Potentash

Writer’s block!

May 23, 2013

Hey Paul

After reading your post Let’s face it blogging is a chore I can sense that you have blogging fatigue. I have that at the moment too. I don’t think sometimes it happens because I am bored but because I have so much more on my plate now then when I started blogging (but yes sometimes its because your just bored). It was much easier to blog when I was at my other job. It was easy to wake up early at about 4 am to write. I was able to arrange my day so that I could recover those hours and take a nap at lunchtime. Right now my new job is very involving and there is no time to take a nap during the day. This means that I am unable to wake up early to blog, despite the million alarms and snoozes that I have on my phone.

Some of the reasons you could be feeling that way is

Your overworked (this could be because like me you started a new job and are getting into the rhythm of the job and you’re working your butt off doing probation)
Your subject matter has become boring to you
You don’t have things to write about (inspiration)
You have arrived and become too lazy to blog (it happens)
Sometimes you just need to relax (your mind can be tired)
Lots of other reasons

So how do you get out of the rut?

Get inspired to write about something you’re passionate about. Something that makes you angry or really happy.
Write about a different topic (think outside the box; actually think there is no box). For example Paul you write about PR issues. Maybe you should look for a fresh subject to occasionally write about like management or IT (you could do an article on how advancing technology is changing the face of PR and marketing)

Have a writing challenge. I have a group of friends on FB called Sanaa group who we occasionally have a writing challenge of a certain number of words. The content that comes out of that group is amazing. You get Psyched up by what other people have written and it does give a pressure element because then you are writing on some other person’s/groups timetable.

Do a guest post for somebody else. This also has deadlines and sometimes it’s easier to be lazy when you are your own boss (blog) as opposed to when you’re writing for somebody else. Example this post which is supposed to be a guest post in response to your post. I am working on your timetable so that even if I didn’t feel like writing I have to fire up the brain cells and respond.

Another thing that works for me as well is having a group of writer friends who share content (not necessarily their own). This enables me to read other people’s stuff and get inspired or annoyed enough to do a post. There is a post somebody tagged me in last week written by somebody else that made me so pumped up to do a reply.

Maybe also you need to look at the reasons why you started blogging. Was it because you wanted an audience? Was it an outlet for your creative expression? Was it something you wanted to do to get industry attention and now that you do you have outgrown the blog? Did you start blogging because you are passionate about writing about the issues in the PR industry? You need to go back to the drawing board and look at the reasons you started blogging in the first place. Are they still relevant? If yes then you must find a way to overcome the temporary boredom of blogging. If no then maybe its time to give up the blog or start doing only guest posts.

There was a time when I was so passionate about posting that I would do posts on my phone either on Facebook notes or do it as a draft on email or my blog. Those days are mostly gone. But when I do have inspiration I still try to do an outline as a message. Maybe that’s something you could try to do when you have moments of brilliant inspiration. Then you can take the outline later and add meat to it.

There is still light at the end of the tunnel. There is so much going on in the industry right now that you can get inspiration from so many things that are going on. There are issues like why PR practitioners seem to be playing musical chairs moving from one company to another. There is the landmine that is the TJRC right now. You could look at how PR practitioners can help their clients who are named to manage their reputation and image after the issue. You could also take a comprehensive look at PR campaigns doing the last elections and how they made or broke a candidate. After the occupy parliament and pig sage you can look at PR and role of symbolism.

So there we have it. Some things for you to think about. I hope I have helped you to make abit of sense out of this situation. I am also speaking to myself so I know I will take my own advice (hopefully).
Enjoy the writing.

A shoutout to my presidential candidate!

May 20, 2013

Where is the leader when the follower needs them most?

I have been thinking about this post for awhile. It’s been about 2 months after the elections. The country is finally moving forward abate slowly after the disputed elections. Uhuru and Ruto are getting down to work, to either the admiration of their followers or the disdain of their detractors. The Members of parliament are doing what they do best, trying to add themselves salaries that they don’t deserve. Civil society is battling them, taking the battle to where they seat, and showing them that they are no different then the common ngurue or pig.

CORD is regrouping, trying to find roles for their top brass who did not make it to the executive that is while they are not stirring up the hornet’s nest about the election. Same old, same old. One thing you can say about Raila he is consistent and he is out there.

So everything should be cool. Everybody should be happy. The government and opposition sides have drawn the battle lines and the Members of parliament are being who they always are, being spoilt (little) brats that they have always been, with an entitlement complex, which I don’t know came from where, since they didn’t inherit the post and the wealth that would come with it if they had gotten it from a rich dad.

But there are others who are lost in this new dispensation. Their leaders vied in the last election and when they didn’t win they disappeared. They said they have retired from politics or are taking a break to reconsider what they will do. Which is all well and good for them but what about their followers? The people who fought against the tide of Jubilee and CORD, against their tribal think to vote for these people.

