white, Bwana . A mzungu .'
'Tell them anyway.'
Joseph calls out into the darkness, and the three women and
two men return and squat down. They are young.
'My sisters and my brothers, Bwana . Magdalena, Sara, and
Salomo. Abraham and Kennedy.'
'Salomo is a man's name.'
'My sister's name is Salomo, Bwana . So it's a woman's name too.'
'I don't want to bother you. Tell them that. Tell them I don't
want to bother you.'
Joseph translates and the woman named Sara says something,
casting glances at Olofson.
'What does she want?' he asks.
'She wonders why a wakakwitau is visiting an African hut, Bwana . She wonders why you drink, since all the whites here say
it is forbidden.'
'Not for me. Explain to her that I'm not a missionary.'
Joseph translates and an intense discussion breaks out. Olofson
watches the women, their dark bodies in relief under their chitengen . Maybe Janine will come back to me in a black guise, he
thinks ...
He gets drunk on the drink that tastes like burnt bread and
listens to a discussion he doesn't understand.
'Why are you so excited?' he asks Joseph.
'Why don't all the mzunguz drink, Bwana ? Especially the ones
who preach about their God? Why don't they understand that the
revelation would be much stronger with African whisky? We Africans
have understood this since the days of our first forefathers.'
'Tell them I agree. Ask them what they really think about the
missionaries.'
When Joseph has translated, there is an embarrassed silence.
'They don't know what to say, Bwana . They aren't used to a mzungu asking such a question. They're afraid of giving the wrong
answer.'
'What would happen?'
'Living at a mission station means food and clothing, Bwana .
They don't want to lose that by giving the wrong answer.'
What would happen then?'
'The missionaries might be displeased, Bwana . Maybe we would
all be chased off.'
'Does that happen? That anyone who doesn't obey is chased off?'
'Missionaries are like other whites, Bwana . They demand the
same submission.'
'Can't you be more clear? What would happen?'
' Mzunguz always think that we blacks are unclear, Bwana .'
'You speak in riddles, Joseph.'
'Life is mysterious, Bwana .'
'I don't believe a word of what you're saying, Joseph. You won't
be chased away by the missionaries!'
'Of course you don't believe me, Bwana . I'm just telling you
the truth.'
'You're not saying anything.'
Olofson takes a drink.
'The women,' he says. 'They're your sisters?'
'That's right, Bwana .'
'Are they married?'
'They would like to marry you, Bwana .'
'Why is that?'
'A white man is not black, unfortunately, Bwana . But a bwana has money.'
'But they've never seen me before.'
'They saw you when you arrived, Bwana .'
'They don't know me.'
'If they were married to you they would get to know you, Bwana .'
'Why don't they marry the missionaries?'
'Missionaries don't marry blacks, Bwana . Missionaries don't
like black people.'
'What the hell are you saying?'
'I'm just saying the truth, Bwana .'
'Stop calling me Bwana .'
'Yes, Bwana .'
'Of course the missionaries like you! It's for your sake they're
here, isn't it?'
'We blacks believe that the missionaries are here as a penance, Bwana . For the man that they nailed to a cross.'
'Why do you stay here then?'
'It's a good life, Bwana . We will gladly believe in a foreign god
if we get food and clothing.'
'Is that the only reason?'
'Of course, Bwana . We have our own real gods, after all. They
probably don't like it that we fold our hands several times each
day. When we speak to them we beat our drums and dance.'
'Surely you can't do that here.'
'Sometimes we go far out in the bush, Bwana . Our gods wait
there for us.'
'Don't the missionaries know about this?'
'Of course not, Bwana . If they did they would be very upset.
That wouldn't be good. Especially not now, when I might get a
bicycle.'
Olofson stands up on his unsteady legs. I'm drunk, he thinks.
Tomorrow the missionaries will return. I have
'Tell them anyway.'
Joseph calls out into the darkness, and the three women and
two men return and squat down. They are young.
'My sisters and my brothers, Bwana . Magdalena, Sara, and
Salomo. Abraham and Kennedy.'
'Salomo is a man's name.'
'My sister's name is Salomo, Bwana . So it's a woman's name too.'
'I don't want to bother you. Tell them that. Tell them I don't
want to bother you.'
Joseph translates and the woman named Sara says something,
casting glances at Olofson.
'What does she want?' he asks.
'She wonders why a wakakwitau is visiting an African hut, Bwana . She wonders why you drink, since all the whites here say
it is forbidden.'
'Not for me. Explain to her that I'm not a missionary.'
Joseph translates and an intense discussion breaks out. Olofson
watches the women, their dark bodies in relief under their chitengen . Maybe Janine will come back to me in a black guise, he
thinks ...
He gets drunk on the drink that tastes like burnt bread and
listens to a discussion he doesn't understand.
'Why are you so excited?' he asks Joseph.
'Why don't all the mzunguz drink, Bwana ? Especially the ones
who preach about their God? Why don't they understand that the
revelation would be much stronger with African whisky? We Africans
have understood this since the days of our first forefathers.'
'Tell them I agree. Ask them what they really think about the
missionaries.'
When Joseph has translated, there is an embarrassed silence.
'They don't know what to say, Bwana . They aren't used to a mzungu asking such a question. They're afraid of giving the wrong
answer.'
'What would happen?'
'Living at a mission station means food and clothing, Bwana .
They don't want to lose that by giving the wrong answer.'
What would happen then?'
'The missionaries might be displeased, Bwana . Maybe we would
all be chased off.'
'Does that happen? That anyone who doesn't obey is chased off?'
'Missionaries are like other whites, Bwana . They demand the
same submission.'
'Can't you be more clear? What would happen?'
' Mzunguz always think that we blacks are unclear, Bwana .'
'You speak in riddles, Joseph.'
'Life is mysterious, Bwana .'
'I don't believe a word of what you're saying, Joseph. You won't
be chased away by the missionaries!'
'Of course you don't believe me, Bwana . I'm just telling you
the truth.'
'You're not saying anything.'
Olofson takes a drink.
'The women,' he says. 'They're your sisters?'
'That's right, Bwana .'
'Are they married?'
'They would like to marry you, Bwana .'
'Why is that?'
'A white man is not black, unfortunately, Bwana . But a bwana has money.'
'But they've never seen me before.'
'They saw you when you arrived, Bwana .'
'They don't know me.'
'If they were married to you they would get to know you, Bwana .'
'Why don't they marry the missionaries?'
'Missionaries don't marry blacks, Bwana . Missionaries don't
like black people.'
'What the hell are you saying?'
'I'm just saying the truth, Bwana .'
'Stop calling me Bwana .'
'Yes, Bwana .'
'Of course the missionaries like you! It's for your sake they're
here, isn't it?'
'We blacks believe that the missionaries are here as a penance, Bwana . For the man that they nailed to a cross.'
'Why do you stay here then?'
'It's a good life, Bwana . We will gladly believe in a foreign god
if we get food and clothing.'
'Is that the only reason?'
'Of course, Bwana . We have our own real gods, after all. They
probably don't like it that we fold our hands several times each
day. When we speak to them we beat our drums and dance.'
'Surely you can't do that here.'
'Sometimes we go far out in the bush, Bwana . Our gods wait
there for us.'
'Don't the missionaries know about this?'
'Of course not, Bwana . If they did they would be very upset.
That wouldn't be good. Especially not now, when I might get a
bicycle.'
Olofson stands up on his unsteady legs. I'm drunk, he thinks.
Tomorrow the missionaries will return. I have
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