Politricks

Kenya is politically charged, with elections just round the corner. These sentiments flowed into my inbox this morning. Enjoy them.

WHY KIBAKI STANDS TO FAIL IN 2007

Where is the okuyu govermnent working except in Mt.Kenya/banana region?
Ukambani, 60kms from thika…
Do you know how much the ministry of water allocated machakos district in
2005/2006 budget??
Imagine: a paltry ksh 22million, which is yet to be released from treasury by
Kimunya, Peter Kang’ethe Keneth, Kinyua, Kirira,……..

Whereas north eastern province got ksh 39million, Nyeri district received ksh 180million which
was disbursed immediately. As if that’s not enough, 411 recruits
were taken to join the DOD in 2006. Machakos district got 11 chances and north eastern
3. Of North Eastern’s recruits, one was dropped during training at RTS Eldoret due to low weight. He was quickly  replaced by somebody from……..just guess.
Who needs water development and accessibility as a matter of life and death between the three.
Kenyans (6 out of 8 provinces) are ignorant masses.

Get this right:

Hon Raila has never represented Nyanza, but Nairobi. If he is not a team player why did he lead the Kibaki campaigns in 2002 when Kibaki was on his deathbed?
Raila’s studentship at university in Germany (whether it was East or West doesn’t matter)
does not make him a socio-communist or communist ideologist. By the
way, whats wrong with communi-socialist democracies/economies?

The greatest and oldest economies and democracies in eastern europe and far east
were founded on anti-capitalist political and economic postulates……….my good friend ,the ruling party in china is called Communist Party headed by Mr Hu Jiantao, but china is more capitalist than America and Britain. In Germany it is called SDP and headed by Angela Merkel…

So?
The best way to go is Federal, so that in Ukambani we shift bamburi, portland
and athi river cement factories to Kitui, and run it the way Narok county
council manages maasai mara game park for the maximmum benefit of the locals
and the same to the other provinces.

Only GEMA can see and feel the 6 or 10% economic growth at NSE and EQUITY.We need not the comparative study of prices or inflation in the WEST but comparative per capita income, a “new” toyota saloon car goes for equivalent of ksh300,000 in UAE N JAPAN but goes
for ksh 700,000 in kenya , interprete this using your 500 grammes bread theory…
Kibaki has a very weak team of political neophytes who are kissing goodbye
to parliament but want his campaign funds, just sample this ..mutua
katuku,tuju,mwakwere,awori,kituyi,kombo,margaryan,kulundu,maalim,saitoti,dzo
ro,nyachae,michuki,karuma,kamanda,livondo,kalembe,Hon john serut,william
kabogo,sargarsyan,murungaru,mwiraria,murungi,biwott,lucy,salat,sang,moi,konc
hella,ndura waruinge,shakombo,munyao wa DP etc etc…..

When they open their mouths, 5,000 votes vanish….In RAILA,  WE SEE A MESSIAH LIBERATOR, CHANGE AGENT, REFORMIST AND A GOD CHOSEN
LEADER, not OCTOGENARIAN IMPOSTORS AND PRETENDERS WHO ARE THERE BY POLITICAL DEFAULT. 

Remeber, You can only protect your liberties in this world by respecting the other
man’s freedom; you can only be free if he is free. (Rudwig Kipling, 1887.)
from: Onyango Omogo. 

I do not know whether you are the author of this piece but if you are, then this message is intended for you. I am not very good at contributing to such debates but the fact that I am doing so means that your comments were too provoking and definitely require a rejoinder.Do you ever ask yourself what happened to Kenya (please let’s be objective here so don’t say it’s politics of Kibaki or anybody for that matter)?!
Do you ever wonder what happened to all of us (especially the under thirty fives) who were raised in the estates, plots, mtaa, etc? Do you remember your childhood friends Oti, Kama, Auma Chirchi, Mathu, Ali, Omosh…?

What is so different today that was not there then? What happened to us? What made us lose that innocence that the very friends you would have died forhave suddenly become the object of such negativity. Why such vitriol against a community?
You know what? I am Kikuyu, but I have never seen myself as such; not even my workmates or my friends know what my tribe is because I have come to believe that tribe as opposed to nationality adds no value to my life. Forget the common catchphrase – unity in diversity – often used by NGO types and political parties when they need to look good.

For this reason, I have always considered myself a Kenyan no matter how much I am pushed to dislose my tribe.I would wish that you would open up your mind a bit and think outside the box. You are entitled to your views however provoking they might be; but I would like to mention to you that along with many other kenyans you are a hostage to the political class; they will manipulate you at will like a radio tuner knob.The truth is that politicians when pushed to a corner always go back to their backyards (read community) looking for sympathy. More often than not we all fall for this prank and give them our support.

