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Mzee Kazungu, Corona and respect

Pandemic reflections from Malindi inland

28-10-2020 by Freddie del Curatolo

In the quiet village of Kakoneni, in the middle of the great valley of Galana, life as always flowed quietly.
The virus seemed never to have passed through there. The only restrictions were the lack of money to buy a little more flour, the endemic lack of good water from the taps in the Mawasco, which forced the river to filter it, but according to NEMA experts who had come a few weeks earlier to carry out surveys, it was increasingly polluted. So much so that sometimes a hippopotamus was passing through more swollen than usual on its stomach.
Grandpa Kazungu had some money saved up, but he considered it immoral to be able to afford to make his tea with mineral water, so he forced his third wife Conjestina to walk 7 kilometres to the Chinese well, where she paid 10 shillings a litre for the clean water.
While he was sipping his "chai" sitting in the shade of the big ficus, his nephew Kitsao arrived.
For a long time, because of the pandemic, the schools were closed and the boys, apart from playing football and hunting snakes, did not know how to commit time without having to spend money.
The favourite pastime would have been for them to play with their mobile phones too, but in a few years they could afford one.
"Bye Grandpa, I'm off to Malindi."
"Where's the mask?"
"It's in my pocket, if I meet the police..."
"You should always wear it, though..."
"But Grandpa ... the Crown is an invention!"
"No, son, it's not an invention. The virus exists.
"So let's say it's an exaggeration."
"What do you mean, wise guy?"
"In the sense that every day in Kenya 1000 people die of malaria, 200 of tuberculosis, 100 of cancer and only a dozen Crowns. Explain to me why we have to put the mask on, we can't go to school, we have to keep our distance, we have to go home soon?"
"Because there is a small difference from other diseases, nephew. The virus attacks from person to person and therefore, even if fewer people die and only a small percentage get seriously ill, those people depend on your respect. It is you who could kill your grandfather, it is the students who could have infected the headmaster of Mombasa who was fine but died".
"So all the mess that happened in the world is a matter of respect?"
"It's a matter that everyone can infect everyone, that it's not just about us poor people or just those who smoke a lot of cigarettes, that you don't have to protect yourself from mosquitoes or try to use clean water. You may be asymptomatic and attack the Crown on a family man who suffocates to death".
"How tragic you are, grandpa...you have to die of something. And why does no one think that way about road accidents?"
"How so, Kitsao?
"Because when you're driving you might crash into another car or run over someone, so nobody has to drive anymore, or you drive at 40 km/h, you never overtake and you don't drive at all at night.
"Well, that's a bit of a wild comparison, my little genius. You don't know you have the virus, you take it for your misconduct or carelessness. You have the car under your ass and you should know how to drive it, the rules are much more serious and are sanctioned. In fact no one will ever arrest you if you infect your grandfather, while if you are guilty of a fatal accident you will have a bad time".
"But this Crown thing doesn't convince me... too many people, too many governments and companies have marched on it".
"It always happens like that, nephew. Everyone has his own interests and exploits the situation. We are a race of sheep ready to turn into vultures. It would be like picking on pharmacists or undertakers. Or the journalists who edit the news to get it read".
"Or with politicians seeking consensus..."
"Wow, what an adult phrase, my little Kitsao."
"I read it in a Facebook post...now I'm going to say goodbye to you, I'm going to kill some old people. But I won't kiss you, I respect distances with you, grandpa, because I love you!"

TAGS: nonno kazunguracconti kenyacorona kenyapandemia kenyacovid-19 malindi

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