Th
erefore, the evil things inside people are what cause our country
not to develop, and cause unhappiness.47
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Na ũrĩa mũndũ o wothe ũrĩa ũkũmenya ũguo agĩrĩirũo ni gwĩka, nĩ
kũgeria kũnina ngoro ĩyo thũku o kahora, tondũ mũtugo mũru kana
mwega ndũthiraga na mũthenya ũmwe tiga o mũndũ akorirũo arĩ
njamba nene mũno. Yakuga nĩndatiga gwĩka ũna kuma ũmũthĩ, na
agatiga, no andũ othe ti njamba. Ithenya rĩa ngoro ĩyo thũku, mũndũ
agĩe na goro ya wendani na-ya kũiguanĩra tha.
Na ya kũria tũngĩgunwo nĩkĩ ithenya rĩa ingĩgunwo nĩkĩ. Na tweka
ũguo, wĩra nĩ ũkuoneka wa bata mũno, ũkaguna ciana citũ, ona andũ
arĩa angĩ megũciarũo thutha witũ.
10. Kũhũthĩra ũmenyo
Gĩkeno kĩnene mũno kĩa ũmenyo ni atĩ hĩndĩ ĩrĩa ũngĩmenya gwĩka
ũndũ, ũrĩkaga o ũguo no hũthũ hatarĩ hinya. Ningĩ ũngĩmenya atĩ
kũrĩhana ũna no ũkeharĩria.
Tondũ ũcio-rĩ, hatirĩ mũtino ona ũmwe wonekaga tondũ wa
kũmenya, kana wa gũtuĩka wĩ mũgĩ. No mũtino o wothe wonekaga
tondũ wa kũrigwo, kana ũrimũ na ũthayo. Tondũ ihĩtia rĩmwe nĩ
kũmenya atĩ gwĩka ũna nĩ wega. Na tondũ wa ũgũta na guoya, ũkarega
gwĩka ũguo ũkuona arĩ wega.
Tondũ rĩrĩ, tũngĩmenya atĩ nĩ kũriura ũrĩa twikaga nĩgũthondeka
mĩgũnda itũ ĩgaikara ĩmĩthagathage, nĩguo mbura yoira tũhande.
No mũndũ wakũmenya ũguo wothe na ndeharĩrie-rĩ, tondũ wa
ũgũta-rĩ, mũndũ ũcıo ndangitwo mũgĩ. No etwo kĩrimũ na gĩthayo na
ũguo ti kũganwo.
11. Ũrĩa bũrũri ũyũ witu ũrĩikara thutha
Tũngĩambĩrĩria gwĩciria ũhoro wa bũrũri ũyũ witũ-rĩ, no tuone atĩ
wathanagwo nĩ andũ erũ. Na ũrĩa mwathi wa kĩndũ angĩenda gwĩka
nakĩo no eke. Na ũrĩa athani aitũ matanyĩte mũno matukũ maya, nĩ
atĩ magerie o ũrĩa mahota andũ arĩa angĩ erũ tao maingĩhe. Na nĩ
twagĩrĩirũo nĩ kũmenya atĩ maingĩha, nĩ maingĩhia ciana. Na ũrĩa athani
aitũ mariciragia makĩria nĩ ũrĩa ciana ciao ingĩikara wega, ota ũrĩa na
ithuĩ tũgũtanya Ciana citũ cikare wega. Na gũikara wega ni gũthirũo
nĩ thĩna. Na tondũ ũcio-rĩ, mawĩra marĩa tũrutaga matukũ maya nĩ
kwahoteka makarutwo nĩ ciana ciaene wĩra ũcio kũringana norĩa tuon-
ire. Na tondũ ũcio-rĩ, twaga kũnina ũiru gatagatĩ-inĩ gaitũ ithuĩ ene-rĩ,
tũcarie na tũnenehie Mabiachara maitũ-rĩ, matuĩke ma gũtũra-rĩ, githĩ
ndũkuona atĩ Ciana citũ ona rũrĩrĩ ruitũ no kinya rũkona thĩna?
what should we do, our people?
