What, if any, could be the link between marondo and last borns? For non Lulogooli speakers, we speak of the crunchy stuff left stuck inside the sufuria after cooking ugali; not the soup made from boiling the legs, head and tongue of cows. In Tanzania, marondo the soup is known as supu ya kongoro. This soup is good for killing hangovers, we East Africans believe. In Lubukusu, marondo from cooking ugali is known as kamaandu.
Well cooked ugali will always yield marondo. This is because the marondo forms (cakes) in layers as the ugali is turned and exposed to heat. As you may know, heat and turning are a cook’s best friends when making ugali. Now, to have the marondo separate easily from the cooking pot is another story altogether. Yes, there are tricks that one can apply, but my experience is that for the average cook, it is a matter of luck more than anything.
Luck, is the other name for last borns. As an elder sibling myself, I sometimes do marvel at the luck the baby of our house was born with. Most last borns are born into a more cushy life than their siblings as their parents have often done the miles and are therefore more financially secure; Many of them, going by their parent’s own admissions, have luck cooked in to their coming to this world – an only boy among girls, an only girl among boys, a miracle pregnancy, a precious baby. Then there is the cultural aspects of the favors and obligations to family of being a lastborn that often work for them.
Kurugiza marondo and lastborns
It is this cultural aspect that we find a curious link between marondo and last borns. You see among the Luhya, the womb is likened to a pot. The Maragoli version of housewarming ceremony, kurugiza, captures this likeness perfectly. To briefly explain, in this ceremony the new bride is helped to cook a meal for new relations.
In the process, the new couple warm get to warm their house with food and laughter. During the ceremony, the pot is analogous to the womb; while the cooking stick symbolizes the male organ. When the two come together, the pot and cooking stick, the joy of their union makes the house become a home. This is because as a result of their union, bellies will get full (in both plain speaking and symbolically). And full bellies always bring laughter and happiness to all.
Therefore, like the last piece of cake, last cherry on the pie, last bullet, last fruit of the womb or the last of the goodness of ugali, so is a last born. For a last born child just like marondo, are the last you can get from a vessel that brings joy to a home – the womb and a pot respectively.
Subscribe to Mulembe Weekly
Get culture, language, stories and discussions in your inbox every Friday 5 PM East Africa Time
