Mayindo: The rock that feeds Wankwaale villagers

Jul 10, 2008

HORDES of barefoot men dressed in tattered shirts and wielding machetes duck into the nearby gardens to avoid the thick clouds of dust raised by trucks loaded with sugarcane.

Mayindo is believed to be a special female spirit (musambwa) found in Kyaggwe, Mukono district. People come from far and wide to ask the rock for their needs and it is believed Mayindo meets all their needs. Arthur Baguma visited Mayindo

HORDES of barefoot men dressed in tattered shirts and wielding machetes duck into the nearby gardens to avoid the thick clouds of dust raised by trucks loaded with sugarcane.

The bumpy and dusty road on which they moved is as unpredictable as the place where it leads — a shanty trading centre dotted with several shops and a few iron-roofed buildings.

The 390 inhabitants of this small village seem to be living in bliss, despite the alarming levels of poverty.

Affording a pair of plastic sandals is a
privilege here. Having a cup of tea with sugar is everyone’s dream. Finding a cold soda seems like an unattainable dream.

Yet even with no electricity and running water they still call themselves a village of the rich. While by any standards this village lives in abject poverty — they also have their own class of haves and have not.

The rich can afford a pair of plastic sandals which goes for about sh2,000; a few people are seen putting on glittering slippers. One of them boasts to be the only person with a valid passport in the village, but has never used it since he got it. Years ago, a few could afford a pair of slippers or clothing.

Today, some residents own more than a pair of slippers of different colours. Others can afford a pair of shoes. And the means of transport is equally improving.

A few residents have been able to invest in motorcycles. Others have put up iron-roofed buildings to replace the grass-thatched huts.

Located in Nyenga sub-county, Buikwe County, unraveling Wankwaale village is like a fairly tale. And perhaps it is, in a way.

This village harbours a secret-Mayindo, a powerful deity believed to be a source of wealth and eternal happiness. And, Wankwaale villagers treat every stranger in the area as a potential visitor to Mayindo.

The first man I encountered asked me whether I had come to thank Mayindo. Before I could answer back, another mean man with a long beard castigated me for not carrying anything for Mayindo.

The man with a dark complexion, who I later learnt was Zinunula, owns a block of shops and a small hut. He is worshiped by the village folks as the ‘tycoon’ of the area.

Zinunula is not shy about revealing the source of his wealth. It has come with patience and a long history of beseeching and thanking mayindo.

Zinunnula has never stepped in a classroom. “I started in 1968 at the age of 14,” he says. “Mayindo gave me houses, a family and today, I have four houses scattered around the village.” He is dressed in black trousers and a light-green shirt with a matching pair of shinny slippers.

As I stare at him in disbelief, looking forward to meeting the super-rich and kind philanthropist, Zinunula excuses himself and enters his bedroom. He returns shortly with four pictures.

Describing the first picture, he says: “Here, we were celebrating after this man got what he wanted and came back to appreciate Mayindo.”

In the picture, a man dressed smartly in a suit is seen handing over chicken and matooke plus an assortment of foodstuffs to the area LC1 chairman.
In another picture, decently dressed women kneel in front of what looks like a rock.

From their appearance, they look like well-to-do people. One is dressed in a kitenge and another in a purple dress. In their midst is a rock which you would easily ignore.

Pointing at the rock in the picture, Zinunula says: “This is the man who gave me riches and he has done the same for others.” So, Mayindo is not after all the all powerful wealthy diver, but a mere rock!

Wasswa Golooba, the area local council chairman has been watching from a distance as all this unfolds. Like a student itching to say something in class, he quips in that well-to-do people from far and beyond trek to this village to ask Mayindo for favours.

And after getting their needs, they go back to thank Mayindo, who is believed to be a female spirit. From places as far as Masaka and Kakooba in Tanzania, people come here to pay homage to mayindo — some to thank him and others to ask for anything they want.

Golooba says a woman from Masaka brought two cows and four jerrycans of local brew — the entire village partied. Another man also brought two goats and matooke which the villagers descended on for merry making.

In this small village, people have a craving for supernatural powers and spirits. Three in every 10 people confess they believe in supernatural powers and witchcraft.

A boda boda cyclist will tell you he also doubles in spiritual healing, solving other people’s problems in his shrine. A shop keeper will show you his side business, a shrine in form of a small hut behind his house.

One look around the village reveals several small grass-thatched huts that are used as shrines for worshipping spirits.

Residents confess they have witnessed Mayindo’s supernatural powers at play. And if you dared ask the question how a rock could create fortunes, you would spend the whole day listening to testimonies.

Almost every resident here has a weird story of a person who asked and got what they wanted from Mayindo.
The mystery centres on the most unusual set of rock carvings worshipped and adored by people.

The enigmatic carvings have been part of the local folklore of the area since time immemorial. The site is secretly visited by people from all walks of life; the old, young, rich and poor.

The carvings are in a rock cleft — a large block of split stone on a cliff-face that has created a small chasm of two stone walls facing each other.

The rock widens out and is covered by a huge flat rock at the narrow end. The cleft has a human shape. At the age of 17, Moses Kisizo, a resident, got to know about Mayindo.

One of the strangest tales he remembers was that whenever he wanted to urinate in the bush near Mayindo, he was told never to face the rock. He remembers his father telling him that a man who once urinated in a bush while facing Mayindo became impotent and died without ever having children.

The stories here are as amazing as the people themselves. It is the same story for Kato Demiani 52, a father of seven. He also attributes his fortunes to the generous hand of Mayindo. “I asked Mayindo for a job and soon after he answered my prayers. I work at Nyenga sub-county in the entomology department,” Kato revealed.

Mayindo is the talk of the village. No one takes a month without visiting a spirit or Mayindo. Ironically, people here create an impression that it is outsiders who go to Mayindo.

“Do you know that Jesus was taken for granted by the people in the village where he was born? That is how we treat Mayindo here. We take him for granted,” a barefoot villager says.

But other people will not take this. Many confess that many residents visit Mayindo in secret.

Many of them fear the competition of giving back generously. Most of the people who come from other areas to appreciate bring cows, chicken, pots of local brew and matooke.

Yet people here appreciate with just small money — as little as sh500 after getting many times the value of that.” According to the locals, mayindo does not mind how big or small one’s appreciation is, regardless of what she has given them.

Locals say most clients are women who have failed to have children, businessmen with money issues, parents without schools fees for their children, people in debts and those who want to get instant wealth.

But how old is Mayindo? Well the only answer you will get is that every person and elders of this village say they found the rock there. It is as old as creation. And its first known date of discovery is as old as the first inhabitant of that area.

But as people from far and beyond keep exploiting mayindo without giving back tangible benefits, Golooba is planning to turn the site into a tourist attraction and people visiting mayindo will be charged a small fee.

Lazaro Kiseka, 64, says everytime he passes by, mayindo gives him what he wants. “Last week Mayindo gave me sh5,000 which I used to buy strings for shoe repairs. And I always give back. Yesterday I took sh500 to mayindo.”

But how real is mayindo? Are the stories about Mayindo true? Depending on whom you ask, the answer is yes and no. But do not expect any contradicting answers at least from the inhabitants of this village.

“Of course mayindo is real, how can you explain why people come from far to see him? And why would someone buy two cows and still come back to celebrate and thank Mayindo? Would any one in their senses do that?” Samuel Mukyapa, the area defence secretary asks.

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