Deep in western Kenya, three kilometres outside Kakamega town on a ridge that overlooks the Kisumu-Kakamega highway, stands The Crying Stone of Ilesi.
Known in the local tongue as Ikhongo Murwi, it is about forty metres tall – a large boulder balanced on a column of rock with water flowing from a groove in the centre.
The strange rock formation resembles a solemn head resting on weary shoulders and, from certain angles, it looks like a person who is crying.
However, in recent years, the tracks made by water running down the rock face have been more visible because the Crying Stone of Ilesi is often dry. It hasn’t cried continually – as it once did – for years, and the exact cause is unclear.
Some point to agroforestry activities in Ilesi, where eucalyptus trees – called money trees because they are sold for use as electricity poles – have been planted en masse, sucking up large amounts of groundwater.
Others blame the effect climate change has had on precipitation levels, something that has led to water sources below and above ground being tapped much faster than usual.
A climate risk profile on Kakamega County published by Kenya's Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries reveals that while there has been an increase in the average annual rainfall in the county in recent years, it has been erratic and largely concentrated in highly intense bursts.
“Farmers noted changing seasonality, including delayed onset of rains, for instance from March to April; unreliability and variability of the rains; reduced or increased amounts of rainfall; higher temperatures during the hot season; and much lower temperatures in the cold season," the report said.
"Farmers attested to receiving more erratic rainfall, including unusual early rains followed by weeks of dry periods."
Still, the science linking dropping precipitation rates to the drying up of the stone's water is unclear.
Samuel Ayieko, a Water Resources Management Authority official in Kakamega, said when water flowed down the stone, "it meant that it was going to rain".
Much about the stone has a mythical quality. “Water is supposed to drip down; the unique thing about the stone is that the water comes from the top, so it can’t be a spring.”
In the lobby of the plush Golf Hotel in the heart of Kakamega town, a painting of Ikhongo Murwi is prominently placed. Kakamega is replete with symbols of the stone, from the numerous hotels in Ilesi named after it, to the county flag with the stone at its centre.
It also features prominently in local lore. Among the Isukha community that lives nearby, it is believed the stone's "tears" are a harbinger of a bumper harvest, while in pre-colonial times, before the British expanded their influence in Kenya, the rock acted as a good omen for local Isukha warriors.
One account says Nandi warriors, believing the rock was a source of strength for Isukha fighters, tried to pull it down but failed. By the end of the day, more than 100 Nandis had died in battle.
But with climate change wreaking havoc on local water resources, the stories that have sustained local culture across the generations are coming under threat.
Gerishom Majanja, a local activist and an Isukha community leader, remembers happier times for the crying stone.
In his childhood, the area was perpetually wet and the stone rarely ran dry. Ilesi used to be swampy, and teemed with bird and animal life.
When it rained, water would trickle down the sides, leaving dirty streaks that remain visible, even in times of drought.
“If it reaches a point when the stone is permanently dry, then a new narrative will develop,” Mr Gerishom said.
Alternative stories are already being spun. In a public address made two years ago, Wycliffe Oparanya, the governor of Kakamega County, declared that the stone had run dry because he had ordered it to but said "if you visit, it will cry after five minutes".
Other groups of people are making efforts to reclaim the narrative. Mr Gerishom’s clan, the Bamilonje, whose patriarch was an early settler in Ilesi, is forming an association to protect the stone’s heritage.
Their plan is to establish a museum that tells the history of their clan and its relationship with the stone.
Despite the stone's water drying up, they are determined to preserve its touristic appeal.
“We want to keep the myth so that you guys can keep coming,” Mr Gerishom said.
The area is rich in attractions, from the Kakamega Forest Reserve for birdwatching and hiking to the Nabongo Cultural Centre that chronicles the history of the Abawanga tribe.
However, it is the Crying Stone of Ilesi that serves as a proud symbol of the town.
There are no figures on the number of visitors the stone attracts every year but it features prominently in tour packages featuring the region's top attractions.
TJ, a travel operator in nearby Kisumu, keeps the stone in tour itineraries, despite the lack of water. “The history still exists,” he says.
In recent decades, the stone has recovered its status as a site for religious pilgrimage, with members of the Catholic and Legio Maria churches among the most frequent visitors.
Whereas in the past, these churches discouraged any association with carry-overs from the old religion, now their congregants venture to the shrine in prayer.
The steady stream of visitors provides a revenue stream for some members of the local community, whether through tours and entry to the site, as well as the restaurants and hotels the stone helps fill.
Sivincia, an Ilesi local, lives next to Ikhongo Murwi. The worshippers, she said, pray at the stone from six in the morning until 9pm when they retire to her house to sleep, before waking up the next day to repeat the process. She receives a small sum for hosting.
“They leave me something for bread, ” she says.
But the longer the stone stays dry, the higher the chance that the old beliefs may fall away, leaving this local landmark devoid of the stories that have enhanced the town's status for generations.
