It was the morning culture!
Arrive, make a circle, cups of tea go around and talk about everything and nothing. From local headlines in tabloids to new animal diseases to the most frustrating policy issues. That is what Lomoni’s were known for! Lomoni as per my personal experience is the informal chat before diving into a day in a work setting and in my context, Lomoni time was when we got served our first cup of ginger & milk tea as we checked in about all things and nothing ( don’t ask for Dada Mary’s recipe: I don’t have it and my recreation spoils the milk).
In the community setting, I later learned later that Lomoni was how the news would travel from one place to the other across borders, and even continents. News about everything from people and how the climate was changing, how the new animal disease was spreading, and what medicine and herbs were working made it to the Lomoni’s random agenda. I later learned that it was an integral part of pastoral community culture but that a simple check-in has to be detailed and informative. As a Tanzanian who does some Lomoni 2.0 or 3.0 a few times living in the “MYOB” culture- mixed feelings about Lomoni came through not once or twice. It feels like you were too chatty!
As I pen this reflection I am just in awe of how rich our indigenous knowledge is and how much we would be winning if we paid attention to it.
Lomoni is what we now call dialogues and citizen engagement that partially work and partially don’t simply because they are not organic. They come with strings attached and so many limits and pre-conceived what-to-do and how-to-do lists.
As an influencer, marketer, seller, preacher, or whatever hat you wear: so long as the end game is people then find means to connect with people. Pay attention to context and what works and what doesn’t and remember that decisions and success come from a place of assurance and comfort of people therefore if you are working with people then engage with people before you launch your ideas and solutions. And humans can differentiate an honest and meaningful engagement vis avis a performance!
In my world of possibility today my message is if it’s for people it should be by the people met in their own space!
Yours truly,
CK
PS: For Google enthusiasts, Lomoni translation comes to family/home as a noun but as a verb, it is simply that moment when regardless of where you are; Lomoni must feel like a home as it brings news and updates from home, and if a home is where our hearts are then the way to the heart of a person, community and intent is Lomoni or an equivalent to that. Make sure it is honest and aligned to context!
