Speech
by
H.E. Yoweri K. MuseveniPresident of the Republic of Uganda
On the launch of the Runyankore-Rukiga Thesaurus
7th November, 2012 - Serena, UICC
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Language is a means of communication among human
beings. It is also a store of human knowledge. You
cannot describe what you do not know. I have for a long
time known that the Bantu dialects and, possibly, the
other African languages are much richer than the
European languages. The only problem was that many of
these dialects were not written down. The Banyankore
have a history of writing in the form of hieroglyphics.
Unlike in Egypt where scarcity of water compelled people
to keep records, in tropics, awash with water, food,
building materials and many others, such a need did not
exist. The hieroglyphics, therefore, only ended up as
decorations on walls, or on food utensils, etc.
With limited writing and with our elders fast dying off, I
got very worried that we may lose these unique
languages. It is good that I learnt English for fourteen
years (1953-1966). I am able to compare that language
with Runyankore-Rukiga, which I know very well.
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This Runyankore-Rukiga is a dialect that is a sub-group of
many dialects that are spoken by the interlacustrine
Bantus – the Bantus of the Lakes. I regard all these
dialects as one language. Why? This is because they are
mutually intelligible. If I can understand what you are
saying without translation, even if you are speaking in a
slightly different way, then, we are speaking the same
language. This one language for the interlacustrine
Bantus is in concentric circles. Within the inner circle in
terms of mutual intelligibility, there is the Runyankore-
Rukiga-Ruhororo; the next circle comprises Runyoro-
Rutooro, Runyambo of Karagwe, Ruhaya of Bukoba
(Buhaya), Rujinja of Biharamulo-Sengerema Tanzania and
Rusuubi (Tanzania); Lusoga, Luruuli, Lugungu, Lugweere,
Luramoogi, Lusiki form the next circle; Luganda forms the
next circle; Runyarwanda-Rurundi form the next circle,
Lugisu-Lusamya-Luluya (Kenya) form the next circle; and,
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finally, Lukonjo-Lunande of Congo form the final circle.
Up to circle no. 5, I, a Runyankore-Rukiga speaker, can
listen in a relaxed manner and understand almost
everything without translations, just occasionally
inquiring about a slightly different word here and there.
Beyond that, I must listen very carefully and ask
frequently about, sometimes, the same words spoken
differently. When I visited the former Vice President of
Kenya, Mzee Moody Awori, for instance, the women came
in singing: “kingula Mlanga, Museveni yaizire”. Nothing
could be more Runyankore than this. In Runyankore, you
would say: “igura omuryango Museveni yaizire”.
Nevertheless, the word kukingula is also used to mean to
open although, I think, the Banyankore only use it in
reference to open ekihongore (the calf-pen). Otherwise,
they use igura.
Beyond these 7 circles, the Bantu dialects have a lot of
similarities. However, you cannot easily get the sense. It
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is amazing that a foreigner like H.M. Stanley could easily
and quickly see this but the Africans cannot see it. He
pointed out that from Ituri in Congo up to Mwanza in
Tanzania, they used the translators who spoke the
“Hima” language. By the “Hima” language he meant
precisely these interlacustrine dialects of the 7 circles
(Runyoro in Bunia-Congo, Rukonjo, Rusongora,
Runyankore, Luganda, Runyambo, Rujinja, etc. At
Mwanza, they had to transfer to the Lusukuma-
Runyamwezi translators.
The only problem is that we do not have an agreed name
for this language. Prof. Ndoleriire of Makerere called it
Runyakitara. Should all of us adopt this? I have no major
problem; however, when you use Runyakitara, the
Luganda speakers feel excluded because, in terms of
political history, the three counties of Kyadondo, Busiro
and Mawokota pulled out of the Kitara Empire quite early.
Then, hostilities between the two units characterized their
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subsequent relations. Could we not look at also other
possible descriptions? How about Rucwezi on account of
the common linkages to that dynasty – the Bachwezi.
Alternatively, we could also look at the geography of our
area. We have our lakes – the Nyanjas. Can we not call
this language Lunyanja, Lunyanyanja, etc – the language
of the lakes. This is to avoid duplicating the use of the
word “kinyanja” which is used in Malawi, Zambia,
Mozambique and Tanzania, unless of course, we want to
refer to this language as Kinyanja (North) and the other
one as Kinyanja (South).
These dialects are much closer, I am told, than the
dialects of German or Arabic. I am told that with some of
the dialects of the two languages, you cannot understand
each other. That is why in the case of Arabic, they took
the dialect of the Koran as the standard Arabic and in the
case of German, they took the dialect of the Bible, which
means the tribal language of Martin Luther, as the
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standard German. In our case, we are much luckier.
