Eguria

THE DUBE TRAIN   The morning was too cold for a summer morning, at least, to me, a child of the sun. But then on all Monday mornings I feel rotten and shivering, with a clogged feeling in the chest and a nauseous churning in the stomach. It debilitates any interest in the whole world around me. The Dube Station with the prospect of congested trains, filled with sour-smelling humanity, did not improve my impression of a hostile life directing its malevolence plumb at me. All sorts of disgruntled ties darted through my brain, the lateness of the trains, the showing savagery of the crowds, the grey aspect around me.   Even the announcer over the loudspeaker gave confused directions. I suppose it had something to do with the peculiar chemistry of the body on Monday morning. But for me all was wrong with the world. Yet, by one of those flukes that occurs in all routines, the train I caught was not full when it came. Usually try to avoid seats next to the door, but someti...

THE IMPORTANCE OF HOBBIES A gifted American psychologist has said, ’Worry is a spasm of the emotion; the mind catches hold of something and will not let it go.’ It is useless to argue with the mind in this condition. The stronger the will, the more futile the task. One can only gently insinuate something else into its convulsive grasp. If this something else is rightly chosen. If it is really attended by the illumination of another field of interest, gradually, and often quite swiftly, the old undue grip relaxes and the process of recuperation and repair begins. The cultivation of a hobby and new forms of interest is therefore a policy of first importance to a public man. But this is not a business that can be undertaken in a day or swiftly improvised by a mere command of the will. The growth of alternative mental interest in is a long process. The seeds must be carefully chosen; they must fall on a good ground; they must be, sedulously tended,. If the vivifying fruits are to ...

: center;">  SOUTH AFRICA: Not yet Uhuru   (Uhuru is a Swahili word that means “freedom”.) It was   a Conservative British Prime Minister, Sir Winston Churchill, who in response to the stirrings of nationalism in different parts of   the British Empire during World War 1 truculently declared that he had not become the First Minister of the Crown in order to preside over the liquidation of the British Empire.’ It is therefore interesting that it was another conservative Prime Minister, the velvet-smooth Harold Macmillan, who stood up almost 20 eventful years later in the Parliament Building in Cape Town to acknowledge that a wind of change was blowing through Africa and that the aspiration for freedom from foreign domination had become irresistible. In other words, he was admitting that the days of the British Empire were numbered. It is therefore not surprising that the sixties was the decade of Africa independence. One after the other, Africa countries whi...

THE ANSWER (Adapted from: Chinua Achebe’s Anthills of the Savannah) ‘You will now answer my questions?’ Said His Excellency in a slightly amused tone. ‘I am sorry, Your Excellency. Don’t blame me; blame your Excellency’s inimitable sense of humour. … To speak the truth.   Your Excellency, I have no evidence of disloyalty on the part of my honourable colleague.’ He paused for effect. But nothing showed on His Excellency’s face. ‘But lawyers are also human. I have a personal feeling which may not up in court. I agree, but I hold it very strongly and if Chris were here I would say to his face. I don’t think Chris is one hundred per cent behind you.’ ‘Why do you think you have that feeling? “Why do I have it? Well, let’s put it this way. I have watched my colleague in question closely in his last year or so and my impression is that he does not show any joy, any enthusiasm in matters concerning this government in general and Your Excellency in particular. I was say...