<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" version="2.0" xmlns:itunes="http://www.itunes.com/dtds/podcast-1.0.dtd" xmlns:googleplay="http://www.google.com/schemas/play-podcasts/1.0"><channel><title><![CDATA[Mlimwengu's Lore 🐝: Between The Lines]]></title><description><![CDATA[Reflections in the unraveling of the nature of my Being.]]></description><link>https://blog.theulimwengu.com/s/between-the-lines</link><image><url>https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!A2x2!,w_256,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F884bedab-dc02-4fc4-b4e0-d06cfc2c5b75_1280x1280.png</url><title>Mlimwengu&apos;s Lore 🐝: Between The Lines</title><link>https://blog.theulimwengu.com/s/between-the-lines</link></image><generator>Substack</generator><lastBuildDate>Thu, 01 Oct 2026 05:35:35 GMT</lastBuildDate><atom:link href="https://blog.theulimwengu.com/feed" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml"/><copyright><![CDATA[Baraka Miano]]></copyright><language><![CDATA[en]]></language><webMaster><![CDATA[theulimwengucollective@substack.com]]></webMaster><itunes:owner><itunes:email><![CDATA[theulimwengucollective@substack.com]]></itunes:email><itunes:name><![CDATA[Baraka Miano 🐉]]></itunes:name></itunes:owner><itunes:author><![CDATA[Baraka Miano 🐉]]></itunes:author><googleplay:owner><![CDATA[theulimwengucollective@substack.com]]></googleplay:owner><googleplay:email><![CDATA[theulimwengucollective@substack.com]]></googleplay:email><googleplay:author><![CDATA[Baraka Miano 🐉]]></googleplay:author><itunes:block><![CDATA[Yes]]></itunes:block><item><title><![CDATA[Unmasking the 21st Century ]]></title><description><![CDATA[Ever asked the question, "21st Century of?"]]></description><link>https://blog.theulimwengu.com/p/unmasking-the-21st-century</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://blog.theulimwengu.com/p/unmasking-the-21st-century</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Baraka Miano 🐉]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Thu, 01 Oct 2026 03:01:08 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/b2c70b62-977d-4c3f-9ef2-0272d6dcaa03_2816x1536.jpeg" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>The idea of cults is one that causes jitters in even the most ardent of people. It&#8217;s probably why you looked around you before you opened this article because if by happenstance anyone saw what you were reading up, your reputation is in the mud.</p><p>Let&#8217;s get you eased up ASAP.</p><div class="pullquote"><p>Cults are cultures. </p></div><p>Rather, are the progenitors of culture.</p><p><em><strong>Let&#8217;s pick up the dictionary for a minute. <br></strong></em><strong>&#129300;</strong><em><strong> I genuinely wonder as I write, when you dear reader, last picked one up.</strong></em></p><p><em><strong>A cult</strong></em> is a social group or movement defined by intense devotion to a specific leader, idea, or belief system.<br>The suffix <em><strong>-ure</strong></em> is a noun-forming ending derived from Latin and French that typically means the act, process, state, or result of an action.</p><div class="pullquote"><p>By definition, a culture is a result of a cult. </p></div><p>It is the evolution of a cult.<br>&#128721;Before you shut this down in a fit of fear thinking I&#8217;m about to upsell a cult-membership, let&#8217;s get to the good stuff.</p><div><hr></div><p>Throughout known history, most cults have started out frowned upon by societies, though as the years unraveled, grown into monoliths molding the very societies that frowned upon them.</p><p>The early Christians, dubbed <em><strong>a small secretive Jewish sect in the Roman Empire</strong></em>, are one such example.</p><p>Back in those days, when polytheism was a norm in the Roman Empire, the early Christians&#8217; advocacy for the devotion of a singular god was grating to the masses and had them serve as convenient scapegoats for disasters like the Great Fire of Rome under Emperor Nero in 64 AD.</p><p>&#128161;As per natural law, <em><strong>consistency</strong></em> in conviction and of course <em><strong>consistency</strong></em> in the active perpetuity of Early Christianity, <em><strong>the compounding effect</strong></em> took its seat, and near 2000 years later, the once small sect is now a world religion.</p><div><hr></div><p>In the present world, what is called the Common Era, more specifically, 2026 CE, I argue the most common thing across the globe, at least applicable to the masses is <em><strong>the obliviousness to the power of individual and collective autonomy.</strong></em></p><p>&#129300;<em><strong> &#8220;Ignorance is bliss&#8221;</strong></em>,  a favorite for the common folk. When we pay attention to the definitions however, we get to <em><strong><a href="https://blog.theulimwengu.com/s/between-the-lines">Read Between The Lines.</a></strong></em></p><div><hr></div><p><em><strong>Obliviousness</strong></em> is not being aware of, conscious of, or concerned about what is happening around you.<br><em><strong>Oblivion</strong></em> is the state of <em><strong>being completely forgotten</strong></em>, unknown, or unconscious.