It's the medium. I suspected that, but no matter how many Smily Wileys you insert [are WE supposed to be sure what the expressions depicted imply?] ambiguities remain.
And in this case I decided to roll with it, especially because I believe this is the first time I included in my izibongo my great grandfather. By all accounts a jerk, but at least the profession of journalist turned preacher fits my verbal fetish better than my other great grandfathers, one farmer, one inn-keeper, and one accountant.
The preacher and the innkeeper are the most interesting careerwise. The innkeeper made the serious mistake of going in as a partner with his brother who, I am told, consumed more than his fair share of the establishment's liquor.