SERIES INFO
Afghanistan v Zimbabwe, Abu Dhabi Sunshine Series
All matches at the Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi
Test series
1st Test: Zimbabwe beat Afghanistan by 10 wickets
2nd Test: Wednesday, 10 March – Sunday, 14 March
Play starts at 9.30am
T20 series
1st T20I: Wednesday, 17 March
2nd T20I: Friday, 19 March
3rd T20I: Saturday, 20 March
TV
Supporters in the UAE can watch the matches on the Rabbithole channel on YouTube
RACE CARD
6.30pm: Maiden (TB) Dh82,500 (Dirt) 1,200m
7.05pm: Maiden (TB) Dh82,500 (D) 1,900m
7.40pm: Handicap (TB) Dh102,500 (D) 2,000m
8.15pm: Conditions (TB) Dh120,000 (D) 1,600m
8.50pm: Handicap (TB) Dh95,000 (D) 1,600m
9.25pm: Handicap (TB) Dh87,500 (D) 1,400m
Company Profile
Founder: Omar Onsi
Launched: 2018
Employees: 35
Financing stage: Seed round ($12 million)
Investors: B&Y, Phoenician Funds, M1 Group, Shorooq Partners
War 2
Director: Ayan Mukerji
Stars: Hrithik Roshan, NTR, Kiara Advani, Ashutosh Rana
Rating: 2/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Match info
Bournemouth 0
Liverpool 4 (Salah 25', 48', 76', Cook 68' OG)
Man of the match: Andrew Robertson (Liverpool)
RESULTS
6.30pm: Longines Conquest Classic Dh150,000 Maiden 1,200m.
Winner: Halima Hatun, Antonio Fresu (jockey), Ismail Mohammed (trainer).
7.05pm: Longines Gents La Grande Classique Dh155,000 Handicap 1,200m.
Winner: Moosir, Dane O’Neill, Doug Watson.
7.40pm: Longines Equestrian Collection Dh150,000 Maiden 1,600m.
Winner: Mazeed, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar.
8.15pm: Longines Gents Master Collection Dh175,000 Handicap.
Winner: Thegreatcollection, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson.
8.50pm: Longines Ladies Master Collection Dh225,000 Conditions 1,600m.
Winner: Cosmo Charlie, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson.
9.25pm: Longines Ladies La Grande Classique Dh155,000 Handicap 1,600m.
Winner: Secret Trade, Tadhg O’Shea, Ali Rashid Al Raihe.
10pm: Longines Moon Phase Master Collection Dh170,000 Handicap 2,000m.
Winner:
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Scoreline
Syria 1-1 Australia
Syria Al Somah 85'
Australia Kruse 40'
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
The fake news generation
288,000 – the number of posts reported as hate speech that were deleted by Facebook globally each month in May and June this year
11% – the number of Americans who said they trusted the news they read on Snapchat as of June 2017, according to Statista. Over a quarter stated that they ‘rarely trusted’ the news they read on social media in general
31% - the number of young people in the US aged between 10 and 18 who said they had shared a news story online in the last six months that they later found out was wrong or inaccurate
63% - percentage of Arab nationals who said they get their news from social media every single day.
MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – FINAL RECKONING
Director: Christopher McQuarrie
Starring: Tom Cruise, Hayley Atwell, Simon Pegg
Rating: 4/5
Draw for Europa League last-16
Istanbul Basaksehir v Copenhagen; Olympiakos Piraeus v Wolverhampton Wanderers
Rangers v Bayer Leverkusen; VfL Wolfsburg v Shakhtar Donetsk; Inter Milan v Getafe
Sevilla v AS Roma; Eintracht Frankfurt or Salzburg v Basel; LASK v Manchester United
Red Sparrow
Dir: Francis Lawrence
Starring: Jennifer Lawrence, Joel Egerton, Charlotte Rampling, Jeremy Irons
Three stars
Miss Granny
Director: Joyce Bernal
Starring: Sarah Geronimo, James Reid, Xian Lim, Nova Villa
3/5
(Tagalog with Eng/Ar subtitles)
The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
OPTA'S PREDICTED TABLE
1. Liverpool 101 points
2. Manchester City 80
3. Leicester 67
4. Chelsea 63
5. Manchester United 61
6. Tottenham 58
7. Wolves 56
8. Arsenal 56
9. Sheffield United 55
10. Everton 50
11. Burnley 49
12. Crystal Palace 49
13. Newcastle 46
14. Southampton 44
15. West Ham 39
16. Brighton 37
17. Watford 36
18. Bournemouth 36
19. Aston Villa 32
20. Norwich City 29
RIDE%20ON
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Navdeep Suri, India's Ambassador to the UAE
There has been a longstanding need from the Indian community to have a religious premises where they can practise their beliefs. Currently there is a very, very small temple in Bur Dubai and the community has outgrown this. So this will be a major temple and open to all denominations and a place should reflect India’s diversity.
It fits so well into the UAE’s own commitment to tolerance and pluralism and coming in the year of tolerance gives it that extra dimension.
What we will see on April 20 is the foundation ceremony and we expect a pretty broad cross section of the Indian community to be present, both from the UAE and abroad. The Hindu group that is building the temple will have their holiest leader attending – and we expect very senior representation from the leadership of the UAE.
When the designs were taken to the leadership, there were two clear options. There was a New Jersey model with a rectangular structure with the temple recessed inside so it was not too visible from the outside and another was the Neasden temple in London with the spires in its classical shape. And they said: look we said we wanted a temple so it should look like a temple. So this should be a classical style temple in all its glory.
It is beautifully located - 30 minutes outside of Abu Dhabi and barely 45 minutes to Dubai so it serves the needs of both communities.
This is going to be the big temple where I expect people to come from across the country at major festivals and occasions.
It is hugely important – it will take a couple of years to complete given the scale. It is going to be remarkable and will contribute something not just to the landscape in terms of visual architecture but also to the ethos. Here will be a real representation of UAE’s pluralism.
