HOW TO THANK YOUR FATHER: The deeds of your Parents and your Lineages
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HOW TO THANK YOUR FATHER: The deeds of your Parents and your Lineages
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Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9781491863732 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | AuthorHouse |
| Publication date: | 02/19/2014 |
| Sold by: | Barnes & Noble |
| Format: | eBook |
| Pages: | 116 |
| File size: | 201 KB |
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HOW TO THANK YOUR FATHER
The deeds of your Parents and your Lineages
By Adolfo Makuntima
AuthorHouse LLC
Copyright © 2014 Adolfo MakuntimaAll rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-4918-6371-8
CHAPTER 1
My Father
As it used to happen very often when our father has to leave us in Kinshasa the capital of Congo, to go do business (buying) merchandises in the Bas-Congo province where he also had two or three wives, (les Africains comprennent la polygamie, mais ils ne tolerent pas l'adultere)= (Africans understand polygamy but do not tolerate adultery). We would be left alone with our mother and she would do her best with her grocery commerce (selling) vegetables and fruits, in order to feed us. We were 8 children from the same father and mother but later on we lost one of our sisters, the lastborn.
In situations like these ones, I would seek help from members of the family from the large side family of my father. One day, I went to pay a few days visit to my cousin, the big brother, a son of my paternal uncle. I arrived in the evening. We spent the night and the following morning, while I was sitting on the chair in the yard and each one other has his spot, the youngest cousin, a son of my same uncle came to me with a jar of water; he knelt down on my feet and started washing my feet. Surprised I was, I said in my inner being this is the scene described in the Bible; Jesus washing the feet of his disciples, a sign of humility and a sign of love (as we have been told). Why this cousin is doing this to me?
I had no clue and I let him clean my feet and dry them with the towel. As the family was gathering, one of my cousins, the second big one, asked me the following question: Do you really know your father? I was there smiling and that was my way of answering people who seems suspect to me. And then in the gathering of all the members of the family, especially from the Father side, I replied why are you asking me that question. Then that cousin spoke to me and said: your Father has a healing power. Whenever he goes to the province, when he enters the village, people who knew him will bring gifts to him; those who are sick will come to him for healing and your father will pray for them and they will get well. Then I knew why that cousin came to wash my feet It was by respect of the deeds and power of my father not my ambition of going to the Catholic Seminary and becoming a Priest. I firmly believed my cousins because they used to live in the village where those things used to happen.
Now I was aware of my father, but I knew that he was a man of prayers, in Kinshasa, when he was with us, no matter how the circumstances and the conditions of life looked like, he was day and night praying for the family. Sometimes we would pay attention and sometimes we would not but hear his voice praying in the diverse corners of our house. The house was so big and the work was not achieved. It was clear, our Father built the house in the hope of us the children to finish it and that in reality is what happened.
From that day on, I really knew who my father was, a spiritual and a businessman who wanted his children to go to school and learn and to shape their future for the best by their own efforts. Both father and mother used to tell us that a child must know the price of the bread before his parents are dead. Meaning that a child must be independent and not relying on any inheritance. He also used to tell my uncles, his brother that a child should not to be carried like an egg. The only great legacy was the preparation of mind and spirit my father settled and arranged for us.
In my previous book I explained how my father and mother saved me from two death experiences. It is because of their exploits, feats and bravery that I am still alive today.
In the course of my multiple one on one conversations, my father would come to me, because in my youth, (during my secondary school), I developed the habit of sitting or standing by the window almost every evening and night Just sitting or standing there alone thinking about life or recapitulating the lessons and courses I had memorized. I used to memorize books; from page one to the last page and sometimes I would call a friend to whom I would ask to open the page of the book and follow and listen to me repeating word by word of the book. At the end I would know for sure I was ready for the exam. I was at that time, as we said in Pedagogy; a full head and at the same time a well-done head. My Father would approach me and start giving me advice and wisdom in the term of palaver. He was so interesting, so wise in his parables, so captivating in his father to son dialogues. Most of the time I was smiling to see that he was really educating me and was really paying more attention to me. That became a routine. And I should not forget my mother who was doing the same in her time, but mostly she used to tell us stories of our family while we were eating. Vana dia, vana longi. Time to eat is the time to lecture and teach as her brother, my uncle, told her to practice on us as a ceremony like. So, she used to apply it to us at every meal.
That was the full initiation we were receiving because father always opposed the idea of us, his children going to the village. I realized this at the age of 48 year-old while living in Canada. How among the songs I was composing, one of the songs or may be three, were inspired by the teaching of my parents. So one day, when I discovered that one of the refrains of my songs was century or even a billionaire hold traditional rooted song of the Kongo Kingdom, I said yes mother was right. Father was right. I then understood the need to go to the village to learn the ways of the villagers because the village and the tradition were within us in the heart of Kinshasa, in our own family home.