I have to say I am very disappointed in them. In the last couple of months they have been silent. So what, they lost? We lost too, we who voted for you. But we are still pressing on, telling the MP’s that they cannot increase their salaries, we are there trying to keep Jubilee accountable for the promises that they made to the Kenyan people, including those who didn’t vote for them. Where are you in all this? You are keeping silent.

I know it hurts that many who said they will vote for you didn’t. Its tough and rejection hurts but you choose to be a leader. You told us that you were going to be a different kind of leader. That we should trust you and we did. So where are you when we need you to give direction on where we are going? Where are you when we need you to speak up? Why are you silent? Were our votes for you misplaced because when we need you, you retreat and leave your followers to face the battle alone?

I like Dida. He makes me laugh. I didn’t vote for him but I admire how he can be frank. When occupy parliament got flack from Muslim MPs about using pigs in their demonstration he came to the defense of the demonstrators. He said if the mps are being greedy then they should be called pigs. He stood up to be counted. Where are the rest of you?

It’s no secret that I voted for Peter Kenneth. I believed in his vision of the country. I believed that we can move beyond tribal politics and have politicians held accountable on issues. I knew this time we would not win but I thought this time would be a time to see how it’s done and get a feel of what running for presidency was about. I got a lot of flak from my friends and some of my relatives who wanted me to vote for Uhuru because he will “protect our interests.” I got where they were coming from and yet despite enormous pressure I voted proudly for him. I know many people who would have voted for him or Martha Karua were persuaded to vote for Uhuru to preserve interests and they did.

So now I disappointed that Peter Kenneth and Martha Karua have left their sheep to wander alone without a shepherd. This is my call to them. We who stood with you want you to show us the leadership you showed on the campaign trail. We need you to represent us. Just because you are not in parliament doesn’t mean that you can’t talk and be listened to. Look at Dida; he came from obscurity to become a national figure. When it is needed he is willing to speak. What about you? Where are you?

This post is a call out to you, a special dedication to you if you may. We need you to come out and be the leader you told us that you were. We need representation from you. We need you to articulate our issues, the issues that were in your manifestos. Otherwise if you don’t we will have wasted our votes as we were taunted by those who wanted us to vote for others. We did not vote for you in vain. Let it not be that we did.

Reply to BS article – the mind of a Kenyan child.

May 17, 2013

I am one of those people who is really hard to annoy. But when I do I get PISSED off. That’s what this post The mind of A Kenyan child did. I got so so mad.

Dear Brittany.

Let’s start with a very obvious statement. You are a racist, white lady trying to hide behind a blogpost pretending to be looking at a Kenyan child objectively. I am offended by your post. One because everything you have written is pure bullshit. Second I am Kenyan. Third how do you as a woman from America or wherever you are from presume to understand the mind of a Kenyan child which is what your title was? Have you been studying Kenyan children as a psychologist or have you been studying them the way scientists study animals?

I have many white friends. They are great people. I have alot of respect for them as individuals. I judge people not by the colour of their skin or culture but by the person that they are. But then there’s you. Clearly we are not friends, probably couldn’t be with the kind of racist comments you write. I know you were probably trying to write a humorous post and it may be amusing to your friends who have never been here but its offense to me and other Kenyans as well because the article is pure bullshit. You and your kind are the ones who make Africa still look like the Dark Continent. Clearly you need a lesson or two about the people you are taking about. Let’s go over your points one by one.

The Mind of a Kenyan Child
Posted by Brittany Nycole

• A white person sighting can make or break a day – They don’t have names they are ALL called MAZUNGU!!!

Mzungu means white person so probably if a kid doesn’t know your name they may call you that. For your information (Sorry to bust your bubble) a child’s day doesn’t revolve around a white person. Seriously get over your god complex already. You are not a god, you are not that relevant.

• Snow kills
Excuse me we do not have snow in Kenya except on the mountains. So for a child to think that snow kills they must have seen it in a guess what, a white movie.

• A monkey is King Kong.

Really. Kenyan children know better. That is so trashy I don’t know who believes that. An African child saw a monkey way before you! In fact which Kenyan child watches the king Kong movie? Infact out of your igonarance, your kid is likely the one that thinks a monkey is King Kong.

• An Asian man/or woman is Jackie Chan.
Really. Where do you get these ideas? I won’t even justify an answer for this one.

A white man with a beard is Jesus.
Maybe it’s because in all the movies the children have seen Jesus is white with a beard. Have you heard of the term association? Look it up.

• Another black person is a brother, sister, mom, dad, aunt or uncle. End of story.
Really. Maybe if you took time, clearly you havent, to understand African culture you would know that you call an older person uncle or auntie. It is a sign of respect. And no my nephew who is 7 does not call all the other kids in the neigbourhood brother or sister.

