Reads on Nairobi as an Emerging Cultural Hub: Slums on the Reel by Maria Grazia Pozzi

SFF Poster

Sentiments on Nairobi as a cultural Hub

'It is notable that Nairobi has become a global metropolis, where a truly diverse Kenyan cultural identity is growing solidly, thanks in part to initiatives such as SFF, whose real contribution is to make these stories visible promoting talent and restoring dignity for people living in urban slums, while purporting only the facts, without rhetoric.' by Maria Grazia Pozzi in the huffingtonpost

The Lord Mayor of London and Smart Diplomacy

The Lord Mayor of London Alderman Michael Bear was in town and had a series of meetings and concerts running from September 9-10, 2011 in various locations. His visit to Kenya was not for pleasure and NOT exclusively for business but for both!

Smart Diplomacy

In what is currently dominating the Western world, soft power as opposed to hard power is now being practiced. Smart power is a theory that has been espoused recently where nations combine both hard and soft power. In the foreign policy magazine/website the multi-literalist has observed correctly that Europeans are good at using soft power and has attributed this to the European Union. Under the EU treaty EU member states come together and negotiate policies and decisions. So this it is believed has made Europeans better diplomats who appreciate the aspect of understanding other people’s culture and points of view.

The Lord Mayor Alderman appreciates culture and has a strategy for his mayoral year which he calls ‘cultural diplomacy’. He is using this strategy to support the city of London and its global agenda. Under this strategy he has partnered with Concordia Foundation.

Concerts all over the World

Concordia Foundation is expected to present concerts for the Lord Mayor in Britain and during his international visits some of which include Vietnam, China and Kenya.

I was invited to the concert at the BHC residence on Saturday September 10, 2011 and was delighted by the evening performances.

The evening had performances from our very own Moipei sisters, Rishabh & Akshay Sevak and Concordia Artists Satoko Fukuda, Couple Gareth McLearnon & Abigail Burrows and Jeremy Silver who was perfect on the piano. Gillian Humphreys founder and artist director of Concordia Foundation also gave a performance for the evening.

After the evening performance I had a rare chat with the Lord Mayor and we talked among many things his root with Kenya and football. The Lord Mayor was born in Kenya and is an Arsenal Fan. At the time of the meeting Arsenal was not at their best and the Lord Mayor was as is any other football fan sticking with his team ‘for the better or for the bad times’. I on the other hand am a Manchester United fan! Going by the Kenyan standards there are some ‘rivalry’ between Manchester United and Arsenal as opposed to Manchester United and Liverpool that exists in UK.

Duties of a Lord Mayor

So during my encounter with the Lord Mayor I came to learn a few things. One was the difference between the Mayor and the Lord Mayor. Most of us had gone there expecting to see the mayor.

In terms of duties the Lord Mayor made the differences of these two offices crystal clear. The Lord Mayor makes the money and the London mayor spends it!   

The office of the Lord Mayor is an elected post which one holds for one year. The Lord Mayor is head of City of London Corporation. Among his many duties he is expected to travel extensively in liaison with FCO (Foreign Commonwealth Office their Ministry of Foreign Affairs) hence he had a reception at BHC residence. 

From this travels he is expected to foster goodwill and boost British trade, particularly the markets and services of the city. The city of London has a vibrant capital markets and for those following the current impasse of the Euro (which UK is not a member) and debt crisis facing Greece and other periphery nations of the EU will understand that Germany and France have been playing a key role. 

The city of London is the financial power house of Europe (home of global capital) and most of the off shore banking in Switzerland is usually done from London.

The Lord Mayor and his Appeal

The Lord mayor Alderman Michael Bear has an appeal which is called ‘Bear Necessities’. His appeal is aimed at helping children in London access education and have greater life opportunities and at supporting international disaster relief.

Exhibition: Recent Paintings by Michael Soi

The current exhibition at the French Cultural Centre running until the end of this month (September 2011) caught my eye first because of what it addressees (strip joints in Nairobi which are hardly talked about) and also because it contains some salient political undertones such as the issue of payment of taxes by our legislatures, the G7 alliance and the ‘nutty professor series’ which addresses the free primary education (FPE) scum.

Sports

Michael addresses international issues in sports such as the debate currently ongoing in France to have more white players playing for the Le Blue (the French National team). A rather bold piece if you look at the space where he is exhibiting (French space)!

Gor Mahia one of the teams which plays in the National Football league also features in the exhibition and so does Arsenal Football Club. Perhaps this is a reflection to the teams Soi supports.

