There are two languages I wish I could speak — Lumasaaba and Rutooro.
My father was a Mumasaaba, but I never learned Lumasaaba. My mother was a Muganda. On my mother’s side, my late great-grandmother was a Mutoorokati.
Unfortunately, I never got the chance to grow up with her and learn Rutooro from her. I only saw her three times in my entire lifetime.
Sometimes I wonder how different things would have been if I had spent more time with her.
I thought about this while watching the burial of the late King Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV. As I watched the funeral speeches, I kept hoping that Princess Ruth Komuntale would at some point speak Rutooro.
I wanted to hear her speak it.
Perhaps because, for me, Rutooro is more than just a language. It is a connection to someone in my family whom I never really got the chance to know.
It also made me think about how many of us grow up knowing where our families come from, but without being able to speak the languages connected to those roots.
When I spoke English instead of Lumasaaba during my father's burial, the audience murmured. Being his heir, I once attended a clan meeting to solve a family dispute. The chairperson's question about whether I understood Lumasaaba made me feel uncomfortable. You see, Lumasaaba is divided into three main dialects: Ludadiri, Lubuuya, and Lugisu. I told the chairperson that I understood the Ludadiri dialect better. My father spoke the Lubuuya dialect. Ludadiri is similar to certain Luhya dialects that I heard when growing up in Western Kenya. This similarity can be explained by the fact that both Ludadiri and some Luhya dialects contain many 'zi' and 'ka' sounds, as opposed to "tsi" and "kha" sounds common in the Lubuuya dialect. For example, in Lubuuya the traditional brewing dough is called "tsimuma," while in the Ludadiri dialect, it is called "zimuma." The Lubuuya dialect that my father spoke is more difficult for me to understand.
Perhaps I can start learning both Lumasaaba and Rutooro. After all, sometimes finding your way back to your roots begins with simply learning the language.
