My Whit’s End Book Club–Out of Africa–A Kikuyu Chief

It is impossible to talk about Africa without this song coming to mind.  So go ahead, turn up the volume, and “a-wheem-olet” along.  Here is “The Lion Sleeps Tonight” by Helmut Lotti (Dutch name I believe)  I know, you are smiling already!!!  Enjoy.

“Chief Kinanjui had arrived.  He had come in his own car, which he had the day before bought from the American Consul, and he did not want to get out of it till I had seen him in it.”

“He had a broad nose, so expressive that it looked like the central point of the man, as if the whole stately figure was there only to carry the broad nose about.  Like the trunk of an Elephant, it was both boldly inquisitive and extremely sensitive and prudent, intensely on the offensive, and on the defensive as well.  And an Elephant, finally, like Kinanjui, would have a head of the very greatest nobility if he did not look so clever.”

“Kinanjui now did not open his mouth or wince while I paid him my compliments on the car, he stared straight in front of him in order that I should see his face in profile like a head struck upon a medal.”–excellent description.

p. 149:  pro forma – Latin for “as a matter of form.”  It is used in legal circles when a document is done as a formality.

p. 152:  the King’s head on the Rupee –

p. 153:  Baobab-trees –

p. 154:  dhows –

p. 154: central marketplace of Zanzibar –   Zanzibar is an island off of Tanzania.  This map is from Wikipedia.

File:Spice Islands (Tanzania).svg

This website has some excellent photos of Zanzibar.

http://easywebsite.net/Zanzibar-StoneTown.html

p. 154:  little dark Wanderobos – Wanderobos are a tribe that lives on Mt. Kenya.

p. 155:  Tous les tristes oiseaux . . . – this is a poem by Victor Hugo.  I used the Google Toolbar to translate it.

all the sad bird eaters of human flesh,
Son of those old vultures, born of the Roman eagle,
the wolf Let d of brass called circuses

 Assemble, and some, leaving a bald head,
the other, wiping their beaks to gallows fawn,
Other, of a broken mast leaving the black
area, Others, taking their flight from
the wall of infirmaries, All, happy and shouting, uproar and without number,
they will show Final, the great
dark tops Otho

p. 156:  ablutions – cleansing with water in a religious ritual

p. 158:  Jambo – hello/welcome in Swahili

p. 159:  Zenith – directly above–usually in reference to the sun, moon, stars, etc .  .

And this ends the five chapters about The Shooting Accident on the Farm.  Now we will move on to “Visitors to the Farm.”  Come meet these guests in the next eight chapters.

until tomorrow,

–rebecca

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