Politics

The current works of Soi also address the current happening in the field of politics both in Kenya with a depiction of the G7 Alliance in the classical way Soi does it on canvas. Depicting politicians as with heads of cats and not wearing any trousers!

The geopolitics in Africa especially what is going on in Libya are addresses with a depiction of the 18^th African heads of states session on Libya which watches as Gaddafi is hanged by outside forces (EU, NATO and USA).

The ICC process and court proceeding at the Hague have also been highlighted in canvas.

Corruption

The ‘nutty professor series’ which highlights the professors heading the Ministry of Education in a whole new light you could possibly imagine is also on display. In fact this is the series that got me knowing about Soi. He had this series on display sometimes back at RaMoMa.

Strip Clubs

So this is the boldest piece of this exhibition and it showcases what happens in some joints in Nairobi when darkness falls. So as I understood it from a dialogue I had with Soi the ‘strip club series’ sheds light on the patrons who frequent this spaces 

Kuona Open Day

 I had an encounter with Michael in Naivasha during the Kuona Open day (as the exhibition clearly states he is a second generation artists from Kuona Art Gallery). This was like 2 weeks before he set up his exhibition at the French Cultural Centre (FCC).  He explained to me the thinking behind his works and also I came to know some of his collector’s esp. the ‘nutty professor series’.

Maestro Ricardo Muti in Town!

On the second weekend of July, 2011 Nairobi was treated to a rare treat of classical music when Chicago Orchestra conductor Ricardo Muti came to town for a concert and conducted Orchestra Cherubini in Uhuru Park.

New Grounds

This concert was a first of its kind in many aspects. It was the first time that Ravenna Festival's Roads of Friendship initiative was in sub-Sahara Africa having previously performed for a northern African country.

It was also a first time an orchestra which boost of over 400 pieces performed in Kenya if not in the region.

The other aspect that got me thinking during the concert was the location. Yes Uhuru park is either associated with political event (Ocampo 3 home coming party comes to mind!), Preachers who know to effectively how to use public space (who at times can be a pain in the neck with their end time gospel while asking for a quid) and lovers! Since I am based at Kilimo I am forced to pass by the hollowed grounds BUT I try to go round them less cupid whom I think might reside there may set a glimpse on me!

That said the concert showcased that indeed the grounds can be salvaged from this tag lines.

Breaking Traditions

This concert also broke other traditions which might NOT be seemingly be clear to the eye. In Kenya cultural activities are mostly a prerequisite of the French BUT the Italian staged a cultural coup at Uhuru Park!

This Festival, according to what I have read was set up by an array of many players starting with the Vice Presidents office (who graced the festival despite there being independence celebrations in Southern Sudan. Considering he was one of the mediators. This must have meant a lot to him), the Italian Embassy in Kenya, The Nuncio’s (Pope’s Representative in the country) office, Ministry of Culture and National Heritage (The Minister was conspicuously absent from this festival. The office ought to have someone younger-My opinion) and the Nairobi City Council (Finally our City fathers gather some mad love from me).

The Maestro also in his closing act incorporated our Kenyan singers as they belched out the last performance. This was the climax of the festival for me.

A Maestro’s Dream and Aspirations

In some of the introductions of the day the MC did throw quite some comparisons before the main act. One of this was the late Pavarotti. He compared and contrasted the two Italian misical figures and one thing that clearly presented itself during the performance is that Maestro Muti is soft spoken.

However, when he did speak he pointed out his vision of seeing a united and peaceful world. In fact this concert was dedicated to dwellers of the Nairobi slums.

Ravenna Festival's Roads of Friendship

This concert is part of Ravenna Festival which has an initiative Roads of Friendship, born in Sarajevo in 1997. 14 concerts in different cities of the world have been conducted to date with an eye for celebrating peace and invoking human solidarity through music.  

The 2011 Roads of Friendship Ravenna Festival was dedicated to funding educational scholarships for young people in Nairobi informal settlements (which have had success stories of transforming lives through Amani Onlus).

These scholarships are to be given to Italian missions operating in Kenya.  The concert also gave tribute to Italian missionaries who work in Kenya.

Photos

Here is a link to photo’s of the event from Quaint Photographers on Facebook.

Polish Nights in Nairobi!

For those NOT in the know this year (2010) marks the 200th birthday anniversary of Chopin, a musical genius. Well, worry NOT neither did I know! but thanks to the polish Embassy in Kenya which collaborated with CHOPIN2010 Celebration Office to organise a concert right here in Nairobi.

