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The Rain (arne
BY GRACE OGOT
.. T he l:hief W:IS still far from the gate when his daughter Ogamb s:'tw
him. She r:'tn to meet him. Breathlessly she asked her father, " \Nh:ll is the
news, gre:'tt Chief? Everyone in the vi llage is anxiollsly waiting to hear when
it will rain." Labong'o held Out his h:lnds for his daughter but he did nor S:lY
a word. Pm.zled by her Either's cold attitude Ogand:l ran b:'tck to the vilbge
to w;lrn the odlers dl:l t the chief was back.
The atmosphere in the village was tense and confused. Everyone
moved :lntl fussed in the ya rd widlOut actually doing any work. A
young woman whispered to her co-wife, "If they have not solved dlis rain
business today, dle chief will crack." They had watched him getting thinner
and dli nner li S the people kept on pestering him. "Our canle lie dying in the
fields," they reported. "$oon it will be our children :lI1d then ourselves. Tell
liS wh:n to do to save our lives, oh great Chief." So the chief had daily
prayed with the Almighty through the anceSlOrs to deliver them from dleir
distress.
Instead of <.:ollling the family togedler and briving them the news imme-
dialely, Labong'o wenl to his own hut , a sign that he was not to be dis-
I"\lrhed. I laving replaced the shutter, he sal in the dimly lit hut to COtHCtn-
plate.
It was no longel" a question uf bt:ing tht: c.:hit:f uf hunger-stricken peo-
ple that weighed Labong'o's heart. It was dle life of his unly (bughter th:1l
was al .,t:lkc. At the lillie when Ogand:l came to meet him, he " ;IW thl" g: ln-
tering chain shining around her waist. The prophecy was COrtlplet l" . '" It
0b'lnda, Oganda, my only daughter, who must die so yutln!! ." 1 . llum,!{'u
28 A FRI C A
IIlIN uuo tears hefore finishing the sentence. The chief must nOt weep.
\ Ol"Il"ty had declared him the bravest of men. But Labong' o did not care
He assumed the position of a simple father :lnd wept bitterly. He
his people, dle Luo, but what were dIe Luo for him withom Oganda?
ller life had brought a new life in L:lbong' o's world and he ruled better than
III: could remember. How would the spiril of the village survive his beautiful
II.ULJ.:"htet? "There are so many hOlllcs and sO"" many parents who have
Why choose this one? She is all I have. " Labong'o spoke as if the
were there in the hut and he could see dlem face to face. Perhaps
Ihn ' were dlere, warning him to remember his promise on the day he was
"l1lilroned when he said aloud, before the elders, "I will lay down life, if
11t'l"eSsary, and the life of my household, to save this tribe from dIe hands of
,Ill' enet;IY." "Deny! Deny!" he could hear the voice of his forefathers mock-
ilt /i him.
When Labong'o was consecrated chief he was only a young man.
( ' lIhkc his father, he ruled for many years with only one wife. Bm people
tt'''lIked him be(."";IUse his only wife did not bear him:l (bughter. He marri ed
.1 ,cl:Ond, a third, and a fourdl wife. Bur they all gave birdl to male children.
When Labong'o married a fifth wife she bore him a daugillcr. They called
her Oganda, meaning "beans," because her skin was very fair. Out of
I.tho ng' o's fwenty children, Oganda was the only girl. Though she was the
rhters f,lVou rite, her mother's co-wives SW:lllowcd their jealous feelings and
_h"wcred her with love. After all, they said, O!,r.lI1da was a female child
" h".,e days in the royal family were numbered. She woul d soon marry at a
1l'1l(lcr age and leave the enviable position to someone else.