These dialects are mutually intelligible.
Once I was determined to capture especially the
vocabulary of this unique dialect, Runyankore-Rukiga, I
decided to research into most of the Runyankore words
whose meanings are not well known to me on account of
colonial intrusion. You capture these words in people’s
names, in classical songs, riddles, rhymes, etc. Names
like: Rusiribya, Rutanyohoka, Runonzya, Katsimbazi and
many others. It was a terrible thing that I did not know
the meaning of these words yet I was a much better
Runyankore speaker than many people, especially the
young ones.
It was at this stage, that I got in touch with three
academicians in the persons of: Prof. Emmanuel
Muranga, Mrs. Alice Muhoozi and Mr. Gilbert Gumoshabe.
These trained linguists gave me one good idea. They told
me, rightly, that it is difficult to just sit down and
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remember words from your head. They advised that it is
better to collect words activity by activity, such as
fighting, agriculture, animal husbandry, herbal medicine,
marriage, to mention only a few. We adopted this and it
has worked so well. We have collected about 22,000
words in the Thesaurus which we have compiled. The
reader will be able to see the richness of these dialects.
You take, for instance, the English verb “to stand”. The
Runyankore-Rukiga equivalent is: “okwemerera”. This is
the general word. However, there are other verbs that
describe the different ways of standing. Okwetsimba (to
stand still); okuhanda (to be transfixed or to stand
aimlessly); kubambira (to stand in); kuzaagira (to be
stagnant), etc.
To do all this we were assisted by a number of elders.
Mzee Amosi Kaguta, my father, was a principal source of
information. Other elders include: Mzee Rutanyohoka,
the late Mzee Israel Katuuka, Mzee Mutentsa of Kabula,
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Mzee Kagunga of Ntungamo, the late Mzee Kirindi of
Ibanda, the late Mzee Rutasheenya of Rubanga
Ntungamo and many others whom I cannot all include
here.
These dialects’ superiority to the foreign languages I have
come across, is illustrated even in the technical fields of
artisanship and manufacturing. I will use the example of
metal-work (iron) to illustrate this by reading what is
contained in this Thesaurus from pages 318 to 320
regarding iron works. I wrote this piece after having
extensively de-briefed Mzee George Kajuga of Ishaka, one
of the few surviving Baheesi (black-smiths). I pointed out
that it was a shame for the modern education system not
to expose students to the indigenous African technology.
Banyankore were organized in castes. The two well
known castes are the ones of the cultivators (Abahingi)
and the cattle-keepers (Abariisa). Yet there were other
castes. These were always family based. Certain families
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would specialize in different trades: blacksmiths
(Abahesi); bark-cloth-makers (Abakomagyi); leather-
workers (Abahazi, Abaremi); clay-workers (Ababumbi,
Abanogoozi); wood-workers (Ababaizi); arrow-workers
(Abatanagi); etc.
In this article, having utilized the unique knowledge of
Mzee George Kajuga of Ishaka, I would like to capture for
you the trade of the Abahesi (blacksmiths). What is
amazing and unique are the technical terms in the
Runyankore language. While English uses descriptions of
different scientific and technological processes,
Runyankore has got unique technical terms. One
example is the process described as “cold-shrinkage” in
English. This is a process of heating a metal to red-hot
and then cooling it suddenly by immersing it in cold
water. That sudden cooling, apparently, makes the metal
stronger. The Banyankore blacksmiths use one word for
this: kukaza. Of course, I have had occasion to quote
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other examples from other aspects demonstrating the
same point. The most striking is the English word: fore-
head. In many African dialects they use one word:
ekyenyi in Luganda, obuso in Runyankore and other
Runyakitara dialects.
Coming back to the blacksmith vocabulary, we start with
the grass thatched shed for this purpose, called ekirubi. I
do not know what they would call it in English other than
the general word of shed. Within the kirubi, there is the
furnace itself. This furnace is broken into parts. The fire-
place is called iziiko which is circular with a hole of about
one foot in the middle. You notice the closeness of this
word iziiko with the Swahili word jiiko, meaning kitchen.
African languages put to shame the reactionaries who
always proclaim how different and unconnected the
African peoples are – total falsehood. Joined to the iziiko
(the fire-place) is a funnel called encheru in Runyankore.
The funnel is linked to clay-pipes known as ebichunga.
