Author: Jngunjiri

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Issues News Personalities

A tribute to Kimani Maruge

When Kimani Maruge burst into the public limelight, I thought it was a bad joke, a publicity stunt gone too far. Seriously, how could a man aged over 80 enrol in Standard One? Nevertheless, I followed his ‘educational career’ with detached interest.
Two years down the line the man was still at it. So the guy was serious after all? I was now asking myself. Slowly he was winning me over. And yes he had become a media superstar. Boy, did the media love Maruge? And he rarely disappointed. He always came up with soundbites, that TV people ran over and over again.
My most enduring image was of the old man with a blue (I am colour blind) blazer, with matching knee-length shorts. His socks were always pulled to the base of his knees. And below them was a pair canvas shoes popularly known as Bata Bullets.
Thus dressed, and with his ubiquitous cane Maruge would drag one heavy foot after the other on his way to school.
It did not take long before the folks at Guinness Book of Records took notice, and he promptly entered their books for the dogged way he sought to get educated. He became the world’s oldest pupil.
This man kept telling everyone who cared to listen that he went to school so that he would be able to read the Bible, and soon he was reading his favourite book.
It was worthy noting here that Maruge despite his advanced age wanted to learn how to read. His example put to shame many people who soon after they are through with formal schooling throw away their books. You’ve probably heard of infamous academic bonfires, where secondary school leavers pile all their books and set fire to them.
In their foolish thinking that is the end of them and reading. These are people who have been socialised to think that reading is a form of torture, that is only tolerated for the sake of sitting exams.
During the just concluded Storymoja Hay Festival I attended a session where Muthoni Garland, the managing director of Storymoja, told the story of a young woman who came looking for a job in her firm.
When Muthoni asked the young woman the last title she read a book, the young woman shamelessly told her that she no longer reads and she had now finished schooling! Muthoni says she was scandalised and rightly so. Here is a person who hopes to be employed in a publishing firm, and who does not read.
Well, that girl is in good company. There are quite a number of people who work in our publishing houses, who do not read. Don’t ask me how I know.
Back to Maruge. As a media star, his star never faded. He continued to attract media attention in almost everything he did. Such was his star power that the Kenya Publishers Association (KPA) invited him as a guest during the 2005 edition of the Jomo Kenyatta Prize for Literature awards at the Nairobi International Book Fair. Marugi Photo
In his speech Maruge, then in Standard Five, counselled on the need to cultivate a healthy reading culture. He also took the opportunity to urge the youth against engaging in casual sex.
After that Maruge retreated to his quiet lifestyle in Kenya’s Rift Valley, where he continued with his studies. The next time I heard major news on him was after the post-election violence, where he was talking to the media from an Internally Displaced Persons’ (IDP) camp.
He had been ejected from his home for belonging to the ‘wrong tribe’.
And that is how he landed in a home for the aged, in Nairobi, from where he continued with his education. All this time, he pledged to pursue his education up to university level.
By now, Maruge was looking frail, and he spoke with difficulties, but still his star power was unmistakable. Everything he did attracted media attention.
This included his baptism ceremony at a Nairobi church. Meanwhile Hollywood was planning to shoot a major movie based on his life. Titled the First Grader, the movie unfortunately, could not be shot in Kenya as the relevant authorities levied exorbitant taxes on the moviemakers. South Africa gave them tax incentives they sought and that for the umpteenth time the South African country got to shoot a movie originally destined for Kenya.
I must mention here that I was involved, in a small way in scouting for a suitable person to play the part of Maruge, but that is a story for another day.
Maruge died on August 14, at the Chesire Home for the aged in Kariobangi North, where he was staying, from complications of stomach cancer. He was aged 89.
Fare thee well Maruge. You fought the good fight. I propose a literary award in honor of the old man. Any takers?

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Events Issues News

Does more prize money = more creativity?

