A SILENT SONG ESSAY QUESTION

People suffering from mental illness need a close, loving bond from
family members. Making reference to December and September in
December by Filemon Liyambo, write an essay to validate this
statement.

It is important to maintain sincere, meaningful relationships with loved

ones who are suffering from mental illness in order to provide the
support that they need. September loves and cares for his sister who
suffers from a mental illness.

First, despite the mean treatment by the KFC waitress, September is

determined to get his sister a meal she enjoys. The waitress is impudent.
She eyes September with a deathly stare and the furrowed brow and
rudely asks him if he was ordering anything. When he orders chips, she
sneers at him. This reminds him of how his grandfather Ezekiel looked at
him over his glasses whenever he sensed “traces of idiotism” or absent-
mindedness(P84). September endures the nonchalance for the sake of
his sick sister. Like most Namibian towns where everyone knew each
other, there was an indifference to those who did not reside there.
Strangers had to wait until Jesus returned for decent customer service.
The rude waitress hands September his chips and scoffs at the idiocy.
She wonders who comes to KFC to order chips. September samples the
chips and they are soft just like his sister preferred them. He even asks
for an extra sachet of tomato sauce(P85). When he visits December in
hospital and gives her the chips, she acknowledges that they are nice.
September adds that they are soft, just how she liked them. A further
display of affection is evident when he rubs the tomato sauce off her lips
gently(P89). It is important to maintain such a loving bond with our family
members who suffer from mental illness.

Despite the cold reception at the hospital and his lateness, September is
adamant that he must see his sick sister. When he greets the nurse
sorting paperwork at her desk, she shouts rudely: “What do you want?”
To which he replies that he was there to visit his sister. Her curved
eyebrows point him to a chart on the wall. He is thirty minutes late
according to the wall chart for visiting hours and the clock. Determined to
see his sister, he tries sincerity and charm by flashing a smile. His
courteousness does not spare him the indifference. Rolling her eyes, the
nurse insists” “Kamatyona, you’re late.” The nurse call security on him.
He is not moved by the two giants and the smaller man. He sits on the
grey waiting benches, hoping to see his sister. Luckily, the head of
security is Tshuuveni, September’s childhood friend. He was one of the
several boys who pursued December when she was young. He was the
reason why September acquired a puppy named Kali, which hound
Tshuuveni whenever he came near the homestead. The rude nurse
learns that it was December Shikongo, his sister, that September wanted
to see so badly(P87). Due to his resolution, she finally capitulates and
allows September to see his sister for twenty minutes. September’s
persistence is born out of the loving bond between him and December.

September maintains a loving bond with his sister despite her challenge
of mental illness. December affectionately refers to September as Ka
Brother, little brother. This is her favorite greeting. December and
September have always shared a loving relationship since they were
children. When they were too small to join their siblings working in the
mahangu (pearl millet) field, December tended to her mother’s vegetable
garden, together with September. September, four at the time, liked
hiding. When the sister was digging with a hoe, he sprang up when she
was in mid swing. The impact made a small but deep gush on the head.
December shows sincere affection for her brother when she rips off her
T-shirt to stem the bleeding. She also nurses him back to health when
he returns from the hospital(P85). At the hospital, September notices
that December’s hair was scattered like patchy Kaokoveld Dress. Her
eyes shine. She is gaunt. Her lips are swollen. She had probably walked
into a wall again. She looks thin – like that time her grandfather had
taken her to a healer and she returned looking skeletal, as if the healer
had tried starving the voices out of her head. September sympathizes
with his sister, and can only manage a weak: “How are you?”. This
notwithstanding, they engage in a warm conversation. They talk about
school. They both laugh and share a smile(P88). When it is time to go,
December has to be pried out of her brother’s arms. The nurse comforts
her saying that tomorrow is also another day. It is important to maintain
such a loving relationship with relatives suffering from mental illness.

When September visits, he often brings his sister food and thoughtful
gifts. He had visited the hospital a few times before so he did not need
directions to the psychiatric ward. He even knew a shortcut: a narrow
path between pediatrics and the pharmacy. He was so familiar with the
hospital that he notices that it had been renovated twice since the last
time he had been there. The turquoise and green paint was still fresh.
He also notices that the bars on the windows of the ward had been
reinforced(P86). The ward had a small garden outside, made-up of three
beds of irises. That is where he used to sit with his sister when she was
first admitted. He would bring her food – beef or mutton – and ask her
how she was. She always responded: “Fine”. She would plead with him:
“Onda vulwa mo mu!” She wanted to go home because she was tired
either of her mind or the hospital. He cared for her and could not promise
something he could not fulfill(P86). September brings his sister some
thoughtful gifts. He gives her a jersey – a grey hoodie. She thanks him
saying the place is always cold(P89). He also gives her a pen and a
book full of puzzles. Then a T-shirt: simple, navy blue, with the Union
Jack on it. A replica of the one December ripped to stem September’s
bleeding. She shows the indifferent nurse the gifts her brother had
brought her. Lastly, he hands her chips: soft, just how she liked them.
September displays loving affection for his sister when he visits her
regularly and brings her food and gifts(P89).

Lastly, September has to be there for his sister December since he is the
only relative in a position to do this. He tries to inquire from his
grandfather why December is forbidden from eating chicken but his
grandfather never clearly explains. He simply says: “That’s how things
are.” He was hiding something(P85). September did not understand how
December unraveled the way a thread comes loose: in parts then all at
once. She went from having problems with her classmates, catfights and
name-calling, to walking half-naked through the streets talking to herself.
He believes people did not go crazy overnight, there had to be a
plausible explanation. September is angered by his grandfather Ezekiel’s
insistence that December was bewitched. Ezekiel’s brother Josef was
also mentally ill. The illness also afflicted September’s father, Silas
Shikongo, who passed away. December’s descent from being a stellar
student to a psychiatric patient was too abrupt and inexplicable. The
grandfather felt there were other forces behind it(P86). Besides their
grandfather’s superstitious beliefs, their mother’s heart was broken and
her daughter’s sickness had aged her faster than her husband’s untimely
demise. September is also hurt that December was left on pause, while
life moved on. He cannot also inform December that their grandfather
had passed on. He keeps this information to protect her feelings.
September has no choice but to maintain a loving bond with his sister
who has no one else to turn to.

In conclusion, it is important to maintain a loving relationship with family

members suffering from mental illness.