I mention this fact to justify the reality that you know more than we your children could think and imagine. But make no mistake, Father I knew your power long ago. Everybody who trespassed against you ended up paying anyway. When we were very young Nkaka VEDI, the Kimbanguist Pastor come to our house Lemba to spend some spiritual time with you because you were having difficulties selling the same house where we were living, in the end the house was sold. I knew ceremonies were taking place; and on my own side I do not know how but I used to have dreams about cats. And when Grand Father, the one whose name I carry used to come to the Capital, he would take me to the Bar, la Source, still in Lemba, where he would tell me the story on how in bars in the villages, they attract women. Father you used to bless us with your saliva spit on our forth head, and lift us up in air in your both hands, practice many parent ignore today.
Mama, instead used to put animal bones and leafs and piece of tree and some coin money in the basin where she used to bath us in our infancy; I could not forget all those things; they have strong meanings. Today when I think about life, I know how you both cared for us and blessed us. And you know we did not disappoint. But I must say that you know more and thought us little. Remember that in my forty I have to ask you the true name of our Ancestral God. When you told me the name of our real God, I had doubt, I though you were joking until later on I heard the same name from one of the great spiritual Congolese leader whom I also admire, I then said: my Father was right.
Now, especially when I am feeling like I have to put a stop on my music career, you told me like you already read my mind that I should not stop music. That was your recommendation. But many of the problems I have encountered in this adoptive country I am living in now is largely due to the music I love and I perform; not to mention my passion for school. I know, the late monsieur l'Abbe Mayivangua was right, a white man does not want to see a black intelligent man. And I do not know why, because yes knowledge is money, but it is also help. A friend of mine who is a Doctor told me, after I revealed to him that I am going to publish another book: HOW TO THANK MY FATHER. I verbally gave him the synopsis. He told me if I can write a book explaining how I compose my songs, that will help many young people.
I could not answer him. He is from West Africa. In that part of the world, they believe people accomplish things mostly by cabalistic way, but I am KONGO and as you know Father, my grand grand-Father on my Mother's lineage carried the name SOBA YIMBILA; which means choose to sing. Singing is in my blood, maybe the inspirational songs I continually have comes from Him. Anyway, I will never disappoint you. But on many occasions you said nothing could bother us even after your death. You also always said very important things, I reserve the right to reveal in this book. The reality is that; most of the time I am attacked. I have nonsense challenges from people. But if something happened to me, when and where I cannot take revenge, Father I asked you to strike back, retaliate strongly. If I go to the other side before time, send them also, all of them with their children and wives.
This world, where I am living has shown me no mercy. Therefore, no pity should be theirs. I remember Father, in Linguala in Kinshasa, you cured one man who became your friend. You did it from Makaya Mansi (the herbs of our country), but that friend of yours lost along the way one of his children. Daree was our friend, we went to the mourning night gathering where a ceremony of retaliation was carried on. I remember we were in secondary school, Daree was of our age, and was sent in the Province of Bandundu, where one day, he went to bath in the river 60 centimeters deep and ended up drowning. The enemy took his body and soul. But his family retaliated and in revenge, killed back nine people from the family of those who killed Daree.
Father, that is how you should act if something happened to me before my regular due time-oldness—. Terminate them all, you know the ways; you have the means. If you hesitated, Uncle will never hesitate, and meanwhile, the same way I fought them in the living, I will be hunting those bastards to their deaths here on earth and more when most of them will come to the other side, I will take care of them by making sure that they end up for good into the spiritual prisons of heaven. It sounds silly, but silly must be paid by silliness in order to stop jealousy and bad behaviors. The reader who might be struck by this statement needs to read Schopenhauser when he clearly said:
En ces jours de disillusion et de souffrances, les classes pauvres avaient pour la plupart la consolation des esperances religieuses; mais dans les classes superieures, beaucoup avaient perdu la foi et contemplaient un monde en ruines sans la vision consolatrice d'une vie plus haute dont la justice finale et la beaute feraient oublier ces maux et ces laideurs. Et en verite, il etait assez difficile de croire qu'une planete aussi triste que celle qui s'offrait aux hommes en 1818—en cette instance 2013 pour les Africains—fut soutenue par la main d'un Dieu intelligent et bon.
In these days of disillusion and of suffering, the poor classes had mostly the solace of the religious hopes; but in superiors classes, many people had lost faith and considered the world in ruins without the comforting vision of a higher life among which final justice and beauty would make forget these wrong and this hideousness. And truly, it was rather difficult to think that a so sad planet as the one that presented herself to the men in 1818—in this authority, 2013 for the Africans, was supported by the hand of a clever and good God.
Prior to this piece, I asserted in my first book and repeated my mantra: Let not the circumstances of this life change me. But now based on the reality of life which is, as some philosophers and politicians said: BAD, and the same notion of bad which I can, anyway, find in the Kikongo language NZAMBI; NZA= World and MBI= Bad, meaning that the—world is bad-; therefore, it is without a shadow of doubt that we must all become Mauvais (Bad) and practice the eye for eye teeth for teeth rule in order to gain respect and serious consideration. Other wise, those who treat us bad and to whom we return nothing (as a retaliation) will perpetually be laughing at us.
