Swali halijibu swali!

[Mzee Mwanakijiji]

Unapoulizwa swali, Kinachotakiwa ni jibu,
Usingoje mara mbili, na kutafuta sababu,
Wewe useme ukweli, au bora uwe bubu,
Swali halijibu swali, kinachotakiwa ni jibu!!!


Wewe toa hilo jibu, usiulize maswali,
Usipekue vitabu, jibu huna ukubali,
Ujibu kwa taratibu, bila kufanya ukali,
Swali halijibu swali, kinachotakiwa ni jibu!!


Ee ndugu habari gani, hilo ni swali rahisi,
Jibu lake siyo geni, akilini hulikosi,
Usiulize “ kwa nini?”, wewe si Abunuwasi,
Swali halijibu swali, kinachotakiwa ni jibu!!


Kaka unakwenda wapi, akuuliza jirani,
Unajibu “kwani vipi”, siyo jibu ni uhuni,
Ukafanya chapichapi, mguu uko njiani,
Swali halijibu swali, kinachotakiwa ni jibu!!


Dada unaitwa nani, swali linataka jina,
Unauliza “kwa nini?”, hilo si jibu bayana,
Ni ujanja wa mjini, kwepa swali kiaina,
Swali halijibu swali, kinachotakiwa ni jibu!!


Hoja yangu nimeweka, swali halijibu swali,
Ujumbe uje kufika, zikue zenu kauli,
Na uhuni kuwatoka, mnapoulizwa swali,
Swali halijibu swali, kinachotakiwa ni jibu!!


Na. M. M. Mwanakijiji (Sauti ya Kijiji)

 

[Companero]

Ati unasema nini, swali halijibu swali?
Mwana wa Manani, alijibu kwa maswali
Hebu rejea msahafuni, ukaisome tena Injili
Kisha utapata imani, swali litakujibu swali!

 

[Ngalikihinja]

Jibu linaweza kuwa na alama ya kuuliza............ so long as linatoa information ya kitu kilichoulizwa

 

[Mzee Mwanakijiji]

mwisho wa swali ni jibu
swali kwa swali si jibu
Kama hauna jawabu
Basi utoe sababu

 

[Companero]

wakumuuliza masihi, ni vema kutalikiana?
nae akawanasihi, kwani neno halijanena?
kwa usahihi, mmesoma alichosema Bwana!
dhamirayo haijawahi, toka kwa Maulana!

(Mwanakijiji rejea Mathayo 19:3-12)

 

[Mzee Mwanakijiji]

Masihi aliwajibu
Swali likawa jawabu
Akajibu kwa Kitabu
Akatetea thawabu.

 

[thesonofafrica]

Yategemea nyakati,
Na pia mkakati,
Ikiwa si Hisabati,
Yote yanawezekana.

Kujibu swali kwa swali,
Aghalabu ni halali,
Hata iwe kwa methali,
Yategemea na hali.

 

[Kiranga]

Hata kina Hippocrates
Na falsafa za Socrates
Masiha Yesu Kristo
Mpaka Fidel Castro
Walijibu kwa maswali

Kwenye njia Kisokrati
Au kwenye hisabati
Toka Pluto mpaka Plato
Kuuliza kiambato
Walijibu kwa maswali

Jibu lililo na swali
Lafanya kuona mbali
Kutambua iso mbari
Kupata mpya habari
Walijibu kwa maswali

Hata kina Galileo
Walokejeli machweo
Kunywa na Papa vileo
Noa vioo vya peo
Walijibu kwa maswali

Hata Buddha Gautama
Yule nabii wa zama
Tuli kuliko Obama
Aletufundisha karma
Walijibu kwa maswali

Waandishi wa Kirusi
Na kina Shakispia
Hata wachimba vifusi
Na wanywaji laga bia
Wana jibu kwa maswali

Wasomi wa falsafa
Na sayansi za kisasa
Akili ziso kifafa
Mawalii wa Arafa
Wanajibu kwa maswali

Hata Nebukadneza
Falme kabla mungereza
Mwenye tanuru na fedha
Ambazo hazijagezwa
Walijibu kwa maswali

Aleksanda jemedari
Wa majeshi na magari
Kifani cha uhodari
Usohesabu urari
Walijibu kwa mawali