Never in his life had he been faced with such an impossible decision.
to yield to the raimn:lker's reques1 would mean sacrificing the
wh/)I e tribe, putting the interests of the individual above dlOse of dle soci-
j' l \ ,\ Iore th;\n lhat. It would mean disobeying the ancestors, and most
prflh:lbl y wi ping the Luo people from the surface of the ea rth. On the other
h.rrt d, to let Og,mda die as a ransom for the people woul d permanently crip-
plr: I.abong'o spiriruall y. Il c knew he would never be the sa llie chief ag-ain.
The words of Ndithi, the medicine man, sull echoed in his cars.
"I' odho, the ancestor of thc Luo, :lppeared 1"0 mc in a dream last night , and
Ill" .1, ked me to speak 10 the chief and the people," Ndithi had said to the
he ring of tribesmen. "A young WOI11:\I1 who has not known a man must
dtr '0 that the COlilltry may have rain. \Vhile Puclho was still talking to me,
I \ ;1\\ a young woman standing at the lakeside, her raised. abm'e her
T .. , ro ...... ?Q
head. I-ler skm was as fJir a!> the skin of young deer III the wilderness. Il er
tall slender hglJre stood like a lonely reed at the ri\'erbank. Her sleepy cyes
wore ,I sad look like that of a bereaved mother. She wore a gold ring on her
left car, and a glittering brass chain around her waist. As I sti ll marvelled at
the beauty of this young woman, Podho tOld me, 'Om of all the women in
this land, we have chosen this one. Let he r offer herself a sacrifice to the
lake monster! And on that day, the rain will come down in torrents. Let
everyone stay at home on that day, lest he be carried away by the floods'."
Omside there was a strange sti ll ness, except for the thirsty birds that
sang lazily on the dying trees. The blinding midday heat had forced the
peoplc to retire to their huts. Not far away from the chicrs hur, two guards
were snoring away quietly. Labong'o removed his crown and the large cagle
head th;lr hung loosely on his shoulders. He left the hut, ;1I1d instead of ask-
ing Nyabog'o the messenger to beat the drum, he wem straight and beat it
himself. In no time the whole household had assembled under the siala tree
where he usually addressed them. I-Ie told Oganda to wait a while in her
grandmother's hut.
"Vhell Labong'o stood to address his household, his voice was hoarse
and the te,lrs choked him. He started to spe:lk, but words refused to leave
his lips. His wives and sons knew there was great danger. Perhaps ulcir ene-
mies had declared war on them. Labong'o's eyes were red, and they could
see he had been weeping. At last he told them. "One wholll we love and
treasure must be taken away from liS. Oganda is to die." Labong'o's voice
was so faint, that he could not hear it himself. But he continued. "The
anceSlors h:lVe chosen her to be offered as a s:.crifi ce to thc l:lke monster in
order Ulat we may have rain."
They were completely stunned. As :I confused murmur broke out,
Ogallda's mother faimed and was ca rried off to her own hut. But the other
people rejoi ced. The)' danced around singing and chanting, "Oganda is the
lucky one to die for ule people. If it is to save the people, let O{,Tilncla go."
In her grandmother's hut Oganda wondered what the whole f:lmily
were discussmg about her that she could not hear. Iler grandmodler's hut
was well ;Iway frOI1l rhe chien; coun and, much:lS she str:tined her cars, she
could not hear what was s:ud. ,; It must be marriage." she concluded. It wa,>
an accepted custom for the f:lmily to discuss their d,HLghter's future mar-
riage behind her h:lck. A faint smile pbyed on Og:lnda's lip" ,lS she thought
of the sevaal young men who swallowed sali"a at the mcre menlJon of her
name.
There was K(;ch, the son of a neighbouring clan elder. Kcch very
h:lndsomc. lie had sweet, meek eyes and :1 rO:lring laughter. li e would make
;t wonderful fadler, Ogand:l thought. But they would not he a good match.