Creative writers in Kenya will be in for a major treat at the annual Nairobi International Book Fair (NIBF) set to be held towards the end of September. For the first time, the winner of the Jomo Kenyatta Prize for Literature will take home a substantial amount of prize money.
The Kenya Publishers Association (KPA) who are the organisers of NIBF told maisha yetu that winners in the two adult fiction categories – English and Kiswahili – will each get Sh150,000 in prize money.
This is a major improvement from the miserly Sh40,000, previous winners used to receive, for the bi-annual award, the most prestigious in the country.
Other categories in the award, namely the youth and children’s writing will each get Sh75,000.
The increase in the prize money was made possible when the Prize’s main sponsors, Text Book Centre (TBC) presented the KPA Council with a cheque worth Sh800,000 to go towards the fund.
TBC has had a long history with the award. The award ran into financial trouble soon after its first edition in 1974, where Meja Mwangi’s book Kill Me Quick and Abdulatif Abdalla’s Sauti ya Dhiki, won the English and Kiswahili categories respectively.
After a long hiatus, members of the KPA council approached the management of TBC, in 1990, with a view of helping revive the award, which had been formed to encourage and reward creativity in Kenya.
TBC agreed to sponsor the award and donated Sh200,000 for the Prize Mr. C.D. Shah, a director of Text Book Centre, says that their decision to support the award stems from the fact that they had cordial working relations with publishers. “Being the biggest booksellers at that time, we were also their biggest customers,” he says. Text Book Centre has been in the business of selling books since 1950s, thereby making them the oldest booksellers.
TBC has handed over Sh200,000 on a bi-annual basis ever since.
In 1992, the prize was revived and Wahome Mutahi’s book Three Days on the Cross shared the first prize with David Maillu’s The Broken Drum. In 1995, the first prize went to Margaret Ogola, for her book, The River and the Source, Margaret Ogola’s book went ahead to win the Commonwealth Writers prize the same year.
In 1997, the first prize went to Ngumi Kibera’s book Grapevine Stories, with the Kiswahili prize going to Emmanuel Mbogo’s Vipuli vya Figo.
In a move that was deemed controversial, in 1999, judges decided that the books that had been submitted lacked creativity and therefore did not award any prize.
In 2001, Meja Mwangi again won with his book The Last Plague. Kyalo Wamitila’s Nguvu ya Sala took the Kiswahili prize. In 2003, Stanley Gazemba won the Jomo Kenyatta Prize for Literature with his book The Stone Hills of Maragoli.
In 2005, judges failed to award the first prize in the English category, arguing that the titles submitted were not strong enough. They however awarded the second prize, which went to Muroki Ndung’us A Friend of the Court.
In the Kiswahili adult category, the first prize went to Kyalo Wamitila’s Musaleo.
In 2007, Marjorie Oldudhe’s book A Farm Called Kishinev won the Jomo Kenyatta Prize for Literature under controversial circumstances. There was disagreements among judges as to which book, between Marjorie’s and Margaret Ogola’s Place of Destiny, deserved to win the prize.
The controversy led Pauline’s Publications, Ogola’s publishers, to boycott the NIBF since.
Apart from the River and the Source, which went on to win the Commonwealth Writers Prize, other winners of the award have little to show for it.
Critics have accused KPA of making little or no effort at all in marketing or publicising the award. The situation is such that these writers are barely known outside of the publishing and writing fraternity.
Perhaps the saddest story is that of Stanley Gazemba, whose book, The Stone Hills of Maragoli, published by Acacia, and which won the prize in 2003, has been out of print for a number of years now. The author has been engaged with the publisher in a long-running tussle, to make the book available.
The author says that only 500 copies of the book were published. Gazemba is however elated that the efforts of authors are finally being recognised. “They should have increased the prize money a long time ago,” he says. “What they used to give previously was a joke.”
The same fate is suffered by winners of the Wahome Mutahi Literary Prize, formed to honour the late humourist. Although Oduko bw’ Atebe’s book, which won the inaugural prize in 2006, is readily available in the market, the author laments that it should have sold better, had KPA invested in a more aggressive campaign.
Blame here should also fall on the individual publishers, who should also take advantage of the win, to aggressively push the book in the market. But in a publishing market that overwhelmingly feeds on the government funded textbook market, it might be too much to ask of them to invest substantially in marketing a non-textbook.
Mrs Nancy Karimi, who is the chairperson of KPA promised that with the windfall from TBC, the publishers’ body should make a difference in the whole marketing of their prizes.
“The increase in prize money should now trigger more creativity from our writers, as their efforts are now better rewarded,” added Mrs Karimi, who is also the managing director of Jomo Kenyatta Foundation.
Mr Rajiv Chowdhry, the managing Director of TBC explained that their decision to increase the fund came as a result of the fact inflationary forces experienced in the country over the years have seriously eroded the value of the earlier award of Sh40,000.
TBC has promised to donate an additional Sh1.6 million to cover the 2011 and 2013 editions of the prize.
During the handing over ceremony, done at the refurbished TBC offices on Kijabe Street, both the management of TBC and the KPA Council hinted at the inclusion of more categories, in future, subject of availability of funds.

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Events Issues

Role of media in promoting creative writing

I recently was invited to presented a paper, at a Ministry of Culture sponsored workshop, on the above subject and below are my thoughts.