Hata Mao wa Uchina
Alojijengea jina
Alowateka kwa kina
Toka watoto na nina
Walijibu kwa maswali

Hata Mwalimu Nyerere
Mbeba vigelegele
Vya vifijo na kelele
Adui kuona gere
Walijibu kwa maswali

Hata majinga yamini
Bokassa, Nduli Amini
Yaliuliza kwanini?
Bila ya yamini dini
Walijibu kwa maswali

Swali ni kitu johari
Pana kuliko bahari
Zito kuliko bohari
Sitahi kama mahari
Walijibu kwa maswali

Linapoishia swali
Jibu huanza nambari
Jibu kugeuka hali
Siyo jambo la hatari
Walijibu kwa maswali

 

[Ndahani]

Kazi ipo...mashairi haya yanaturudishia fikara za mbali nyuma.

 

[Companero]

Da huu ubeti umetulia sana:

Hata Buddha Gautama
Yule nabii wa zama
Tuli kuliko Obama
Aletufundisha karma
Walijibu kwa maswali

Nimeukubali!

 

[Companero]

Kuna mstari mwembamba, kati ya swali na jibu
Ukitaka mjinga kumbamba, akiuliza swali simjibu
Muulize maswali sambamba, naye itamtoka aibu
Atakujibu kwa kukuchamba, nawe utabaki bubu

 

[Anyisile Obheli]

Vibaya tumezoea, kukwepa kutokujua,
Kusema ninachelea, kweli tunajiumbua,
Ujinga kusogelea, kwa kijifanya twajua,
Kama tumbo kwa chakula, hata swali lake jibu.

Twajifanya wazoefu, wa kuingunga lugha,
Na kuiga ya mtukufu, na adhimu yake lugha,
Tumejivisha upofu, na kuidhofisha lugha,
Kama tumbo kwa chakula, hata swali lake jibu.

Eti huo ni ujanja, wa vijana kujidai,
Wa kutanua uwanja, na pia kujikinai,
Kwa nini wapaka wanja, he kwani unanidai,
Kama tumbo kwa chakula, hata swali lake jibu.

Lugha tumeiharibu, kufanya ya mitaani,
Tumeletea ububu, na sasa iko shakani,
Asiliye kuharibu, na radhaye ishimoni,
Kama tumbo kwa chakula, hata swali lake jibu.

Mwanakijiji hongera, lugha kuisimamia,
Tumekuwa kama chura, kuruka hatua mia,
Na kamwe hatutong’ara, lugha mbovu kwegamia,
Kama tumbo kwa chakula, hata swali lake jibu.

 

[Mzee Mwanakijiji]

Kujibu swali kwa swali
Ni kupindisha kauli
Hata msipokubali
Utasimama ukweli.

Tangu zama za zamani
Ukiulizwa ni nini
Haujibu wewe nani
Hilo si jibu uhuni!

Gautama yeye nani
Swali ni gumu kwani
Jibu siyo ni "kwanini"
Elezea yeye nani.

Nebukadneza ni wapi
Unauliza wewe vipi?
Majibu wapi na wapi
Wapepea kama kapi.

Warumi na Wagiriki
Falsafa walishiriki
Maswali yao ya haki
Mpaka jibu kuafiki

Hawakuuliza maswali
Ili kukwepa ukweli
Walitumia kauli
Ili jibu ukubali.

Na wale waloandika
Elimu tuloishika
Maswali yalopangika
Majawabu tukafika

Mtu akikuuliza
Lengo wewe kumjuza
Kwa swali wamfukuza
Ujinga kuendeleza

Swali likijibu swali
Kama mwisho sikubali
Jawabu ndiyo kauli
Yenye kulijibu swali.

Tujifunze kwa wakale
Wao waliona mbele
Wakaanzisha mashule
Maswali yajibiwe kule

 

[Ndahani]

Haya mashairi yenu mazuri mazuri yana rejuvinate our lives! Tunajisikia kurudi tena utotoni maana kule wakati tunasoma, mashairi na ngonjera zilikuwa ndio kazi zetu!

 

[Ng'wanza Madaso]

Nakumbuka tulivyokuwa shule mwalimu alikuwa anapenda kusema 'JIBU SWALI" na tulikuwa tunamchengua kuwa mimi najibu jibu, sijibu swali.