So the evening of November 16 saw me in Alliance Auditorium to listen to Mr. Mateusz Kolakowski, a Polish jazz pianist and boy was he hot on the piano. Streaming some classical music from Chopin and doing some of his own compositions and others that bordered on Jazz. Call it fusion of Classical & Jazz. Awesome evening it was.

Here is a video of  Mr. Mateusz Kolakowski doing what he does best. Playing the piano. 

Now waiting for Mr. janusz Olejniczak performance in December.

Kenya International Film Festival

KIFF 2010 Poster

The 5^th Annual Kenya International Film Festival was in town as from Thursday 21^st to Saturday 30^th October 2010. Though there was not much publicity about it going by the number of people who attended the free screening. Perhaps it can be attributed to the fact that Nairobian’s simply do not love movies but are into soaps and reality TV! Perhaps Kenya International Film Festival (KIFF) should put some considerable advertising Chest for the next year’s festivals.

Despite this shortcoming, Kenya International Film Festival (KIFF) this year come up with the first Kenyan Film week screening films in various location concurrently i.e. Alliance Francaise, SilverBird cinemas and National museums plus my favorite was the theme nights introduced. So for the last part of October I was able to interact with Spaniards (esp. the Sinorita’s), Colombian’s, Polish and Japanese (though they didn't have any geisha’s or samurai’s). 

Too bad I missed the Russian Night cause of the heavy rains on Friday 22. and the screening of american films which were held in Village market.

Welcome Mr. Marshall (24/10/2010)

All the same I kicked my film festival on Sunday with the screening of a Spanish film Welcome Mr. Marshall a Spanish comedy film directed by Luis García Berlanga and considered one of the masterpieces of Spanish cinema. It tells the story of a small Spanish town, Villar Del Rio, which hears of the visit of American diplomats and begins preparations to impress the American visitors in the hopes of benefiting under the Marshall Plan which was used to reconstruct war ravaged Europe after end of World War II and was the idea of the then Secretary of State of US.

Welcome Mr. Marshall

A central theme of the film is the stereotypes held by both the Spanish and the Americans regarding the culture of the other. Hoping to demonstrate the side of Spanish culture with which the visiting American officials will be most accustomed, the citizens of Villar del Río (Soria) don unfamiliar Andalusian costumes, hire a renowned flamenco performer, and redecorate their town in Andalusian style. Later in the film, each of the central characters has a dream in which different aspects of stereotypical American culture and history are featured. One consists of a Western-like bar brawl, another arrival of a conquistador on New World shores and another is of the trial  of the city priest under Senator McCarthy trials cum Ku Klux Clan.

Source: IMDB review

 PS: I must thank Prof. Isabel Santaolalla (Roehampton University, London) who curated the Spanish films and got us to understand the context of this screenings.

Spanish Evening in Nairobi (25/10/2010)

The Spanish threw some bit of spin to this year’s festival by hosting a fusion concert at the National Museums of Kenya, Luis Leakey Auditorium. To say we were blown away will be an under statement. Jorge Pardo on the flute/saxophone playing on the Arabian key mind you, Isaac Turienzo on the piano and Armando Orbon on the guitar was the best live performance of the festival for me.

The three musketeers took us on a musical journey through the universe of flamenco (don’t ask me what this is. I just know it when I hear it!) from a classical and jazz perspective.

The Precise and Infinite poster

Other Spanish films at the Festival

Cinema Spain

Colombian Night in Nairobi (26/10/2010)

The Colombian night was good. We had a film from a young Colombian filmmaker screened. What I liked was the fact that it featured underlying issues of FARC guerilla.

Polish Night in Nairobi (27/10/2010)

During the Polish night two films were supposed to have been filmed. This is Polish Cuisine & Love in the Year of the Tiger. However, what was fascinating about Polish Night is the fact that they had the director of both films Jacek Bromski flown here just for this screening. Mr. Jacek Bromski also doubles up as the president of the Polish Filmmakers Association.

• Polish Cuisine was a social drama film– a panorama of the fate of a few Polish families since the times of Joseph Stalin until the beginning of the 90s.
• Love in the Year of the Tiger was scheduled for another day due to time reasons
• Mirrors in Music a documentary by Ruby Maubert about our very own Kenyan opera singer and classical music presenter Elisabeth Njoroge. She had gone to the home town of classical music genius Chopin in Poland courtesy of Poland Embassy which will also be holding CHOPIN2010 celebrations here in Kenya

Jacek Bromski, also had a chance to speak to us after the screening of the films. He talked about some of his works, what influences his works and what he is up to.