Media continues to be an important tool in the dissemination of information in the country. This perhaps explains why media occupies such an exalted if not powerful position in the society we live in. This position of influence, if well harnessed, can bring about positive transformation in the society.
Ideally, media is supposed to serve the masses who consume it. However the reality on the ground is such that, due to ignorance, on the part of the public, media in Kenya is viewed with suspicion, in that it exists to serve not those it is supposed to serve.
Many of you gathered here today will agree with me that worst, the media is perceived as a tool to ‘fix’ out people one has some form of quarrel with. Even then, it is a privileged few who have access to media. In short media is seen as a vengeful agent to be avoided at all costs.
At best, media is seen as an avenue to being famous, and this fame is mostly associated with riches, and not many people like the idea of remaining poor. On that respect alone, media and media practitioners are much sought after.
As a media practitioner I have had occasion to encounter both extreme perceptions of the media from the public I interact with. “Si utaniweka kwa gazeti?” comes the hopeful question from those believe that only good can come from the media. “Wewe, usiniweke kwa gazeti!” is the admonishment from those who think the media is out to harm them. And in the case of the latter, it is not uncommon to hear incidents where media practitioners have had their lives threatened.
It is against this background that we must look at the role of media in the promotion of cultural content. It is also important to note that in the Kenyan media scene, not much premium is placed on culture and the arts, where creative works lie.
A casual glance at the Kenyan press will reveal the heavy bias towards reporting politics and politicians, little wonder politicians call have so much influence in our society, such that almost everything they say or do is rarely questioned.
Last year’s post-election violence is enough testament of the pervasive influence politicians have on us.
But I digress. The fact of the matter is that very little space is given to the coverage of the arts. Even in the newsrooms where we work, art and cultural writers are not taken that seriously. The unwritten rule, both in the newsroom and outside, is that you have to be a political writer to be taken seriously.
The other day I attend a joint forum for artistes and art journalists, when a well-known thespian made the unsubstantiated allegation to the effect that journalists only take up art writing, while waiting for better prospects… of eventually becoming political writers.
Well, let me say there are committed art and cultural writers, who would never substitute what they do, however unglamorous, to follow politicians around.
I long for the day when the leading news items will be Njue Kamunde (a children’s writer) holding a press conference to announce the arrival of his latest book. The reality however is such that Njue would probably not have the guts to approach a media person.
Yet, Njue, or any other writer for that matter, needs to be able to command the attention of a journalist at any given time.
When you talk about a creative writer, we are in essence talking about intellectual property. In countries like the US, the intellectual property industry is worth billions of dollars. Hollywood alone contributes a very significant proportion to the exchequer in that country.
Maybe to speak in more familiar terms names like Robert Ludlum, John Grisham, just to name but two, should be able to tell you the power of creative writing. If Grisham, for example decided to comment on the proposed health care plan in America, chances are that he would knock Obama off the headlines.
No matter how eloquent our Njue is, he can not even dream of sharing his thoughts on, say, the prosecution of post-election violence suspects, not unless he decides something out of the ordinary.
This point brings to mind Okoiti Omtata, a creative writer, who in order to get heard, had to chain himself to the fence at police headquarters. Today Omtata is known more for his political and not cultural activism. Not many people know that his play, Voice of the People, which won the Wahome Mutahi Prize for Literature, in 2008.
To remedy this situation, there needs to be a paradigm shift in the way the creative industry operates in this country. I think it is high time players in the creative industry engaged the media in a meaningful dialogue.
As an art and culture writer, I run a weekly column on happening in the industry, and every week, I have to prod people in the industry to give me material for the page. At times I am forced to beg to get this information. How do you then expect my editor to take me seriously when the political writer is spoilt for choice over what to write?
Not that there is nothing happening in the creative and cultural industry, it is just that players in the industry do not think it merits any attention. You see when I have more than enough material to put on my page, only then I can convince my editor to give me more space.
Along the same lines I challenge the parent ministry to take a more proactive role in promoting the creative/ cultural writing industry in the country. It is so disappointing when all the major literary prizes are scooped by Southern and West Africans.
I believe with more exposure, and need I say trainings, our writers can compete effectively with their colleagues in the West and Southern African countries. Then, they can be able to make news, not only locally, but also internationally.
This is not to say that the media is free from blame. Far from it. Our local media needs to take an affirmative action approach in the coverage of the arts and culture in the country. Maybe when artistes and cultural practitioners notice that their industry is being taken with more seriousness and sensitivity, then they would be more forthcoming with information. Who knows, it would spur more creativity.
Artistes and cultural practitioners, and supporting bodies like the Culture Ministry, should also take it upon themselves to sensitize media practitioners on the finer details of their operations and activities. This should be in the form of trainings and seminars.
As things stand, there is a lot of ignorance in our media, as regards what art and cultural reporting entails. Again going back to art and art writers’ forum, some of the artistes accused the journalists of not understanding what they do. To them, I will say this; If you do not take the trouble to enlighten me on what it is that you do, how do you expect me report you accurately and favourably?
With the help of more accurate, effective and informed art and cultural writing, our creative writing gets wider exposure. This exposure leads to more awareness among the reading public – and let us not talk about Kenyans poor reading habits here – and this translates into more sales and therefore better earnings.
And in conclusion, I will say here that with more meaningful dialogue between artistes and art writers, then Njue will only be too happy to see me than threaten me with dire consequences if I ‘put’ him in the papers.
And by meaningful dialogue, I mean that Njue should be able to understand that I will time and again be called upon to criticize his work, if only with a view growing him.
That said I would rather Njue be mad at me for pointing out his weaknesses, than have him happy with me covering up his mediocre output.