• America is rich and everyone has a HUGE fancy house – With a private jet. And a horse.
Really? My nephew who is seven can tell you that is crap. Maybe I should introduce him to you, let him take you to school.

• In matatus or buses one is not eligible for one’s own seat until they are in their teens, so quick! Take the strange white girls lap before another kid/ or chicken gets it!
I shall not answer this comment. Please go find out why children sit on their parent’s laps. Underline children.

• Clothes are optional
Clearly for this post intelligent thinking or observation is optional. I have never and I am Kenyan seen children running around with no clothes. At the most I have seen some running around in their underwear, which I have also seen white kids doing. So clearly clothes are optional where you come from too.
Even the street children in Kenya are dressed. Get your facts right. Please google Kenyan child right now. Do you see any without clothes apart from the one in a bathtub.

• If you haven’t had worms yet, you haven’t lived
This is the kind of bullshit that pisses me off. Let’s take my nephew again. He has never had worms. That’s because he takes something called wait for it dewormer. Some children especially in the slums may get worms because of the environment that they live in. that doesn’t mean every child has had worms. I have never had worms and I am a grown up. Get your facts right.

• A boob is food, even if it’s not your mother’s.
Really. That is really BS statement even from you.

• Slamming your head against a wall, being hit by a friend or having a fever of 103 is not a valid reason to cry. Being asked to bathe is.
I will not dignify that comment with any answer.

• Going through a white person’s trash can yield new and exciting toys
So basically what you’re saying is that all Kenyan children are beggars and love going through other people’s trash. Really. My nephew doesn’t even go through our trash. He has enough toys. I don’t know any of my friends’ kids who go through trash to look for toys. Oh by the way I have white friends. My nephew has better things to do then look through their trash.

• Why look when you could STARE?
What would you do if you met a person who behaves so strangely? Your probably comic relief for them.

• OBAMA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Well people love Obama you can’t argue with that. And that is why America chose him.

• The best way to insult a friend is to make fun of the shape of his/her head.
Really. You need to learn some Kiswahili then you will learn how Kenyan children really diss each other. Unlike white children who prey on size 12 and 14 children by calling them fat!!! And the bullying that goes on in your schools until some children even commit suicide.

• Adult supervision? Never heard of it.
Really. In African culture children belong to the community. So you may not see a child’s parents when a child is playing but there is always somebody watching out for the child. I have not heard of a Kenyan kid going around shooting his classmates, teachers, parents!!! Who is not being supervised now??

• Yelling is the only way to talk to a peer.
Really. Maybe the kids you saw were arguing about something. Our kids are allowed to argue or is that a privilege of white children.

• Whispering is the only way to talk to an adult.
Kids have been taught to talk to adults’ respectfully. Unlike white children who shout at their parents.

• Not a single item of clothing, no matter how pink and sparkly, is gender specific (….but why would you wear clothes anyway? Fool).
The kids you saw probably have donated clothes so they don’t have options as to which colours they could choose. Ps my nephew has never worn pink in his life.

It’s ok to relieve oneself…anywhere.
Really. Did you see kids in the city doing that? Then there would be poop everywhere wouldn’t there?

• Running with a tire and a stick can lead to hours of entertainment such is true with playing with sharp knives and irritating animals.
Really. You went to a community outside Nairobi and decided that what they do is true for all children. I see. I should go visit rednecks in America and assume everybody is a hick like them.
My nephew has never played with a tire. He is the type who hangs out with my laptop and watches movies, takes my phone to play games and whose idea of fun is to ride his bike or watch cartoons on TV. Sorry to bust your bubble.

I on the other hand did get a chance to pay with a tire. It was part of other games that I played. And it was fun. Yet I still rode a bike. Played with dolls. Watched TV. Went to the mall. Things that white kids do.

I have never herded cows or gone to the river to fetch water. There are some children who have had to do that but not every child goes through that experience. My mother would never let me play with a sharp knife. My nephew is not allowed to use sharp knives, leave alone play with them. I can’t think any mother in the world who would allow their children to play with a sharp knife, it doesn’t matter how poor they are. Unless they are training their child to be an assassin from the time they are a child.

America=UK=the Netherlands=Germany=CANDY!!
Really? You’re a Popsicle. That makes sense to me after reading this post.

Seriously you seem to think you know things about the Kenyan child. You know NOTHING. Come and I will teach you for free. Call me.

Return to sender

May 14, 2013

Got your letter,

Didn’t know if I should open it,

The girl you wrote to,

She no longer lives here,

She went away and hasn’t returned.

The girl who lives here,

Isn’t that kind, sweet, trusting girl,

That used to love you.

