First impressions of my new Telkom Broadband

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Invitation: Launch of Living Memories
Friends, We shall be launching my book, Living Memories, with an on-stage rendition – Living Memories on Stage, This Wednesday 11th November 2009 at the Louis Leakey Hall at the Nairobi Museum. The event is organised by The Nairobi Museum in Collaboration with Storymoja. Gate fees: Kshs. 400 About the book: LIVING MEMORIES Living Memories is a testimonial project – where I spoke to people over 65 years of age and simply recorded the story of their lives during the Emergency days – it is the stories of ordinary people surviving extraordinary times and how they have shaped who we are. There will also be a rendition from Muthoni Garland’s

learnings from living memories
This can be thought out more and perhaps articulated way better but someone asked me a question this morning which prompted me to place this answer as to a couple of my learnings as I research the book and think about what it means. So I am putting it here for whatever its worth. AK —– start learnings below. I am getting several things, having spoken to close to 70 old people thus far – and having read every book that has been credibly written about our father’s perspectives (I ignored all history books by the like of Hemmingway, because they didn’t speak to our parents perspective but the likes of British Gulag and JM KariukiR

The age of the superstar leaders
One worries that the world is going from fickle to extreme fickle in how it handles its issues. With the global economic bust, the world reconfigured itself and has now the opportunity to be “sensible and responsible” – both considered bad words by my generation. One of the best things that the world saw happen, was the election of Barack Obama to the leadership of the USA. It was hailed (and it likely is) the greatest socio-political advancement of our time. Finally, it was said, Martin Luther King, Marcus Garvey, Bob Marley and the other black campaigners of the last century and beyond were vindicated and could now rest in peace. But Obama is more to

What’s good about your Africa?
Sometimes when we are talking about Africa, we forget to notice the good things that are ongoing – and only talk about what is going wrong. Yes, the questions of governance and so on are necessary to discuss, even focus on. But if we forget to celebrate when we do right, we shall then be the perpetually condemned. That cannot be my Africa. What is going well with your Africa? What are you happy about? I shall start off with my side of Africa. Do chime in… I come from Kenya. In Kenya, lately our headlines have been about getting punishment for the orchestrators of the post election violence, the refusal of parliament to endorse Justice Aaron Ringera

Will there be literature in Heaven?
I was wondering about something. Can literary people praise? I have heard it said on numerous occasions that literature thrives in despondence, trouble and carnage. A bout of pain, yields eloquence in poetry; a disaster here or there gives rise to treatises and commentary; from a corrupt government, satire will thrive… and so on. But then what happens when things turn rosy – or even begin to show signs of it? For example, I have missed (if there has been such published) any stories of how roads across Kenya are shaping up. From Kitale to Kilifi to Nanyuki and Nakuru – and South C, roads are wider, clearly marked and with pavements. A walk down river road is much