Bottom line it was like a premier and best night of the festival.

Jacek Bromski filmography and Profile

Japanese Night in Nairobi (28/10/2010)

The Japanese screened Hidden blade a film about a Samurai.

What is most striking about Japanese films is the fact that they use old technology of showcasing their films on the screen

Hidden Blade

During the time of change of the mid-19th Century, Yaichiro is bid farewell by his fellow samurai friends Munezo and Samon as he leaves their clan's fiefdom on the northwest coast of Japan (Unasaka) to take an important position within the shogunate in far away Edo. Munezo has lived modestly with his mother and sister Shino after his father was forced into suicide after the failure of a bridge project. Kie, a farm girl serves them as a maid in their house. As time passes, Munezo's sister marries Samon, his mother dies, Kie is married into a merchant family, and he is required to learn western methods of warfare such as the use of artillery and firearms from an official sent from Edo. Learning that Kie is ill due to abuse, he rescues her from her husband's family. Although sharing mutual affection and respect, a marriage between Munezo and Kie is still impossible due to different castes, and when he, now a bachelor, is criticized for her serving in his house, Munezo sends her back to her father's farm. After being caught in a failed political intrigue, Yaichiro is sent home in disgrace and imprisoned in solitary confinement. After Yaichiro escapes, Munezo is ordered to prove his innocence from complicity by killing his old friend, and he seeks the help of his old teacher, the sword master Kansai Toda. Although Yaichiro had been the better swordsman when they studied together, Toda entrusted the secret of the "Hidden Blade" only to Munezo. Toda now teaches him a new technique to use as he prepares to face Yaichiro, who has taken hostages in a farm house.

Source:

Other Films Watched

The Holy Innocents

Plot:

The Holy Innocents

Somewhere in the spanish country, in the 60s. Paco and his wife Régula are very poor. They work as tenant farmers for a very wealthy landowner. They have 3 children. One is backward. The others can not got to school because the master "needs" their work. When Regula's brother is fired from where he has worked for 61 years, he settles down at their little place... An attack against the archaism of the spanish country of the 60s.

Source:

Soul Boy

Soul Boy

Set in Kibera slum of Nairobi, the film depicts the story of a boy and a girl who set off together to save the soul of the boys father. This film is made by a Kenyan Hawa Essuman with the support of German director Tom Tykwer

More information on Soul Boy: Hawa Essuman and the Soul Boy Project

Useful Links:

Programme Link:

Kiff website link:

Jukwaani!

Jukwaani! Which is a project organised by Goethe-Institut (German's) and Alliance Française (French) was here with us again for the second time. This festival which incorporates spoken word,  poetry, mashairi, story telling, hip hop and other forms of performance art took place towards the end of September. September 24-26 to be precise.

I attended the opening ceremony on Friday 24th at Goethe Institut albeit late but in time for the panel discussion on Swahili poetry. This session was titled; 'USHAIRI WA KISWAHILI: JANA NA LEO ‘Swahili Poetry: Past and Present’ and was chaired by Prof. Kimani Njogu, a Swahili linguist and founder of Twaweza Communications. The panelist assisting him interrogate Swahili Poetry: Past and Present were; 

• Prof. Rocha Chimerah (Pwani University, Kilifi) ‘The classical poetry of Muyaka wa Haji’
• Prof. Ahmed Nabhany (RISSEA, Mombasa) ‘The different types of Swahili poetry’
• Dr. Edwin Masinde (Kenyatta University) ‘Wrestling with the past: Debate about Swahili Poetry and its form’
• Prof. Clara Momanyi (Catholic University) ‘The poetry of Shaaban Robert’

This session also featured poetic performances by Nuhu Bakari (Nation Media) and Amira Said (RISSEA).  Nuhu Bakari kicked off the session with a poem 'Utamu wa Kiswahili ni watu kukitumia' i.e. The beauty of Kiswahili is by people using it

Thereafter, the Swahili scholars got to do what they love most, talking about Swahili in Swahili. 

Prof. Rocha  gave us abit of history into the life of Muyaka and the impact that he had on swahili poetry. Muyaka is credited with moving swahili poetry from the mosque to the market place.

Prof. Ahmed who is at the Research Institute of Swahili Studies of Eastern Africa gave a rundown of the different types of Swahili Poetry and discarded the myth that all swahili poetry is known as Mashairi.

Prof. Clara Momanyi talked in length about the poetry of Shaabani Robert. In there she picked some wisdom from Shaabani Robert  for the ladies on how to keep their guys! She also talked about the poet himself and the research she was conducting on him.