157
All who learn this should gradually try to leave such bad thoughts,
for neither bad nor good behaviour can end in a day unless one is very
brave and says ‘I have left such and such a thing today’ and leaves it.
But not every one is brave. In place of those bad thoughts, one should
have thoughts of love and compassion towards others.
To think of love and compassion is to think of what can benefi t us
and not what will benefi t me. When we do this, we will fi nd important
work to benefi t our children and those born aft er them.48
10. To use knowledge 49
Th
e good thing about knowledge is that when you do something, you
can do it with ease. Knowing the cost, you will be prepared.
Being knowledgeable therefore carries no danger. Disaster comes
from ignorance. One common fault is to know that to do such and
such is good and then, through laziness and fear, fail to do it.
If we know it will rain, we will prepare our land early, ready to plant
when the rains fall.
Nobody can be thought clever who knows all this and, from laziness,
fails to prepare. He will be called stupid or idle, what nobody wants.
11. What our country will like be in the future
If we think about our country, we can say that white people rule it. A
ruler can do what he likes with a subject. Our rulers nowadays hope
there will be more white people in future.50 Th
e more their population
increases, the more children they will have. Our rulers are thinking of
how their children can live well, just as we hope our children will live
well. To live well one must be out of poverty. It is therefore possible that
the kind of work we [Africans] do nowadays will be done [in future]
by the owners of the companies we discussed earlier. So, if we cannot
end our jealousies and expand our businesses, cannot you see that our
children and our community will remain poor?
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12. Ũrĩa twagĩrĩirũo nĩ gwĩka
Tondũ wa kũmenya ũrĩa bũrũri ũyũ witũ ũrĩhana thutha-rĩ, nĩtwagĩrĩirũo
nĩ kwĩharĩria tondũ wa ihinda rĩu. Tondũ twarega gwĩka ũguo, tũkũhana
ota mũndũ ũcio ũmenyaga ati nĩkũriura, na ndathondeke mũgũnda
wake.
Tũngĩciria mũno-rĩ, no tuone atĩ bata witũ ũrĩa mũnene gũkĩra
marĩa mangĩ nĩatĩ tũikare muoyo. ũguo nĩ kuga atĩĩ thuĩ tũrĩ andũ
airũ tũtikae gũthira.
Amu ũndũ wa kuoneka ũtuĩke atĩ niũgũtũnina no tũiyũrũo ni guoya
na kĩmako kĩnene mũno, na tũgerie o ũrĩa twahota kwĩgitĩra ũndũ ũcio
ndũgatũkore.
No rĩrĩ, ũthĩni na ũrimũ nĩ maũndũ ma kũnina rũrĩrĩ. Na tondũ ũcio
icio nĩ thũ cia andũ. No rĩrĩ, ithui tũrĩ andũ tũngĩka airũ-rĩ nĩ atĩa tũreka nĩgetha tũnine ũrĩmũ na thina ũrĩa ũiyũrĩte bũrũri-inĩ ũyũ witũ?
Andũ a gũtonga marĩ na ũrimũ ũtonga ũcio wao ndũrĩ gitũmi
kũrĩo. Tondũ matingĩmenya ũrĩa mangĩhũthĩra ũtonga ũcio na njĩra ya
kũmaguna. Ithenya rĩa ũtonga ũcio kũmahe gĩkeno nĩ ruo ũngĩmahe.
Tondũ no mambĩrĩrie gwĩtia mũno atĩ nĩatongu, magere ngero cia
mĩthemba yothe atĩ nĩguo marĩhe na mbeca icio ciao. Mariganĩrũo atĩ
harĩ ngero ĩtangĩrĩhĩka na mbia, mambĩrĩrie kũrĩota kana kũnyamara.
Tondũ ũcio-rĩ twagĩrĩirũo nĩ gwĩcokere ria hamwe, tiatĩ twake hamwe
ithuothe, no nĩ meciria-inĩ, na ciĩko inĩ, tũnyite kahinya gothe tũrĩ
nako, ka ũgĩ gothe tũrĩ nako, tũirorie hamwe. Na kũiroria hamwe nĩ
kuga tũcarie na kĩyo o ũndũ wothe ũrĩa ũngĩtũma tũikare muoyo na
tũgĩe na gĩkeno na thayũ.
