Diana Nyar Katito: Osito's Priceless Lessons to Omondi on Women

The focus of this article should be Omondi's long lecture of regret to Diana Anyango Nyar Katito, but it is important to demonstrate the allegation that it was Osito's notes on women who left. Osito, a man already experienced enough in the business of losing women to both death and other men, holds the hands of his protégé, Omondi Long' Lilo.

He is teaching him how to grieve and live afterwards when such losses come to you. There is a lot to be learnt here and that's perhaps the reason this is the longest of their compositions. It is a whole 18.43 minutes but you'll see it is worth it. He is teaching him the way of women when you are a Benga star. Days when Benga was Benga!

Praise Your Wife

Osito has taught Long' Lilo many life lessons on women. The first lesson he has successfully taught him is simple; Praise your wife. Osito holds this lesson supreme and he has taught it to all his musical sons. He has taught it to the young Odhiambo Tusker who has learnt to forget about Paulina Nyoremo. The young Odhiambo is now focused on his Milly Nyar Gi Aluso.

To Omondi, that wife is Gorrety. Omondi is a good student. He has praised Gorrety Awino, Toto Nyar Gi Lucky, profoundly. He has also learnt the art of continuously mentioning her above all the women he is known to. But Omondi, like Osito himself, has many dark pasts that Osito must join him in singing away.

You see, Omondi has Molly, a woman of his youth. She left. Omondi has Caro, a naïve woman he brought home to his parents and had a son with. She left with the son. And Omondi has Diana Nyar Katito who left for wealth but is now dead. Osito must teach him how to deal with each case. They have a song for each and what Omondi must do. Primarily, you must tell them you are good now. And this, talking about his changed status after meeting Gorrety, Omondi does to his exes, to his Baby Mama's with strange annoyance and unbridled gusto.

To Molly, An Ex

Omondi, well taught on the first case, does not need to blink when telling Molly, a woman he knew early in life, that even in her absence, Gorrety has been good to his home. He has great memories with Molly though. He renders the song he dedicates to her with emotions deep in his heart.

There was no bad blood between them anyway. Molly just went silent. It has been long but Omondi admits that the things they did together "pod neno e wang'e" but "kite to tinde rwenye". How they crossed the lake to Mbita together, drunk soda together...did many things!

But now, he is already engaged to Gorrety. When he recalls Osito's lessons, he can only thank Molly for guiding him well till he has finally found the right one for his home! Who tells a woman that? He goes ahead to tell Molly that he is now a successful man. He tells him that despite all, he now has a stable home. He is satisfied.

To Caro, A Woman Who Left With Your Child 

In Caro Jaber, Osito teaches Omondi what to tell a women who has left with your son. This topic is deep and is dear to Osito. I think, he is only using Omondi's story to pass some message. So, he does not leave him to his own instruments and skills. It is a collabo, again. He tells Omondi to speak out on the heaps of blame that the society is quick to throw on men when a woman leaves them. He has been blamed so many times. "Makata dhako ema rach to an uchaya kayiem."

Omondi who met a naïve Caro, groomed her, took her home and bore with her a son, is telling us that she eventually left. Lack of commitment is a common thing. But a bad thing that they dedicate a better length of the song to condemn on general terms. Men and women alike. Then there is the emotive and reflective bit of what became of his son. "Sama aparo wuoda Omondi ywak ahinya." Strong! "Ma wuoda bayo gi oko matinde okia anyuolane! Deep.

But remember Osito is there watching him. In the end, Omondi has to keep to the script. He has since built a house he didn't have. He has a bicycle. And hens. He somehow forgets to praise Gorrety for what he has now. He instead asks Caro to come back and just see. You know why? That woman has his son! Can be different.

To Diana, A Materialistic Ex Who Died In the Search

And now with Diana, an ex-girlfriend who comes from Katito who is long dead now, Osito tells Omondi to use her story as a lesson to others. Omondi was not unaware of the death of Diana. Amina, a mutual friend who knew about their relationship, wonders why they did not see him at the burial of Diana.

Omondi has strong memories of his days with Diana and mostly, the reason for their separation. We learn that Diana was that materialistic type of girlfriend. She left Omondi to chase after riches. Omondi holds that Diana left him for death. Her rush for riches was the path of death!

A Lesson to All Dianas

This is a theme that is more relevant now than it may have been when Omondi was composing for Diana. It is more complicated when we indulge into the complexities that "wokeness" has brought to the old social order. It is almost a free world where no one (and especially ladies) want to be questioned on their strange attraction to materials as a foundation for any romantic affair. The death of love!

The rise of feminism and its infiltration in its most crude form within us may make this song a talk of the century. It may even count as an evidence of the 'entrenchment of patriarchy' in Luo and the dwarfing weight of societal expectations on women.

Again, young men baying for affection without any financial advantage must find some consolation in what finally befalls Diana. Love is starting humble together and growing within each other's material inadequacies, weirdness and all forms of human weaknesses. The rise of sponsors and their unguarded sweep at the market of affection is shunned.

A woman who leaves a young man with vision for another man with a television will soon watch his ex on the television. We may go back to the history of love and its transformation over the centuries to what we have today. We may see love in the garden of Eden and ask why God had to create Adam with everything before bringing him a woman. Why for His Own sake did he set this precious asset on the path of materialism?

Omondi talks about the realities of his times and may have no knowledge of the ideological battles that tickles the delusional elites. And so he simply asks Diana something deep about the decision she made to leave him. Must it have been you Diana, to die for all these things? Shoes? Land? A vehicle? Estates? A coat? Are all these worth your life Diana? There are more questions of "was it all worth it" to be asked to Diana, and all Diana's out there. 

But I am afraid this Diana may not have answered because she was dead. Omondi, then, decided to do something. And all Omondi could do is what any man would do, should do. He rallies some of his friends to accompany him to Katito for him to pay his last respect. But in there, Omondi must again, find something great to say about Gorrety or himself. And Long' Lilo does not disappoint. He grabs the chance to remind us that he is ja Miguena, the Great Miguena.

And Miguena, he tells us, is not a small place. It is a place to be!