After the rain ....

Hiphop has always been my drug of choice, especially the forms of hiphop that are clean. Ever heard of holy hiphop? As a PK, I grew up singing in the choir, etc. But it was my delinquent experiments with hiphop and rap that left many exciting memories on my mind. Some years ago, broken and hard-pressed between a rock and a hard place, I penned a rap song, “After the Rain, the Sun Came Out.” This song could actually change my career path forever. I gave it to a friend, and he is now a hiphop superstar in Malawi—because of that song.

Recently, I have found myself playing the hook over and over again; after the rain, the sun came out. I don’t have that much time for hiphop anymore, I don’t even know who is doing hiphop right now, but once again, hearing my own words speak back to me from that song has been very encouraging. Indeed, it is spring now, we cant help but celebrate the re-awakening of many new things, after a long winter slow-down. Certainly, the sun is coming out. I hear the birds singing, and see the kids running up and down. If I were to write that song again, in the context of Minnesota, may be I would say “after the winter, the sun comes out.”

I spoke to my mother yesterday. It was a rather out-of-the-ordinary Easter conversation. You see, my immediate family is trilingual, and we mix the three languages without any conscious effort. A typical sentence will have two languages in it, generally. Only when one wants to make a specific emphasis would they choose a specific word from a specific language. She did that yesterday when she brought it to my attention that there will be a famine in my home area this year.

It is harvesting time, and the rains have not been good this year. So, it is quite evident that people will starve. Worse, this will inevitably cause a lot more HIV/AIDS related deaths. And she asked me to request all my friends “in America” to pray for the food situation in Malawi. I am not sure how widespread the hunger will be, but at least, we know there will be a great need. So, on her behalf, this is my request to you all, remember the food situation in Malawi when you pray.

Nevertheless, she said that in the face of such a difficult situation, Easter has been once again a season of excitement and new beginnings. While the usual Easter night vigils were well attended, most of the people were worried about how they will make it with the little maize they have this year. But, in my mother's words, they encouraged one another believing that death is a necessary prerequisite for resurrection. Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning.