You see, I do know that the end and beginning of the year is characterized by numerous proclamations of blessings, including the unorthodox decreeing and declaring. But, I was busy thinking about the development of ‘curses philosophy’ in African Tradition theology.

I am personally atheistic about belief in curses. That is to say, I don’t think such things are real. It is a point of departure from my chief teacher of theology, my mum, and I. She insists that such things do exist and affect people. Over Christmas holiday, while chastening her grandson, she reminded him of a story my Cūcū was fond of. It concerned the two daughters of her great-grandfather, Wanjere wa Gathobia.

You see, Wanjere (sometimes named Kíragūri) was born around 1840 or so. He had two wives, Wangūi and Wangeci. They both had daughters named after his mother, Nyawíra wa Gathobia. Gathobia is often named Gíthaiga for his prowess in medicine. He must have been born in the late 1790s to Bacia. The two girls are said to have killed a neighbors goat 🐐 and concealed the matter. They denied responsibility despite threats. When Medicine men were sought, the girls were discovered and they soon died. Their names were blotted from the family tree. Thank God that the son of Wanjere, Ayubu Ndung’ū, married a young Christian in 1933 who became my great grandmother and bore the same name, Nyawira!

I still cast aspersion on the cause of death for the two girls that would be my great-grandfather’s eldest sisters.

But, over this festive season, I seem to see the need for such a belief system. It is the same mantra as Paul’s argument that ‘the law was made for offenders.’ The extent of neglect for parents in old age could only be cured by such a belief. People somehow do not care. Parents are taken to hospital and children take off, never to be seen. While as a society we must start thinking seriously about accepting homes for the aged, we might need Traditional theologians to threaten people with curses to see if they will act better. Either way, I don’t think curses exist, but, belief in them might help cure some maladies.

Here are some Kenyans who teach that Jesus has taken away the curse of the law by his death on the cross, for everyone regardless of tribe.

For emphasis sake, 2024 is our Lord’s Year, Still!