Mwatolopo ye patehile ya Nairobi, kwahule ni mandu abona atokomela nekuina sikwata sabashimani benebasina mandu. Zazi ni zazi nebapilaanga bupilo bwa bona onacwalo. Zazi leliñwi, bashimani nebaputa miseme yabona kuzwa kwatuko ya mikwakwa monebalobalanga. Kuli bazuse silami, nebatukisanga mulilo kakuitusisa masila amwa mikwakwa. Fahali asikwata sa bashimani ba, nekunani mushimani walibizo la Magozwe. Yo neli yomunyinyani kakufitisisa.
In the busy city of Nairobi, far away from a caring life at home, lived a group of homeless boys. They welcomed each day just as it came.
On one morning, the boys were packing their mats after sleeping on cold pavements. To chase away the cold they lit a fire with rubbish.
Among the group of boys was Magozwe. He was the youngest.
Nako yenebatimezi bashemi ba Magozwe, nana ni lilimo ze keta lizoho. Kasamulaho, aya kuyopila ni bomalumahe bene bamunyandisa. Neba lico nebasamufi kamokuswanelela kono inge bamufanga misebezi yetata.
When Magozwe’s parents died, he was only five years old. He went to live with his uncle. This man did not care about the child. He did not give Magozwe enough food. He made the boy do a lot of hard work.
Magozwe nasina mata akubuza neba kutongoka kakuli bomalumahe neba mushapanga. Haiba wabuza zakuya kwa sikolo, bomalumahe bamushapa niku mubulelela kuli, “Wena usikuba, haukoni kuituta.” Hase kufitile lilimo ze talu zaku utiwa mwamanyaando a cwalo, Magozwe abaleha mwalapa la bomalumahe. Cwale akala kuipilela mwa mikwakwa.
If Magozwe complained or questioned, his uncle beat him. When Magozwe asked if he could go to school, his uncle beat him and said, “You’re too stupid to learn anything.”
After three years of this treatment Magozwe ran away from his uncle. He started living on the street.
Bupilo bwa mwa mikwakwa nebukataza. Bana babashimani babañata nebakatazeha kufumana zakuca. Kabaka la kuuzwa lico zabatu fokuñwi nebatamiwa fokuñwi nebashapiwa. Haiba yomuñwi nakula, nekusina wakubatusa. Tusheleni twakukupa ni tobafumani mwakulekisa tupepa nilika zeñwi kona tone baitusisanga mwabupilo bwabona. Bupilo nebutatafalile hahulu kabaka la sikwata sabashimani banebalata kulwana nikuzamaisa likalulo zeñwi za tolopo.
Street life was difficult and most of the boys struggled daily just to get food. Sometimes they were arrested, sometimes they were beaten. When they were sick, there was no one to help.
The group depended on the little money they got from begging, and from selling plastics and other recycling.
Life was even more difficult because of fights with rival groups who wanted control of parts of the city.
Zazi leliñwi, Magozwe hana batabata mwasingungulu, afumana kabuka kakale kamakande. Akashimba akapukuta nikukabeya mwamukotana wahae. Zazi ni zazi, nashimba kabuka kao nikutalimatalima maswaniso kakuli nasazibi kubala.
One day while Magozwe was looking through the dustbins, he found an old tattered storybook. He cleaned the dirt from it and put it in his sack.
Every day after that he would take out the book and look at the pictures. He did not know how to read the words.
Liswaniso ze, nelibonisa mucaha yanabata kuba muzamaisi wa fulai. Magozwe kona ainahanela kuli wakona kuba muzamaisi wa fulai. Nako yeñwi, naikutwa inge kuli kiyena yanabulelwa mwalikande.
The pictures told the story of a boy who grew up to be a pilot.
Magozwe would daydream of being a pilot. Sometimes, he imagined that he was the boy in the story.
Zazi leliñwi, hane kubata, Magozwe ayemelela mwamukwakwa nikukala kukupelela. Muuna yomuñwi asutelela kuyena. “Lumela. Na kina Thomas. Nibeleka fakaufi nisibaka se koo ukona kufumana sakuca.” Muuna yo abulela inge asupa kwandu yamubala wañanda talukeke yenani situwa sa bundilu. “Nisepa kuli wakona kuya kwale nikuyonga sakuca?” abuza. Magozwe atalima muuna yo hape nikutalimela ndu yana musupelize. “Mwendi,” Magozwe alaba inge azamaya.
It was cold and Magozwe was standing on the road begging. A man walked up to him. “Hello, I’m Thomas. I work near here, at a place where you can get something to eat,” said the man.
He pointed to a yellow house with a blue roof. “I hope you will go there to get some food?” he asked.
Magozwe looked at the man, and then at the house. “Maybe,” he said, and walked away.
Hanekufitile likweli, bashimani batwaela kubonana ni Thomas. Thomas neli mutu yanalata kubulela nibatu, sihulu bale babaipilela mwa mikwakwa. Thomas natelezanga kwa makande abupilo bwabatu. Neli mutu yalukile nikuikuteka na sina kashwau kapa mahanyi. Kasa mulahonyana, bashimani babañwi bakala kuya kwandu yeo kuyonga lico kanako yamusihali.