Andũ aingi meciragia atĩ ũmenyo kana ũgĩ ciumaga kũraya. Na atĩ
matathire kũndũ kũu makagĩre ũgi ũcio ndũngĩmakora. Tondũ ndũrĩ
hakuhĩ nao.
Kwoguo makoiga atĩrĩrĩ, ‘Tondũ ithuĩ nitwagĩkĩgire-rĩ, na tũtirĩ
ũndũ tũngĩmenyera-rĩ, mũtireke tũhane o ũrĩa tũrĩhana, na tũikare o
ũrĩa tũrĩikara’.
Ũgũo nĩkũrigwo kũnene, tondũ-rĩ, kwenda kana kĩyo irĩ thĩinĩ
wa mũndũ, ningĩ nĩwe wĩkuĩire meciria make, amenye ũrĩa angĩona
kĩndũ kĩrĩa ekwenda, na ũrĩa ekũruta wĩra ũcio na kĩyo kĩnene kana
kĩnyinyi.
Ningĩ amenye kũiya nĩ kũru. Maũndũ macio matirĩ kũraya, no marĩ
thĩinĩ wa mũndũ o wothe. Na nĩmo monanagia ciĩkoĩ-nĩ ciake.
Ũngĩaga gũtũmĩra meciria maku na ũgĩ ũcio ũrĩ
thĩi-nĩ waku na
njĩra ĩrĩa ĩngĩkũrehere kĩguni ndũrĩ ũndũ ona ũmwe mwega ũngĩkona
mũtũũrĩre-inĩ waku.
what should we do, our people?
159
12. What we should do
Now we have seen how our country will be in the future, we should
prepare. If we fail to do so, we will be like the man who knows it will
rain yet never prepares his farm.
If we think hard, we can see our fi rst priority is to survive. Th
at is
to say, we black people must not be eradicated.51
Being fi lled with fear and worry is what would eradicate us. We
should try as hard as possible to see that such a thing never happens.
But poverty and ignorance can eradicate a tribe. Th
ey are therefore
enemies of the people. We who we are black, what are we doing to
eradicate the ignorance and poverty that pervades our country?
People who become rich but remain ignorant will not benefi t from
their wealth, since they cannot know how to use it benefi cially. Th
eir
riches give them not happiness but suff ering. Th
ey boast that they are
rich and cause disasters, thinking that they can then repay the cost.
Th
ey forget that some disasters cannot be compensated with cash, and
will only start to drift into misery.
Th
erefore we should try to come together,52 not to live in one place,
but to gather together our thoughts and deeds, collect whatever strength
we possess, all our knowledge, and examine it closely together. We
must try very hard to do whatever enables us to survive and live hap-
pily and peacefully.
Many people think that knowledge or wisdom come from far away,
and that they cannot get knowledge without travelling to those far-off
places.
So they say, ‘Because we are ignorant and know nothing, let’s be
whatever we will be and stay the way we are.’53
Th
is is to fail to understand that aspiration and eff ort are within
anyone who has a mind, who knows how to achieve what he aspires
to, and how hard or lazily he needs to work.
He also knows that stealing is bad. Th
ese things are not far off , they
are within us and are shown in action.
If you fail to use your brain and knowledge in benefi cial ways, you’ll
fi nd nothing good in life.
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Angĩkorũo bata witũ ũrĩa mũnene nĩ tũıkare muoyo-rĩ, ũrĩa
tũkĩagĩrĩirũo nĩ gwĩka nĩ gũcaria maũndũ marĩa mangĩguna muoyo
witũ. Na maũndũ macio nĩ irio, na nguo, na ũikaro o na nyũmba.
Icio ciarĩkia kuoneka tũcoke tũmenye ũrĩa tũngĩikara na thayũ na
gĩkeno gatagatĩ-inĩ gaitũ ithui ene. O na harĩ andũ acio erũ matwathaga,
na arĩa matũreheire maũndũ maingĩ mega.