Since Mwai came in and after the fall out with the ODM team, perceptions are that the Kikuyu have gained. This generalisation is the reason why there is so much anti-kikuyusm today. I would urge you to judge people as individuals but not as entire communities. The real political setup in Kenya today is actually the “elites” versus the “workers” but because we are so brainwashed by the tribe factor (blame it on our culture), we always want to associate with our tribesmen and tribeswomen.Consider this; if you have nothing to talk about in terms of academic credentials and financial stability how would a very well-to-do family look at you if you intend to marry one of their own? Contrast this to a situation where you are well-to-do yourself; tribe considerations, age, etc will be pushed aside in order to accommodate you into that well-to-do family! This is a clear indication that the real grouse is between the “haves” (parliamentarians/ politicians in this case) and the “have nots” (all the hardworking Kenyans who pay taxes through their noses).Do not give up the relationship you currently enjoy with your neighbour Mama Kama, Baba Akinyi, etc, because when you run out of sugar in your house or water or salt, only that neighbour AND NOT Kibaki or Raila or Kalonzo or anybody else for that matter will share theirs with you!
Sometimes I daydream that the whole Kenyan nation would be relocated to the post-1994 Rwanda for only one month for them to appreciate the dangers focussing so much on tribes and the stereotypic thinking that comes along with it.

I have had an opportunity to visit Congo, Sudan, Burundi, Rwanda (including the Genocide Museums) and I have to say that it is startling to see that the current tribal sentiments dominating the air today in Kenya are not any different from what happened in Rwanda and Burundi; Raila being hounded out of a hotel in Karatina, Ruto and his team beaten up in Kisii, Kalonzo booed in Rift Valley, Livondo… (the list is endless).
I included Sudan and Congo in this list for their economic stagnation because of long periods of conflict.Advice on current political scenario. By all means vote! And listen to that inner voice called the conscience as you mark that ballot paper.

They are all parliamentarians (the salary hikes, failure to attend parliament to run their businesses, etc).Each brings to the table a community AND NOT values, concrete plans to push the way forward.

If someone tells you that they will bring this or that, ask yourself where the money will come from (taxes on your salary and not theirs)!
Vote for good leaders (for their record and not campaigning prowess) across the political divide. The reason why we have the Kamothos, the Mwenjes, the Norman Nyagas and William Omondis is because we chose to vote for parties, en masse, no matter how crooked the candidates were.
Think of who your neighbour is and not the politician perched on a hill. You stand a 1 in a 33 million chance of meeting them.
If you live in Embakassi, Donholm, Umo, Koma, Kayole, Thika road, Tassia, Kariobangi, think of the countless hours you spend on Outerring road. And as long as none of this leaders live near to you, they will never know about your plight!
Lastly, let’s rediscover that innocence we had in our youth when all that concerned us was to be top of our class, to win the bano or kati games…
We need mature politics in Kenya today; Kibaki, Raila, Kalonzo and all the other presidential contendors should focus on areas they are considered to fail in; Kibaki and the corruption, favouritism, insecurity, Raila and perceptions of him as untrustworthy, authoritarian, inertness in the Narc govt… In the end if any one of them wins, then we will all be winners.

Millie, you and I and everyone else (the under forties) who has a stake in the future of this country should not to let our children be beholden to this Kikuyu, luo, Luhya, kamba, etc. euphoria. It is our duty to instil in them values of nationhood, of oneness for the sake of our country… for our generation refused to grasp these values and chose to follow the ways of the generation before us…Candid comments from deepdown.

Rumba 

My two cents Bamba50 advice to Safaricom

 My Bamba 50 advice

There is an advertisement that makes my two-year-old son Lennox jump to his feet. Going by the way the boy stops in his tracks with glee every time the commercial plays on radio or television, Safaricom is sure to clinch one more client very soon. 

The tune is so popular the boy rushes over, grabs my phone and jumps in the sky, screaming, ati, ati nimeshinda! Similar screams can be heard from neighbouring houses. 

Lennox’s  ad (for that’s what my young family has baptised the kwachua millioni commercial) employs a fast rhythm, sharp, jingling tunes and powerful, shouting voices that just manage to remain musical. But the height of the fun comes when an elderly woman jumps into mid the air, far above the bewildered gazes of the market crowd, when she learns that she has won a million shillings. 

