NO KILOKOLE SPOKEN HERE

My wife, Jana grew up in Kenya and has some marginal Kiswahili abilities. When we first moved to Uganda we anticipated that her Kiswahili would be put to use due to the old East African community. However, history had done a disservice to Kiswahili. Many times her Kiswahili created an uncomfortable social moment. Finally, a friend told us, “In Uganda only thieves and soldiers use Kiswahili.” It was a shame for Kiswahili, but a consequence of Amin’s regime was emotional baggage to the Kiswahili language.

Once we traveled to Kenya with a Ugandan friend. I observed a time in which my friend was speaking to a Kenyan. The Kenyan started the conversation in Kiswahili. My Ugandan friend responded back in English. The Kenyan continued to answer in Kiswahili, but my Ugandan friend always continued her English responses. It became readily apparent that understanding was not the issue. The issue was the emotional baggage of language. My Ugandan friend could not stomach to speak Kiswahili. It came with too much pain. Her memory would not let her forget it, but she refused to be bound by it.

There is a new language on the horizon that I cannot stomach. It is called Kilokole. I hear it well, may try a phrase or two; but actually hope this language will just die a natural death. In a land of many languages, I’m making a choice to be linguistic dictator.

Generally, linguistic ability is a winner. The more you know, the better you communicate. Being bi-lingual, tri-lingual, and beyond makes one a broker in a global market place. Rwanda’s linguistic policies are a shrewd move that places Rwanda in a position of likely success.

However, language can also serve as a dividing marker – an easily identifiable way to discern “who is one of us.” Jargon and slang are the marks of divisive language. Kilokole is one of the most divisive, shallow, and evasive languages on the planet. I’m choosing to hear it, but like my Ugandan friend choose to respond in a more palatable language.

For those of you unfamiliar with Kilokole let me do a quick linguistic course. As an evangelical living in East Central Africa, I am a Mulokole. My people are the Balokole. Our language is Kilokole. In some regions, our traditional land may be called Bulokole or simply Lokole. Kilokole is a readily adaptable language. For instance, in Kenya and Tanzania, its initial greeting is “Bwana asifiwe,” followed by “Amen.” In Uganda the initial greeting is “Mukama yebazibwe,” followed by “Amen.” In Rwanda, the initial greeting is “Imana ishimwe,” followed by “Amen.”

Now, quick learners you should be seeing a pattern. Kilokole takes the traditional language of a region and quickly modifies it into a special code. Those with the most comfort in the culture, philosophy, and grammar of both Bantu languages and Evangelicalism are the quickest learners of Kilokole. The very greeting itself is used as a marker to determine who one of the elite Kilokole speakers. I’ve know of people being refused entry into Kilokole gather points because they could not speak Kilokole quick enough to persuade the gate keeper.

Kilokole is also an intellectually stunted language. It is not a language comfortable in debate, discussion, and dialogue. The general rule of thumb in Kilokole dialogue is “Turn up the volume.” Increased volume does succeed in gaining more attention, but appreciation for the discussion is another matter. As a borrowed language Kilokole seems to have received a generous soft loan from regional discos with the use of sound systems. Without government regulation both the discos and Kilokole gathering points will become environment hazards for those blessed from birth with 2 functional ears.

This “Turn up the volume” rule not only applies to sound systems, but occurs in speeches by Kilokole speakers. When your research is inadequate, systems of thought shallow, and illustrations irrelevant; turn up the volume. Kilokole speakers are noted for making a point by shouting “Hallelujah.” Kilokole listeners generally respond by shouting back, “Amen.” In reality the Kilokole speaker might be able to accomplish the same thing if he gave his listeners a strong cup of coffee with lots of sugar. This point making apparatus ignores that it’s a sin to bore people with a message from God. Turn up the volume sounds spiritual, but its just pseudo-spiritual mumbo jumbo pretending to be authentic spirituality.

Now, that many of my fellow Balokole are gathering stones to throw at me in my next public appearance let me make my point. Jesus of Nazareth spoke against those who used complicated linguistic formulas to swear to what was true. His counsel was to let our yes be yes, and our no be no (Matthew 5:33-37). In modern terms his counsel to his followers would be “No Kilokole spoken here.” His thought systems probed to the deepest hypocrisies and holes in the thought systems of the day. His illustrations were so earthy that only the most spiritually stunted did not understand his points. In fact, they understood them so well, that murdering the messenger became the only reasonable answer to maintain the status quo. To my non-Kilokole speaking friends, I offer my apologies for the sins of our community. To my Kilokole speaking brothers, I ask for you to turn down the volume, deepen your thinking, and listen before you speak.

Come run with me.