Was not Machiavelli right in his philosophy? And you do not have to look very far back in history to see how in this world in our time some politicians who used to be good at the beginning of their careers ended up becoming awkward and evildoers because they had really enough of evil deeds that were brought against their lives by other people. So, as a result, they end up becoming bloodsuckers. Not putting aside or ruling out the discourse of Chaka Zulu who once said: "The absolute Power requires the blood of the most important being ..." Meaning the blood of a human being. And this mostly applies to Magicians, witchdoctors, business entrepreneurs, religious leaders and Politicians who are depend on divers sacrifices in order to strengthen their positions just to forget the true source of power and later to realize that they are being evil. It is really sad when you can detect and observe their weird deeds.
"VANA LUZITU KWA FUENE LUZITU, VANA VUEZO KUA FUENE VUEZO"
"GIVE RESPECT TO THOSE WHO DESERVE IT AND DISDAIN TO WHERE IT IS REQUIERED" (Proverb of my Father).
Do not get me wrong, The BaKongo people also stupile (in contradiction of the definition of NZA-MBI) that: Nza ya Mbote kansi mavanga meto ma sueka ntima mavondele Nza= The world is a good place, but the dueling hidden in our hearts is what it is killing the world. It is like I am really going here against the teachings of my Parents who insisted and urged me to do well all the times; no matter what, keep doing good things to people because we do not know where we come from, why we are living here and where we are going. I also have in mind the advice given to me by Papa Nkusu (a spiritual leader from Kongo): Oyo alonaka mabe azuaka mpe mabe, oyo alonaka malamu a pikolaka mpe malamu. (you reap what you sow). I am not departing from these teachings, but I am only changing my attitude vis-à-vis the people of bad intentions and hearts.
I know the maker of Heaven has sent us on this earth to love and cherish one another and to care for everyone as the Instruction of Ptah-Hotep and the Instruction of Ke'Gemni teache, in their domestic and social lives of the 'Old Kingdom.', "We read of the wife, who must be treated kindly at all costs; the genial generosity of the rich man, and the scowling boor, a thorn in the side of his friends and relations, the laughing-stock of all men ..." In the same sense of material welfare rewarding, as a matter of course, an honorable life. Following his reasoning, if a man be obedient as a son, punctilious as a servant, generous and gentle as a master, and courteous as a friend, then all good things shall fall to him. He shall reach a green old age honored by the King, and his memory shall be long in the land. (P.31). Believe me I followed and practiced all of these theories and I have been living the wisdom of MAAT described in the book THE HUSIA, that the creator "Di.FAnkh" gives life; Human beings in turn must give that which sustains life—both mental and physical. (XI). And to continue the creator RA said:
"I made every person like his and her fellow; and I did not command them to do evil ..." which all of this symbolizes the sacred wisdom of the Black man of our Ancestors which is not respected anymore; just to be replaced by Jean Jacques Rousseau's saying that:
"Humans (men and women) are born good but nature or environment make them Evil." Indeed we must save our race from playing the rules of the evil one; but I always question myself: if this is the case, what would be the rewards and fate of a good person on this Earth? Because it seems like evil people are living better lives compare to those who do the well ...
So, the line to draw here is the following: Be good to those who are good to you and be very evil to those who are Evil. Amadou Hampate Ba put it clearly that:
O Wangrin! Mon ami! Quand un homme malpropre au moral et au physique te donne dans l'ombre un coup de pied, il faut lui en donner dix publiquement, sinon le salaud ira dire partout que la nature t'a prive de membres pour repondre.
O Wangrin! My friend! When a dirty man or woman in morale and in physical appearance gives you in (darkness) or shade a kick, it is necessary to give him ten publicly, otherwise the bastard will go to say everywhere that nature has deprived you members to struck back [my own translation].
(Continues...)
Excerpted from HOW TO THANK YOUR FATHER by Adolfo Makuntima. Copyright © 2014 Adolfo Makuntima. Excerpted by permission of AuthorHouse LLC.
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Table of Contents
Contents
Dedication, vii,Preface, ix,
Introduction, xv,
My Father, 1,
Youth's Turbulence, 10,
Child:, 14,
The Child And Marriage, 16,
Western Perspective, 19,
Matriarchi And Patriarchy, 21,
Spiritual Father/Mother, 32,
Kimbangu According To Prophet Mangongele, 37,
Creation, 40,
Kimbangu According To Professor Coovi Gomez, 47,
Kimbangu According To Professor Theophile Obenga, 53,
Kimbangu According To Father Jean-Marie Vianney, 66,
Soledad O'brien, 68,
My Helpers, 71,
Perpetual Tribulations, 76,
Conclusion, 89,