Over the months that followed, the homeless boys got used to seeing Thomas around. He liked to talk to people, especially people living on the streets.
Thomas listened to the stories of people’s lives. He was serious and patient, never rude or disrespectful. Some of the boys started going to the yellow and blue house to get food at midday.
Magozwe nainzi kwatuko nimukwakwa inge atalima maswaniso mwa kabuka kahae. Nako ye Thomas ataha kutoina fakaufi niyena. “Kabuka kao katalusa ñi?” Thomas abuza. “Likande kila mushimani yomuñwi yakala kuzamaisa fulai,” Magozwe alaba. “Kimañi libizo mushimani yo?” Thomas abuza. “Hanizibi kakuli hanikoni kubala.” Magozwe alaba.
Magozwe was sitting on the pavement looking at his picture book when Thomas sat down next to him.
“What is the story about?” asked Thomas.
“It’s about a boy who becomes a pilot,” replied Magozwe.
“What’s the boy’s name?” asked Thomas.
“I don’t know, I can’t read,” said Magozwe quietly.
When they met, Magozwe began to tell his own story to Thomas. It was the story of his uncle and why he ran away.
Thomas didn’t talk a lot, and he didn’t tell Magozwe what to do, but he always listened carefully.
Sometimes they would talk while they ate at the house with the blue roof.
Magozwe hasa sutelela kwa kukwanisa lilimo ze lishumi, Thomas amufa kabuka kamakande kasili. Kabuka ka nekatalusa za mushimani yomuñwi wa kwahae mwanazibahalezi kabaka la kulaha mbola. Thomas namubalezi likande le hañatañata kufitela zazi leliñwi amubulelela ali, “Niakaleza kuli seli nako yakuli uye kwasikolo uyoituta kubala nji unahana cwañi?” Thomas ataluseza Magozwe kuli kunani sibaka saziba ko banana bakona kuina ni kuituta.
Around Magozwe’s tenth birthday, Thomas gave him a new storybook. It was a story about a village boy who grew up to be a famous soccer player.
Thomas read that story to Magozwe many times, until one day he said, “I think it’s time you went to school and learned to read. What do you think?” Thomas explained that he knew of a place where children could stay, and go to school.
Magozwe anahana zataba ye yasibaka sesinca hape niyakuya kwasikolo. Haiba kuli kiniti zenebabulela bomalumahe kuli kisitimbi, hakoni kuituta sesiñwi ukaeza cwañi? Cwale haiba kuli bayomunata ko kwasibaka sesinca? Na sabile, nikunahana ali “mwendi kikokunde feela kuli niikinele mwa mikwakwa.”
Magozwe thought about this new place, and about going to school. What if his uncle was right and he was too stupid to learn anything?
What if they beat him at this new place? He was afraid. “Maybe it is better to stay living on the street,” he thought.
Aikabela sabo yahae ni Thomas. Yo yanamusepisize hañatañata kuli bupilo bwahae bwakona kucinca kwasibaka sesinca.
He shared his fears with Thomas. Over time the man reassured the boy that life could be better at the new place.
Kuzwafo, Magozwe atutela mwandu mo yasituwa sesitala. Nalobalanga nibalikani bahae bababeli. Hamoho ni banana benebapila mwandu mo neli balishumi. Kwanda bao, nekunani boCissy ni bomuuna abona, linja zetalu, kaze ni puli yakale.
And so Magozwe moved into a room in a house with a green roof. He shared the room with two other boys.
Altogether there were ten children living at that house. Along with Auntie Cissy and her husband, three dogs, a cat, and an old goat.
Magozwe akala sikolo kono afumana butata. Natokwa kuziba lika zeñata kuli azamayelele hamoho nibalikani bahae mwasikolo. Nako yeñwi naikutwa kuli atuhele kono akala kuhupula zamakande anafumani mwatubuka twahae amufufisi wa fulai ni mulahi wambola. Sina bona, nasikatuhela.
Magozwe started school and it was difficult. He had a lot to catch up. Sometimes he wanted to give up.
But he thought about the pilot and the soccer player in the storybooks. Like them, he did not give up.
Magozwe nainzi mwalapa kwandu yeo yasituwa sa mubala wobutala inge abala kabuka kamakande kanekazwa kwasikolo. Thomas ataha kutoina kwatuko niyena. “Likande liambola zañi?” Thomas abuza. “Likande liambola za mushimani yanabile muluti,” Magozwe alaba. “Cwale libizo la mucaha yo kimañi?” Thomas abuza. “Libizo lahae ki Magozwe,” Magozwe abulela ka lumenyo.
Magozwe was sitting in the yard at the house with the green roof, reading a storybook from school. Thomas came up and sat next to him.
“What is the story about?” asked Thomas.
“It’s about a boy who becomes a teacher,” replied Magozwe.
“What’s the boy’s name?” asked Thomas.
“His name is Magozwe,” said Magozwe with a smile.
