I was chatting to a young person in Tanzania.
Tried correcting her syllables: MPILA ( mpira); ZAHABU Dhahabu (gold), etc. This always exasperates my generation – who, luckily, schooled during Mwalimu Nyerere’s era. Ironically, my age group is on its last legs, hence, need to pass the baton to the next generation.
“Do you read?”
“Read what?” She asked as if I had suggested chewing a stone.
“Novels. Bible. Newspapers. Quran.”
“I am too busy looking for money…”
That’s what they always say. Busy hustling.
“But you have time to check your phone, right?”
“Of course. Without my phone I am sick.”
“Do you use your phone while hustling for pesa?”
“No! I check it on the bus; while eating, before sleeping, as soon as I wake up. There is always a moment.”
“Right. You have a few minutes to check your beloved phone. Why not give 10 per cent of THAT time to ALSO read few pages of a book?”
“Books bore me. Only you old folks love books.”
Fifty years ago we used to compete reading novels. We would stroll down streets clutching James Hadley Chase novels. We equally hustled, partied, did household chores. In 2026 reading is considered “old fashioned” by our youngsters.
What else?
There are numerous activities that people frown at in 2026. Such as knitting. I was in a London train. Most commuters were glued to their phones. A woman in her 30’s, sat quietly, busily, knitting.
“Excuse me. You mind me asking?”
“No, why?” She wondered.
“What are you knitting?”
“A hat for my boyfriend. I have been knitting since I was eight. My grandmother taught me because I used to be restless.”
“Still restless?”
“Not really. Have two young kids with my boyfriend. My hands are full.”
I watched other females in the train. Would they do this? I felt like shouting, loudly.
ANY OF YOU LADIES MIND KNITTING LIKE HER?
I did not yell, of course. Knitting goes way back. Centuries. Lately, international celebrities, e.g. actress Julia Roberts, have revived knitting. What was once considered normal is now a minority activity-with-many benefits.
