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Romeo! Romeo
By the time King Khumalo was on his mission to appeasing the ancestors, Romeo's condition was deteriorating. The traditional healer instructed that the boy should be re- introduced to his forefathers for they did not recognise him because of the way he turned out to be. Being a gay was really a curse, according to the traditional healer. So, in order for them to do right by their forefathers, Romeo's father had to slaughter a goat to wash the curse and appease them at the same time. Romeo's father did as he was instructed. He re-introduced his son to his ancestors. A necklace sewn out of goat' skin was tied around Romeo's neck. He was made to sleep on a goat' s hide. As for his health condition, he was becoming weak and had no interest in daily activities. He did not wash himself and sometimes could not even eat his food. His relatives and those who were close to him believed that his weakness was the way of being tamed by the ancestors. They said it was the sign that
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Romeo and Julius Romeo! Wake up
It was a Sunday morning and Romeo' s mother was preparing to go to church. She woke up very early to do the household chores as usual. She usually went to the river to fetch some fresh water to make tea. Then she would cook porridge for everyone and clean afterwards. She would leave everything spick- and- span. Her daughter would continue to tend the dinner pots that she would leave boiling when she left for church. By the time the church was over the dinner would be ready to be served. She and her daughter would dish up for everyone and even the unexpected guests would get their share. It was a tradition for a royal family to have visitors almost everyday. Some would be there with an intent to get help from the king. The king would settle disputes and give fair judgement in common cases among the community members. So, the king's homestead was a place of refuge to the community members. Everyone received their share of attention in the welcoming arms if the king and
Romeo and Julius My son are you standing?
Romeo's bed was empty and it was made up as if he did not sleep on it at all. They looked around hoping to find him sitting on a chair next to his bed. The chair was empty too. How can a house be locked inside when there was no one in the room? They kept asking each other. After they searched the whole house, his mother looked up to the roof. She saw something that shocked her. Her stomach got cramps and she could not move. Her heart was beating very fast and the knees were weak. She could not believe what she was seeing. Her son was sitting on top of the wardrobe and his head was hanging down. She called him and he did not respond. The young men climbed to reach out to him. When they reached him they found a rope around his neck. Apparently he hanged himself standing on top of the wardrobe. Then he tied the rope in the roof. After he tied it around his neck, he folded his legs so that the rope could strangle him.He was cold and his upper body was s
Romeo and Julius The sunset at dawn
" Oh! Romeo, Romeo, thou rejected part of meHere I kneeleth beside theeThy bleeding piece of earthHow I wish I could curseth thy deathAnd bring back thy precious soulThy blood that feedeth the thirsty soilCan't we travel past this timeAnd go back to the day we metTo plan our escape to the ends of the worldFor the elements of life have conspired against our wordHow did life taketh so long to bring us together?We would have had a lot of memories to gather"." Romeo, can't you please give me just one last word, just one word to tell me what do I do next", those were the words Julius said as he was kneeling beside the lifeless body of Romeo.He and Romeo met before they graduated at high school. They became inseparable as close friends. Everyone knew that where there was Romeo, there was Julius too. Back then, the only thing they knew was friendship. They carried on fr
Romeo and Julius Romeo and Julius
It took a long time for Romeo and Julius to realise who they were until they saw other gay couples. They started to explore the areas of their lives they had never explore before. As they spent much of the time together they realised that that were more comfortable as lovers than as best friends. At first they were confused as to how they would handle the new developments in their lives. They started to go to parties that were attended by other young couples like them. As time went by they became comfortable with each other as partners. They went public. Within a short space of time they became an item and they had no shame in being seen walking hand in hand in public, something that they were not free to do in their villages. They almost did everything together like a married couple would do. Everyone got used to the idea of seeing them more as lovers than anything else. Although there were some people who disagree with the fact that a man should go out with another man, they had n
Romeo and Julius Who to tell?
Zamantungwa spent the sleepless nights, tossing and turning and found it hard to handle was she saw the other night. There were moments she thought she made a mistake. Maybe her eyes were deceiving her, she would think. How can her brother, her only brother, her father's only heir do such a thing? She was asking herself those kinds of questions that no one would be able to answer unless she could be able to grab to he bull by the horns and face her brother to fish for answers. What she saw the other night make her shuddered at the thought of it.Zamantungwa was Romeo's sister. She and her brother were so close. Romeo was her elder brother. They could talk about anything and could vouch for each other when they were in troubles that could make them face the wrath of their parents . They would protect each other by any means so that their parents would not punish any of them. There were several times that she (Zamantungwa) would lie so that her brother coul
Romeo and Julius Someone must know
Zamantungwa kept rewinding what happened during the previous weekend. She could not keep the secret any more. It weighed down on her shoulders in so much that she needed someone to talk to about it. She knew that she could not tell her mother. Definitely, her mother would tell her father and then things would not go well for Romeo. She knew how their father was she it came to dealing with things that concerned his family reputation. Telling him would be like selling his brother to there highest bidder in the auction. He would not wait until the further explanation. He would rather make a spectacle of him and could even ban him from the family. She had seen how the homosexuals were treated in the surrounding villages. She did not wish that to happen to her loving brother.While she was still in deep thoughts, something came to her mind. "Yes, that's a good idea", she thought to herself as she was planning to get rid of the secret she has
Romeo and Julius The dark girl starts the fire
Zamantungwa was carrying a calabash to fetch water from the river. She was walking leisurely while eating a roasted corn on the cob. Her traditional Zulu skirt suited her well and it revealed her beautiful legs as she walked gracefully towards the river bank. It was a tradition for the young girls to wear their traditional outfits especially when they reached their stage to be on their first periods. She was wearing hers with beads vest and sandals made from animal skin. On the head she wore a head band made of beads as well. She looked stunning and she turned heads and the young men were blowing the their whistles to call for her attention. Some were singing praises pledging to give their father's cattle heads as a bride price. It was a familiar habit for young men to fancy a girls when they went to the river. Some girls would go into groups and a group of young men would follow them. Each young man would pick his favourite girl and propose to be in a relatio
Romeo and Julius The battle field
The traditional royal poet of chief Khumalo'homestead went to the chief's resting room to call for his attention to the matter at hand. The poets were invited guests who just invited themdelved in any event. They sang praises related the a specific events. Most of the time they praised the chief to give honour and the respect they destas sons of the royal households. The chiefs would ignore them even if they insulted them. It was normal for a royal poet to express himself anyhow as long as it was relevant to such an event. The Khumalo royal poet went on saying these words:"Where else had such brutality been witnessed?When men were slaughtered like animalsAnd women and children left hopelessFor their keepers left them homelessAnd the ravaging of the sin is the cause of deathAs they say that death is the wages of sinThe keepers of the nation had been butcheredAnd their hiding rocks had been captured
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