Kech :t bit too shon to ue her husuand. It would humiliate her to have
to look down at Kech each time she spoke to him. Then she thought of
Dirno, the tal! young man who had already distinguished himself as a brave
warrior and an outstanding wrestler. Dilllo adored Og:tnda, but Oganda
thought he would make :I cruel husband, always quarrelling and ready to
tight. No, she did not like him. Og;tnda fingered the glittering chain on her
II :tist as she ulOught of Osinda. A long time ago when she W:IS quite young
Osincb had given her t hat chain, and instead of we:1ring it :lround her neck
",:veral times, she wore it round her waist where it could stay permanently.
She heard her heart pounding so loudly as she thought of him. She whis-
pcred, "Let it be you they arc discussing, Osind:l, the lovely one. Come now
.HId take me away ... "
The lean figure in lhe doorway startled Oganda who was rapt in
thought about dIe man she Imcd. "You have frightened mc, Crandma," said
{)ganda laughing. "Tell me, is it my marriage you were discussing? You ca n
Like it from me th:ltl won't 1lI:lrry :lIly of them." A smile played on her lips
.Igain. She was coaxing the old lady to tell her quickly, to tel! her they were
ple;lsed with Osinda.
In the open space outside the excited rcl:lti,cs were danclIlg and sing-
lug. They were corning to the hut now, each carrying a gift to put at Og:m-
d.1 \ feet. A:. their si nging got nearer Oganda was able to hear whal they
\\ere s:1ying: "If it is to save the people, if it is to give us r:lill, let Ol-,'anda go.
l.et Ogand:1 die for her people, :lnd for her \Vas she mad to
thmk that they were singing about her? How could she die? She found the
Iran fif,"ure of her grandmother barring the door. She could nor get Ollt.
The look on her brr.mdmouler'<; f:lce warned her that there was danger
.Iround the corner. "Grandma, it is not Itl:lrriage then?" Oganda asked
urgently. She suddenly felt panicky like a mouse cornered by a hungry caL
h'r!{crting that there was only one door in the hut Og.llld:t fOllght de:.per-
.ltd} to find another exit. She must fif,"ln for her life. But there was none.
She her eyes, leapt like a wild tiger through the door, knocking
Ilcr grandmother fi:1t to the ground. There outside In llIolirning garments
I,;tllong'o .. tood ltlotionless, IllS h:tnds j()lded at the b:lck. lie held hi:.
lund and led her away from the excited crowd to the little red-
p.lllltrd hut where her mother ,\:tS Ilere he broke the news offi-
cially lO his daughter.
For a long time the three souls who loved one another dearly s:1l m
darkness. It was no good speaking. And even if they tried, the words could
not have come OUL In [he past they had ueen like three cooking SlOnes,
sharing their burdens. Oganda away fTom them would IC3vc two
useless stones which would not hold a cooking pot.
News Ul:ll the beautiful daughter of the chief was to be sacrificed lo
give [he people r.lin spread across the country like wind. At sunset the
chiePs village was full of relatives and friends who had come to congr:ltulate
Oganda. Many more wcrc on their w:ly comi ng, carrying dleir gifts. They
would dance till morning to keep her company. And in the morning they
would prep:lre her :1 big farewell feast. All dlese relatives ulOuglll it a gre;n
honour to be selected by dIe spiri ts to die, in order that dIe society may live.
"Oganda's name will always rem:lin a living name among us," [hey boasted.
But was it m:nernallove that prevented Minya from rejoicing with the
odIeI' wOlllen? Vl:t s il the memory of the agony and pain of childbirdl that
made her feci so sorrowful? Or was it the deep warmUI and undersl:lnding
that passes between ;J slH.: kling b:lbe and her maUler UI:U made Uganda p:lrt
of her life, her Of course it was an honour, a great honour, for her
daughter to be chosen to die for the country. But what could she brain once
her only daughter was blown away by the wind? There were so many other
wOlllcn in the land, why choose her daughter, her only child! Ilad human
life any meaning at all-other women had houses full of children while she,
Minya, had to lose her only chi ld!
