Previous Challenge Entry (Level 4 – Masters)
Topic: CLEAR AS MUD (07/18/19)
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TITLE: Sacred Lamu | Previous Challenge Entry
By Jack Taylor
07/22/19 -
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Locals say it’s magical and mystical – the place where Arab slavers housed their myriads of slaves in mud towers since the fourteenth century. Islam wraps itself around culture and character like a shroud, yet tourists are wooed by the exotic milieu of the narrow streets ruled by donkeys and the pristine waters ruled by ancient dhows.
Sacred Lamu is clear as mud until you understand.
The British forced the closure of the slave markets in 1873 and Lamu slipped like a mud slide into obscurity until independence from Britain reignited some of the ancient traditions to resurface under Kenya’s benevolent rule. The leading island in the archipelago boasts great restaurants and guest houses. The call from the minaret is never far away.
Sacred Lamu is clear as mud until you understand.
The East African Swahili settlement is one of the oldest and best preserved in existence. Buildings of coral stone and mangrove timber form simple structures with intricately carved wooden doors shutting out western civilization from the major Islamic festivals and practices. Sparkling white beaches lure tourist unaware of the strict moral codes.
Sacred Lamu is clear as mud until you understand.
Portuguese forts, Arab strongholds and empty Swahili shelters bely the bohemian call where beach strolls, mangrove forests and secluded lagoons are for visitors. Busy markets call to the adventurous eager to sample the catches of the day in this World Heritage Site.
Sacred Lamu is clear as mud until you understand.
Machete wielding tribesmen hacking off coconut rinds, setting out samples, pouring out milk. Glass bottomed boats braving the currents to dump snorkelers in rainbow colored waters. Lemonade squeezed fresh from the nectar of heaven. The wind caressing sail and hair and hats in its own playfulness.
Sacred Lamu is clear as mud until you understand.
Antelope horns mounted on walls and conch shells resting among dried starfish in cemented alcoves in lamp lit snow white guest-houses. Carved chairs once used by Sultans and now crawled over by barefoot children. Ancient garbed peddlers texting on cell phones, figuring out bartering prices and business loans.
Sacred Lamu is clear as mud if you understand.
Sunsets burning up the horizon with dazzling golds and reds. Palm trees silhouetted against the rich skies where gulls glide on gentle winds flowing down from the Middle East and beyond. Abandoned villages sitting untouched by human hand or foot for centuries. Carpets laid out in catered homes where chefs unleash the mastery of spice and sea. Tastes from Oman, Zanzibar and India tantalize the tongue.
Sacred Lamu is clear as mud if you understand.
Vendors selling sea shells, carvings, curios, starfish, coral, key rings, prayer beads, Korans, and tours. Smiles as wide as the sky. Souls as empty as the beaches.
Sacred Lamu is as clear as mud if you understand.
Asians, Persians, Europeans, Westerners and Africans bumping shoulders and squeezing down alleyways which haven’t changed for centuries. Curries, pastas, biryanis, chutneys, coconut rice and couscous mixed with the breadth of the ocean offerings. Clove, cumin seeds, cinnamon and all the spices you can imagine sit waiting in ceramic trays for every unsuspecting soul.
Sacred Lamu is clear as mud until you understand.
Missionaries meander in hostile lands hosting dental clinics and minor surgeries. Conversations in quiet alcoves are shared in prayer and hopeful anticipation. Internet dishes pick up signals from Spain and radio stations dotting the landscape outside Islamic control. Darkness settles on the residents and suffocates the light.
Sacred Lamu is clear as mud until you understand.
The land is as mystical and magical as people say and it as difficult to comprehend and understand as the phrase that’s been repeated over and over.
To understand the phrase, you need to unscramble the letters and rearrange them. Sacred Lamu will spell out clear as mud and then you’ll understand.
When the gospel is shared in a place where the cruelest thoughts and actions of human beings against other human beings have been carried out unhindered for centuries, those of us who have walked in the light of Christ’s impact on our nations have a grasp as clear as mud as to why people even today don’t seem free to explore a truth that will set them free.
The suffocating blanket of Islam has choked the life out of much of Lamu and yet – hidden in the alcoves are children of the king – waiting, watching, reaching for understanding.
Remember Sacred Lamu is clear as mud until you understand.
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