A Story in Three Parts - Part 2

A Story in Three Parts – Part 2

Part 1

For lack of a better term, there is a crazy lady at Uswaa. She is everywhere and she makes her presence known. On the first Sunday I was here she was up front dancing away with the choir and singing at the top of her lungs. Neither the dancing nor the singing were in synch with what the choir was doing, but everyone just ignored her and carried on.

She attends all of the funerals and usually pushes her way up through the front of the crowd to sit with the family.

She is often seen just walking along the side of the road and when she sees the pastor’s car coming she’ll run out into the middle screaming something I don’t understand, but I’m also pretty sure that the Swahili speakers don’t understand either.

I’ve seen her out by the river just standing staring into space.

I saw her at Pastor Mwanga’s funeral where she had climbed up on a tree stump and was giving a sermon of her own during the burial.

Last Sunday at Nkiraawanga she was there and during the auction after the service she was sitting trying to carry on a conversation with John not aware at all that he did not comprehend anything she said.

After the service she was throwing rocks at our car as we were driving away, demanding money or she wouldn’t stop. One of the elders chased her off down the road.

In some ways it’s a bit comical to see her in so many places. I pretty much know that wherever I go, if there is any sort of public gathering, the crazy lady is going to be there. People know who she is and what she does and they pretty much put up with her, she is a part of their community.

I suppose this story could stand on its own, this is again another story of the strong sense of community in the Uswaa village. But, this is only part two of my story and as is almost always the case, there is more to this woman’s story than that she is crazy.