So you say you still love her,

And that she’s the love of your life.

That girl the one that used to love you,

She doesn’t care no more,

You broke her heart,

Now there’s no compassion inside to give you.

Love don’t live here no more,

And no you can’t be friends,

Because you lied,

And she cried,

So now you’re even.

This letter addressed to that girl,

Whose heart left on a heartbreak journey,

Will never be here again to answer your letter,

To read your sweet words,

And take them to heart.

So it’s hard to say,

I am sorry dear sir,

But this letter I must return to sender,

Because this girl, she’s a stranger,

Same name, same features,

But a different person,

And this girl she doesn’t know you or love you.

The girl who did didn’t leave no forwarding address,

She’s gone forever,

She isn’t ever coming back.

My resolution – Health.

May 11, 2013

Last week we were hosted by ~~Resolution Health~~ no Resolution Insurance to a BAKE (Bloggers Association of Kenya) experience. They wanted to talk to us about why Resolution Health has become Resolution Insurance, the importance of health insurance etc. We talked and interacted. I could write a long post about the reasons why you would be in safe hands with Resolution Insurance. I will only talk about one. Peter Nduati.

I met Peter Nduati when I was 18 more then 10 years ago. I had started going to watch rugby at Impala Rugby Club which is where my neighbour, fellow poet and friend Micheal Kwambo was playing. I fell in love with rugby and the club Impala and I became a rugby fanatic. Imagine I used to be a bouncer for floodlight tournaments and I even helped form the first impala female rugby team (I digress). Anyway I got to meet Peter Nduati and I have had very many chances to interact with him.

Peter at that time was working for AAR which he eventually left to form his own company Resolution Health. He thought that there was a huge untaped market for health insurance. He believed in the idea so much that when he couldn’t get funding he sold his house to get money to fund the business. What I know about Peter is that he is passionate about the things he loves, whether it is rugby or music or health or mentoring. He is the type of person if he believes in something he gives it his all.

You can say that I have watched Resolution Health grow from a distance. Some of my friends have worked for the company and I know people who have insurance with them. What I know is Resolution Insurance guys are serious about giving you the best insurance in health that there is. They have come up with covers that have been innovative and so far ahead of the industry.

Why should you get a Resolution Insurance cover?

When we talked on Monday they said they don’t cover events that illness related. They cover events that remind you of health, the things you love and being happy. That’s what Resolution Insurance is about. A friend who wants to make sure you are always healthy so that you can enjoy the things you love, whether it is sports, music, dance, or any other thing that you like to do.

Peter Nduati is like the Michael Joseph of Safaricom. Passionate to give customers more. He is the real deal and so is his team. For me knowing him for more then ten years has given me a unique perspective on his business and the person that he is. I would trust him and his team to protect my health.

By the way Resolution Insurance is giving anybody who signs up a chance to win a Subaru or other prizes. Check it out.

By the way you can pay for your medical cover in installments. How brilliant is that?

I have an inpatient cover so while I go figure out how to pay for my outpatient cover my question is what is your resolution?

Things I have learnt in life!

May 7, 2013

This past weekend I had a chance to join the Barclays Business Club in Samburu as they had speakers come to motive them to take their business further. I got this opportunity by luck as I was part of the staff from our travel agency that got to go to take care of logistical issues. I had planned to share what I learnt but waking up today was a challenge. I decided that I will share things that I have learnt that have helped me in life then tomorrow I will write posts on the powerful messages that I got from Samburu.

It is good to be kind to people. It doesn’t matter if they are above you, at your level or beneath you. Be kind.

I would rather be with people that celebrate me rather then tolerate me. I had heard this before but in the quest for self discovery I have learnt that this is 100%. I don’t want people whose role in life is to criticize me and bring me down. I want to be with people who appreciate me and see how far I have come.

I should hang out with people who encourage me to get out of mediocrity. I know that this is sort of in contrast to the last point but its not. It is good to hang out with people who want you to be a better you, to live up to your potential. A good friend, family members, or mentor will realize you are hanging out with chickens and yet you’re an eagle. They will encourage or bully you to learn to fly. I thank God every day for my mother, my sister, and some of my friends and relatives. They want you to reach the next level.

If you don’t believe in yourself, it makes it harder or impossible for others to do so. There is something about confidence, whether wrong or right. It shows through how you talk, walk, and do stuff. It is hard for others to take you seriously if you don’t take yourself seriously.

A dream is a dream. If you don’t wake up, work hard or work smart it will never come true. People are never celebrated for the sand castles that they have built. So get up and live your dream.

Heartbreak can change you both positively and negatively. There are things I am no longer willing to settle for or tolerate. It has also made me extremely cautious about love. But love can teach one some of the greatest lessons like how to be patient, how to forgive, and how to sacrifice.