In the cloudless sky ute moon shone brightly, and the numerous stars
glinered with :, bewitching beaury. The da ncers of alt age groups assembled
to dance before Oganda, who sat close to her mother, sobbing quietl y. All
these ye:lrs she had been with her people she ulOught she understood them.
But now she discovered that she W;IS a stranger among them. If they loved
her as they had professed why were they not making any attempt to
save her? Did her people really understand wh:n it felt like to die young?
Unable to restr:lin her emotions any longer, she sobbed loudly as her agc '
group g()\ up to <"mc..:e . The)1 were young and beautiful and very soon they
would Imrry and have their own children. They would have U)
love ,1Ild little huts for themselves. They would h'lVe rC:lched Ill:ltllriry.
Og;lnda touched the cham .L round her wa ist as she thought of Osill(la. She
WI ... hed O..,intb was there toO, among her fri ends. "Perhaps he j" ill," she
IlL! 'light gr.lVcly. The cll,lIn comfurted Og:lnda-she would die \\ ith It
32 ...
.Iround her w;list and wear II in lhe underground world.
In the morning a big fe:lsr W:lS prepared for Oganda. The women pre-
p;Lrcd many different tast), dishes so th;1\ she could pick and choose. "People
don't eat after death," they said. DelLciou'i though the food looked, Oganda
touched none of it. Let the happy people cat. She contented herself with
'Ip<; of water from a little calabash.
The time for her departure was drawing ncar, and each minute W;lS
precious. It was a day's journey to the lake. She was to walk all night, pass-
mg through the great forest. But nothing could touch her, not even the
dcnil,ens of the forest. She was already anointed with sacred oil. From the
tHne Of,'<l nda received the sad news she h:ld expected Osinda to appear any
11iOmetH. But he was not there. A relative told her lhat Osi nda was away on
.1 priv'1te visit. Ogand:l realized that she would never see her beloved again.
[n the late afternoon the whole vilbge stood :It the gate to say good-
[,)'e and to see her for the l:Lst time. Iler muther wept on her neck for:l long
Illlle. The great chief in;J mourning skin came to ute gate barefooted, and
'IIItLgled with the people-a simple ELuler in gricf. I Ie took off hi s wrist
[,cH.:elet and put it on his daughtcr's wrist, s:l ying, "You will always live
.lIllong liS. The spirit of Oll r forefathers is with you."
TOllh'ue-tied and unbelieving, Og:lllda stood there before the people.
"iht: had nothing to say. She looked at her home once more. She could hear
111.:1' hean beating so p:linfully within her. All her childhood plans were com-
111f{ to an end. She felt like a flower nipped in the bud ncver to enjoy thc
l110rni ng dew again. She looked at her weeping muther, and whispered,
"\\'Itenever you want to sec me, always look at the sunsel. I will be there."
Oganda turned southward to start her trek to the lake. Il er parents,
It'bllves, friends, and :l dmirers stood at the gate :lnd watched her go.
I ler beautiful slender fib'l.lfI:: grew .... mller and smaller till she mingled
\\lIh the thin dry trees in the forest. As Og:tnda walked the lonel y path that
\\"l1nd its w:ly in the wilderness. she a song, and her own \'oice kept
IIl'r company.
Til e (II/(('.,(or$ Ill/V/: said Ogtlllt/I/ lII/lsl dit,
Tbe t/llIIgbm of rbt, [bitf'lllllsr h/ J'1/(7'ijiml,
r Vb/'ll fbI' /(ll-i' 1IIQUSft"" Ji'eds QII 111.'1 JlIsil.
Tbe prop/r 7v I II bllt'/' /'(1111.
les. fbi' /'filii il,ill ronit' dO-ill" /11 for'l'elu.r .
. Iud fbi' Ilootir 7./'1/1 'il'/lfb II11'f1y rbi' $lllIdy bl'llrbt'J
T , ." c. " r ... c
Wbm the titllflf,httr of tbt cbief tlies ill (be iakl'.