I have no doubt the ad is entertaining, at least according to the boy. What disturbs me is that the little Kenyan is simply adopting the uncanny habit of gambling, or reaping where he has not sown. Sometimes I wish there were laws forbidding use of mobile phones by kids, or people who can’t really afford airtime or those dear camera phones. Then I would cite it when Lennox throws away his toy phone and demands full possession of my mobile. Or when my relatives call to plead that I send them airtime. 

But that’s just a wish.  

For now, I hope that the proceeds from Lennox’s phone (when he finally buys his own) will be ploughed into the telephone service provider’s rapidly growing corporate social responsibility kitty, because its so tough keeping kids off the mobile, and from finding amusement in advertisements. 

The truth is that Safaricom’s ads, coupled with the lure and convenience of the mobile telephone, are so persuasive. Like I told you before, my upcountry cousins often plead with me to ‘sambaza’ them so they might call me. Of course, they forget that they could just have communicated the emergency on the same credit they spent pleading that I call them back. 

Economist Milton Friedman once said, “the only one social responsibility of business is to use its resources and engage in activities designed to increase its profits, so long as it stays within the rules of the game, which is to say, engages in open and free competition without deception or fraud.” Forgive Friedman’s wordiness (like our love for long phone chat, but hey, doesn’t Safaricom just love our wordiness?) So, if  Safaricom is making profits, it is primarily because its corporate image is great. Supported by millions of words exchanged every day, it has one of the most vibrant CSR presences. This image, while enabling the company to increase its profits by leaps and bounds, also provides something that benefits society at large.Or does it? Think again. Who would give you a million shillings or a pick up or even just 500, for simply making that call? Not even if you donated your on blood.  I have no problem with giving to needy people or raising money for charity work. Or even philanthropy.

Philanthropy itself is a great thing. It is the spirit of active goodwill toward others as demonstrated in efforts to promote their welfare. Today, an increasing number of people like Bill Gates and his wife Melinda and organisations like Safaricom Foundation participate in collecting money and giving it back to the community in highly organized campaigns.

Essentially, the money is theirs by right, as they have worked hard for it. But it is only in order that the cheer and goodwill is spread to the needy.  In large corporations like Safaricom or East African Breweries, it’s called CSR, short form for corporate social responsibility, where corporations support needy causes in their vicinity. Locally, we had the harambee system, whose spirit the Narc government almost stifled out with CDF and constituency bursary funds. But fund-raising is still a big issue in our country, being held for all manner of reasons, to meet burial expenses, to offset hospital bills, or even to fund weddings. 

In many countries, governments now provide tax exemptions for organisations that regularly contribute to charitable causes. The practice has become so accepted that few organisations now escape the demands of giving, and many community based and non governmental organisations are partly or wholly dependent on these ‘donors. In religious circles, Christianity has the rule of tithing, which holds that one tenth of a person’s income should go to charity. Charity is also important in Islam, Buddhism, and other religions. Foundations–institutions that distribute private wealth for public purposes–also have an ancient history Now we know why the state prefers to keep off church matters.

Did you know that if there was only one church, and the all world’s 6 billion paid tithe to the tune of 10 per cent per person’s income, the church would be richer than all the nations of the world combined? If this happens, the church will be more powerful than the United Nations, and politicians will not take this lightly. 

Do we have foundations in Kenya? Yes. But many ‘of thee are actually PR outfits seeking to put someone in power or make their founders look like they are benevolent. I am a peace loving Kenyan, so no names please. Perhaps I have a reason to distrust some of these foundations. But in the west, many foundations support groups that advocate abortion, family planning, or ‘diversity issues’ like feminism, racial preferences, the defense of illegal aliens and homosexual rights. We can’t have that here, right?

Remember, we are Africans first, then liberal Anglicans or anything else. If my advice were worth a bamba50, Safaricom would send the Kwachua money to the numerous government hospitals, where patients die in extreme pain due to lack of theatre equipment. Or put it in the fight against corruption. Or in encouraging the few powerful rich to invest more in social welfare. Or use it to promote human rights. Or give it to some devilishly lucky chap who has no idea what to do with 50,000. Whatever.

Humour corner

 The Silent Treatment    
 
A man and his wife were having some problems at home and were giving each
other the silent treatment.  Suddenly, the man realized that the next day,
he would need his wife to wake him at 5:00 AM for an early morning business flight.
Not wanting to be the first to break the silence (and LOSE), he wrote on a piece of paper,
“Please wake me at 5:00 AM ” He left it where he knew she would find it.
The next morning, the man woke up, only to discover it was 9:00 AM
and he had missed his flight.  Furious, he was about to go and
see why his wife hadn’t wakened him, when he noticed a piece of paper by
the bed. The paper said, “It is 5:00 AM. Wake up.”
Men are not equipped for these kinds of contests.
 
