This was during a time marked by a watershed transitional overlap between the old colonial order and the new world of political freedoms. But even then, the dawn of political independence did not immediately do away with old practices that characterised the social scaffolding that moulded the children of our time. We grew up at a time when playing in the streets meant so much more than sitting in front of a computer screen playing GTA, PlayStation or Xbox, or any of these fancy gadgets that characterise the virtual playgrounds of today.
We kicked ball and played house; our girls tucked their skirts in their pants and joined in the games of our times right into the night when Mom would be waiting for us with a rod to spank our backsides into taking a bath before we ate. We would go to school early in the morning to a principal or teacher sternly standing at attention by the gate, ready to spank our backsides if we were late. The very same spanking would come for those of us caught littering the school premises, making rowdy noises or failing to get answers right.
The rod and spanking defined our everyday realities, beat us into shape and submission, reinforced structure and authority and ensured results, bringing about a nasty whiff of fear. Such was the status quo, because we were essentially born during a time when hard work and pain were the formula for success and discipline; there was no time for sweet-talking someone into submission. And to add insult to injury, the Bibl.