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This word bichunga is also used for another item used to
scent milk-pots (okwitira). These bichunga have got a
curved edge known as omuhiro – like a ringed edge to the
kichunga (the clay-pipe). Around this pipe-edge (omuhiro)
is fastened a cattle-skin (oruhu). This process of
fastening the skin around the clay-pipes is called
okugyema. The usual tying in other situations is called
okukoma. In the skin is inserted wooden-rods known as
endiindi (oruriindi – singular). It is these ndiindi that are
held by the blacksmith to blow air, through the bichunga,
through the encheru to the iziiko in order to enhance
oxygen supply to the fire when the actual time comes for
melting iron-ore or iron itself. In English, apparently, the
four are called one word: ‘bellow’. I would like to know
whether the constituent parts of the bellow have got
specific names from those who may know. However, for
Runyankore the four parts: encheru, ebichunga, oruhu
and endiindi are called omujuba (the bellow). The
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process of pumping oxygen into the iziiko is known as
okujuguta.
Having described for you the shed of the blacksmith, the
fire-place and the bellows, let us now go to the raw-
material, the iron-ore. The English, obviously, found
difficulty in defining this important compound – the iron-
ore. The best they could do was to describe it – the ore of
iron.
The Banyankore, however, had a more precise and
unique term – obutare. Other iron compounds are called
differently: oburimbi (19.35% iron, 6.24% aluminium,
37.6% silicate and others); enoombe (10.6% iron, 8.1%
aluminium, 35.2% silicate and others); ebisooni is of
three types: grey (5.4% iron, 6.9% magnesium, 2.15%
aluminium, 36.9% silicate and others); and reddish pink
(1.98% iron, 9.45% aluminium, 42.0 % silicate and
others); white (12.5% aluminium, 41.8% silicate, 15.8%
carbonates and others). Many names of places are
derived from these compounds. For example, Butare
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means there is iron-ore there; Burimbi means there is
iron, aluminium and silicate; Noombe means the area has
iron, aluminium and silicate. Kebisooni means the area
has iron, aluminium, silicate, and magnesium. The iron-
ore is first crashed into pieces. Then, it is tied in a bundle
with the use of a grass known as eyojwa (Rhodenta
kageransis) and ropes from a plant known as emishinya.
According to Mzee Kajuga, eyojwa is preferred because it
burns completely (okuyonga). This bundle of iron-ore
fragments is known as omujego. Bundles of food or fire-
wood would be called differently: omutwaro, omushenga
for food, oruba, ekiba for fire-wood and grass
respectively. These bundles in plural are called emijego.
Pieces of dry papyrus stems (enkorogoto) are put in the
hole in the iziiko. The lowest ones are packed vertically
and the ones on top are laid horizontally on top of the
other ones. Then, iron-bars are laid across the fire-place
– leaving spaces between them. Across these iron-bars,
the emijego (iron-ore bundles) are put. Then, charcoal
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from special trees is piled up around the emijego. As
many as ten emijego can be dealt with at one go.
However, before you pile the charcoal, you light the
nkorogoto with fire – these are the dry papyrus stems.
Once the charcoal is piled and the fire is burning, you
start blasting the air into the furnace by the use of the
omujuba (the bellows). This is called okujuguta. It is
done by men, continuously, in relays. It can go on for
about ten hours. You may start the process at 4.00 a.m.
in the morning and continue up to 2.00 p.m. in the
afternoon. During this time you are replenishing the
charcoal. This charcoal is from certain trees only:
omukoyooyo, omuhungye, omurera, obugando or black-
wattle.
After the pumping of oxygen has gone on for about ten
hours, you will begin noticing sparks similar to those of
welding. That will mean that iron has been separated
from iron-ore and the material is now liquid instead of
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solid. It is also no longer red-hot but actually almost
white – ‘like the moon’ our blacksmiths say. These sparks
are called amasasi (same words used for bullets). It
seems when bullets were introduced into our society by
Arabs, our people compared them to these blacksmith
sparks. Hence, the name amasasi or isasi (singular).
Once the blacksmiths saw the sparks, they knew that
melting (hence separation of iron from oxygen) was
taking place. The molten iron would keep dripping into
the hole in the fire-place.
During the blasting, another process would take place.
This is the controlled process of the surface temperature
of the burning charcoal by sprinkling water on the top
layer. This process is called kuzimiza whereby, using an
instrument of loosened fibres similar to a fly-whisker
known as eisiza, the blacksmith would sprinkle water,
from time to time, over the top layer of the hot charcoal.
The purpose of this was to create a type of upper
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insulation for the heat so that the heat is directed
downwards to the iron-ore. This water would be got from
a hole next to the omujuba. This hole is called
ekizimirizo. The verb okuzimiza meant to reduce the
surface temperature of the top charcoal as already
described. I forgot to point out that the iron-bars laid
across the fire-place to hold the iron-ore bundles
(emijego) are called ebikingisirizo (holders of the
emijego). The other synonym for omujego (the bundle of
iron-ore pieces) is called akarambatsi. Again, the
closeness between the verb okuzimiza and the Swahili
word kuzimya moto is amazing. It means to put out the
fire. However, in the Runyankore of blacksmiths, it
means to control the fire.