 
WIFE VS. HUSBAND

A couple drove down a country road for several miles, not saying a word.
An earlier discussion had led to an argument and
neither of them wanted to concede their position.
As they passed a barnyard of mules, goats, and pigs,
the husband asked sarcastically, “Relatives of yours?”
“Yep,” the wife replied , “in-laws
 
 
WOMEN’S REVENGE
“Cash, check or charge?” I asked, after folding items the woman wished to purchase.
As she fumbled for her wallet I noticed a remote control for a television set in her purse.
“So, do you always carry your TV remote?” I asked.
“No,” she replied, ” but my husband refused to come shopping with me,
and I figured this was the most evil thing I could do to him legally.”
 
 
UNDERSTANDING WOMEN
(A MAN’S PERSPECTIVE)
I know I’m not going to understand women.
I’ll never understand how you can take boiling hot wax,
pour it onto your upper thigh, rip the hair out by the root,
and still be afraid of a spider.
 
 
W O R D S
 
A husband read an article to his wife about how many words women use a day…
30,000 to a man’s 15,000.
The wife replied, “The reason has to be because we have to repeat everything to men…
The husband then turned to his wife and asked, “What?”
 
CREATION
A man said to his wife one day, “I don’t know how you can be
so stupid and so beautiful all at the same time.
” The wife responded, “Allow me to explain.
God made me beautiful so you would be attracted to me;
God made me stupid so I would be attracted to you!
 
WHO DOES WHAT
A man and his wife were having an argument about who
should brew the coffee each morning.
The wife said, “You should do it, because you get up first,
and then we don’t have to wait as long to get our coffee.”
The husband said, ” You are in charge of cooking around here and
you should do it, because that is your job, and I can just wait for my coffee.”
Wife replies, “No, you should do it, and besides, it is in the Bible
that the man should do the coffee.”
Husband replies, “I can’t believe that, show me.”
So she fetched the Bible, and opened the New Testament
and showed him at the top of several pages, that it indeed says……….”HEBREWS”
 
God may have created man before woman,
but there is always a rough draft before the masterpiece.
 

SEND THIS TO SMART WOMEN WHO NEED A LAUGH AND TO MEN YOU THINK CAN HANDLE IT ! 

Literary Giants mp3

Legal news

 BUNGE LA MWANANCHI ELECTIONS HELD

By George Nyongesa

Bunge la Mwananchi is a public forum where ordinary Kenyans meet everyday from 11am to 6 pm to discuss social, political and economic issues affecting them. This is a fast growing grass-root movement that has seen several forums spring up around the country such as Mombasa, Eldoret, Homabay, Kisumu, Kakamega, Kawangware, Huruma, Kayole among others. The city centre forum that meets at Jeevanjee Gardens, Nairobi attracts at least 200 people in one sitting but cumulatively has over 600 people a day. Bunge La Mwananchi whose mission is “setting the agenda for our leaders” is an informative and interactive forum that is increasing political consciousness of the ordinary Kenyan. The forums have become political ‘hot spots’ that recently hosted top politicians such as Hon. Wanyiri Kihoro, Hon. James Orengo, Dr. Tom Namwamba, Prof. Lihanda, and Hon. Musikari Kombo among others to debate on important national issues.

Elections Results

On 12^th September, 2007 Bunge La Mwananchi held an election to choose it is leaders fro the Nairobi forums.

This particular election was held to achieve the following objectives besides providing leadership.

The elections was a test to see if ordinary Kenyans can organize themselves to hold free and fair democratic elections of leaders; to institutionalize the movement through order and discipline born of democratically elected leaders; to transition from the previous leadership which had seized to be in office as per their mandate and  lastly to permanently halt some people who were masquerading as duly elected leaders of the people but they are just some self-proclaimed leaders with no mandate from Bunge La Mwananchi members.

Before the elections all the contestants appeared before Bunge members in person to explain their vision for the people’s parliament and they were asked questions by the members. 

The elections attracted a participation of 432 people, Bunge members who were registered for a period of two weeks preceding the elections date 12^th September, 2007. On the material day of election 392 Bunge members participated in the election which ran from 10am to 3pm. According to Bunge resolution of 26^th August, 2007, the election was done through secret ballot. There were 5 election officers, elected by Bunge members to preside over the elections and also we had a number of civil society partners who came to witness the elections.

