Cucarachita na hadithi nyingine, maigizo, mashairi na mada kutoka kwa wawakilishi wa ‘klabu za jinsia za shule za: Yusuf Makamba; Loyola High School & Sinza Tower Secondary School ziliongoza mazungumzo juu ya Maadhimisho ya Siku ya Wapendanao kwa Mtazamo wa Jinsia.
Kauli mbiu ya mazungumzo haya ni:
“Watanzania Tupendane Bila Aina Yoyote ya Unyonyaji, Ubaguzi na Ukatili wa Kijinsia”
Mazungumzo yaliratibiwa na Mtandao wa Jinsia Tanzania (TGNP) kwa kushirikiana na Taasisi ya Usomaji na Maendeleo–Soma; na yalifanyika katika Viunga vya Mkahawa wa Vitabu Soma (SomaBook Café) mnamo tarehe 16 February 2013
Hebu tafakari shairi lililotungwa na wanafunzi wa DIS pamoja na hadithi ya cucarachita…..
“THE DISGUISED ANNIVERSARY”
“People are working hard, earning for living
You had turned out, they give not for the needy
Ooh the last time, I thought you meant love
Peace and love to poor, is what you meant
If you meant love, love to whom
Ok, love for the loved ones, who are the loved ones
Oh valentine, you only stand for good commemoration”
Cucarachita
A Mexican folk tale– the story of the little cockroach girl….
Once upon a time… there lived a cockroach girl named Cucarachita. Cucarachita lived in a big house with her mother and father. She had lots of beautiful dresses and cockroach gadgets to keep her entertained. Now you think that someone who lived in a big house with her mother and father who loved her and had lots of clothes and playthings would be happy, wouldn’t you? But she wasn’t happy, she was sad.
She thought she was UGLY. Her mother and father tried to convince her otherwise, but she wouldn’t believe them. That’s not true…you have to think I’m beautiful because you are my family. No matter what anyone said, they could not convince her she was beautiful. She would go into her bedroom and look at herself in the mirror
Oh look at me…I am so ugly. My hair is frizzy, my eyelashes are too short, my lips are too small and look at me!
I am too short! I hate to be small, I want to be TALL!
One day she passed by a beauty parlour. I bet there is something in there that can make me look beautiful… She went inside and found just what she was looking for.
She bought herself a beautiful wig…long black and curly. Cucarachita put it on, feeling so proud. She walked home fluffing that wig and feeling pretty good.
She looked in the mirror to admire her new wig…it looked great!
But her eyelashes were still short and stubby, her mouth still small and she was still SHORT!
She remembered something else she had seen at the beauty parlour. The next day she went back to the parlour and bought some fake eyelashes. She put them on…they were wonderful. They curled right over the top of her head. Oh she was so proud.
She walked home patting her gorgeous wig and fluttering those eyelashes and it felt pretty good.
Aw..but she still had a teeny mouth and she was still ShORT!
One day she was glancing at a beauty mag…the only kind she read.
There she saw the ad..it was just what she needed…. Down at the pharmacy she went and bought herself some lipstick and painted great big red lips.They looked great…she felt good. She walked home patting and fluffing that wig, fluttering those eyelashes and blowing kisss with those huge red lips!
But she was still small.
A few weeks later she was invited to a very important party. She went to a department store to by a dress, when she saw something on a shelf on the wall. SHOES! HIGH HEELED SHOES. Just what she needed. She bought them and put them on.
Oh, Cucarachita was looking good now. She walked down the street patting and fluffing out her wig, fluttering her eyelashes and blowing kisses from those good red luscious lips, walking tall on those incredible heels, calling Hola! Hola!
Because Cucarachita thought she looked good, so did everyone that met her.
She was walking along the street when along came CAT
He walked up to her, purred and said you are beautiful, will you marry me?
“Well if I marry you, what song will you sing at my wedding?”
He smiled, rubbed his whiskers and began to sing…an awful sound…yowling and howling it nearly frightened Cucarachita out of her wits.
Oh that is not the song I want to hear…I am sorry I cannot marry you.
Cucarachita was pretty happy…she was looking good and had one proposal of marriage.
She strolled along and down the road came FOX …ay he was something…shiny coat, dark mysterious eyes and snappy white teeth.
“hey baby”…You looking good. Will you marry me?”
“Well if I marry you, what song will you sing at my wedding?”
He smiled, rubbed his whiskers and began to sing…an awful sound…yowling and howling it nearly frightened Cucarachita out of her wits.
Oh that is not the song I want to hear…I am sorry I cannot marry you.
She felt like the queen of the world. She was looking good and had 2 marriage proposals…there was no stopping her now!!
She walked on and along came RAT
He was quiet and shy and thought she looked very pretty.
Would you do me the honour of becoming my wife?
“Well if I marry you, what song will you sing at my wedding?”
Rat smiled and got out his guitar. He began to sing…he sang songs of love, of beauty and starlit nights. His songs were sooo romantic Cucarachita nearly fainted with delight!
“AAAh that is my song, I will marry you.
So they were married and lived happily together…
What she liked to cook he liked to eat and what he liked to sing she loved to listen to…they were as happy as happy could be.
Then Cucarachita began to grow afraid.
She new that sooner or late rat would see her without her make-up on.
She was afraid that when he saw her the way she really was, he would frown and call her an ugly old hag.
One day she took a deep breath and gathered all her courage and went into the bathroom…
She looked at herself…her long wig, the fake eyelashes, the red luscious lips and finally she looked down at her very high heels.
IT WAS TIME…she took off the wig… peeled off the lashes, washed off the lipstick and took off the heels.
She stood looking into the mirror and seeing herself for the very first time…
And strange enough, she thought she was beautiful.
She went and stood before Rat…
He looked at her from her head to her toes MMMM
Then from her toes to her head mmmm
Finally he said “You know Cucarachita, when I asked you to marry me, I thought you were beautiful…I don’t know what you have done to yourself…but I HAVE NEVER SEEN YOU LOOK MORE BEAUTIFUL. and you know what, I love you so much more this way. NOW YOU ARE TRULY BEAUTIFUL!
C was so happy because she knew that Rat was not looking at her with his eyes, but
HE WAS SEEING HER THROUGH HIS HEART.
And rat and Cucarachita lived together happily for many many many years!
…watch this space for mind teasing questions….