I have heard this before but this weekend it was put in a different way. Our network equals our network. Who do we know? Who do we hang around? The types of people we surround ourselves with determine whether we remain chickens or we fly like eagles. If we hang out with chickens we are likely to remain chickens.

There are people who love you for what you can give them, others for where you can take them and others love you because they know you and appreciate the person you are. All these people are important in life. At one point you will be in those categories with other people. The important thing in life is never to lose sight of the people who love you genuinely. The ones who love you when you have nothing, and were nothing. Those are the people you should never let go of no matter what. Many people when they make it forget the really important people around them. Then when they are in trouble there is nobody to give them support and they crash hard. Think about the prodigal son story.

Have a personal strategic plan which you work on about your life. In this strategic plan have an area for learning and innovation. If you don’t learn you can’t grow because you can’t change the situations around you.

Some people say fake it until you make it. That may work. I believe that I should work hard until I make it. Perception is everything they say. But don’t live a lie trying to look good. One day it may crumble. The illusion of deception is powerful but there are people who see through it. You can strategize on how to look good and magnify yourself. But don’t kill yourself trying to keep up with the Joneses and you can’t afford it.

God loves us and created us with a purpose. He didn’t put us here just to pass time. He had a purpose for us and that’s why he gave us gifts and talents. It would be a shame to die without achieving the greatness that we were meant to.

We are all unique. We each offer the world something that others don’t. Don’t let others look down on you and worst of all don’t ever look down on yourself. You can be great. You have to believe and strive towards your dreams. Sure there will be obstacles and places where you fall. Stand up and keep moving. Read autobiographies of great men like Abraham Lincoln and others like Wangari Maathai. You will realize the world may not necessary be kind but you can be tough and succeed. Decide that you will be a success and work towards it.

Give us real writers, the clowns have had their day – a response by Edwin Thedivinebandit Mukabi

May 6, 2013

Since I read Linda Musita’s Article,

http://www.nation.co.ke/News/Give-us-real-poets-the-clowns-have-had-their-day/-/1056/1708430/-/xxqifaz/-/index.html

I have thought; not once or twice on what I would title this reply. In the end, using a twist of her title against her seems more fitting and less personal.

From the onset; let me make it clear that I am barely a writer of prose or in any way gifted journalistically. I am a poet. Secondly, I have not come out to defend these so called clowns because they cannot defend themselves.They probably would weave their thoughts around without you even noticing that they were insulting you. I have a feeling they would not even have to enlist sarcasm in their platoon to do this.

I am very supportive of personal opinion but personal views can only go as far before the world notices how obnoxious you are. I will in the best way try to quote and reply to your piece in the best way possible but some of the things I will leave out as I feel at heart are juvenile and downright imprudent.

I will start by agreeing that yes, there is a crop of poets out there who flaunt themselves as God sent while they do not even come close to understanding what this art encompasses. However the examples you gave were at the most prejudiced.

ElPoet is a poet (there is no other way to say it). I wonder how many of his pieces you have read or even seen performed. But I would not judge you on this. How exactly would you be listening to the depth and meaning of his words when you are busy slavering at his “handsome” face?

Samo Bryton or rather “Samo and The Almighty” has been at this game for lack of a better word longer than I dare to remember. You seem to be convinced that the talent of a person is well determined by how many hits they have. I will have to expound this to you by asking about a subject which I am not sure you have a clue about. I am not usually this judgmental but hey if the shoe fits. Biggie Smallz is listed as the best rapper and MC who ever lived; this is only contested by Tupac Shakur lovers and followers. However, do you know by the time he was crowned as such, he still only had one album out and are now 5 as of today; and yet Jay Z who has had some awesome hits in his career and more than 10 albums to date still lives in his shadow?

I am in no way comparing Samo to Biggie, I am just saying, hold your horses. In the same breath, I would care to mention about Michael Jordan (he is a basketball player pumpkin). He was not always the best. But now he is considered the greatest of the greats. I am sure some people who never gave him a chance regret this up to today. Michael Jordan wrote this

“Look me in the eyes.
It’s okay if you’re scared, so am I.
But we’re scared for different reasons.
I’m scared of what I won’t become, and you’re scared of what I could become.
Look at me.
I won’t let myself end where I started, I won’t let myself finish where I began.
I know what is within me, Even if you can’t see it yet.
Look me in the eyes.
I have something more important than courage, I have patience.
I will become what I know I am.”

