Why those who Mourned Raila Odinga in Dholuo hit the Right Chord with the Mourners
By Thomas Chemelil Language is a powerful tool of communication. Moreso, when you communicate with your audience using their tongue, the effect is always an immediate rapport with them. More often than not, the audience tends to reciprocate by appreciating what you are telling them. Nowhere could this have been true than at the funeral of the late Rt. Hon. Raila Odinga at the JOOUST grounds in Bondo. When Raila’s son, Junior, took to the podium, a trademark Raila fly whisk in hand, he roused his audience with Dholuo greetings. “ Jothurwa Untie, ” he shouted. The crowd responded in earnest demonstrating their appreciation for his Dholuo greetings. Every other speaker who spoke after him followed suit. Emily Anyango Odinga told the crowd that Oburu would often call Raila “ Wuod Luo ” , cementing the argument that African languages play a pivotal role in anchoring discourse, particularly when we want to strike a chord with the audience. Yet, the ...