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News Releases Reviews

Kwani? and the post-election violence

The Post election violence, it would appear, has inspired a lot of creativity from Kwani? Readers are treated to an unprecedented double edition of the Kwani? Journal, and most of it revolves around the post-election violence.
It has been said that countries that have suffered violent upheavals tend to produce great writers and by extension great stories. Could this be the one event that finally lifts Kenya’s creative writers from the doldrums? Could we see our writers competing on the same pedestal with the exciting southern and West African writers?
Those are some of the questions Kwani? editor Billy Kahora is grappling with in the second edition of Kwani? 5. “Are there even any defining texts for the present or for the future, let alone from the past?” asks Kahora. “I am yet to read a work of which I can say: yes, this is a Nairobi, in all its plastic glory, these are the Nakuru, Kisumu, and Mombasa that I recognise…”
Well, Kahora is speaking from his experience of having been a co-judge of the Commonwealth Regional Prize for Africa. This is a question Kahora should be directing to the Kwani? society. After all, when they happened on the scene about seven years ago, they promised to make a clean break from old generation of writers, earning themselves donor support in the process.
Well, there have been flashes of creativity from the Kwani? fraternity, and that is something to be proud about. Parselelo Kantai story You Wreck Her, was this nominated for this year’s Caine Prize for African Writing. This is Kantai’s second nomination.
This is not forgetting Kwani? founder Binyavanga Wainaina and Vyonne Awuor, both of whom won the Caine Prize in 2002 and 2003 respectively. Maybe we will have to wait for a little longer for books from this quarter.
Back to the latest edition of Kwani? For the better part, the book deals with what happened in January last year, and its aftermath. It for example contains interviews with victims and in some cases perpetrators of the violence.
Ideally, these interviews would make for extremely interesting reading were it not for the fact the interviewers were all given a template of questions to ask. This has the effect of limiting the responses to only the questions asked.
Still, there are some creative non-fiction stories that stand out for their freshness. Samuel Munene writes a piece on the rice wars in Mwea Constituency, juxtaposing it with the 2007 parliamentary campaigns in the constituency.
Millicent Muthoni writes another excellent piece on the Kigumo parliamentary campaigns and elections, although I got the feeling that she was quite close to one of the candidates.
Kalundi Serumaga, is one writer who features prominently in most Kwani? publications, and in this edition, he has an interview with Alfred Mutua, the government spokesman.
While he subjects Mutua to very tough questioning, one can’t help getting the feeling that he has certain issues to grind on Kenya and Kenyans.
This came out quite clearly in a very emotional piece he wrote on the first edition of Kwani? 5. In that story Kalundi pours out his bile on Kenya, based on his early life as a refugee, having fled from the chaos in Uganda.
From his argument in the story, he seems to say that what happened to Kenya during the post-election violence was poetic justice for Kenyans, for having mistreated him and his family when they were refugees in Kenya.
While I sympathise with what happened to him at that time, it is not enough excuse for him to take it out on Kenyans in his writings. In any case no one said that the life of a refugee should be a bed of roses.
Tony Mochama, who recently launched his book, The Road to Eldoret recently, makes a return to Kwani? with his irreverent poem Give War a Chance. The poem is a satirical piece full of dark humour. He takes a look at the different ethnic communities and what role he thinks they played in the 2007 elections and the subsequent violence that met the announcement of the results.
Petina Gappah breathes fresh air into the book with her short story titled An Elegy for Easterly. Petina, who was in Nairobi for the Storymoja Hay Festival, recently launched a collection of short stories under the same name. Petina who practices law in Geneva tells the story of slum demolitions, in Zimbabwe, at the height of Robert Mugabe’s autocratic rule.
An Elegy for Easterly tells the uncertain existence of shantytown dwellers in Harare, and how in spite of impending demolitions, life must go on.
The twin edition of Kwani? 5 records the horrors that took place during Kenya’s violent period, takes a rare peek into the minds of Kenyans during that time, and hopes that we will learn from our foolishness.
Isn’t it insulting that the two politicians we fought and lost lives over are now feasting together, polishing of bottles of champagne while planning to shield perpetrators of the post-election violence from punishment?

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Issues News

A community library for village folks

About two months ago I had the rare honour of visiting a community library in a dusty, remote village called Ndeiya. I would love to share my thoughts on what I saw there:

The Cardinal Otunga Library is as modern as modern libraries go. Its catalogue includes much-sought after books like the two biographies on American President Barack Obama. Simply put, the library is a gem for a book lover or anyone in search of general knowledge.
Indeed the library, with a sitting capacity of 100 people, has more than 5,000 books, and more are still to come. Well, The Cardinal Otunga Library is not in Nairobi or any other major town for that matter. It is right in the heart of Ndeiya, the very exemplification of a rural area.
Prior to the construction of the road that runs from Thogoto in Kikuyu to Mutarakwa in Limuru – though incomplete – Ndeiya was pretty much a forgotten place. Ndeyia, which is part of the larger Kiambu, and which cuts across two constituencies – Kikuyu and Limuru – had the dubious distinction of being backward, and people from that area were subjected to much ridicule.
On a good day, the library, which opens its doors at 11 am to 5.30 pm, five days in a week, is almost always full of people willing to quench their thirst of information.
The centre, which is housed at the Holy Cross Catholic Church in Thigio, is run by the Daughters of Charity. Sister Liz Smith, who is the centre’s administrator told Maisha Yetu that the center was established with the interests of area residents in mind.
“We wanted something that would take care of the youth, in the area, who are mostly idle and unemployed,” explains Sister Liz adding that the centre also has a hall which hosts recreational games like pool and table tennis.
Money for constructing the hall was donated from a family in Ireland. “After much consultation on how best the hall would be put to use, it was decided that a library would come in handy,” adds Sister Liz.
Over the years, schools in the area have generally performed badly, partly due to lack of adequate learning materials like books. And when Mrs Ann Mburu, a former teacher, was appointed the librarian, the first thing she did was to order for school textbooks, both for primary and secondary schools.
And this has borne fruits. Students from nearby schools drop into the library during weekends and school holidays to do their studies using the textbooks available. A former student from the nearby Thigio Boys Secondary School, who scored an A- in his Kenya Certificate of Secondary Examinations (KCSE) offered to tutor other students for free.
“The boy told us that his good performance in KCSE was a result of using facilities at the library,” explains Mrs Mburu. “He therefore wanted to give something back to society.”
At the time we got into the library, there were only three people, including a young girl browsing through the children’s section. As the interview progressed more people started dropping in. Most of them were in school uniform.
Sister Catherine Madigan, who is in charge of the library says that most of the books were donated from the US. “Three schools from Chicago were being closed and they donated all their books to us. We update books according to the demand,” says Sister Catherine.
The library charges a modest membership fee of Sh250 per year for adults and Sh100 for children. Members can borrow a maximum of two books, which they return after two weeks. Membership currently stands at 150.
Non-members are welcome to come and read from the library. “Membership is open to everyone irrespective of their denomination,” adds Sister Catherine.
Since the library was opened in January 2007, there has been some progress especially among neighbouring schools. “Some of the feedback we have been getting from teachers and parents is that pupils are now able to write better compositions in school,” says Mrs Mburu.
Mr David Kimani, who is in the management committee of schools in the area is full of praises for the Daughters of Charity for introducing the library in the area. “Of all the assistance that has been given to people in this area, this is the best gift so far,” he says. “Other forms of assistance create a sense of dependency among the people, but with book, our young people are going to open up their thinking, which will in effect bring about innovation and creativity.”
UPDATE: I am reliably informed that Mrs Anne Mburu no longer works at the library, otherwise everything about the library stands, including what she told me