For your own exploration and possibly a bit of understanding, please read the piece on this link by the 2 above.

http://elpoet.blogspot.com/2012/06/school-bell-rings-el-poet-and-samo.html

I have jotted a few excerpts from the same down here:

“…the school bell rings

St. Peter standing at the Pearly gates

I’ve made it just in time for the opening sequence of my life

I snuck into God’s pocket

Went to sleep in a dark night, dreamt up inception, now the dark knightrises…

Life is but a dream to me

Cue the Black lights”

“Mr Samo and the Almighty

Tell them

I’m Pocahontas; I’m Aladdin, I’m Peter Pan

I’m the beauty and I’m the beast

I’m Popeye, I’m Super Mario, I’m Liu Kang

I’m Shoshanna in French Riviera, with a cigarette and a novel

I’m in the back of Havana playing Hova

I’m Che Guevara spit, I’m esco and I’m Sosa

I’m Michelangelo, stark naked in his undies

I’m the Princess of China in an elephant costume

Dreaming about Para-Para-paradise

I’m Mr Feel Good Inc.

Yes I’m going Gorillaz

AND NO ONE KNOWS WHAT THAT MEANS!

But tonight, I’m Charles the First

A Basquiat

El Poet, remember ‘Most young Kings get their head cut off’

I’m done with this

It’s your turn to rule

Goodnight Qalbi

….The school bell rings…”

And yes, we as poets do read as you can see above. We do not have to subscribe to what is defined as conventional as you would like to list for us books we should have read. In my entire lifetime, when I have tried most of the the things the world terms as epic and awesome, I have found them not to my taste. So do not try to coerce people into indulging into your own tastes of literature. In fact one of my favourite quotes is by Robert A. Heinlein

“I am free, no matter what rules surround me. If I find them tolerable, I tolerate them; if I find them too obnoxious, I break them. I am free because I know that I alone am morally responsible for everything I do.”

As you may notice, I can barely maintain a single train of thought. I also try hard to keep my sentences as simple and easily comprehensible as possible. I hope they teach this in journalism school. I never attended one.What I meant to say is I suffer (not sure that’s the right word, I don’t really suffer) from mild ADD (attention deficit disorder) and a bit of OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder). These terms may be a bit new to you or at the very least unfamiliar but in creative circles and especially poetry circles, these words are thrown so casually you would not actually know that medicine is taken to appear in the least bit sane. And oh no, this is not a cry me a river tale. I would not have me any other way. The world I live in is just too amazing to leave. I see people for who they are. See the beauty in the most unimaginable of things but I digress.

On top of this, some of these poets you ask for more works from do not do this for a living. Some do it as a hobby, as a way to live rather than exist. We have 9 to 5 jobs because art does not really feed families or pay rent. Do not mention the few success stories. Even if we did try how far would one go if the people we hold as brethren cannot wait to bash our skulls in? Note I did not say critic. Critiquing is a good thing. Nonsensical and bile filled bashing is not.

Wamathai is definitely a poet in his own genre and I do not get your problem with the charges to get to his poetry events. I am sure people pay to get into Def Poetry Jams. You will surely say that Def. Poetry has the kind of poets one is willing to pay for. But that is just the good stuff they upload on YouTube. They show you performances by Shihan, Alicia Keys, Mos Def, TalibKweli and MutaBaruka. What you forget is that Def Poetry encourages first timers to perform. It is only through such opportunities that one rises through the ranks. What would you have Wamathai use to pay for the venues that he hosts his events at? You would do better to know that Poetry jams are not just an avenue to go cheer and listen to amazing poems. It is a meeting of like-minds, a time to let off steam, a time to just be ourselves. So let the man have his life and use his God given talents.

Kennet B is that one poet who stands apart from the rest. He chooses not to make a choice between English, Sheng or Swahili. He chooses not to be euphemistic for what the society is trying to hide. In a sense I am really proud of this guy. He does not conform to society. He just is who he is. I will not speak much of him. Just see the clip below:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mhpDDJL3qRo

I have read very many books as I grew up. I read one encyclopaedia Britannica at the age of 10 and fortunately it was just the perfect one that had Shakespeare’s works and with that my passion for poetry was born. I have not read Shakespeare in a while. This is because in due time I have learnt to re-invent myself. I would use the infamous teach a man how to fish quote (sic) but I will settle for the below quote:

“Don’t go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path…andleave a trail” -Ralph Waldo Emerson

This is the same quote I would apply to Clay Muganda’s article on Shengand Miraa.

http://www.nation.co.ke/Features/DN2/Sheng-and-miraa-Two-birds-of-an-ugly-feather/-/957860/1748730/-/h8l3om/-/index.html

I wonder what is wrong with your editor nowadays. But do not get snotty about this; I do not even come close to ranking you on the same scale as Clay. He had a slip of the tong…let’s say the hand this time. I have thoroughly enjoyed most of his work before.

