A Day Before Mass
By The Author [When My Mind is Liberated]
For many people, Christmas is another miserable holiday season.
After a whole long year, many people are not looking forward to days of show-offs, glitter and fake Ho, Ho, Hos! Nor do they look forward to days of Father Christmas and Snow and laughter and family gatherings and more plastic.
For many, especially the ones with no name and no face, life is going to be as tough as before, if not more undesirable.
We have learnt that some people, the ones with education, plans and mostly connections, go on long journeys, expensive holidays and safaris and retreats. They are the ones Christmas was initially designed for; tailor-made to fit their deep pockets.
These, not so Holy Days, are in real sense economic holidays and not for the statistically poor Namibians. It is just a ritual for the fortunate ones and blessings for the chosen ones.
For the rest of the citizens, Christmas Day is just a manifestation of poverty in the midst of wealth; starvation during a season of celebrations and festivals.
Makes me think of the biblical story the days are supposed to commemorate, the struggles the God-given child and his parents went through. Is this not a reincarnation of the actual story but told and experienced from the other side? Just “thoughting”.
Nobody is really thinking about the less fortunate human lives trapped in starved and exhausted bodies of the poor. Nobody, meaning politicians and their tender-preneurs and smart partners are bothered by the social decay currently filling the air with a stench of rot and death; odours of forgotten dreams and miscarriage desires for a better Christmas with family and friends.
A Merry Christmas remains nothing but the animals in fables that can talk and can be emotional when disrespected.
We are but situations, in the convictions of motivational speakers and writers of success stories. Characters birthed by Authors and called lazy and not creative enough to survive the hardship of this artificial poverty.
We are but the shadows that fill the blank spots behind objects illuminated by bright twinkling colourful lights of decorations in the streets.
So many of us have become observers in an annual tradition of spend and spend and never get broke. Should we spend we have to face a lady called Ousie January, a worry-free lady whom we have over the years demonised. When she comes after December, we get so worried that we end up hallucinating that the month of January has extra days that are both long and shrewd.
In conclusion, for the many who will be braving these hungry roads, make sure to pour a drink for the ancestors to protect you through your journeys. By now you all know the appetite of death and how it constantly enjoys snatching our loved ones during these holy days.
Wait… Coming to think of it; who is taking our loved ones hoeka? I mean some people always say “God giveth and He also taketh…” People please make sure to escape the wrath of our stupidity by opting for safe travels and not road carnage.
