The national anthem and the flag
If there is something that may haunt me all my life it is the Kenyan national anthem, we were often told we had to stand up every time we heard the music start and once a long time ago as I was lying sick in bed and the radio was on in the background the anthem was played...... lying there in a foetal position and when it started playing I pulled myself up straight, mind you still lying in bed, I stretched out straight and stiff as a board until it ended. I would have hated to be found slouching when the "great anthem" was playing. I was four or five years old……….
Not so long ago while out driving in Eldoret the Kenyan flag was coming down at the District Commissioner's (DC) office and I did not stop as one was meant to do. Now at the driving school you were taught all the signs and traffic rules that you had to obey. However, there was not one rule that mentioned that you had to obey this particular rule of " the flag coming down or even hoisting the flag ". So when the Administration Police (AP) started screaming at me that I should have stopped I had this perplexed look on my face as this was a traffic rule that seemed to be made on the spot. I later found out that for those who happened to walk near the DC's office at these times you had to stop walking, talking or whatever you were doing and stood to attention.
Which brings me to the anthem standing or in my case sleeping to attention, I haven't heard the anthem played in a long time and when l do l wonder if I shall remember what it is to have the fear of God drilled into you as a child that you have to obey certain rules and also where do we get this insane justification of disrespecting a flag or that we lack patriotism if we do not stand to attention.......
Not so long ago while out driving in Eldoret the Kenyan flag was coming down at the District Commissioner's (DC) office and I did not stop as one was meant to do. Now at the driving school you were taught all the signs and traffic rules that you had to obey. However, there was not one rule that mentioned that you had to obey this particular rule of " the flag coming down or even hoisting the flag ". So when the Administration Police (AP) started screaming at me that I should have stopped I had this perplexed look on my face as this was a traffic rule that seemed to be made on the spot. I later found out that for those who happened to walk near the DC's office at these times you had to stop walking, talking or whatever you were doing and stood to attention.
Which brings me to the anthem standing or in my case sleeping to attention, I haven't heard the anthem played in a long time and when l do l wonder if I shall remember what it is to have the fear of God drilled into you as a child that you have to obey certain rules and also where do we get this insane justification of disrespecting a flag or that we lack patriotism if we do not stand to attention.......
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on Friday, February 25, 2005 at 10:12 am.
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I recently stumbled upon your blog a couple of weeks ago.its very interesting. please keep writing....
How bizzare! Sounds like rules made up as one goes along. Do you remember the anthem used to played before the movie begun and we had to stand up?
When I was in Kenya in 1999 they played the anthem at the cinema. I think they have stopped now.
LOL!!1 I have had that surreal experience too. I used to like walking in downtown Nai on sunday because there were few people and the streets seem cleaner( as clean as Nairobi can get.hehehe). I was passing by the Police Hq on Harambee street when I had a bugle call sound and then all of a sudden I was transported into the twilight zone!
Everyone froze, I stumbled forward for a while looking perplexed as everyone around me stood stuck to the ground,and had a serious expression on their faces. Imagine a scene where someone has pressed pause button and time has stood still and you are the only one seemingly alive. Then, I saw the flag coming down from the flag post infront of Police Hq and I put two and two together and stopped before I was 'wekwa-d ndani'. After the flag came down, a bugle call sounded and its like someone clicked the un-pause(is that even a word) button and everyone went on their way like nothing had happened. I walked on in a state of wonderment at how we have been drilled on this flag thing. I don't know if they still do it, but go and see it for yourself outside Police Hq. I swear you will be in the twilight zone.
At least they stopped playing the anthem at the cinema, I am all for patriotism, but honestly, there is a time and place for these things. The cinema is not one of them!
Daud El Rude (when I grow up....I want to be an American!)
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