As I come to a close, it would be unfair not to leave a piece of my own penmanship(you may call it a balloon animal) behind. Having “labelled” myself a poet, here is one my best works to date:

http://thedivinebandit.wordpress.com/2012/08/16/our-sons-kill-africa-a-reply-to-ken-saro-wiwas-africa-kills-her-sun/

“You must remember how we used to laze about, but with the whole police force after me, I have grown limber.

After five years trying to be the game changer, I moved to the lovable country where they call the brave lion, Simba.

They did try to follow me there but they were a hospitable people and I will never stop wishing this was the same for you, Sazan and Jimba.

No one will ever sing songs of praise for the three of you as they will never find the right timbre.

On golden oaks they crucified their heroes without considering the price of timber.”

In the end, all I have to say is that what you wrote was a personal opinion of which I am even ashamed that your editor let pass through. My closing words will be as Muta Baruka puts it:

“dis poem is no secret
dis poem shall be called boring stupid senseless
dis poem is watching you trying to make sense from dis poem
dis poem is messin up your brains
makin you want to stop listenin to dis poem
but you shall not stop listenin to dis poem
You need to know what will be said next in dis poem
dis poem shall disappoint you
because
dis poem is to be continued in your mind in your mind
in your mind your mind”

Music and it’s impact on tourism!

April 25, 2013

Now that I am working for a travel agency its amazing the number of things that you realize go together. Like music and travel. When you think about music and what it does for an individual, you will realize that music is a time machine that gives the listener a chance to travel to another place or time. Maybe because when you watch the music video you can see yourself in that city or that town. Or it gives you a feel of the time that the music was written, the place, situation and circumstances surrounding it. If you were a fan of Tupac you may have identified with California and California love for example! There have been musicians who have made their hometowns famous and turned their cities into tourist places. Think about Elvis Presley and Graceland Mansion – Memphis, the Beatles and Liverpool, and Tupac and California. Some music has also put some cities or states on the map like Rap music and New York City, Jazz and New Orleans, Kwaito and Johannesburg, I could go on and on.

Music has the ability to take us on a journey even without moving from our seats. Many times it makes us curious about the people performing and makes us want to know more about where they are from. There are also die hard fans that make pilgrimages to see their favourite musicians’ hometowns like Elvis’s Graceland Mansion.

When you travel music can draw you into an adventure, make you feel welcome, give you nostalgia for home. Who can forget in Kenya the now famous and overdone Jambo Bwana which is a welcome song for tourists? Or Roger Whittaker’s song my land is Kenya that makes you nostalgic to visit a Kenya that doesn’t exist like it used to when he sang that song. This video could be a commercial that Kenya Tourism Board was promoting. Then watch this longer video where Roger Whittaker is on safari and you can be enticed to come and experience the culture, the people and the music.Does’t it just make you want to come to visit Kenya ? There’s something about the way Eric Wainana sings Kenya only (Daima) that makes you feel patriotic and miss home when you’re a thousand miles away. Or the way the Mushrooms gave their music a coastal feel that made Mombasa seem so attractive. There’s even the song narudi ocha (I am going upcountry) which came out when prices of food had gone up. This brought back memories of a simpler time upcountry when mandazis were cheap and bigger then a small karai in shags (I digress).

Music from different regions calls us and tells us to go experience more. Each place in the world has its own unique rhythm or music. Its music that’s rich in culture. And when one travels it either draws us in or repels us. Many will travel to music festivals in other countries in order to listen and dance to music that reaches out to them, makes them pack their bags and move. Recently there was the Jazz festival in South Africa which was estimated to drawn a crowd of around 38, 000 people (figures from estimates before the concert) from around the world. Can you imagine those numbers and the impact on the economy and the tourism industry? There is no doubt about it, music contributes to the tourism industry and ultimately to the GDP.

We should take music seriously and invest in making our music industry more vibrant. We should also have more musicians singing about their favourite places or towns. It’s fun to stay at the YMCA by the Village People can be a poster child for how a company or country can promote their product through music. Even though the song was not originally written for the YMCA it ended up driving up revenues for YMCA from increased accommodation requests. Research needs to be done on the contribution of music to travel and tourism.

Music is a form of travel, a pure form that transports us without cost to another place and time. What is your experience with music and travel?

Mr. Politician tired of your ndrama!

April 18, 2013

Mr politician

I was being abit optimist in thinking that this year I was getting rid of the rubbish that was in parliament. I thought let us remove all the non performing MP’s and especially the ones who were asking for salary increases. I thought that things would be different.

It has become clear to me that the more things change the more things change. I am mad again. You have barely started your job and you have already asked for a salary increment. When you realize that the boss who your employer has put over you to make sure the company’s interests (Kenya) are protected will not listen to your demands, you have decided to remove them.