Amira Said closed the session with her poetic piece in praise of the organisers of the event.

Thereafter, Prof. Kimani Njogu entertained some few questions and insights from the audience so that the discourse was not a one sided affair.  What I noted from this session is that Kiswahili is now the 1st official language followed by English according to the new constitution. (Perhaps, I should start blogging in Swahili!).

Also, the Swahili linguist were in good moods since they had been pushing for this for a long time. I believe Twaweza communication was in the forefront of pushing for this when views were been collected on the new constitution

Official opening  followed this session at around half past six. The Ambassador of France, Mrs. Elisabeth Barbier (outgoing French envoy) and the Head of Press and Cultural Affairs at the German Embassy in Kenya (in her first public event. She was posted to the country recently. Mind you the lady already knew some Swahili) were there to open the festival. They encouraged us to embrace and use Kiswahili.

2010 Jukwaani! Poster

It would also be worthwhile to note Radio France International (RFI) has started to broadcast in Swahili.

Once the festival was officially opened we moved to Alliance Francaise  for the cocktail reception. Obviously, one has to enjoy how the French and Germans know to treat us. The cocktail was at the Alliance Francaise garden.

Mwana Mdogo wa Mfalme

After the cocktails, we went into the auditorium for play, Mwana Mdogo wa Mfalme (The little Prince). Translated from the famous work of Antoine de Saint-Exupery, 'The Little Prince' is a classic tale of equal appeal to children and adults and the A/F director noted it is very popular in France in her remarks before the play started. 

On one hand, Mwana Mdogo wa Mfalme (The little Prince) is the story of an airman's discovery in the desert of a  small boy from another planet- the little prince and his stories of intergalactic travel. while on the other hand it is a thought- provoking allegory of the human condition. mind you some of the scene's was customized into the Kenyan environment.

This play marked the end of the first day of the festival and a Friday well spent in Nairobi.

Jukwaani! is a joint initiative supported by the special fund for cultural projects established by the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of both France and Germany created on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the Elysée Treaty sealing reconciliation and friendship between the two countries who were bitter rivals when there was chaos in Europe.

Links
Jukwaani Website

Story Moja Hay Festival

Friday 1^st October 2010

On Fridays I attend British Councils Creative Enterprise Programme and since the Council is one of the major/global partners of the Story Moja Hay Festival we are reliably informed that there is no class in the afternoon (Hooray!). We are to prepare ourselves to attend the festival. In particular, we are to attend the British Council lecture series on creative industries.

After lunch we walk to Nairobi Railways ground the venue of the festival and by 1500 hrs and we are sitted in the British Council Marquee where a creative enterprise panel made up of environmental entrepreneur Andy Middleton, novelist Tiffany Murray, Julie Grigg and moderated by Anita Sethi (Journalist) is almost winding up its discussion.

However, I manage to get a few insights from the debate. Especially, how successful the UK has been in its venture of creating jobs by encouraging young people to venture into the creative industry. Andy Middleton encourages the people to be creative and try to learn as from many people as possible i.e. ‘If you steal from many people, its called research’

Thereafter, a discussion between the audience and the panel ensues and Andy passes his notebook for contacts so as to continue the discussion.

I take a walk around the tents and discover that there are few people than I had anticipated. This could be attributed to the fact that perhaps guys are still at work. However, going by what we know is that the most Kenyan’s are not into books and by the same breath the pubs would be full come 1701hrs. That explains why poetry is so doing so well of late. This is because the poets have discovered where to find people and bar owners have reciprocated because the patrons enjoy the pieces!

At 1600hrs I head back to the British Council Marquee where Benjamin Zephaniah is to perform some of his works and talk to Anita Sethi the journalist. I had been informed by a friend to look out for Benjamin Zephaniah and boy did he bring the house down…Oops tent!

Benjamin Zephaniah

Benjamin Zephaniah serenaded us with some of his poems for about ¾ of an hour. Some of his poems we got to hear are; black consciousness poems white-comedy, Love poem I love my mother and a get real poem wrong radio station (video ), Man to man (about macho man) and one of his commissioned poem London. The latter poem London he informed us that he had been commissioned by the London metropolitan. However, he had moved out of the city after writing it!

Thereafter, he sat down for a conversation with Anita Sethi. It is in these conversations I got to know he had rejected his OBE from the queen and had convinced another recipient to return their OBE on live television.

