Growing up in the ghetto…a walk down memory lane

By Herman Moyo

Growing up in the ghetto we were admonished against eating food at the neighbours, instead we were ordered to respond to such invitation with a firm ‘I’m full thank you very much’ answer.

This arrangement served a myriad of ends the main one being self serving. You wouldn’t want to set off tongues wagging about how you had unleashed your half starving progeny loose on the community. Not on your watch.

But there were also perfectly fine reasons too for the freakish control, like the avoidance of double dipping.

It was not uncommon for kids to go and impose on other people’s supper thereby causing a rationing of already meagre supplies when in fact there was a full meal waiting at home.

This declaration and decree on kukwata or ukugalila was supposed to be absolute, final and no correspondence will be entered into kind of situation.

But as everyone knows there’s always the exception that proves the rule (Try telling that to a ten year old drooling over frying chips and sizzling Russians).

Imagine you go visiting your bestie with junior in tow, you’re offered cold drinks and digestive creams and you gracefully accept. But junior is having none of it. He’s sticking to the script: I’m full.

Bestie is nonplussed ‘So you told him not to eat here?’

The both of you turn on junior, you beg, you cajole ‘Eat junior this is home’.

He knows it’s not home but best of all, he knows he’s got you cornered.

All the king’s horses and all the king’s men will not move him. I’m full. For a cold drink and biscuits?. I’m full. Ok just the cold drink then? I’m full.

You’re almost choking on your digestives with exasperation. This, this little brat who thrives not only on breaking all man made rules and laws, (he doesn’t even spare the Devine ones) is standing his ground on this one.

And he gives you the ‘look’ For the uninitiated, the ‘look’ is that nonverbal communication of disapproval, disappointment and you haven’t heard the last of this look, all contained in a single glance.

Ordinarily it’s served by the greater on the lesser in morality, when shouting and the pulling of ears would be a public spectacle and thus impolitic.

You know as sure as God made little green apples, payback is coming. Karma will be dropping karmic fruit on you.

And she doesn’t disappoint. You’ve barely left your half eaten condiments and said your goodbyes when junior delivers the coup de grace: you’re a cheat and a liar.

You know it’s the gospel truth and it makes you feel like a phoney-baloney deep down in your soul.

That my good friends is a metaphor for the geriatric Biden and that diminutive and diminishing Indian brother in the fish and chip island, both at the fag end of their tutelage. Sunak, look around you; you’re being used bro!

In their watch, the rules based world order has been rubbished. The blood of innocents drip from their hands.

They are not alone in this. The so called international community and their institutions, have, in the main, stood by twiddling their thumbs while ethnic cleansing and a genocide unravel in plain sight

United Nations Security Council is no longer fit for purpose, its veto power is discriminatory and archaic. It has to be urgently reformed or abandoned. Full stop.

The world at large is being held to ransom by the half truths and whole lies coming from the region of Palestine.

When legitimate concerns are raised, people are labeled as antisemitic. Some lose their livelihoods while some are booted out of institutions of higher learning etc, etc. It’s the cancel culture gone awry. The madness must stop.

Nations must stand up and be counted. They must say no to mindless conformism, the herd mentality.

Arab countries in the vicinity need to come out of their shell. They need to be courageous and strong in the face of such indifference of the world if they’re not to be seen as putting filthy American lucre above the lives of innocent women and children of Gaza.

America, Britain and their ilk can wax lyrical all they want about human rights. Talk is cheap. They have proven beyond any measure of doubt that they can talk the talk but can’t walk the walk.