Mr. politician I am tired. I am still trying to recover from the debacle of the election. Going through that election and the aftermath drained me. Our nation is still divided over the presidential election. But guess what we are all united in saying that you shouldn’t get higher salaries. I guess you haven’t done economics, maybe you need to do an economics 101 course. Devolution is very expensive and we don’t have money for higher salaries. In fact as President Uhuru said the current wage bill is not sustainable.

FYI I don’t care how much you spend to campaign. That is not my business. I just started a new job too. I didn’t ask my employer to pay for all the photocopies, credit, printing and other miscellaneous things I spent trying to get a job. Ask anybody who has a job or is looking for a job, its an expensive venture. It’s painful, demotivating, expensive and a thankless job. But when you do get the job you are thankful. And you don’t start bitching to your employer that you want to earn what the previous person in that position earned. What you do is you sit down, work your ass off, make the company look good, and make the company get a profit based on the team effort of you and your colleagues. Then when you have performed very well over a period of time and your company’s profits have gone up you ask for a pay rise. The company will seriously consider your offer.

The thing is right now our company Kenya is broke, not just broke but in debt. It will probably need to lay off employees and is right now in the process of restructuring departments. You cannot come in and start asking for bonuses or salary increases. You were brought in to fix a problem not create a problem. So this is my advise to you. Sit your ass down and get to work. There is no money to pay you now. Stop being a cry baby and get over the fact that you are not being paid what you want to be paid. Reality check 99% of Kenyans working a salary or earning a wage aren’t earning what they would like to earn. So your not alone in that boat.

Otherwise do the sensible thing and resign. There are so many people willing to step into those shoes. Go look for another job that pays you what you think you deserve. If not shut up and get to work.

Sincerely,

A concerned citizen.

Helping your child succeed from childhood!

April 16, 2013

On Sunday I was washing some clothes outside the house as my nephew was riding his bicycle. He came to me and tried selling me some books that were on his bicycle. He told me each book was 80 bob and I should buy. I told him I was washing so he should come back. He went away with his bike and kept coming back to try to sell to me. I was impressed. My nephew is around 6 and a half. He started trying to sell when he was about four. He would put newspapers on his bike and tell us that he is selling newspapers.

I told him to try to sell to his mother. His mother was busy so at first she ignored him. He went back another time. I started giving him tips on how he should approach a customer every time she declined to buy. I told him what he should tell her. Eventually she told him she would put the money in his bank. After so many attempts he got mad and ran off in a huff. Only to come back five minutes later. You got to love his spirit. I tried to tell him that people don’t only pay buy cash but they pay through the bank or Mpesa as well.

At the end of his like 18 attempts (he was counting every time he came to approach us) I told him I would buy from him. I had finished my chores and thought I should encourage him. If he was in the states I told my sister, he would have a lemonade stand where he would have sold out. Or he would have a newspaper route.

It got me thinking are we equipping our children to succeed in business or are we expecting the education system to do everything? Indians train their children from a young age in the family business. In the states children start earning money early by doing chores in exchange for pocket-money. They also raise funds for organizations like the girl guides or scouts. These skills that they learn like negotiation, persuasion, etc they later on use in order to become successful individuals.

We were having a conversation about Uhuru Kenyatta with my mum on Sunday. She was talking about the fact that he has been breed to be a leader. She says he knows our traditions, he has manners etc. Uhuru spent a lot of time with his father. He got to learn from his father how to be a diplomat (I hope). He learnt how to mingle with people and how to deal with different kinds of people. My mother was basically saying that his parents set him up for success by his upbringing.

My father had a kiosk which he used to run after work. I spent a lot of time in that shop helping him sell. Later he hired somebody to run the shop. But that is where my career in sales started. I learnt how to deal with customers and the art of persuasion there. When I went to high school I sold bread, biscuits, chips and success cards to supplement my pocket-money. By then my dad had died (he died when I was ten). Later when I was in college I sold second hand clothes and jewellery (plastics) as well. I even did a stint selling health insurance. By the time I was in university I was selling silver jewelry. After University I worked for a local tobacco company selling cigarettes for six years.

I have now changed career paths to concentrate on my first love which is communication. But at heart I am a sales person. I love dealing with people, persuading them to buy something. I see a lot of myself in my nephew. He could end up being the best salesman the world has ever seen. But he won’t if he is not nurtured. If we don’t pay attention to his talents. If my father hadn’t spent time with me and nurtured my interest I might not be the person I am today. Uhuru and I have both lost our fathers, but their impact is still felt today in the people that we have become. Our mothers and others have impacted on the people we have become.

There is the debate about nurture versus nature. It’s important to know that both play an important part in making a child who they are. The question you have to ask yourself, do you want your child to succeed? If you do, then you have to make an active role in nurturing them to be the best person they need to be for the future. Who knows your child might be the next president?