malvernmugadzikwa
IN IsiNdebele, they call it utshwala, while in street lingo, beer — in whatever form — is referred to as “chapu”.
Opaque beer, whose Shona and Zulu names are masese and umqombothi, respectively, is home-made and brewed using millet, finger millet or sorghum.
The degree of intoxication depends on the brewer’s skills or the number of days it takes to ferment.
That aside, beer gives a sense of liberation and invincibility to guzzlers, who sometimes end up doing the unthinkable. People who drink beer often bring cheer to weddings and parties with their dances and jokes.
At funerals, mourners often indulge to drown their sorrows.
Some people claim beer can even heal stomach ailments.
But there are only a few positive things associated with beer.
“Doro”, “hwahwa”, “mavave”, “mudhako”, “mhamba” or “lakaju”, as most people call it, has often left people counting their losses or deeply embarrassed.
Admittedly, beer is big business the world over; it has led to the employment of millions and contributed to the global economy. However, it has a downside. Most imbibers are known to wet their beds after consuming beer, while others vomit, defecate in wrong places and do all sorts of unspeakable things. There is a man who reportedly kissed his mother-in-law, which is taboo in the African tradition, after having one too many.
Beer sometimes leads to regrettable quarrels and fights in families.
Most offences of a sexual nature and murders are committed after people take alcohol and other drugs.
Some guzzlers usually behave like mad dogs and even go to embarrassing lengths of hurling expletives at their parents, bosses and even children.
There are some characters who consider themselves top boxers when they are drunk; they assault others for no good reason. They, however, end up facing charges of public disorder in court. There are many workers who have lost their jobs after doddering to work in a state of stupor.
Drivers have also often been involved in accidents after taking to the wheel under the influence of alcohol.
“Beer has its own way of punishing people who consume it excessively. A popular driver in Mhondoro lost his job after landing a whole bus full of passengers in a gully because he had failed to negotiate a sharp curve after taking one too many. He was an experienced driver, but he was just too drunk,” yours truly heard at a beer drink recently.
Carrying the tag of being a drunkard comes with its own challenges.
Do you know that finding accommodation in the city can be difficult if one is known for drinking excessively?
“I am leasing a room at my house but I need someone who is of sober habits. I do not want someone who drinks beer because of my Christian values and, moreover, lodgers who drink beer mess the toilet and often have challenges paying their rent on time,” a Glen Norah landlord told this writer.
“If I fail to get a person of sober habits, I would rather keep the room vacant.”
Parents are also not quite enamoured of the idea of marrying off their children to drunkards.
“Every parent wants the best for their child. I would rather have my daughter stay single than marry her off to a drunkard who beats her up and badmouths her daily. People who drink beer often use coarse and unpolished language that I do not want my daughter to experience. The same goes for my son. I won’t accept someone who drinks beer for a daughter-in-law,” said a woman who referred to herself as Chihera in Domboshava recently.
Although some people consume beer responsibly, those who drink excessively often find themselves in trouble.
Inotambika mughetto.
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