Na hangĩkorũo harĩ ũndũ ũngĩtũma tũmenane nao, wario na kanua,
ũninwo na ũriganĩre. Tũcoke twĩcirie ũhoro wa matukũ marĩa megũũka,
na ũrĩa tũngĩtwara bũrũrĩ na mbere tũrĩ o rũmwe. Nĩgetha gĩkeno
kĩingĩhe, thĩna na ũrimũ cianinwo.
Na maũndũ macio matingĩhoteka hangĩaga ngwatanĩro itũ ithuothe.
Tondũ hatirĩ mũnyaka wonekaga tondũ wa kũmenana kana gũthũrana
makĩria nĩ thĩna na ruo rũingĩ ruonekaga tondũ wacio.
13. Ũhoro wa irio na mĩgũnda
Gũtanya gwitũ mawĩra-inĩ mothe-rĩ, nĩ ũrĩa tũngĩmanenehia kũringana
na mabataro marĩa marĩũkaga. Na tondũ ũcio-rĩ, tareke tuone ũrĩa wĩra
wa kũrĩma ũngĩnenehio.
Mũndũ angĩaga kũrĩa no akue, ũguo nĩma nĩ ũĩyo nĩ mũndũ o wothe,
Na tondũ ũcio ũrĩa tũngĩgĩka nĩ kũmenya ũrĩa tũngĩikara tũkĩonaga
irio mahinda mothe, ona mĩaka yothe.
Na tondũ irio ciumaga mĩgũnda-rĩ ũrĩa twagĩrĩirũo nĩ kũgĩa mĩgũnda
minene, ya kumaga irio nyingĩ.
Matukũ maya mũndũ arĩmaga mũgũnda wake o wiki, akahanda kirĩa
ekwenda, na irio iria agethaga itingĩigana andũ aingĩ, tondũ atũmĩire
hinya wake wiki, ũguo nĩ wega.
No ũrĩa wega makiria-rĩ, na ũrĩa ũrĩmi ũngĩneneha kũringana na
kwenda gwitũ-rĩ, nĩ rĩrĩa andũ a handũ hana, kana a rũgongo rũna,
mangĩhotha mbeca.
Mbeca icio makagũra gĩthaka nacio kana, magakombora. Ningi
magũre macembe ma Ng’ombe, na ng’ombe cia kũgucia macembe
macio. Kana mataragita makũrĩma namo.
Hĩndĩ ĩrĩa maıĩkia kũrĩma mũgũnda ũcio, magaciranĩra kĩrĩa
mekũhanda. Na rĩrĩa magetha irio icio ciao, magacokania ndundu
megeciria thogora ũrĩa mekwendia irio icio naguo.
Angĩkorũo kwĩ ng’aragu, makendanĩria na thogora ũtarĩ mũnene
matanyĩte omatikae gũthiĩ hasara. Na cio mbeca icĩo cĩao ikĩragie o
kũingiha naguo wĩra wao ũkĩragĩe o kũneneha.
what should we do, our people?
161
If our greatest need is to survive, we must look for what will improve
our lives, such as food, clothes, and shelter.
Once we have these [essentials], we should consider how to live in
peace and happiness among ourselves and even with the white people
who rule us and have brought many other good things.
If there is anything to make us hate them, let it be spoken of openly,
with fi nality, and then forgotten. Let us think about the days ahead and
how we can develop the country together.54 Happiness will prevail and
poverty and ignorance will be eradicated.
Th
ese things are impossible without the unity of all. For hatred
achieves nothing good, only misery and pain.
13. Matters of food and gardens
Our aim in all [kinds of ] work is to improve it according to what the
If we don’t eat, we die. Th
is is a truth known to all. We must therefore
know how to secure food all the time, every year.
Because food comes from gardens, what we should do is to have big
parcels of land to produce food. Th
ese days everyone cultivates his land
alone, plants whatever he wants, and the food he harvests cannot satisfy
many people because he has invested his own strength alone.
A better way to farm is for people from one place or one village to
contribute money.
Th
ey use this to buy or lease land. Th
en they buy ploughs and oxen
to pull them, or even buy tractors to cultivate the land.