Benjamin also got political at times. Knowing this is where the US president Obama has his roots. He noted that the British should also be proud of Bob the Builder for the ‘Yes we can!’ phrase used during the US elections. Talking of US he did point out that he missed President George W. Bush and shared some of his favorite quotes from the 42^nd president of US such as ‘the French do not have the word Entrepreneur’ and ‘English is our language, it was the language of Jesus’.

He also talked about the Iron lady (Margaret Thatcher) times. How it was offensive to talk about black coffee so as not to offend the blacks within the British society under the banner of ‘race relations’. While, at the same time the conservative government maintained deals will the apartheid regime in South Africa!

To crown it all Benjamin talked partly about his experiences growing up, his turning point and encouraged the young lad’s presents not to despair in life. Asked what kept him such a strong performer on stage. His reply was ‘I don’t eat meat, I run and I do not have a girlfriend’

At 1800hrs I was pretty much done with the first day of the festival.

Some of Benjamin's Poetry;

Saturday 2^nd October 2010

I made my way to the venue of Story Moja Hay festival (Railway grounds) for the second day this event was going down. I arrived at 1145hrs just in time to catch the British High Commissioner, Rob Macaire leading a discussion on Muslim in Kenya and Muslim in the UK.

The High Commissioner had an eminent panel made up of Ahmednasir Abdullahi former Law Society of Kenya (LSK) chair and Hassan Ole Naado, CEO of Kenya Muslim Youth Alliance.

The High Commissioner began by giving a brief background of who he is. Pointing out that he is a professional diplomat who has served his country in Romania, US and his last posting was India. The High Commissioner’s last posting was, India which has a very large Muslim minority. Therefore, from this background one can say he is well versed with the topic at hand. Mind you, he also has considerable experience of working at the Middle East complex political situation so he is no push over (I respect those guys who have put their fingers on the line for the never unending problems of this region).

The High Commissioner with his eminent panel

So having done what diplomats do, he let the other members of the panel introduced themselves. Starting with, Mr. Ahmednasir Abdullahi who is a lawyer by profession. He practices in the city under Ahmednasir Abdikadir & Co. Advocates and pens down opinions for the Nation newspapers. The other member of the panel was Hassan Ole Naado who is the CEO of Kenya Muslim Youth Alliance.

So the High Commissioner kicked off the debate with his own account of ‘Muslims in Britain’.  According to the High Commissioner Britain has a high proportion of Muslim legislators unlike any other European Country.

So how have Muslim population changed the UK society?

Muslims have changed the Britain in many ways. Among this are;

1. Food
2. Academia

Muslim Statistics have also had an impact on;

1. Unemployment
2. Isolation
3. Education

The above three issues being major issues in the UK political landscape.

So this has necessitated the UK government to begin interactions with the Muslim community in the UK so that they can find solutions to;

·        development of extremism and

·        terrorism

The High commissioner finished his account of ‘Muslims in the UK’ by pointing out that he does not buy the ‘clash of civilization’ theory.

The ‘Clash of Civilizations’ is a theory, which was proposed by political scientist Samuel P. Huntington after the end of the cold war. In his theory he argued that with the end of Cold War, Civilizations were bound to clash based on their cultures and religions i.e. Christians vs. Muslims.

Clash of Civilization?

Hassan Ole Naado began the Muslims in Kenya debate by pointing out that Muslims were among the first foreigners to settle on the Kenyan coast and brought with them civilization. He also posed why most Muslims live mainly in Majengo.

According to Hassan, the Muslims were late entrants into the civic society movements in Kenya. However, they have set up associations such as the Kenya Muslim Youth Alliance so as to put Muslim youth issues to the fray. 

Some of the major issues faced by the Muslim youths in Kenya are;

• Intimidation from government security agencies
• Foreign policies also affect the Muslim youths in Kenya e.g. Issue of Palestinian
• Neighboring countries such as Sudan & Somalia provide a danger for Muslim youths

Hassan also pointed he does not buy the clash of civilization theory but stands at the point of ‘dialogue among civilizations’.

Mr. Ahmednasir Abdullahi began this discourse at hand by pointing out that in a BBC interview a former Prime Minister of Malaysia was asked if he was a ‘fundamentalist’. Well, his reply was that he is a fundamentalist of his religion NOT a fanatic.

Ahmednasir further pointed out that Muslims are normally contested on how they observe their religion. However, he pointed out that most liberal democracies especially in Europe allow Muslims to practice their faith.