,\ flge WOllp bliS CGIISI7Iftd
1\ly pllrcllts bllve {ollscllfrd
So bflVe my jrielllis a71d relatives.
Lt'I Dgmlt"l die to give lIS mil1.
Aly age grollp fire JOlIlIg 1/1/{/ t"ipt',
RipI' for w0111fwbootilllld
/Jilt Ogllmitl 1II1lst die YOllng,
Ogfll/{itl 1II11-St sleep witb (be flllceslo,"s.
l'is. m111 lVi/l come ,tuum ill t()1Tt'1/lS.
The red rays of the setti ng sun embr;l<.:ed Oganda, and she looked like :1
burning candle in the wilderness.
The people who came to hear her sad song were touched by her
beauty. But they all soli d the sa me thing. "If it is to save the people, if it is to
give us rain, then be not afr:lid. Your n:Ulle will forever live among us."
At midnight Ogand:l was tired and weary. She could walk no more.
She sat under a big tree, :md having sipped water from her C:lbhash, she
reste(l her head on the tree trunk and slept.
\<\' hen Oganda woke up in the morning the sun was high in the sky.
After wa lking for rn:lt1y hours, she reachcd the lmlg', a strip of bnd that sep-
arated the inhabited p:lrt of the country from the sacred place (lUll" Itllllo).
No layman could elllcr this pl:lce :wd come out alive-only those who had
direct contact with rhe spirits and the Almighty were allowed to enter this
holy of holies. But Og;mda had to pass through this sacred land on her way
to the bke, which she had to reach at Sllllsel.
A large crowd gathered to sec her for thc last time. Iler \'oice was now
ho:!rsc and p:tinful , but thcre W:b no need to worry :!nymore. Soon she
would not have to si ng. The crowd looked at Oganda sympadlcticall y,
mumbling words she coul d not he:! r. But none of them plc:lded for life. As
Oganda opened the gate, a child, a young child, brokc loose from d'e
crowd, ;lnd ran toward he r, The child took a small earring from her sweary
hands :llld g:l\'e it to Og:IJl(la saying, "\Vhcn you rcach rhe world of lhe
dcad, give lhis e:lrring to my siSler. Shc died last wcek. She forgot this ring."
Og:lnd:l, taken 3bad by Ule strange requcst, took the little rmg, and handed
her \\:lIer :md food to the child. She did nor need them now.
Og:mda did not know whether 10 laugh or cr)'. She h3d heard
"l'ndlllg Ihelr love LO their ,>weerheans, long dead, but this ide,l 01
was new to her.
Og-and:l beld her breath :1' she cro,>sed the b,trrier to enter ule sacred
LlIllL She looked appealinglY:"II rhe crowd, bur there was no rcsponse. Their
1UIIHIs wcre too preoccupied widl dleir own SUrviV:11. Rain W:lS the precious
IIIcdicine they were longing for, and the sooner O!,'lInda could ger to her
de'tinaoon the better.
A str:lnge feeling possessed Oganda as she picked her way in the
land. There were str.\nge noises th3t often startled her, and her firsr
fc,lction W:1S to rake to her heels. But she remembered that she had to fulfill
IIIl" wish of her people. She was exhausted. but the path was sti ll winding.
J hell suddenl y the padl ended on sandy land. The water had retreated kilo-
IlIcrrcs away from the shore le3ving:t wide stretch of S3nd. Bc}'ond this was
Iht.: \'ast expa nse of water.
Og:lnda fclt afraid. She wanted to picture the size and sha pe of the
IllIfIlster, but fcar would not let her. The society did not talk ir, nor
dltllhe crying children who wcrc silenced by thc mention of n;l llle. The
'>\ 11l was still up, but it was no longer hot. For a long time Oganda walked
IllIlle-deep in the sand. She W:IS exhausted and longcd desperately for her
\'.ll.lbash of W3ter. As she moved on, she had a strange feeling that some-
riling was following her. \,Vas it the monster? ll er h3ir stood crect, and a
lold paral)l"l.ing feeling r.m ;t long her spine. She looked behind, sideways,
111111 III front, bur there was nothing, excepr a cloud of dust.
Ogand:l pull ed up and hurried bill the feeling did not leave her, and
ha whole body became S:lrurated with perspiration.