Once they have prepared the land, they should decide what to plant.
When they harvest their food, they decide together at what price they
are going to sell it.55
If there is famine, they should sell fairly, taking care only that they
do not sell at a loss.56 Th
eir money will increase and their work too
will grow.
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Hĩndĩ ĩrĩa mamenya atĩ mbeca cigana ũna nĩ ikũhota kũrũgamia
wĩra witũ, icio ingĩ makĩria ya icio cia kũrũgamia wĩra makagayana. Na
mũndũ wao o wothe akona cia kũruta mabata make nacio kũringana
na gũtanya gwitũ.
Uguo
nĩ wega wĩ karatathi-inĩ gaka. No rĩrĩ we mũthomi wakwa-rĩ,
nĩ wĩharĩirie gwĩka ũguo na kũhotha mbeca icio? Kana hihi ndũngĩona
gĩkeno ng’ania makĩgĩa na kĩndũ tawe? Ririkana maciaro ma meciria
ta macio.
14. Indo cia mũndũ na indo cia mũingĩ
Matukũ-inĩ maya tũrĩ namo-rĩ, ũrĩa o mũndũ witũ areka nĩ gũcaria
indo na njĩra yake. Akorũo ena kiyo na ona mũnyaka, agatonga. Na
ũrĩa ũkwaga kĩyo na aga mũnyaka agakĩara.
Kwoguo mũndũ arathiĩ ũrĩa oĩ na ũrĩa ũngĩ ũrĩa oĩ.
Hihi ũguo nĩguo wega, kana nĩ kwagĩrĩire tũthiĩ ũrĩa mũndũ oĩ na
njĩra ĩmwe, na njĩra iria ingĩ tũthiĩ ũrĩa tũĩ tũrĩ ithuothe?
Ta atĩrĩrĩ, mũndũ agĩe na wĩra wake ota ũrĩa tũtariĩ rĩu, na tũcoke
tũgĩe na wĩra ũngĩ witũ tũrĩ ithuothe. Ũguo nĩguo mwandĩki ekuona
arĩ wega.
Tondũ ũcio-rĩ, nĩ twagĩrĩirũo nĩ kũgĩa na ugo mwerũ, na tũ-ũrũmie
naguo nĩ ũyũ:
‘ATĨ ŨNDŨ O WOTHE WAGŨTŨREHERE GĨKENO NA
ŨIGUANO NĨ MWEGA. NAGUO ŨNDŨ O WOTHE WAGŨTŨMA
TWAMŨKANE NA TWAGE GĨKENO NĨ MŨRU.’
Namo macio makoragwo arĩmo gĩtina kĩa mawıra maitũ mothe.
Nĩguo hĩndĩ ĩrĩa tũkũruta wĩra kana tũgwĩka ũndũ ona ũrĩkũ, tũkoria
kana nĩ wagũtũigwithanıa kana kiguni kia-guo nĩ kĩĩ. Na angĩkorũo
ndũngĩtũigwithania kana ũtũgune, tũkaũtiga.
15. Rũrĩrĩ rwitũ nĩ kuongerereka kana nĩ kũnyiha rũranyiha?
Macokio ma mwandĩki kũringana na kĩũria kĩu, nĩ atĩ nĩkũingĩha
tũraingĩha.
Tondũ worĩa thirikari ĩteithĩtie andũ, gũkagĩa na Th
ibitarĩ nyingĩ
bũrũri-inĩ, andũ matikuaga (mũho) ta tene. Ningĩ andũ mohĩga magĩe
Mandagĩtari mao, marĩkĩragia kwaga gũkua.
what should we do, our people?
163
If they fi nd that a certain sum of money will run their business, they
should be able to share the profi t among themselves. Each of them will
make enough money to meet his needs.
Th
is is the goodness in this pamphlet. But, my reader, are you ready
to subscribe money? Will you rejoice when so-and-so profi ts in the
same way as you do? Remember the fruits of such ideas.
14. Private and public property 57
Today, all of us look for property. If one is hard working and lucky,
one gets rich. Anyone who does not work hard and is unlucky becomes