All Bunge members were allowed to be observers of the elections. The ballot papers were counted right at the election station.  The whole of elections process was recorded and the footage has been preserved for future. The elections were very competitive and attracted many contestants: Speaker had 4 contestants, Deputy Speaker, 3, Attorney General, 2; Chief whip, 2 and the Cabinet had 20 individuals. The new office bearers were given performance mandate by the Bunge members to be in office for 6 months starting 14^th September, 2007 to 14^th March, 2008  after which there performance will be reviewed and extend accordingly if the Bunge members are pleased by their performance or replaced. The new officials’ initial activities will be to design job description and functions for all offices, to set up an office for Bunge, collect views on Bunge movement’s constitution, to recruit new membership (target 1,000,000 ordinary Kenyans), to coordinate pre-elections civic education, and to formulate the vision, goals and activities for Bunge for the next one year. 

Bunge La Mwananchi pleads with you, as its important partner to help the movement institutionalize its leadership, order and discipline by not involving or transacting with anyone on behalf of Bunge La Mwananchi not listed below as duly elected leader. Incase of any confusing situation we urge to clear it by walking Bunge La Mwananchi Jeevanjee Gardens, Nairobi to clear out. Bunge also request your support in kind and finance. Those willing to contribute can call ( +254 720 451 235 for details.

 The following were elected to serve as leaders: Speaker:  Fredrick OdhiamboDeputy Speaker:  Douglas MutiaAttorney General: Ephantus GithaeChief Whip: Collins OjikaCABINET MEMBERS: Daniel Wanyoike, Steve Odhiambo, Elijah Ratemo, Josephat Waema, Nahashon Nameza, Aloo Omer, Benard Nyagaka, Andrew Omwaja, Salim Nganga, Dancan Waganda and Lawrence Maina.  

Papers Sought

The African Research and Resource Form, which publishes the quarterly, The NEW PATH: AFRICAN FORUM FOR INTELLECTUAL THOUGHT is inviting articles (opinion and analysis) for the October 2007 edition. The topics are:

1. Peace and Development in Southern Sudan in the Post-Conflict period.
2. The Role of the Media in national Politics (special attention to the forthcoming general elections in Kenya) and regional integration in the context of the East African Community (EAC).
3. Linking Research and policy Uptake in Science and Technology.
4. Higher Education In eastern Africa.

The forum works with innovative thinkers in Eastern Africa to shed imaginative light on African affairs. More details can be obtained from the editor at admin@arrforum.org>  Is Kibaki becoming unpopular?I am fed up to death with politics, but I couldn’t ignore this one from Moses Auta:“I received an SMS last night from a senior person in society who told me that Steadman conducted an opinion poll and Kibaki and Raila are tying at 43% while Kalonzo has 11%. He said that Steadman is not ready to make this public as it is not favourable to Kibaki. The man may be havingg sources as he has engaged Steadman to do some work for him before. The way I see it, Steadman will continue conducting very many other Opinion polls and keep them the after the general elections they are going to say they knew the winner from their polls but kept the results in order not to influence the election outcome. They did so during the referendum and they are going to do it. Yet they have been releasing opinion polls that put Kibaki ahead! Shameless people.” 

Let your voice be heard

Following the recent upsurge in insecurity and violent crimes in the country, the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights has initiated a public inquiry on security and national integration. The purpose of the inquiry is to establish the truth about the security situation in the country. As part of the inquiry three hearings will be held as follows:24^th September from 8am at St. Vincent Pastoral Centre, Kisii Town 26^th  September from 8am at Karuri Catholic Church Hall, Banana Hill 27+28^th September from 8am at KICC, Nairobi.

The three hearings are just the beginning of the inquiry and will focus on organised criminal groups as its phase one. The hearings will offer Kenyans from the common wananchi to the police officer on the street to the Minister of Internal Security a moment to reflect on the causes of insecurity and how the Government, the Police and Kenyans in general can contribute in creating a basis for security and national integration. You are invited to come and share with the National Commission and the public what you know on the issue. Contact Senior Legal Counsel Abdulkadir Noormohamed for more information at noormohamed@knchr.org or 254-20-2717908

BUDALANG’I FLOODS VICTIMS APPEAL

The Ababu Namwamba Foundation (ANF) is currently spearheading emergency relief efforts for Budalang’i flood victims.The charity says the current floods are the worst to hit the area since the 1997 El-Nino. Some 40,000 people have been displaced, countless homes have been destroyed, and five schools have closed. Physical infrastructure like roads have been laid to waste, while crops, livestock and other properties worth millions of shillings now lie in ruins.A communiqué from the foundation says, in part: “As the government and other stakeholders grapple with the challenge of finding a lasting solution to this perennial catastrophe, the children, men and women of Budalang’i are in desperate need of emergency support, including foodstuffs, medical supplies, housing materials, mosquito nets, blankets and other bedding materials.As part of the relief effort, ANF hosted a Cocktail to mobilize funds and supplies for the 40,000 victims. The event was held on Wednesday, September 12^th, 2007 at  KICC, Nairobi.     

