Strange idea of rituals on the foundation

My jaw literally dropped at the idea of performing a cultural ritual on the foundation. “How do you expect me to believe that when I don’t sacrifice a hen or goat’s blood to my foundation, the house will collapse?” I asked the builders who had suggested I perform a sacrifice.

Such myths have held Africans back for a long time. After going back and forth with the builders, I put my foot down, and told them anyone who didn’t want to be part of the building process should stop work with immediate effect. Sagala kamanyilo, they were over stepping their boundaries. After giving them a piece of my mind, they realised I was a tough cookie.

Building a house for a woman is a tough job as is, many men on site take women for granted. At one time, I remember a builder told me to wait for mzee (my dad) to make the final decision. My blood was boiling, I am the boss here. Why should I wait for my dad to come and settle a dispute yet I am the one paying you? That one narrowly survived being sacked. It is a tough job dealing with builders who think they know more than you do and are rigid in how they do things.

Anyway, that didn’t derail me. By the end of the first week, the house had reached window level. I was over the moon.
Now my imagination was more alive than never before. suddenly, I could clearly see which room was which, where the sitting room was or the kitchen, the bedrooms, which was a great thing since I needed all the positive vibes I could get.

Meanwhile, the bags of cement were getting finished at a fast rate as if someone was “chasing” them. By now, the sand was also almost done and yet the toughest part was yet to come. The part that no one had told me about, the part I had not even budgeted for…

Immaculate Nantongo is the director My Fabulous Homes
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