Ogwang' Lelo's Witchdoctor and the "Mulaya" from Majengo: Achayo Ywaya by Ogwang' Lelo

Today, I have gone back to visit the granaries of the past and next to them, I have met some of the greatest Nyatiti, Ohangla, Orutu, and Onanda instrumentalists and singers who kept life happily livable those days. Three of these people are special and I listen to their works almost each day. They include Ogwang' Lelo, Oguta Lie Bobo and Omollo Obumba. I do this in no particular order.

I do this for the stories that are told in these compositions and what they imply about the life that was there, then. I don't think many of our current-day songwriters are good enough with the art of storytelling as was the norm among these Nyatiti legends.

We all may have heard about Oguta Lie Bobo's Rujina Kalando and the agwata that was stepped on with boots or Omollo Obumba's painful dirge to the slain Chief of Kano,Onyango Daudi Matengo, a friend with whom they smoked cigarettes. But to be fair, Ogwang' Lelo may have taken the lead in many ways because of his unparalleled way of infusing a story inside what were always praise compositions meant for women or men of honor.

Ogwang' son of Okoth also popularly known as Ogwang' Saitan, was a master Nyatiti player and composer. In his prime time, he was the Okatch Biggy of Benga or the Gengetone Kings of today. One thing about him is that he had no other names for things considered obscene or unsayable.

Born and bred in Siaya, Alego, you can be sure he did not find it disturbing because, many of you will agree, the Luo dialect in Siaya is somewhat vulgar. So if Ogwang' is talking about buttocks or ginene, he just said them, boldly. But comically. And he was a master storyteller. So by the time you are about to reduce the volume, he has said it and you've heard it.

Ogwang' Lelo's Encounter with Christians

Like one time, he describes his encounter with Jolendo, an early independent Christian church in Northern Nyanza who were known to spread the gospel in a mix of traditional musical apparatus such as tung' and oporo. If you come from Sakwa Nyamira, or if you have been to Kang'o Ka Jaramogi, you are in the seat of Jolendo.

Ask, they will tell you that there was Jaduong' Ajwang' K'Odinga who used to sing that polo noban ka kalatas, piny nowang' nodong' gundaa. That at the end (of this world), the sky will be wrapped like karatasi and the earth will burn into nothingness.

If they don't know him, then look for the kind of songs sang by Pastor Delan Ruki. He of the Wuoth Nyidho. He has been, to me, one of the most authentic and superbly gifted composer in the symbolic language, the imagery, that helped establish Christianity in the times of independent churches and in the hearts of early day Christians.

Back to this. Ogwang' is on his way to help one of his friends bury a close relative and the celebrated musician he is, he is armed with his Nyatiti. It is a Sabbath day and they ask Ogwang' why he is armed with ala za msiki while he should leave people to go worship.

Ogwang' does not tell us what he told them but we get to know, through him, that they did not wish him well in his job. They called him Satan and cursed him saying that mad piere bar-re (may his buttocks separate). It is to me, the epitome of the conflict between secular music and Christianity in the days when these differences were as bare as day and night.

Remind me someday, I will tell you how Ogwang' later devised a plan of entering heaven using his music, confusing both God and Satan and setting them into war. Why? They are competing to admit Ogwang' to their teams. Or sign Ogwang' to their label.

Achayo Yuaya Saves Mulaya from Starvation

Let me tell you about Achayo Yuaya, Ogwang' Lelo's traditional doctor to whom he composed one of the best praise songs. One that marketed him, the doctor, and earned him clients of all manner of trades. You can rate this one in the same level as Franco Luambo's V.W na Adza for Volkswagen or Arzoni the motongi monene wa Mputo.

Now, Ogwang' comes from Alego, Siaya. If you know a Jasiaya, and those who are aware of their roots, kamote (bilo, yath, juok) is not a new thing. In fact, there is a common joke that all these professors they claim to have here in the city, have grass-thatched houses back in the village. Why? Because if they attempt to build anything else, with even a block of stone, they will not wake up breathing.

So Ogwang' too, has his man of medicine called Achayo Yuaya. They are great friends. Ogwang' knows him by many names, his people and his home. He knows his wives and children. Besides being a successful man of wood, Jayath, he is also a father and husband and Ogwang' tells us that his children are learned (and his daughters married).

I don't know if he knew it, but in a way, Ogwang' is using this song (by merely telling us more about Yuaya's success as a family man) to dispell all the stereotypes about traditional doctors. Achayo is different from all others in many ways. He is not a failure like has been said about many people of his trade.

And Ogwang' in his excellent storytelling trend, does well to illustrate why Yuaya is an unbeatable man of medicine. He contrasts him with other Jobilo in terms of cleanliness. Ogwang' and his Achayo Yuaya seems to know that cleanliness is not what waganga like. He mocks other Jobilo who claim to be healing people but when you visit them, their shrines are just too dirty, their costumes even dirtier and their instrumentation dirtiest.

Ohingo Jobilo mathietho...to jamba moruako bendo olil

He (Achayo the Witchdoctor) is by far greater than his peers, those who treat wearing dirty trousers

Then the master composer he is, Ogwang' knows that testimonies or reviews from those who have used the services of Achayo is invaluable in driving the traffic. So, he tells us about a hooker, a malaya, who once visited Yuaya. She complains to Yuaya that customers have left her. She is starving. Yuaya looks at her, listens to her and then scavenges his paraphernalia to come up with the best medicine.

He gives her of three types, one for knitting on her clothes, one for chewing and another for smearing around the place of work!

Jalni to awira ang' idhi wir kar tich!

This one is for smearing, go smear it at your "place of work".

Where is "place of work" for a mulaya?

Now, later on, Ogwang' tells us of the feedback that came from this client. That at the end of that month, hodi hodi almost killed her. Many people knocked at the hookers door at the end of that month. From people of office to people of mjengo, the "mulaya" received very many visitors that month.

Ah! Achayo Ywaya, Ogwang' Lelo's Doctor!