Muthenya wa ndunyu ni wa ndunyu. Gikuyu) Siku ya soko ni ya soko peke yake. (Swahili) Le jour du marché est fixé pour cette affaire et rien d’autre. (French) The market day is set for this business and nothing else. (English)

 
 

Agikuyu(Kenya) Proverb

Background, Meaning and Everyday Use

The Agikuyu Bantu community in Kenya has certain key priorities.  As this Gikuyu proverb states, the market day is strictly observed. When this day comes, other activities in the community come to a ‘standstill” to allow what is carried out on this particular day to take place. This event is very important for the seller whose livelihood depends on selling his or her goods in the market. This event is very important for the buyer who may need to buy vegetables, fruits and other goods for the evening meal and for other meals.

 

When I lived in Iramba Parish in Musoma Diocese, Tanzania market day normally took place on Saturdays except for special reasons such as public holidays. Once it was scheduled for Thursday, the very day that we were going to have a priestly ordination in the parish. This would have greatly reduced our Catholics’ participation. Fortunately, the local government officials agreed to move the market day to Saturday.

 

Concerning priorities, listen to an experience of an American Catholic Maryknoll missionary, Father Joseph Healey, who is now retired priest in his home country of America after having been a missionary in Eastern Africa for many years. It ties in quite well with this Gikuyu proverb on the priority of market day. He describes vividly: “Some years ago Father Joseph Healey went to the funeral of Sister Ephigenia Gachiri’s mother in Kiambu, Kenya. Upon arriving at the family homestead in the morning he was immediately told the Gikuyu proverb today is the day for fetching firewood. The meaning is that the whole day is given to the funeral and the related activities. First, the welcome and conversation in the family home. Then the funeral mass in the nearby Catholic Church. Then the burial in the family homestead. Then an elaborate meal outside the family home followed by conversation. Indeed the priest returned to Nairobi in the late afternoon.”

Biblical Parallels

Ecclesiastes 3:1 on “Time:”

 

“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens.

There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens.

There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens.”

Proverbs 4:25: “Let your eyes look straight ahead; fix your gaze directly before you.”

Colossians 3:2: “Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.”

Matthew 6:33: “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”

Matthew 6:34: “Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don’t get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow.”

Contemporary Use And Religious Application

In today’s world, the message behind this Gikuyu proverb is fast becoming handy both in the daily life of the people in the community as well as in the religious life of the people. This is more so when it comes to businesses that control the life of the people and equally when religious matters are concerned.

 

An example is the priority of Sunday Mass for Catholics. This is strictly done at a given time/s and so are the meetings and businesses of the Catholic Church. Hence the central meaning of the proverb  — Muthenya wa ndunyu ni wa ndunyu. This equally goes for the Gikuyu proverb Muthenya wa ngu ni wangu (The day of firewood is the day of firewood).

 

Within our Small Christian Communities (SCCs) this priority is observed as the members will always come to the weekly Gospel Sharing in the SCC and other religious activities.

 

Among world leaders, Mwalimu Julius Nyerere, the founding President of Tanzania, is famous for always going to mass on Sunday and during weekdays as well.

 

 

Text by:

 

Mr. Francis Njuguna

P.O Box 1425

Ruiru, Kenya

Mobile phone: 0720434819

Email: osnjuguna@yahoo.com

 

 

Rev. Joseph G. Healey, MM
P.O. Box 574
New Vernon, New Jersey 07976-0574

USA

Rev. Joseph G. Healey, MM
555 Van Beuren Road

Morristown, New Jersey 07960-6463

USA

+ 1 973-216-4997 (AT&T, USA)

Email: JoeHealey@jghealey.com

WhatsApp: 1+ 973-216-4997

Skype: joseph-healey

Zoom Personal Meeting ID (PMI): 719-876-1799

Mr. Bernard Mberere

Project Officer

Association of Member Episcopal Conferences in Eastern Africa (AMECEA) Secretariat

P.O Box 21191-00505

49 Gitanga Road

Nairobi, Kenya

+254 720 479 714

Website | Youtube  | Facebook | Twitter (X)

Email: bernard@amecea.org

 Photos by:

Rev. Zakaria Kashinje, OSA
Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
Cellphones:
+255-756-887787 Vodacom
+255-717-3337787 Tigo

+255-786-337787 Airtel
Email: zkashinje@gmail.com
zkashinje@yahoo.co.uk