Woman of courage

“The River and the Source highlights the virtue of courage.” Using Akoko, justify this statement.

  The River and the Source portray Akoko as a woman of courage which helps her overcome some of the various challenges she faces.

 Akoko draws the attention of the village and defends herself against her mother-in-law Nyar Alego and brother-in-law Otieno Kembo’s allegations for using witchcraft to prevent Owuor Kembo her husband from marrying other wives. She leaves her matrimonial home, regardless of the absence of her husband, to show that she could not take the accusations anymore. This helps her to protect the image of her family, which had been questioned and to stamp her position so that her in-laws would respect her.

His courage is seen when she makes the legendary journey to Kisuna to go and report Otieno Kembo to the D.O. She faces the DO and later the DC as she lodges her suit against Otieno and wins the case. She has the courage to take the long journey, whose virtue lies in the fact that Otieno is ousted from being the chief, and with it comes the end to oppression and heavy-handedness Otieno had visited on the people for the short time he was chief.

Otieno threatens to whip Akoko because of reporting him to the “sirikal”. She tells him “you may be twice my size, but I have three times your courage. This stops Otieno from continuing to insult her at that moment since he does not proceed. It also prevents him from physically beating her up.

Akoko leaves Yimbo for Aluor when she decides to join her daughter, Nyabera, in pursuing the new way of life (Christianity). She agrees to take on a completely new culture; thereby, abandoning what she has always known to be the way of life. This helps her, together with her daughter, to find the peace which eventually paves way for the success of her grandchildren.