Thread by @marcusolang

Come. Come. Closer. We need to talk for a moment.

"At least..."

Beloveds, we need to retire this phrase from our lexicon. Kwanza sisi Wakenya.

"At least you have a job..."
"At least una mshahara..."
"At least una bwana/bibi..."
"At least alikuja..."

Bare minimum tu.

At what point did we agree to give into bare minimum so consistently and absolutely? When? Why?

Yes, I know between a church that weaponised scripture, parents whose responses to every question was "Because I told you so", and 8-4-4 that demanded answers to be presented only the way Malkiat Singh's textbooks dictated, our imaginations was beaten into submission.

I get it. I get that after all the constant assault on our uniqueness and creativity, it becomes easier to just accept things. Hivyo tu.

But surely, there's that part of you that still exists, right? That part of you that knows you deserve better? That part of you that knows your boss shouldn't treat you like they're doing you a favour keeping you on the payroll?

That voice that knows that your human can't continue behaving like you're the luckiest person on the planet simply for the fact that you share utensils?

That part still exists, right? Right?

"At least" is not a way to live life. Not a full, rich, rewarding life, anyway.

We have to allow ourselves to dream of more. To imagine more. To give ourselves permission to experiment with colour in our minds.

Better exists, friends. Life is not just about bare minimum. We can't keep at-leasting our way through everything, yawa.