Categories
News Personalities

You can now order your books online

I’ve just had a chat with a most interesting couple, and at the end of it my faith in the young people of this country was restored. Not only have they married across tribes, they have come up with a unique online shopping experience for books.
What make’s Enock and Rachel Essendi’s venture unique is the fact that it is completely localised in that you can use M-Pesa to buy the books.
What is more delivery is absolutely free. All you have to do is log on to Rachel’s Bargain Corner, and order your book online. Once you pay your money through M-Pesa, you will get an automatically generated code, which you will then enter and wait for the book to be delivered wherever you want.
“We have an edge over conventional bookstores in that a person anywhere in the country can go online order a book and get it delivered to them,” explains Rachel.
The couple are both 27 and they met in Egerton University, where Rachel was taking a degree in Biomedical Sciences, while Enock was doing Computer Science.
Enock says that his wife is more business-minded and she is the one who decided to establish the online bookshop. “With my technical know how in IT, I designed the website,” he says adding that they are partners in the venture.
Unlike other online shopping stores, which rely on credit cards for payment, Rachel’s Bargain Corner employs the popular M-Pesa mode of payment. “Very few Kenyans have access to credit cards, but M-Pesa is widely available,” says Rachel.
Already, a number of publishers have bought into their idea and are supplying them with books. Rachel first approached Kakai Karani, the general manager of Longman Kenya, who instantly liked the idea.
Rachel then took photos of the books, information on the books and uploaded them on their website. “In instances where publishers have soft copies of their books, they have given that to me,” explains Rachel.
This makes work easier for the publishers as they are now assured of reaching areas that are currently not served by bookshops. Publishers also get the added advantage of saving on costs of delivering the books. Of course publishers give them the discounts extended to booksellers.
Customers from outside Nairobi can have their books delivered through the post office, “The customer indicates the preferred mode of delivery on the website, when they are ordering, and it comes at no additional cost,” she adds.
Apart from Longman, Rachel’s Bargain Corner has also entered into an agreement with the University of Nairobi Press, WordAlive Publishers and Text Book Centre. Storymoja and Kwani? publishers are in the process of joining them. “We are in talks with more publishers to partner with us,” says Rachel.
Rachel’s Bargain Corner will come as a relief for parents who are sending their children back to schools. “We have seen parents waste many hours in long queues waiting to buy books from bookstores,” says Enock. “What we are telling these parents is; you can now attend to other businesses and leave us to deliver the books to you.”
Mr Karani is full of praises for the initiative. “The very fact that they are able to apply the M-Pesa mode of payment puts them head over shoulders over other online shopping entrepreneurs,” says Mr Karani.
“Apart from the fact that they are opening up the availability of books to thousands if not millions of people, they have also revolutionised the supply chain, in that readers can order books from the safety of their offices or homes,” adds Mr Karani.
There is also the added beauty of readers ordering through their phones.
Rachel’s Bargain Corner has been in operation for the last one month, and already the response from customers, mostly their friends, has been satisfactory.
The following areas in Nairobi are currently in their program of distribution: Nairobi CBD, Westlands, Ngong Road, Mombasa Road, Upper Hill, Community Area and Hurlingham.
And with fibre optic cable finally here with us, the future looks really bright for the young couple.
Enock and Rachel got married in July last year and they have a nine-month-old daughter Lakisha.