If we dit it: A poem on life with HIV

A poem on my life with HIV

1. Do do, or not to do 

I am in love with a woman

and she is in love with me.

She’s shapely, comely,

lovely young, succulent, pretty

so beautiful, so tempting

I am at a loss for words.

Tell me

should we do it

Or should we not? 

It is three months

since we first met

her beautiful smile

charmed me

her smile,

her innocent maturity.

And this I know

Its got to happen soon

Should we do it

Or should we not? 

But what if we did it?

what  if…

what if

she is infected

or I am just corrupted

affected by a desire

Or perfected to purity

and projecting my rejection

On her trajectory?

Should we do it

Or should we not? 

What if we did it

and she was not infected

what if we did it

and I was infected

what if we did it

and she was infected

What if we did it

And both were infected?

Or not infected?

Should we do it

Or should we not? 

Tell me mother,

Who invented this Aids thing

that makes us so afraid

that turns men into cowardly drunkards

And women into thirsty mules

by the waterside?

Should we do it

Or should we not? 

To do or not to do

to be positive or to be negative

that’s the big question

of our age.

Tell me

Should we do it

Or should we not? 

This poem is an exerpt from Back to the Future: Poems on Love, Nature,Aids and Politics by Otieno Amisi. The book will be launched at the Nairobi International Bookfair on 27th September at the Sarit Centre.

How poetry healed me

How Poetry Healed me

(Or Foreword to ‘Back to the Future’ A paper presented By Otieno Amisi at a poetry debate during the Nairobi International Book Fair, 26th September, 2007).

 A man should hear a little music, read a little poetry, and see a fine picture every day of his life, in order that worldly cares may not obliterate the sense of the beautiful, which God has implanted in the human soul. – ……… Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, German writer and painter.

I do not remember from which email acquaintance this quote came, but Johann Wolfgang von Goethe’s words got me thinking: Why are some of us so deeply and so obstinately steeped in the craft of poetry? Whenever I think about why poetry matters, I think about some of the most memorable times in my life. Like when I was elated with the beauty of nature, or puzzled by the contradictions of life. Or when I was dumped, rejected by people I have loved.

At such times, I needed a shoulder to lean on, an anchor on which to hang my nakedness, my innocence, my guilt, my feelings. Since I discovered the power of poetry, I have filled tens of diaries with verse. It is these thoughts, which I thought were pathetic or exciting, which gave birth to many of my poems. Of course, many of these poems have never seen the light of day.

But writing them allowed me to grieve, or to celebrate, and cleared the way from a mere elation or heartbreak to my career as a poet. For therapeutic reasons, Poetry matters. It allows us to express and digest our experiences and it heals us as it reconnects us with our wholeness (or holiness).

A poem is deep tasting

So that the next moment

requires no preparation.

And leaves nothing out.

No note un-played;

no gift unused;

no feeling blunted.

While nothing is known

the universe splits

to give birth

to whole solar systems.

–(anonymous.)

Ronald Kellog writes in his book, The Psychology of Writing, “ We create meaning with language.

And if that language is vivid and alive, we find ourselves somehow restored and more alive. Poetry heals us and happens for us so that we may simultaneously surrender to the mystery and the groundlessness of our existence, while also responding to the call to name our experience, gain understanding, and simply celebrate our aliveness through the creative process.”

Back to the Future is an attempt to fuse what actually happened to me and around me with the emotions that are linked to those events. For me, therefore, poetry in this way becomes a powerful genre for healing, because it invites me and my readers to witness what is and to feel our experiences more fully.

You can say Back to the Future is a very personal event. But in it I grapple with metaphors that allude to nationally, the reality of impermanence and consistencies in human nature, leadership, sexual and gender relationships. In this way, the poems make two movements towards completion simultaneously: the craving for a fulfilment of a national aspiration and the expression individual grief.

