By Asha Ahmed Darro
That exciting feeling of nostalgia when colours purple, red, or dark blue are neatly threaded in a beautiful Net’ala or a coat and long pants. A Burji attire
To anyone who meets the millennials, we look anything but Burji.
From our city accents of either sophisticated English to crafty sheng ‘cheza kama wewe mtunguyaz’ or ‘kiongozi Itakua aje?’ whenever we seek favours.
Our dress codes of pinching stiletto heels and layers of makeup or casual suits, and baggy hanging denim add to the above.
Despite the sophistication and urbanization, we are indeed Burji.
As the metropolitan lifestyle surrounds and swallows what is left of our culture and traditions, we still choose to be very proud of our heritage.
Even though we prioritize our faiths and only embrace Burji traditions that do not contradict our faith, we are proud Burjis.
Don’t get me started on how bad our Burji language is and how we can’t understand it half the time, but we love the sound of our language.
Whenever we go to Kiamaiko to buy meat or visit our folks upcountry, we are stricken with admiration when we hear you fluently converse in our language. We love it.
So, embrace us as we try to learn and grow in our culture. Understand and welcome us when we respectfully choose to not follow traditions that contradict our faith.
To my fellow Millennials, let us take up the challenge to grow our knowledge of our traditions, cultural aspects, and beautiful language.