He also noted that the standard system in UK is adorable unlike French, Spain or Belgium. Likewise, America was tolerant to Muslims before 9/11 and had proved a system for minorities to agitate their rights dating back from 1940’s when Jew’s Italian’s, Japanese and Chinese were discriminated.

Noting this, Ahmednasir emphasized on need to use appropriate venues for Muslims to ask for their rights.

Ahmednasir also alluded to the fact that good constitutions do not make good countries BUT it is the courts that make sure that a good constitution is implemented to the letter.

In the question and answer session the British High Commissioner alluded on the need not to confuse religious issues to political issues

The High Commissioner noted that the Somalia issues was a high priority issues of his government

Eminent audience

NB: For you bloggers out there it would be worthwhile for you to note that the High Commissioner does indeed blog. You can catch here: Rob Macaire blog
Also, Story Moja/Hay Festival British Council Marquee photo stream

In the afternoon (1400hrs-1530hrs) I attended the AfriCOG Marquee which was having a session on ‘whistle blowers’. This Panel was composed of Michela Wrong and Judy Kibinge. This session was moderated by Rasna Warah

M. Wrong

This seemed to have been the session everyone was waiting going by the numbers that were at AfriCOG Marquee. Everyone wanted to hear from Michela Wrong who got everything write on Kenya especially the corruption, corruption in high places!

So both Michaela and Judy Kibinge were provided with opportune moments i.e. John Githogo (former PS Governance& Ethics) arriving in London and seeking a place to stay while for Judy it was the tenth anniversary of Transparency International (TI).

M. Wrong also pointed out that she came to Kenya about 3-4 times in an year to conduct her research on the book it is our turn to eat.

In the question and answer session, Lee B. the deputy chief of Staff US embassy in Kenya first pointed out that when he was posted to Kenya M. Wrong’s book was one of the books he read. He asked for Wrongs assessment of the country 2-3 years now that the country got itself a new constitution. M. Wrong who pointed out that she was an pessimist stuck to that!

In the evening session 1600-1800hrs I was all over the place. However, I cooled my heels by watching a play my moving home at the Kenya Buzz Marquee. Thereafter, I called it a day.

Sunday 3^rd October 2010

On the third and final day of the Story Moja Hay festival I attended;

The British Council Marquee: Hay on Earth-Future Scenario’s. This discourse was lead by Andy Middleton and Anjali Saini.

Among the issues discussed here were getting the product right before taking it to the market as opposed to what happens i.e. the reverse!

Andy Middleton talked about innovations especially in tourism circles. A case in point is innovation in Wales’s camp sites.

Andy Middleton also talked on how technology platforms can be used to bring people together to make things cheaper. A good example is in the design of cars. Technology platforms have been used to design cars at a much lower price and the end product is far much better as opposed to current models.

Andy also talked of how they have created a club called Club 1. Club 1 goal is to plough 1% of all the revenues of a company or 2.5 working days to charity. Through such endeavors it is possible to change the way the planet looks like.

Anjali Saini talked of eco-tourism. She had been involved in a venture to rate tourist resorts in terms of how best they were eco-friendly. The resorts had not changed with the times BUT are now forced by operators from Europe to be rated so that they can conduct business with them. A classic case of change from the top as opposed from the bottom!

We the audience also participated in the thought provoking debate.

One of the resolutions of attending this discourse was to travel widely in my country.

In the Afternoon I visited the Tandaa ICT Board Tent where Al Kags and Jane Delorie lead a discussion on the Colour of philanthropy.

Al Kags took us through the procedure KCDF goes through in setting up a community project. This procedure involves;

• A discussion with the community on the problems they have as opposed to implementing a project without getting the opinions of the community
• Asking the community why they have not done the said project
• Asking the community what it can contribute ‘if’ KCDF was to assist them to implement the project
• Getting an expert to the community to enrich the discussion at the community level and to better inform the community
• Getting the community to contribute to the project through fund raising, housing the experts during the implementation of the project. Thus, keeping to a bare minimum.
• Getting to know how the community will look after a project once complete

Afterwards we had a though provoking discussion lead by Al Kags who fronted this question. How come not many Kenyan’s contribute to charity?

At 1600hrs I headed back to the British Council Marquee for ‘Verse of Fire’. This was a conversation with poets; Benjamin Zephaniah, Tony Mochama, Njeri Wangari and moderated by Kerugo Macharia.

This was a thought provoking session and we got to enjoy more poetry from the entire panelist who recited their works.

Thereafter, I got to attend the US Embassy Stage where I was able to catch some story telling extravaganza from Mshai Mwagola, Eric Omondi and Moses the winner of the Story telling competition.