 

[Kiranga]

One only needs to read the dialogues of Plato, or Galileo's "Dialogues on the Two Chief World Systems", The Dhammapada or some of Christ's utterances to realize that sometimes the most fulfilling answers are provided by some probing answers in the form of questions.

Case in point, when Jesus was asked whether the Jewish people should pay taxes to Caesar or not, he did not reply with a ready made answer, rather he drove a point home by asking his audience to identify whose face was on the coin. This answer in a form of a question settled the matter decisively.

One member pointed out earlier that it depends on the situation. I am certainly not advocating obfuscation in the form of vague questions given in place of answers as a means designed to evade questions, but I am all for the Socratic method and assuming a sort of the so called tabular rasa and arriving at the truth by probing everything, even to the point of answering a question by a question.

Like the Swahili proverb that mostly has an opposites (e.g haraka haraka haina baraka vs ngoja ngoja huumiza matumbo) one must really know where to apply which version, where to answer a question directly and when to be a bit philosophical and answer a question with a more probing and perhaps more revealing question.

 

[Mzee Mwanakijiji]

Kiranga.. the socratic method of which I'm fond of simply use the reasoning as a way of reaching to a certain truth but it also help form a person's mind to engage the mind the quest for the truth. So, questions used as a tool of teaching at the end leads one to find an answer. My problem in this situation is when a person evade answering a direct question by posing a question which does not help in finding the answer. The questions are not rhetorical at all but simply evasive.

For example,

How is the weather like in town today?

Why do you want to know?

If one doesn't know the temps one should admit as such. So, I totally understand when questions are used to lead to a certain answer that can become obvious by simply trying to answer the counter question.

For example:

What is the weather like in town today?

I don't know. Why don't you check the weather channel?

Now, in this instance the response though in question for is suggestive. It leads someone to try to find the answer independently.

 

[Fisherscom]

Nami pia nimekariri
Kujibu ki ushairi
Mistari hii hariri
Ladhaye kama sukari

 

[Kituko]

Swali laweza kujibu swali, likitegemea na swali uliloulizwa, kama swali ni lakufikiri tu utapata jibu kwa kuulizwa na yeye aliyekuuliza,
Hii Njia ya kuelimisha kwa Maswali Bwana yesu aliitumia sana

Swali; ni halili kulipa Kodi kwa Kaisali
Jibu; Hebu niambie hiyo sura ni ya nani kwenye sarafu

Swali: Unafanya haya Mambo kwa Mamlaka ya nani
Jibu: Nami nawauliza swali Ubatizo wa Yahana ulitoka kwa nani

 

[Kiranga]

Kiranga.. the socratic method of which I'm fond of simply use the reasoning as a way of reaching to a certain truth but it also help form a person's mind to engage the mind the quest for the truth. So, questions used as a tool of teaching at the end leads one to find an answer. My problem in this situation is when a person evade answering a direct question by posing a question which does not help in finding the answer. The questions are not rhetorical at all but simply evasive.

For example,

How is the weather like in town today?

Why do you want to know?

If one doesn't know the temps one should admit as such. So, I totally understand when questions are used to lead to a certain answer that can become obvious by simply trying to answer the counter question.

For example:

What is the weather like in town today?

I don't know. Why don't you check the weather channel?

Now, in this instance the response though in question for is suggestive. It leads someone to try to find the answer independently.

I understand your frustration with evasive behavior, there is certainly a lot of that going around.

But perhaps the reason he asks "Why do you want to know" is because he wants to give you an answer that is more tailored to your need. For example if you answer that question with more information suggesting that you are a farmer, with more interest in the rain than the wind, then he will be in a better position to provide information about rain.

The point is, the question that answers a question, if employed in this preliminary manner, can prove to be a healthy way of gathering information to produce a better final answer.

It's like asking a computer expert "I want to buy a computer, what is the best computer I can buy?" .The question does not have enough info to garner a satisfactory answer. A good expert will beg to answer with another question or even questions, what will you use the computer mainly for, what is your budget etc.

Again, it all depend on the circumstances. In some instances this habit is truly aiding evasion, while in others it is a much needed tool for better calibrating the final answer.