YOU, ALCOHOL AND OTHER DRUGS with DAVID OGOT

Musical chairs is an existing game involving a given number of chairs but always one less than the number of contestants who cavort around them until the music stops, forcing them to scramble for a seat.

The person who is left standing leaves taking one chair with them until only one place and two contestants are left. The winner is then the person seated when the music stops for the final time.

In the competions I have run during promotions and family fun days, I have noticed that in spite of all the hilarious incidents (a chair breaking, a lady plunking herself into a gentleman's lap), the fact that it is so good natured that you actually want to see everybody get a seat, the audience still wants to see who will get the chair. This musical chairs contray to the saying is actually a case of the last man (woman) sitting.

Conversely this is the situation currently prevailing in the heated and emotional debate on alcohol consumption vis a vis rugby in Kenya.

Except it is a case of 'reverse musical chairs' where there is only one chair remaining and several contestants who, however do not want to sit. Thus evertime the music stops, they all contrary to the rules of the game try and coerce someone else into the chair.

Confused I don't blame you. So let's try and solve the puzzle by naming the game, chair and contestants. Lets call this version of the game "who-is-responsible-for-my-child-drinking-alcohol". Next we name the chair. lets call it responsibility. Finally the contestants. Firstly parents, then the kenya Rugby Football Union (KRFU), KBL, the vendor the government and lastly the children.?

No! Not the children. They are ineligible for this competion for precisely that reason. They are children!

As for the winner of the game, this will be the player who gets the seat of "responsibility" when the music stops. That participant will be the winner of the "who-is-responsible-for-my-child-drinking-alcohol" competion.

Now for some prizes? The prize is extremely grand. Yes, it is only one. It is your child's life! Isn't that a grand prize? Now the music begins!

Incidentally, this is not the first time the press is highlighting this issue. Why then the furore this time over drinking alcohol by the youth at rugby matches or tournaments?

How wrong we were. Denial was still the name of the game> kemyans are very good at denial, especially when it comes to matters concerning kinyuaji (alcohol) and who can blame them? For they have been conditioned by the manufactureres of these beverages until they are firm believers that without consuming them their lives would be unglamarous, dull, anti-social, un-cool, non-sexy, in short - toatl failure.

All kinds of reasons were given as letters were dashed of to the press from sources as diverse as was their reasoning. But all were united in their conclusion that alcohol was not the course of these problems.

As usual it was the messenger (in this case the media) who bore the brunt of their conclusion that alcohol was not the cause of these problems.

Writing in The People Daily (Report Objectively our rugby. Tue 20.05.03) Japhet Mbaya of Mwamba RFC stated that "it is common knowledge that whatever happens at rugby tournaments is nothing specific to rugby only, but happens much more on the music concerts/extravaganza launches etc. Why specifically would the media then use rugby tournaments to highlight these vices and in editing create the impression that the same are as a result of the rugby game?

Last year, a similar article was published in a local daily about the Impala-sponsored floodlit tournament which blew out of proportion the vices that happen with the effect (in my opinion) of the slack in sponsorship this year."

Also lambasting the media on the same page was Charles Otieno ('Check concerts TPD Tuesday 20.05.03') who signed off as Arsenal and rugby fan in general. He signed off in his very short letter: "It seems that there is a warped image of rugby as a sport (or activities surrounding it) being propagated by some sections of the media. It is quite unfortunate since the selectivity applied in the reporting borders on the malicious. It is indisputable that some of the images are quite alarming and disgraceful (my emphasis). However, this should not be used to put the whole sport and its followers into disrepute and, if anything the media should provide a fair and balanced coverage or otherwise direct their energies into unearthing other scandals."

Though these two writers agreed there was a problem both argued that it was worse elsewhere. Inother words, it happens everywhere so why the big brouhaha? Shine your spotlight elsewhere and leave us to wallow in our drunkeness in peace.!

What are these projects that promote responsible drinking? The last KBL project I know of was the just ended mavuno competition.

This "the-more-you-drink-the-more-chances-of-winning-competition,", which ended in a fiasco, was definately not my idea of promoting responsible alcohol consumption.

For beer and other alcoholic beverages are not like the perinnial floods that hit kenya but a constant flood that rages through the country constantly. It is a fact of life. The only sane option left for us is to teach our children to swim. Teach them about alcohol's dangerous eddies and undercurrents so that if they then still decide to jump and face the consequences - being swept away but as strong swimmers.

Parents have to realise they have the power to kick alcohol out of sports. There are plenty of sponsors out there. After all who is a sponsor if not just a company owned by parents?

Our new slogan should be modified thus "Kenya my country - her children - my children". This after all is the African way. The only way parents can help their children as far as aclohol is concerned is to beware and be aware. of course we have the greatest incentive to do these things - the health and productivity and the very life of our children - that is the prize.

PS The music has stopped is anybody listening?

David Ogot snr. is a freelance journalist/producer with personal experience with alcoholism. He can be reached at goinghomedotcom@yahoo.com website: www.goinghomekenya.org