Back to the Future takes the writer – and perhaps by extension, the reader – out of the experience just enough, that acceptance is found through the acknowledgement of life’s universal fragility. As a journalist, I take an interest in what happens around me. I record them in brief notes and stories for the media. But being also a creative writer, I attempt to capture the fleeting sensibilities, and the final words become poems. In these poems, I focus on the gifts that life brought me. I learn to take responsibility for my choices of words, to contain the explosive inner pressure, to make some type of confession that few people let out in prayer, or by crying, or through drinking, or overeating, or even sex.

I hope that by making such thoughts and feelings public, I deserve the ‘security’ of approval or rejection from an outside source. I have also learned that I can foster my personal growth not by keeping quiet (or refusing to write) but the brewed thoughts serve my growth and flowering as I note the bitter-sweetness of that silence.

Roguish and tender

In poetry, I can be roguish, even self contradictory, or highly eloquent, and get away with it. I can also be tender, romantic, or sublime. It becomes a gift of some dignity, some anonymity, some obscurity that is at once personally fulfilling and publicly revealing. This is more than journalism or editing, which I have to do for a living. For me, poetry can navigate territory that is extremely taboo and tender, like tribalism, religion, race, nationality, sex and Aids, and where views are easily polarized. Writing poetry sheds light on the holiness of our experiences in all their manifestations. In poetry, I dare the earth to condemn me, to chastise me, to curse me.

For me, poetry often happens and works when all else fails. Yet it is also like a longing, a pregnancy that must be brought to its logical conclusion. Remember a time that someone in your family wrote a poem for a beloved parent or child who passed away. Or when at a wedding a poem was written (or at least read) by someone who might never have been considered remotely poetic. When there “are no words to express this,” poetry happens and that explains why poetry often deals with the most perennial of themes: birth, death, love, and sex.

 I have since discovered that I am not alone. Many people barely manage to go through life without having had at least one poem birthed from their hearts. It may remain a rough draft or come out in two or three perfect lines. It could be buried in your diary or on a scrap paper somewhere you can’t remember. The point is that what is conceived must one day be borne. Sometimes the words say things like: “this means something to me”, “this is so beautiful”, “I’m scared” or even, “this hurts.” So why are so many people hesitant to call themselves poets?

As a teacher of the Integrated English syllabus (which I hated so much, forgive my feelings,) my students often read what they thought was prose – aloud in class. I would sometimes say: “notice how you broke into a poem there?” I do not know if some of them noticed that delicate moment when prose becomes poetry. In deciphering poetry, we discover that it is the “force,” that undercurrent of life, and we decipher the images and sensations as they clap up inside, us like new songs. The more we listen, the more poems want to come and express themselves.

Unfortunately, the Integrated English syllabus does not offer this privilege. Poetry as a gift Some of my poems in Back to the Future are intended as gifts for others. Whenever a pretty woman catches my eye (and especially my heart) I make a semi conscious decision to write a poem for her. In this sense, therefore, each of my poems is gift for the places I have been to, the people who touched my heart, and the experiences I encountered.

I feel honoured to be the dutiful scribe who turns something painful and unspoken into a form that could be felt and shared – and the poems happen not only for them but to me as well. For several years, I have been a performing poet, composing and reciting at every possible venue. I could tell countless stories of scores at the annual Kenya Schools and Colleges music and drama festival, about the wonder of poetry on the dusty podiums of South Nyanza, or by the bedside of a dear ailing friend like Wambui wa Murima (God bless her soul).

But that would be to blow my own trumpet. Enjoy these poems. And if you hear a poem whispering in your inner ear, write it down. You might be surprised how it matters.

These remarks have been inspired by Reinekke Lengelle, poet, playwright and professor at Athabasca University.

see also:

www.poemsfromkenya.blogspot.com

Another reviewer on Writers’ guide

New book on media practice 

Title: Write That Story: A Guide for Writers and Editors.

Author: Otieno Amisi

Publisher: Creative Ventures,

Nairobi, 2007.  

E-publishing is a phenomenon that is relatively new in Kenya. Save for a few websites and blogs, there is pretty little e publishing going on locally. Many writers and readers still cling on the print media, with all its shortcomings.

It is therefore commendable that one of Kenya’s foremost journalists and creative writers, Otieno Amisi, has just released an e-book on writing and editing.

Perhaps the first Kenyan e-book, Write That Story is written for a profession that grossly lacks locally published material. It is unique in the sense that it packages all that a writer requires in order to effectively write both journalistic and creative pieces and puts it all on the web.

While media scholarship continues to grow and entrench itself as an academic discipline in Kenya, Nairobi alone has numerous intermediate colleges and universities teaching media. It is no doubt that Write that Story is going to be quite handy to these colleges and universities that offer media studies.