Once the sparking has gone on for some time, the
blasting (okujuguta) is stopped and the fire is allowed to
die down. It is left to cool overnight. The following day,
the lump of metal is got out, the ashes of charcoal
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removed, the hole in the fire-place filled with soil and the
slugs removed. These slugs (the remainder of the iron-
ore after the iron has been removed) are called emomo.
The blacksmith now has got iron (ekyooma).
The next phase, on another day, is to reheat this metal to
achieve two things: make it purer and attach the iron
lump to a holder for future handling – a type of a very
long ladle for holding the iron-lump. This long handle is
called omureengo. On account of heating, the mureengo
gets joined to the metal-lump like the spoon and its
handle or ladle. The omureengo cannot be held directly
with bare hands. It will be too hot. A wooden handle is
attached. It is called embago. The rich Runyankore
language is inexhaustible. The wooden handle for panga
(omuhoro) is called ekirindi; totally different name.
Now that you have iron and it is attached to a holder
(omureengo), the next phase is to flatten it – to make it a
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type of a thick sheet (ekibanda) instead of being round
(embumburi) or oblong (omwongo-like). How do you do
this? You, again, heat and, in addition, use two big and
special stones. One is called oruhiija (the anvil) and the
other one is called omutsiindo (the hammer). Stones for
other purposes are given different names e.g. orubeengo;
and so are the hammers for different purposes e.g.
enyondo. However, for the blacksmiths these are specific
names: oruhiija and omutsiindo (musiindo in one of the
accents). These special gadgets are made out of a stone
known as omuyumbwe.
Dr. Otiti, Dr. Kwesiga and their team will have to describe
for us the types of these stones in modern geological
language.
Once you have flattened iron attached to the long handle
(omureengo), you are now in business for tools (spears,
pangas, hoes, etc). How are these made? Whenever you
want to make any item, you go to your metal, heat it and
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then cut the piece you want for further shaping. Here
you use a strengthened metal-cutter known as eshinjo.
This is a little bit sharpened at the lower end and had
gone through the process of okukaza (cold-shrinkage)
where you heat a piece of metal to red-hot and, then,
cool it suddenly by immersing it in ekizimirizo (the cooling
trough or hollow).
The Banyankore and other Africans had mastered also
the process of wire-making – thinning metal to wire – like
Casement does with the steel-bars and wires out of billets
today. The Banyankore called it okukweega (pulling).
When it comes to ordinary pulling, the Banyankore call it
kunyurura. Kukweega, therefore, appears to have been
for blacksmithing. The metal thinning and lengthening
was necessary to be able to make thin-sized items such
as empiindu for stitching crafts and textiles, orumweiso
for shaving hair, omusyo for cutting meat or anything as
well as special knives for harvesting millet (kugyesha). It
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is interesting to note that the Baganda use the word:
kumwa to refer to shaving hair. The Banyankore use a
different word in modern times (kutega). However, the
instrument they were using was called orumweiso – the
instrument for kumwa. This would mean that in the past,
the Banyankore may have used a common word with the
Baganda.
Now that we have got iron, we need to introduce you to
the instruments that are used for cutting and shaping
metal products. I have told you about eshinjo – the
metal-cutter. The big eshinjo (empango) is for cutting
iron; the small eshinjo (enkye) is for cutting copper,
brass, aluminium, etc. To cut metals you use eshinjo by
hitting it with a heavy hammer known as Rwatampiija.
At this stage, I will simply record some of the names of
the instruments without elaborating them because I also
need to understand their functions more. These are
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butundu, a hammer with a hole; emwangato, a certain
small hammer; eikombe; omutweero and the verb is
kutweera; enguta – this is for hollowing ebyaanzi; enyeyo
– is also for hollowing ebyaanzi, possibly to a finer stage;
emparo – a smoothener of ebyaanzi; etc.
Before I forget, I should point out that the process of
joining metals or welding is called okuramuura. Once
certain instruments are shaped, they can be called
different names. If you take spears, for example, the one
which is sharp on one side and blunt on the other side is
called ekibeezi or ekihuuga. This was used for hunting or
fighting. The one that is sharp on both edges is omutaari.
This was normally held by high profiled people such as
kings or chiefs.
