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In the ‘90s the best places that youth hooked up and love blossomed was church youth meetings and inter-school activities, with church offering the best opportunities.
Church activities were the most promising hunting ground as youths worshiped and engaged in various activities such as music festivals and practice sessions.
The abundance of time during set piece, drama and verses practice made hearts grow fond of each other, culminating in romantic moves that would turn into full-blown love and marriage.
The youths of the 90s rarely went to clubs. In any case, in most places there were no pubs to visit and while time away or catch up on English Premier League. There were no road trips as cars were out of reach to many unlike now when many young people can afford Subarus to wheel their girls to Naivasha. Then, the longest road trip that one could enjoy was a leisurely walk with one’s girl down the dusty village roads.
There were no cinema halls to watch movies and series.
The only place to make a romantic move was the church. It worked perfectly because it had abundance and variety and the damsels were green and un-exposed.
As youths of the era rehearsed dramas, skits, verses and folksongs it was also a good and opportune moment to crack open a girl’s heart.
Church offered a fertile ground for hunting with a complete package that included travel for the inter-church activities.
Out of home church events were a perfect opportunity to hide from the village and church mates’ roving eyes to make a bolder move to a girl. It was golden moment to buy some soda and ice cream while dribbling words inside her heart and checking over the shoulder for a person who could spill the beans to the congregants -- it was a hard and tricky affair.
Youths enjoyed moving from one place to another in old rickety buses for festivals. It was during these trips that love brewed secretly.
Often drama festivals ended late in the day and this was a blessing in disguise as love birds would seize the moment to go an inch farther and hold hands, a serious sin during the day.
It was a time of rationed romance, only available at specific time and place. Public display of affection would amount to a scandal, and it would invite punishment.
The well-guarded secret gave people a surprise when the love birds announced plans to wed. It is important to note that church-grown love mostly ended in a holy matrimony, with exception of a few who would cross over without altar blessing.
It is a testament that love can flourish under the carpet and sprout at the right time as seen in the 90s, a stark contrast of the current times when youths treat us to their romantic escapades in broad daylight.
Gen Zs will comfortably hold hands in town and in village streets. They will burst into a pub and order a drink and before they are served they will jump on the dance floor with crazy dancing styles in the presence of elders.
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