African rainmaker (Photo/Courtesy)
Bungoma rainmakers in Kenya have decried the reduction in business opportunities because of the novel coronavirus. They say the pandemic has made rainmakers distance and isolate themselves from crowds and as a result, the rain has remained uncontrolled and is causing floods and wreaking havoc in villages. However, while speaking to a local station, the rainmaker said if people asked them for help, they would control the rainfall.
“Vile hii coronavirus ilikuja tukajifungia mbali mbali, sasa mvua imepata uhuru. Inaumiza watu wetu. Lakini wakituuliza, hii mvua itaenda, itanyesha kawaida, hiyo sio kitu tunadanganya. Kwa uwezo wa Mungu, itapunguka. (When coronavirus broke out, we distanced ourselves from each other. Now the rain is freely raining. It’s hurting our people. If they ask for our assistance, the rain will cease being destructive. It will rain moderately. That’s not a lie, with God’s might, it will reduce) the Bungoma rainmaker said.
He also said coronavirus has ruined potential business opportunities for Bungoma rainmakers who perform at burial ceremonies. This is because people are being buried very early because of the curfew of 5am-7pm. Additionally, the social distancing rule has made it difficult for non-family members to attend burial ceremonies. This prevents them from performing their rituals in funerals.
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“Coronavirus has made huge crowds illegal in burial ceremonies. Rainmakers specialize in different things. There’s a rainmaker who reduces rainfall, there’s another who can cause rainfall and there’s a specialist who does evil things. For now, we are all doing good deeds. However, the outbreak of coronavirus has made people be buried at 8am or 9 am. Why would anyone call you yet they are burying their loved ones very early?” he asked.
The Bungoma rainmaker also divulged details on how someone can become a rainmaker. Some of the ways include being born from the rainmaker clan or marrying someone from the rainmaking clan.
“In order to become a rainmaker, you have to come from the rainmaking clan through blood ties. If you don’t come from a rainmaking clan and you want to become a rainmaker, you can get married to someone from the clan of rainmakers. You can also allow your daughter to get a child with someone from the rainmaking clan and the child will carry the blood of rainmakers,” the rainmaker said.
