DECEMBER silent songs ANALYSIS by Filemon Liyambo

DECEMBER silent songs ANALYSIS by Filemon Liyambo

A Silent song and other stories

Characters in December by Filemon Liyambo

• September

• Ezekiel – September’s Grandfather (a.k.a Tateluku)

• Josef – Ezekiel’s brother

• December – September’s sister

• Tshuuveni – September’s childhood friend

• Silas Shikongo – September’s father

Key events in December by Filemon Liyambo

• KFC

• The hoeing mishap

• Traditions (Ezekiel’s hiding something)

• Silas’ naming convention

• At the hospital

• Past visits to the hospital

• Rude nurse

• Catching up with Tshuuveni

• Meeting December

• Family members affected by December’s illness

• Ezekiel buried with his secret

When Ezekiel dies, he takes his secret to the grave. He had meant to let the cat out of the bag to his grandson September before he first left for the UK but he did not. He wanted to explain why he forbids December from eating chicken. December’s story is shrouded in mystery. She abruptly and mysteriously goes from an exceptionally good student to a psychiatric patient.

Ezekiel insists that she was bewitched.

December Summary

December by Filemon Liyambo opens with September visiting his sister at the psychiatric ward. December suffers from a mental illness which seems to run in the family. Her younger grandfather Josef and her late father Silas Shikongo also exhibit characteristics of mental illness.

When his younger brother Josef started losing track of time in his teenage years, Ezekiel called it idiotism. September remembers his grandfather when the rude attendants at KFC sneers at him. The old man does the same thing anytime he notices what he calls “traces of idiotism” in his grandson September.

September is at KFC to buy some chips for his sister. December is two years older than September. When he was four years old, December accidentally grazed him on the side of the head while weeding tomato plants. She ripped her T-shirt to stem the bleeding. When he returned from hospital she helped to nurse him.

December does not eat chicken. Her grandfather forbids it but never discloses the reason to September. September is wise enough not to question traditions.

You may be wondering about the odd names. Well, blame Silas Shikongo. He is September and December’s late father. He named his last four children after the month in which they were conceived. His friends thought he was a fool. His father Ezekiel was afraid his idiotism would affect his grandchildren. Silas had an erratic conception of time.

Was he also suffering from mental illness?

September visits the mental health facility to see his sister. Trouble started when she started having problems with classmates, fighting, hurling insults at them and even walking naked talking to herself. September was puzzled that she suddenly fell ill, almost inexplicably.

Apart from December, Ezekiel’s younger brother Josef also suffers from a mental illness. He started developing challenges tracking time in his teens. His brother Ezekiel thought he was  teasing and thought the “idiotism” would pass but it worsened. He went missing for a month. December on the other hand fell ill shortly before completing her secondary school education. Ezekiel was heartbroken that the affliction befell his favorite granddaughter just before she achieved her dream – enrollment at the teachers training college. The old man was convinced that other forces were at work.

December is now confined at a mental health facility. September has visited her several times before. The hospital surroundings are familiar to him. He has been abroad for two and a half years studying in the UK. Now he is back and he notices some changes at the hospital, for instance, the new glass doors and reinforcements on the windows. On previous visits, he brought mutton or beef, never chicken; she always said she was fine but kept complaining that she was tired.

September wonders whether she was tired of the hospital or of her health condition. She is trapped in both.

The service at the hospital is terrible just like the one at KFC. The nurse who speaks to September is impudent. She asserts that it is past visiting hours but September is adamant that he must see his sister. Luckily for him, when the rude nurse calls security to throw him out, the head of security Tshuuveni is his old friend. Tshuuveni used to pursue December when she was younger. The two friends catch up and September is allowed to see his sister. He has 20 minutes

Decemberis in a sorry state when he finally sets his eyes on her. Her hair is scattered, she is gaunt – thin and her lips are swollen. The last time she appeared this thin was when her ignorant grandfather had taken her to a healer in his desperate attempt to save his favorite granddaughter from the clutches of the mysterious affliction. The clueless healer left her looking skeletal.

September gives his sister a T-shirt – a replica of the one she tore during the weeding mishap, a jersey, a book with puzzles and the chips he bought at KFC.

December illness had broken their mother’s heart. She aged faster. September was angry that his sisters life was on pause as life moved on. When she remarks that Tateluku (grandfather) Had not visited for awhile, September suddenly holds back the urge to inform her that he was dead. That is the reason he was back from the UK.

Ezekiel had a dream that Josef was at a pond, where leopards drank. He was found there, eating. He was then taken to a healer by the elders. Ezekiel was asked what his brother was eating in his dream.

Was it chicken? Is this why the old man forbade December from eating chicken?

Ezekiel was interred while firmly holding on to these secrets.

Do you think Ezekiel’s beliefs had anything to do with the illness? Share your thoughts: