I told her about the name we decided on for our region and she agreed we needed a name, but was disappointed with Nyika Klan. After contemplating many names into the night over Gold Brand, she suggested Rumphi Ruckus. It sounded fine to me, equally valiant. They next day, once I was home, I received the following message rap from Wellesley, who took a hip-hop elective at Wellesley (hence the name).
Spoken in the voice of Snoop Dogg:
Rollin into Rumphi,
Dust up on my teeth,
Wondering if I’m ever goin’ like corned beef,
Some people are azungu,
Other are black,
But all heads turn when baby’s got back.
Chill at Wene na Wene,
Chuggin coke and capitalism down,
But never any doubt that Rumphi Rukus holds the crown.
Say what?!?!?
To provide a little background, the previous day, hungry for protein, we bought a can of corned beef, which neither of us has ever had before. It was disgusting, even protein-starved, we could not eat it. The initial taste was palatable but the pungent, processed after taste would not abandon our mouths. So, as is tradition whenever we are in Bolero, we went to Wene na Wene for Cokes (or Fantas) and mandazis. Wene na Wene is run by Wellesley’s neighbor Mapesi and it’s a nice shop with good mandazis. We usually stop in to eat and drink in the shade, out of the scorching sun. Also, Bolero, being a trading center, has electricity, which means cold sodas. However, recently, Wellesley reinstated her boycott of corporate America and refused to drink Coca Cola or Fanta or Sprite, opting instead for Malawian Sobo brand soda.
I have no such hesitation and drink my delicious Coke and Fanta (which taste much better in a glass bottle) and eat my mandazi. Capitalism never tasted so good, especially here because it is flavored with sugar as opposed to corn syrup, as in the states.
The other references to explain are azungu and the dust. Azungu is a white person. The dust refers to the face full of dust one accumulates travelling in Rumphi West. The only transport is a matola, which is just a flat bed truck and people sit/stand in the bed. The roads are dirt and rocks, and when vehicles move they create a cloud of dust in their trail, where the bed happens to be. So we generally have a nice coat of dust once we arrive at our destination.
Say what?!?!?
“Why is your bag so heavy?”
“It’s filled with rocks. That’s how we travel in the Nyika Klan!”
“It’s filled with rocks. That’s how we travel in the Nyika Klan!”
Spoken in the voice of Snoop Dogg:
Rollin into Rumphi,
Dust up on my teeth,
Wondering if I’m ever goin’ like corned beef,
Some people are azungu,
Other are black,
But all heads turn when baby’s got back.
Chill at Wene na Wene,
Chuggin coke and capitalism down,
But never any doubt that Rumphi Rukus holds the crown.
Say what?!?!?
To provide a little background, the previous day, hungry for protein, we bought a can of corned beef, which neither of us has ever had before. It was disgusting, even protein-starved, we could not eat it. The initial taste was palatable but the pungent, processed after taste would not abandon our mouths. So, as is tradition whenever we are in Bolero, we went to Wene na Wene for Cokes (or Fantas) and mandazis. Wene na Wene is run by Wellesley’s neighbor Mapesi and it’s a nice shop with good mandazis. We usually stop in to eat and drink in the shade, out of the scorching sun. Also, Bolero, being a trading center, has electricity, which means cold sodas. However, recently, Wellesley reinstated her boycott of corporate America and refused to drink Coca Cola or Fanta or Sprite, opting instead for Malawian Sobo brand soda.
I have no such hesitation and drink my delicious Coke and Fanta (which taste much better in a glass bottle) and eat my mandazi. Capitalism never tasted so good, especially here because it is flavored with sugar as opposed to corn syrup, as in the states.
The other references to explain are azungu and the dust. Azungu is a white person. The dust refers to the face full of dust one accumulates travelling in Rumphi West. The only transport is a matola, which is just a flat bed truck and people sit/stand in the bed. The roads are dirt and rocks, and when vehicles move they create a cloud of dust in their trail, where the bed happens to be. So we generally have a nice coat of dust once we arrive at our destination.
Say what?!?!?
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