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Events News

Motivational books galore

Lovers of motivational books have something to look forward to. Tomorrow, Saturday August 8, will be a gathering of six motivational authors at the Silverbird Lifestyle Store, formerly Nu Metro Media Stores, starting at 2.30 pm.
The authors will be signing their books as well as interacting with their readers. This goes to show that motivational writing in Kenya has come of age. And if you want to know what really moves in bookshops today, just visit the motivational sector.
Better still visit Keswick Bookshop, opposite Holy Family Basilica and you will be shocked by the volumes of books they move. Did I hear someone say Kenyans don’t read?
So where was I? Among the authors signing their books is Former cabinet minister Prof Kivutha Kibawana. He currently serves as an advisor to the president on the Constitution. His book, titled Walk With me God, takes a philosophical look at life and his relationship with God. You should read the book and see a different Kivutha from the blundering politician, who lost his Makueni seat in the 2007 elections.
Other authors include Hon Justice James Ogoola, the Chief Judge of Uganda High Court. His book is titled Songs of Paradise: A Harvest of Poetry and Verse. Justice Ogoola also sits on the Comesa Courts of Justice. Justice Ogoola’s book was launched in Kampala last month, and judging from the reviews in Ugandan media, I think it is a book worth reading.
Also to be signed is Ken Monyocho’s How to Save Money for Investment. Now, Monyoncho’s pocket size book has been flying off shelves, and it is should be in its third edition now. Without appearing to do PR for Monyoncho, the book, to me, is Kenya’s answer to Robert Kiyosaki’s Rich Dad Poor Dad.
The other authors are Anthony Gitonga, who will be signing his book Pathway to Purpose, and Dare to Dream Again and Best Foot Forward, both written by Fred Geke.
Other authors are Nigerian Tokunboh Adeyemo, the executive director of the Centre for Biblical Transformation, as well as the General editor of Africa Bible Commentary. His books are Africa’s Enigma and Is Africa Cursed?
Children’s author Shel Arensen will also be signing his four books in the Rugendo Rhinos fiction series. The books are The Poison Arrow Tree, The Carjackers, Poachers Beware and The Secret Oath. The event starts at 2.30 p.m. and ends at 4.30 p.m. The books are published by WordAlive Publishers.
Lets meet there.

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Events Issues News Personalities Releases

Ngugi’s new book launched in Nairobi

Kenya’s most celebrated author, Ngugi wa Thiong’o, was in town and there is no way I was going to miss the occasion of launching his newest book, Re-membering Africa. This was yet another opportunity for me to interact with the cream of Kenya’s literary society – who in their right mind would dare miss an event graced by Ngugi?
I am walking to the Alliance Francaise, where the launch is taking place, when Billy Kahora, the Kwani? editor calls me from South Africa. There are some details I wanted clarified on the second edition of Kwani? 5, I am reviewing for the Sunday Nation.
I have particularly strong views on a certain Kwani? writer, which I am including in the review. “I have no problem with what you have to say as long as it is constructive criticism,” Kahora says from the other end of the phone. Hmm…
I am a bit late for the event, as usual, and Henry Chakava, the chairman of East African Educational Publishers (EAEP), Ngugi’s local publishers, is almost halfway into his speech.
My feelings of guilt are banished by the reception I get from Lydia, who is looking particularly hot tonight. Lydia, for those who do not know, is the receptionist at EAEP’s Westlands offices.
As he finishes his speech, Chakava addresses the issue of language in the book being launched. Remember Ngugi had sworn to only write in his Gikuyu language? Is Ngugi backtracking on his vow? “Sometimes it makes sense to tell them (Mzungu) in their own language,” says Chakava as he welcomes Ngugi.
As usual Ngugi welcomes members of his family present. Of particular interest is a young man, in his early twenties, who someone whispers to me, is a product of Ngugi and a Mzungu woman in Sweden. Apparently, the young man must have been conceived in the early years of Ngugi’s exile.
Ngugi then makes a revelation that he is working on his memoirs. The first installment is titled Dreams in a Time of War, which basically talks about his early childhood. Already five publishers around the world have already bought publishing rights of the book! I told you Ngugi was big.
Publishers in the region must envy EAEP. They are automatically assured of rights for Ngugi’s works.
And to appreciate how this relationship came about Ngugi tells of how far he has come with Chakava. At some point Chakava almost had his finger severed for continuing to publish Ngugi at the time when the powers that be wanted nothing to do with him. He is also the man who had to bear with Ngugi’s experimentation in writing in Gikuyu, in spite of repeated warnings from his superiors – then Heineman Educational Publishers in the UK.
Unconfirmed reports say that Ngugi is a major shareholder at EAEP.
Re-membering Africa, is apart of a series of lectures Ngugi gave in 2002, staring with Harvard. In the book he has addressed issues of language. Well aware that his thoughts might spark off heated debates Ngugi said that when people read the book, they will agree, disagree or add onto his ideas. “Most of all, I just wanted to provoke a debate,” he said.
On the issue of language, he said that there is nothing wrong for Africans to learn foreign languages. “However, there is something fundamentally wrong when one identifies with other people’s languages and despises his own language,” he said heatedly, calling that a form of slavery.
He added that to add foreign languages to your own language is to empower oneself. Mnaskia hiyo maneno?
Check this space for a review of this book.
The book was first published early this year by Basic Civitas Books under the title Something Torn and new: An African Renaissance.