Earlier scholars like Wilbur Schramm laid the foundation for media studies and wrote extensively about the discipline. Otieno Amisi now joins this hallowed community of scholars who are determined to strengthen media as a discipline and profession. Inevitably, this new breed of scholars, like Andrew Keen, take a keen and growing interest on the internet.

Write that story is a detailed guide book which demonstrates step by step, how to write the various types of journalistic stories-news stories, commentaries, feature stories, analytical and specialized stories and investigative stories. Journalists in most cases, only go to libraries when they are researching for a story. But now the internet is changing all that.

Amisi’s book emphasizes the need for journalists to keep refining their skills by extensive reading and researching. It behoves journalists to keep on learning new trends by going back to guidelines, whether from this book or elsewhere.

The book explains in considerable detail, how blogging works for a journalist. The author himself, an avid blogger, displays stories and arguments from different blogs, hence showing how this new form of communication has expanded both creative and journalistic space. He however cautions readers on the limitations of the many blogspots dotting cyberspace, which in his view, renders the gate keeping function of the media almost entirely useless, since bloggers are their own editors. This trend, Amisi warns, can easily compromise journalistic standards.

Nonetheless, he encourages upcoming writers to exploit this technique which enables everyone to publish, atleast virtually. It is important to note that blogs are susceptible to plagiarism; hence whoever embraces it has to be aware of this risk.

Write that Story is also a practical guide book, which contains excerpts of stories that have been previously published in newspapers and magazines. The author, who is also a teacher of mass communication, uses them to illustrate principles of good journalism. The book also has practicing exercises on writing and editing. Most writers don’t bother to review their work to thresh out unnecessary material and the author’s effort to deal with aspects of grammar and punctuation is commendable.

The author goes out of his way to draw a line between journalism and public relations. In his view, a lot of PR people masquerade as journalists hence creating confusion. Indeed, an attempt to distinguish these two professions is crucial. Much as these two areas are closely related, there is need to clearly separate them. That way, journalism is able to effectively address issues which are beyond the parameters of organizational structure and corporate communication. In fact, this book is one resource with which journalists can dissociate themselves from PR-it is not a guide book for PR and hence the masqueraders will not know how to use it, you have to be a journalist in order to have the capability to use this book.

Otieno Amisi, an alumnus of the University of Nairobi’s school of journalism, has succeeded where many have failed. Even local media scholars have done much publishing; most of them are known for either contributing in newspapers or writing academic papers for the Africa Media Review. But this is a full-fledged book which scholars all over the world, will soon be referring to. The book examines the hallmarks of journalistic practice, highlighting the contribution of various media personalities, and delves into the growth of the profession in Kenya.

At last, journalism students in Kenya and East Africa now have a relevant reference text. The book gives examples of local stories that will make it easy for the students to relate to the subject with ease. This book can be viewed at www.writethatstory.wordpress.com.

 The reviewer is a post graduate student of journalism at the University of Nairobi. 

Back from Pattni’s bed

I have just survived the terribly horrible Kenyatta National Hospital, again. This time, I was admitted at ward 10a, bed 11 on the hospital on the hill. I was informed my bed was only a few doors away from where Goldenberg suspect Kamlesh Pattni once lay in such great pain.

I ’sneaked’ out this morning. The bill of Kshs 78,000 has been only been partly paid. I trust the government has enough sense to give me time to pay the balance, and will seek the balance from my employer, who promised to pay up. In any case, I pay my taxes and my NHIF contributions are up to date, so I have no reason to feel guilty.

What amazes me about Kenyatta is the way they treat you.  This is the second time I have been admitted here. And I have been twice as baffled. Whether you are rich or poor, staff at the hospital treat you with utmost strangeness. If you look like you won’t be able to pay, they treat you like shit, or dirt, or a combination of both. If you look like Kamlesh Pattni, (doesn’t matter how you got your money), they treat you like a king.

In my naivety, I thought patients should be treated according to the seriousness of their illness, with a little compassion thrown in. After all human life is important, and the little matter of bills will definitely be sorted out some way by the patients themselves, through our internationally acclaimed harambee spirit, or our elaborate healthcare and insurance system. After all, Kenyatta is a government hospital. And our working nation needs healthy people.

But in a country where leaders have an unequalled propensity to gorge themselves to near death on public goodies while the poor continue to starve, compassion is a rare thing.

So most patients just get better like flies, as in Russian writer Nicholai Gogol’s fable.

More on this later, for I am still weak; I am blogging on my way back home, but I will get back to this site soon.