It is clear, therefore, that the Africans had a
comprehensive metal industry – totally vertically
integrated – from raw-material (iron-ore), to the iron, iron-
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tools for making other items and the final use – items
themselves – spears (amachumu), pangas (emihoro),
axes (empango), swords (rurara), hoes (efuka), etc. Due
to instability, our past leaders and the educational system
did not appear to grasp this fact. When you look at a
modern steel plant, the only difference is in the use of
motors, using electricity or diesel, to make the machines
do the work instead of the muscles of the Africans.
Otherwise, science does not appear to be very different. I
am waiting for comments from my science team of Prof.
Otiti (Physics), Dr. Kwesiga (Industrial Engineering), Dr.
Stephen Nyanzi (Chemistry) and their team. What is
clear is that the Banyankore and I am sure other Africans
had unique and richer technical terms than the
Europeans including the Latin whose technical terms are
so much loved by scientists. Why, for instance, say
acacia hohii, etc., when there are unique words for these
acacias among the African languages? Every acacia type
has a name: obugando; omutongore; omunyinya;
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omutyaaza; omukiinga; etc. I am curious to know the
logic. The same goes for the animals: bush-back; roan-
antelope; spring-back; etc. There are unique African
names: empara, enuuma, enzaza, ekishwaaga,
enyemera, enkorongo, engabi, esirabo, enjobe, etc.
While I have learnt the blacksmithing, the ceramics, the
wood-work, etc., processes from others when I was
already old, I learnt cattle-keeping from infancy. I can,
therefore, say without equivocation that if our modern
scientists could master our indigenous technology, they
would find work much easier. This is why I rejected so
many recommendations of the veterinary officers in
Uganda in respect of cattle and insisted on modified
indigenous methods. One practice I rejected is, for
instance, separating cattle kraals into: weaners, the in-
calf, the heifers, etc. I can assure everybody that I am
doing very well without those European practices in
relation to cattle.
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Some of the dialects ingeniously invented additional
sounds (letters) to enrich the language so that
differentiation of words is easier and clearer. These
additional sounds (letters) are: ts, sh, ky, ch, ai, ei, etc.
These help us to distinguish between okusinda (to get
drank) vs okutsinda (to groan when you are sick);
okutsiga (to leave something behind) vs okusiga (to sow);
ebisya (new things) vs ebitsya (nape); okusaasa (to cause
to hurt) vs okushaasha (to hurt); ndire (I ate) vs ndaire (I
spent a night); ekyasha (a spot on the cow’s forehead),
ekikyere (frog), omukyeeka (mat), ekiconco (gift),
ekicoori (maize), ekicuncu (lion), okucooka (to select);
abaitu (our people), arwaire (she/he is sick), ahaiguru
(above); omweija (the other person), twongyeirwe
(additional); etc.
There are a few mistakes in the Thesaurus such as on
page 317 where the printers or the final editors put the
word: omurimbi (sailor) next to oburimbi, a type of red
soil with 19.35% of iron, 6.24% aluminum of 37.6%
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silicate and others. These will be corrected in the next
version. There are also many words we have not
included. They will be included next time. The different
pronunciations evolving around the use of the extra
sounds (letters) mentioned above, ts, sh, ky, etc, do not
substantively alter the meaning or the intelligibility. In
the Thesaurus and in the next dictionary we present the
two pronunciations as much as possible. Where there
has been omission, it will be corrected in the next
editions.
I still have some issue with my academic partners – Dr.
Muranga and others. I would like to use the double
vowels extensively and universally so that the future
generations who did not speak Runyankore from birth are
not confused. One example is: Omukyeeno (curse)
versus Omukyeno (shortage of something especially
labour). They have their own academic mystifications
which I decided to ignore for now. I may, however, have
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to review that because I want a clear package for our
children. I am continuing to discuss with my partners.
In the end, East Africa will have to use Swahili as the
Black man’s language because it is a neutral Bantu
dialect which is easy to accept in contrast to the tribal
dialects like Runyankore, Luganda, etc. The problem is
that Swahili is not as rich in vocabulary as the dialects of
the interior of the continent. That is why they borrow so
much from Arabic which is not necessary. Swahili has
already borrowed the Bantu word: Ikulu – meaning State
House – from, I think, the Wanyamwezi; they have
borrowed Kwangatu from, I think, the Wazanaki. Swahili
can borrow more words from the Bantu and Luo dialects
of the interior – for instance obufura to mean protocol
instead of hitifaaki if it is from Arabic or Lubaala –
meaning National Anthem, instead of continuing to use
the descriptive word of Wimbo - wa Taifa - the song of
the Nation.
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I think the sky is the limit in the development of the rich
culture of the African people.
I thank you so much
7th November, 2012 - Serena, UICC
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