Categories
Events News

Finally, the Storymoja Hay Festival

The inaugural edition of the historic Storymoja Hay Festival finally opened yesterday at the Impala Grounds, along Ngong Road. The Impala Grounds have in the last 15 years increasingly grown in stature, made popular by the annual Safari Sevens rugby tournament, but that is a story for a another day.
As I was saying, The Storymoja Hay Festival kicked off yesterday, and the biggest and the best, the literary and artistic community has ever witnessed in Kenya, will be stomping the grounds, harder than the rugby maestros have ever done in a single event.
Before I embark on my story, it’s a hats off to Muthoni Garland, and her tireless team of Storymoja team, who have made sure that this event actually takes off. And I mention names here, Carol Gaithuma, Sheila Ongas, Millie Dok – she actually went to Scotland – Matin Njaga – he of the Brethren of Ng’ondu – Sitawa Namwalie – Cut off my Tongue – , Joshua Ogutu – In the Land of the Kitchen – among others.
How Storymoja managed to convince Hay to partner with them, is something Muthoni will have to tell me. What is it they have done differently? After all the Hay Festival is not your daily Migingo, Mau Forest or Hague for that matter.
So I check in a bit late – 3.30 pm – and the car park is almost full. Er, I came in a matatu, if you must know. The first vehicle I notice is Lawrence Njagi’s SUV. Njagi is the young CEO of Mountain Top Publishers, and the chairperson of the Nairobi International Book Fair. He is here to be in the panel of publishers discussing the sticky subject of whether Kenyans read. Do they?
On my way inside I notice Annette Majanja, the diminutive former Kwani? publicist. I last saw her in September last year, and try as I could I could not get her to tell me where she is working nowadays.
Once inside, the first person I notice is Moraa Gitaa. She can really tell a story, this Moraa. Her book, Crucible for Silver and Furnace for Gold, a mouthful, I must say, is on sale at the Savani’s Book Stand. She tells me that my Friend Onduko bw’ Atebe is also in the house. Atebe’s first book The Verdict of Death won the inaugural Wahome Mutahi Prize for literature in 2006, a really tight book, I must say. Why do I get the feeling that this is one writer, whom the Kenyan literary crowd is yet to appreciate? Maybe Kenyans don’t read after all.
Atebe is with John Mwazemba, the publishing manager of Macmillan Kenya limited, who is also a prolific writer in the papers. He is chairing the discussion on the reading culture. Moraa had told me she was itching to put Mwazemba on the firing line, and I made a mental note of being there when her shot goes off.
Mwazemba is on the phone talking with Tony Mochama, the Smitta. Apparently, Smitta, who is launching his book, The Road to Eldoret, at the Goethe Institut today – will I make it for the launch really – has been promising Mwazemba he is coming to the Festival for the last four hours. Cheeky Smitta.
Its rather chilly – its July anyway – and there are not that many people on the opening day, maybe due to the fact that it is a weekday. I am sure place will be teeming with humanity today and tomorrow, what with all the hype and publicity that has surrounded the event.
People look rather subdued, perhaps due to the cold, but Mburu Kimani, the movie man is just in shirt, something to do with his bodybuilder’s physique. After promising to give me an exclusive of his forthcoming TV series, Mheshimiwa, I move on to the Kenya Burning tent, where they are exhibiting images of the post election violence. I have a copy of the picture book, done by Kwani? and the Godown Arts Centre, but I can’t resist going inside.
There, the pictures, of the various events that accompanied that dark period are hung on the wall, not looking frightening at all. I could not help but notice that most of the pictures tell the story of ODM and PNU, and how its supporters set the country on fire, both literary and metaphorically.
Isn’t it interesting that barely a week ago, Kibaki and Raila, all exuding lovey dovey camaraderie, shared lunch in Raila’s Bondo home, yet their infantile quarrel over votes led to the deaths of more than a thousand Kenyans, shame on them. Oh and Raila and Ruto, his lieutenant then, are not in speaking terms, but for how long?
At the end of the room, I notice that there is an adjoining room, and I can almost guess what is in there. I hadn’t seen any frightening images. It is then that I see the notice, “Viewer Discretion” pinned at the entrance to the small room.
Inside there, I am met by some of the most foul and disturbing images I will ever set my eyes on. All of a sudden, the room gets cramped and stuffy, and I feel sick in my stomach. It’s like a morgue, and yes there is a picture of people viewing bodies inside a morgue. I can almost feel the stench. I am brought back to the present by gasps of horror from the other people watching the images from hell.
These are Kenyans who turned against their fellow Kenyans, all because politicians told them to. My mind rushes back to the day’s headlines. NO Tribunal, Hague – The Standard. Split Cabinet gives up on a special tribunal – Daily Nation. Pictures of Kibaki alongside Raila feature prominently. It is getting increasingly clear that the victims of the post election violence will not be getting any justice any time soon.
I get out of the tent feeling nauseated and angry. My “foul mood” – ala Kibaki – is soon lifted when I see Carol of Storymoja. She has been working tirelessly seeing to it that I am completely updated on the Festival and its refreshing to see her.
She is in the rather shabby looking media tent – I am comparing this with last year’s media tent which came complete with a free tea/coffee and snacks corner. To all ye journalists expect no such freebies this year.
Carol accompanies me and soon we meet Wachuka Mungai, the managing editor of Kwani? Kingwa Kamencu, the writer – To Grasp at a Star – cum literary activist is also there looking absolutely smashing. She promises to buy coffee later. Billy Kahora, the Kwani? editor too is here, and he wants to know if I still remember today’s event, where I am in the panel interviewing Malindi-based visual artiste Richard Onyango.
Around the corner we meet a harassed Muthoni Garland, she’s just been from the main stage making announcements. Surely there should be other MCs helping her out in this event.
Leaving Muthoni behind, we meet James Murua, who had been running a session on Internet dating, accompanied by my two favourite poets, Njeri Wangari, aka the Kenyanpoet and Eudia Kamonjo, They are also bloggers. They are also running their own shows at the Festival. Apart from running his social Nairobiliving.com, Murua is also a columnist with the Nairobi Star, now The Star.
I also see Oyunga Pala, the man behind the popular Man Talk column in the Saturday Nation. He has been running a session on Men Under Attack. He is a former editor of Adam magazine.
From then on my eyes get to behold the various personalities in the literary and art scene, I am somewhat overwhelmed. I can see Parsalelo Kantai, a two time Caine Prize nominee. Mukoma wa Ngugi, also nominated for Caine this year. And why is no one mentioning that he is Ngugi wa Thiong’os son? Or is it that he has come of age and can stand his own? Hmm…
I can also see Ugandan David Kaiza and his compatriot Doreen Baingana, she of Tropical Fish, Movie maker Judy Kibinge, writer Rasna Warah. I also espied Petina Gappah, the Zimbabwean lawyer whose collection of short stories An Elegy for Easterly – a wonderfully written story – is just out. Eh and Richard Onyango is also there. Why did I always conjure up images of him as a tall and muscular person? Well, he is tall alright and er, rather skinny.
Remember, there is also Hanif Kureishi, a renowned filmmaker and author, and bestselling author Vikram Seth. What more could one wish for? Nobel Laureate Wole Soyinka was supposed to have come, but he didn’t. I will tell you that story another day. Our very own Nobel Laureate Wangari Maathai will be there.
Its time to get into the Whether Kenyans read forum and apart from Mwazemba, Njagi and Baingana, there is also Bibi Bakare, who runs Cassava Republic Publishing house in Nigeria. I must have missed Moraa’s firing shot as Billy Kahora calls me to the beer tent to Meet Richard Onyango.
I also meet events cum fashion show organizer Leakey odera, who is all geared up to stage a cat walk later in the evening. I later meet him, looking rather downcast and he tells me that authorities have decreed that everything should close down after 6.30 pm, the killjoys!
It is time go home and Atebe gives me a lift in his Subaru. We discuss business, and heatedly debate Michela Wrong’s controversial book Its our Turn to Eat.
I’ll be back tomorrow. Tune in for another update.