The sun was going down fast :lIld the bke shore seemed to move along
"llhit.
Og:lI1d;t sta rted to run. She IllllSt be :11 the 1:lkc uefore sunset. As she
1.11\ hc;trd :1 noise coming from behind. She looked back sha rpl y, and
\oll lething resembling :1 moving bush was fr:mlicilly nlllning after her. It
1\ .1' :thout to catch up with her.
Og;\Ilcb rail with :111 her strength. She W:1S 1I0W determined to throw
JIl\\c!f into the warer even hefore sunset. She did nm look back, but the
\ It.Hurt! was upon her. She made an effort 10 cry out, as in :I nightmare, but
could not hear her own voice. Thl: cre:llure caught up With Og:lIld3. In
IIlter confusion, as Og:lIld:l CIIIIC face with the unidentified creaturc, :1
h:lIld grabbed her. 13tH "he fell Har on the 'i:llld :tlld fainted.
\\'hen the lake breC7.e hroughl hcr h:lck 10 :t man was
m't.:r her ............. Og:lIlda opcned her lIJouth to "pc;lk, hUI sht.:
T". 0 r ... .. "::Ie:;;
h:HI lost her vOIce. She swallowed ;1 mouthful of W:lrcr poured Into her
mouth by the srr:mger.
"Osinda, Osinda! Plc;}"e let me die. Let me run, the sun IS gOlllg
down. Let me die, leI them have rain," Osinda fondled the glittering chain
around Og:lIlda's \\:1151 and wiped the tears from her fuet.
"\\'e must esc:lpe quickly 10 the unknown land," Osinda said urgently.
"H'c must rlln away from the wrath of the ancestors and the rctali;ltion of
the monster. "
"But the curse is uponillc. Osinda, I :lIn no good to yOll anymore. And
moreover rhe eyes of the ;mccslOrs will follow us e"erywhere :lnd bad luck
will befall us. Nor c;m we CSClpe from the monster."
Og:mda broke loose, :lfr:lid to escape, bUl Osind:\ grabbed her h:mds
;lg:lIll.
';Listcn to me, Oganda ! Listen! Il ere are two coats!" lie then covered
the whole of Ogan&l's body, except her eyes, widl a leafy attire m.lde from
the twigs of B1l'o'flllrwc. "T hese will protect us from the t!)'es of thc :lnCeSfOrS
,md the wr.lth of the monster. Now let us run Ollt of here." l ie held Ogan-
(b's hand and thc)' rail from the S:lcrcd bnd, avoiding the padl that Oganda
h:ld followed.
The bush wa .. thick, :l1ld [he long gras:. eIHangled dleir feet as they
ran. I ialfway through the s.lcred land [hey stopped and looked back. The
sun was almost tOllching the :.urface of the WaleI'. They were fri ghtened.
Thcy continued to rUIl, nuw to avoid the sinkmg sun.
" 11 :l\'e (;Iilh, Og;lIlda- that dung will not reach us."
\,Vhen they rC:l ched dIe b:lrrier and looked behind them trembling,
only a lip of Ihe sun could be '>cen above the w:Hers
"It is gone! It i ... gone!" Ogand:l wepl, hiding her face in her hands.
" \Veep not, d:lughtcr of [he chief. Let us rUIl, lei us escape."
There was a bright lighullng-. They looked up, frightencd. Above
thcm black furious douds "t:mel! [0 g:llhcr. They hegan to rUIl. Then the
thunder !'Oared, and U1C r:lin ClIlli.: down in
36 AI'''' rA
1