Leo ni siku ya furaha kwangu kwani nimechapisha kitabu kipya Chickens in the Bus: More Thoughts on Cultural Differences. Wasomaji wa kitabu changu cha mwanzo Africans and Americans: Embracing Cultual Differences, walikuwa wakiniuliza iwapo ninapangia kuandika kitabu cha pili katika mada ya hicho. Nami nilikuwa nikiwazia, na kwa miaka yapata kumi na tano, nilikuwa nikiandika insha fupi fupi kwa lengo la hatimaye kuzikusanya na kuzichapisha kama kitabu.Mtu anaweza kushangaa iweje nikatumia miaka kumi na tano kuandika kijitabu cha kurasa 40. Ni kwa sababu ninatambua kuwa uandishi bora unahitaji umakini wa hali ya juu. Ninaandika kiIngereza. Papo hapo somo mojawapo ninalofundisha hapa chuoni St. Olafni uandishi bora wa kiIngereza. Ninajua kuwa uandishi wa aina hiyo vigezo vyake ni "simplicity" na "clarity" ya hali ya juu kabisa. Kila sentensi ikidhi vigezo hivyo, na insha nzima ikidhi vigezo hivyo. Ninajikuta nikirebisha andiko langu mara nyingi sana, na ninajikuta ninakwama mara nyingi sana. Lakini baada ya miaka, matunda yanaonekana. Ndivyo ilivyokuwa kwa Chickens in the Bus.
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Leo, tarehe 2 Agosti, 2021, msomaji Dennis J. Bugumba ameweka historia kama msomaji wa kwanza kuchapisha maoni yake kuhusu kitabu hiki. Ameandika hivi katika ukurasa wake wa Facebook:———————— THE "CHICKENS IN THE BUS" IS A STRAIGHT SHOOTER
"The day might come when Africans will be carrying dogs in their cars while frowning upon chickens in the bus." - Joseph L. Mbele.
I have finally got Prof. Joseph Mbele's new book. I am chuffed! As soon as I got it, I went straight to Chapter 4, the "Chickens in the Bus" chapter, and on that chapter, I found the above view by Prof. Mbele absolutely pedagogic.
That view strikes at the heart of the complex nature of the residues left behind by colonialism, including the haughty colonial attitude of the ruling class imposed on the ruled, often dubbed "wanyonge."
The inferiority complex bit is also telling. I think that those who suffer from it due to colonialism are not only prone to the original colonizers; they are also prone to those currently in positions of power and the current structural levers of power. They treat them how they treated the colonizers. Thus, they are effectively still in "colonialism," albeit psychologically.
These are the things that we grapple with, and I have also talked about them in the past. Prof. Mbele's new book unravels a lot more issues like these, and as I anticipated, it is absolutely fascinating. I love reading books like these - liberating and yet enjoyable.
This book is a "straight shooter" - I like that about it. I am still reading it, and I am sure I am bound to bump into more fascinating stuff. But I was very keen to read the "chicken" bit first, and so I went straight to it, and let me tell you, I was not disappointed.
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