Categories
Events News Personalities

Ngugi bags Man Booker nomination

Kenya’s foremost writer Ngugi wa Thiong’o is among 14 contenders for this year’s Man Booker International Prize. Worth £60,000 to the winner, the prize is awarded every two years to a living author who has published fiction either originally in English or whose work is generally available in translation in the English language.
Ngugi is the only African writer in the list of nominees, who include Nobel winner V.S. Naipaul. The nomination alone is enough proof that Ngugi’s works are rated among the world’s best.
Other nominees for the prize are Peter Carey (Australia), Evan S. Connell (USA)
Mahasweta Devi (India), E.L. Doctorow (USA) , James Kelman (UK), Mario Vargas Llosa (Peru), Arnošt Lustig (Czechoslovakia), Alice Munro (Canada), Joyce Carol Oates (USA), Antonio Tabucchi (Italy), Dubravka Ugresic (Croatia) and Ludmila Ulitskaya (Russia).
This is the third edition of the prize, which was won, in 2005, by Albanian Writer Ismail Kadare, and Nigerian Chinua Achebe, in 2007.
“By honouring Achebe they have redressed what is seen in Africa – and beyond – as the acute injustice that he has never received the Nobel prize, allegedly because he has spent his life struggling to break the grip of western stereotypes of Africa,” said the Guardian in 2007.
The winner is chosen solely at the discretion of the judging panel; there are no submissions from publishers.
Ngugi, whose writing career started 45 years ago decided to stop writing in English when he was detained without trial in 1977. He henceforth decided that would write in Gikuyu. He wrote his latest book Wizard of the Crow (Murogi wa Kagogo) in Gikuyu and later translated it in English.
The book takes a critical look at the often hypocritical relationship between Africa and donor countries. The book appears to suggest that donor funds are actually the main contributors to corruption and dictatorship in Africa, thereby fuelling underdevelopment in the continent.
His other book The River Between is currently a literature set book studied by secondary school students in the country. Ngugi is also a renowned essayist, with Decolonising the Mind: The Politics of language in African Literature and Moving the Centre: The Struggle for Cultural Freedom, receiving international acclaim.
Ngugi was born on 5 January, 1938 in Limuru. He attended Makerere University in Uganda and Leeds University in the UK.
During his tenure as a lecturer at the University of Nairobi, Ngugi was at the center of the politics of English departments in Africa, championing the change of name from English to simply Literature to reflect world literature with African and third world literatures at the center.
The performance of I Will Marry When I Want, a play written with the late Ngugi Wa Mirii, at Kamirithu in Limuru landed him at the Kamiti Maximum prison without trial.
After his release in 1982, he fled to exile, first in Britain and then to the US and only returned to Kenya in 2004. On his return him and his wife Njeeri were attacked by gunmen at their hotel in Nairobi.
In 1992 he became a professor of Comparative Literature and Performance Studies at New York University, where he held the Erich Maria Remarque Chair. He is currently a Distinguished Professor of English and Comparative Literature as well as the Director of the International Centre for Writing and Translation at the University of California, Irvine.
The winner of this year’s Man Booker International Prize will be announced in May 2009, and the winner will be presented with their award at a ceremony in Dublin on 25 June 2009.