Bottom Line:

Story Moja Hay Festival is a good thing we have and I hope Kenyan people will get to appreciate it. To quote the US Ambassador, 'this was a festival of the mind and soul'.
I had myself a good time and I look forward to next year’s festival.

Portraits 101!

Came across some pretty interesting article on Newsweek on art from the good old USA. Check it out!



Artist Jonathan Yeo discusses why former Alaska governor and ex-vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin is a great subject for a portrait made out of cut-up pieces of pornography. The porno-fied portrait of Palin was listed for $50,000 and sold in early August. Yeo's other subjects include George W. Bush and Sigmund Freud.

Nowruz

Yesterday, I participated in the New Year celebration of our Iranian brothers which was held at the Nairobi National Museum, Louis Leakey auditorium. We were treated to some unique Iranian traditional music courtesy of Hamnawa music band.
I also had a chance of learning a thing or two about this festival such as:
• That the United Nations passed an endorsement of a resolution on February 23, 2010 to designate Nowruz as an International Day for its ancient roots and for its celebration in most of the eastern Muslim world.
I also learnt some of the practices that accompany Nowruz. Such as:
• House cleaning.
• Looking into the needs of the poor and helping them.
Other traditions practiced are:
• Spreading the Haftseen tablecloth and adorning it with fruits, dry nuts, coolies, flowers and a copy of the Holy Qur'an.

Acrobatic Performance by China's Hunan Province National Art Troupe

I got a rare chance to experience Chinese culture at same time celebrate the Chinese Lunar New Year also known to them as Spring Festival yesterday 10/02/2010 at the K.I.C.C. Ball room.
The 14 of February will mark the most important festival for the Chinese people as they usher in 'The year of the Tiger'. In my case, it will be business as usual (read valentine and the mandatory mass attendance!). However, the Chinese will get to celebrate both as the Chinese ambassador to Kenya put it 'it will be a an ideal moment for the young men in China to celebrate their new year at same time for those with girlfriends to propose.'
You will be living in Mars if you have not noticed the many Chinese in town. We have three categories in my opinion. The workers assisting us in building our highways, the businessmen and we have the tourists. In fact huge hotels in town such as The New-Stanley have a Chinese Restaurant i.e. Tai-Chi restaurant. It is also a common occurrence to see Chinese Tourists taking snaps in front of Nairobi's Landmarks areas such as KICC and City's view site in community.
So the Embassy of the people's Republic of China did put up a very successful performance which was attended by among other the government officials led by the PS in Ministry of Culture, Diplomatic community (I did see the Japanese envoy and other whom I did not recognize), the Chinese community working in Kenya and many Kenyan's wishing to know the ways of our 'friends, partners, brothers'.
The thing I took notice is that China really views Africa as a strategic partner. The ying-Yang sign with one part China and the other Africa caught my attention and the well choreographed acrobatic performance that at times left me breathless. Plus, folk songs from Mao's birth place!
The national Troupe took the peoples hearts with short Swahili composition which shows that they had seriously planned for this occasion.
In sum I clearly enjoyed my evening thanks to the Chinese and look forward to the year of the Tiger!

Johannesburg Transitions

The opening of this exhibition on 3/12/2009 was a clearly choreographed affair just like all the events that take place at G.I. Although, I missed the speeches since I had arrived late due to some unavoidable circumstances. I try not to miss such events.
Johannesburg transition’s is a photo exhibition by a South African photographer Andrew Tshabangu. What is interesting about his work is that it is an exhibition of black and white photos. These photos are what I would call ordinary photos of South African’s captured in the streets of Johannesburg.
Some of my best pieces from this exhibition are photos that capture scenes of South Africa back in 1994. This show African’s selling apples outside a mall.
If you have listened to Yvonne Chaka Chaka’s Umqombothi then you will not fail to see a photo by the same title. It shows an old lady preparing some Umqombothi.
I got a chance to speak to Andrew and he I got first hand explanation background on some of his photos and why he produces black and white photos. I was happy to learn that the local liquor of S.A. equivalent of Chang’aa here is called Umqombothi! I could help asking him about pictures of Churches in his exhibition and he did allude that this is the project he is currently working on. Also in carrying out this project he is also trying to working on his religion.
This time around the background song, if you call an African woman, felt at home with a South African exhibiting at Goethe.
You can catch this exhibition at the Goethe-Institut Auditorium which is open until December 18th and then again between January 4th and 8th.
Monday to Saturday, 1.00pm – 6.00pm.