<br>Bliss is a state of complete happiness, supreme joy, or utter delight.</p><p>&#129300;Tell me, <em><strong>what is delightful about the state of unconsciousness?</strong></em></p><p>&#129300; Isn&#8217;t <em><strong>consciousness</strong></em>, rather the constant elevation into higher knowing the ultimate state of blissfulness?</p><p>&#129525; Let&#8217;s then unravel <em><strong>the hanging thread.</strong></em></p><div><hr></div><h1>The power of individual and collective autonomy.</h1><p>In Kenya, there is a popular story amongst one the Mountain Tribes of the <em><strong><a href="https://www.ajabuafrica.net/how-illiterate-rwathia-boys-built-business-empire-worth-billions-847.html">Rwathia boys.</a></strong></em></p><div class="pullquote"><p>Young men from <em><strong>a village in Murang&#8217;a</strong></em> graced Nairobi ready to hustle.<br>Selling charcoal amongst their diverse &#8220;odd jobs&#8221; were a means to a singular end.<br>The end, <em><strong>a secure future.</strong></em><br>Their end was not an empty day dream, it was <em><strong>a system.</strong></em><br>Funds were set aside and sent back home to a village elder who served as <em><strong>a living bank.</strong></em><br><em><strong>The consistency</strong></em> in the first wave of the Rwathia Boys kindled a fire in other village boys who also made their way into the bustling city <em><strong>ready to hustle.</strong></em><br>Everyone engaged in their diverse coin hunting schemes, <em><strong>a network of support</strong></em> was slowly solidifying as the coffers fattened.<br>Then came <em><strong>the State of Emergency(1952-1960)</strong></em>, which had the Indian owners of city blocks in Nairobi&#8217;s Central Business District in a panic. Eager to pack their bags an leave home, the city blocks were on sale at a massive discount.</p><p>&#8220;A moving man meets his luck.&#8221;</p><p>The Rwathia Boys flexed their muscle and the city was theirs.<br>This is <em><strong>a real story,</strong></em> and The Rwathia Boys <em><strong>were uneducated.</strong></em></p></div><p>&#9899; When I personally think of the word SACCO, I only see a fancy abbreviation for a sphere. A circle. <em><strong>The perfect model for expansion.</strong></em> </p><p>The concept of SACCOs was enacted by uneducated folk leading up to a 500 billion shilling empire (equivalent to 3.85 billion dollars for the sake of the colonization in our minds). <br><em><strong>Don&#8217;t you think</strong></em> this is very telling of the power of individual and collective autonomy?</p><div class="pullquote"><p>Here&#8217;s a twist of fate or is it, twisted fate?</p></div><p>Despite the success of the Rwathia Boys, today, <em><strong>lawsuits threaten the empire.</strong></em></p><p>&#9878;&#65039; Observe <em><strong>the alleged reasons</strong></em> for the &#8220;fall&#8221; and administer judgement:</p><ol><li><p>Fragmentation of pooled holdings</p><ol><li><p><em><strong>The original Rwathia boys</strong></em> acquired multi-million-shilling commercial buildings in blocks or groups of up to 10 people rather than as individual entities. Because these early tycoons valued large, polygamous families, their corporate shares have been <em><strong>fractured among hundreds of heirs.</strong></em> When a single shareholder dies, enacting a cohesive succession plan becomes almost impossible.</p></li></ol></li><li><p>Informal trust vs. Modern Company Law</p><ol><li><p>The multi-billion shilling <em><strong>Rwathia empire</strong></em> thrived for nearly a century on an <em><strong>unwritten culture</strong></em> of absolute village trust and informal elder oversight. Modern corporate governance, formal articles of association, and stringent legal compliance were rarely documented by the founders.</p></li></ol></li><li><p>Fraud Allegations</p><ol><li><p>When extended families attempt to hold the managing descendants accountable by voting them out of family-run investment boards, <em><strong>the legal battles often turn criminal.</strong></em> Sacked descendants have retaliated by reporting their own elders and extended family members to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), alleging that the original company registration papers or land titles were forged decades ago.</p></li></ol></li><li><p>Unauthorized Asset Offloading</p><ol><li><p>Lawsuits have emerged where <em><strong>sons have been sued by their aging fathers</strong></em> and extended relatives for illegally executing long-term commercial leases (e.g. 25-year leases) or attempting to liquidate prime real estate without family or shareholder consent.</p><div><hr></div></li></ol></li></ol><p> &#128273; In the 21st Century, we have the chief ingredient to rebuilding The Black Nation.</p><p><em><strong>Communication channels.</strong></em></p><p>The question is, will we use them to find one another and organize?</p><p>Well, <em><strong>that&#8217;s up to you.</strong></em></p><div><hr></div><p>Curious about the beast behind the pen? Check out <a href="http://theulimwengu.com">the website.</a></p>]]></content:encoded></item></channel></rss>