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A Site For Readers!
| Monday, December 18, 2006 |
| Kenya 20 years ago |
In a previous article I wrote about the first English literary book to be published in African. If you have not yet read it go to my archives. I came across something equally interesting; the first full feature film to be acted in Kenya, as in the first Kenyan movie. It’s called kolormask. It was officially opened in December 1986 (exactly 20 years ago) during the open of the African film week which was launched by the then vice-president and the minister for home affairs Mr. Mwai Kibaki. The film was first shown at the Nairobi cinema. It took five years to make the movie. It was produced and directed by Sao Gamba.
The movie is about Kenya’s social and cultural struggle. It tells of the plight of an African medical graduate who returns to Kenya after staying in London for 15 years, with a white wife and two children. The story shows the cultural dilemma the family faces as they try to fit in.
Still on the arts 20 years ago the former president of Kenya Daniel arap Moi launched his book; Kenya African nationalism, published by the Macmillan publishers. This was at a ceremony in the state house Nairobi. Present was the then vice president Mwai Kibaki and other KANU officials. Moi dedicated the book to the children and youth of Kenya. He said he was inspired to write the book by his love of humanity. He wanted to share his ideas with Kenyans.
Now to infrastructure; we all know it but ignore it, or simply dismiss it. To most of us it is just an abstract structure with no meaning. It is the Kenya symbol of unity which was officially opened 20 years ago, more precisely December 10th. It is located at the Langata's Uhuru gardens. It cost 10 million shillings to make that structure. It is 33m tall and was designed by a Mr. Hameed Mughal. It is supposed to depict Nyayo's philosophy of harambee and patriotism.
Just a small by the way; the word harambee was ofiicialy coined by the late, and the first president of the republic of Kenya, Mzee Jomo Kenyatta.
Wonder why there are job shortages not only in Kenya but all over Africa. This is because 20 years ago 60% of African population was below the age of 16. This means that they are now between the ages of 20 to 36, if we hold all else constant. This is Africa’s working force.
Did you know that 20 years ago (December 1986) there was a competition for Kenya’s national dress? The wining dress was to be the Kenya national dress. I wonder what happened to it because it was just recently all Kenyans were concerned and were busy looking for a national dress.
Now let’s go to entertainment. Want to go back 20 years? These are the movies that you should be watching this festive season.
Delta Park. Featuring chuck Norris. This is for some good old fashioned action, where the hero never gets hurt, and saves things just at the nick of time.
Top gun, featuring Tom Cruise. (action)
Rock IV, featuring Sylvester Stallone. (action)
Cobra, featuring Sylvester Stallone. (action)
Tarzan and the ape. For some good old fashioned adventure.
The colour purple. Featuring Oprah Winfrey. For some deep drama.
The black cauldron. For some cartoon
The above movies were what were hitting the big screens 20 years ago. |
posted by milayetu @ 3:29 AM  |
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| HIV/AIDS in East Africa |
Exactly 20yrs ago (1986) there were only 250 reported cases of AIDS in Kenya and there were 38 deaths related to this disease. This number included Kenyans and foreigners mostly from neighbouring countries. Majority of them aged between 20 to 35. this study was prompted by reports from a London based institute; Pano, which claimed that 88% of prostitutes in Nairobi had Aids. The reports also alleged that AIDS has its origins in Africa. The government decided to carry out a research to prove the allegations wrong. Facts show that the first case of Aids was in the Western world. The only difference is that it spreads faster in Africa than in the west.
Statistics of AIDS year as at 2005/2006.
In East Africa, Kenya has the second largest number of people living with AIDS. The leading is Tanzania. Below are the statistical facts;
Tanzania no. of people 1,400,000 Deaths 140,000
Kenya no. of people 1,300,000 Deaths 140,000
Uganda no. of people 1,000,000 Deaths 91,000
Sudan no. of people 350,000 Deaths 34,000
Somalia no. of people 44,000 Deaths 4,000
The number of women infected by HIV/AIDS is higher than men in all five countries. Kenyan women are leading. Below are the statistical facts;
Women men
Kenya women 740,000 men 460,000
Tanzania women 710,00 men 0590,000
Uganda women 520,000 men 380,000
Sudan women 180,000 men 140,000
Somalia women 23,000 men 17,000
Statistics for ethiopia as at 2006 could not be found |
| posted by milayetu @ 2:49 AM |
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| Thursday, December 14, 2006 |
| HIV/AIDS AWARENESS MONTH |
MAKE IT YOUR GOAL TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE, MAKE IT YOUR GOAL TO CREATE AWARENESS. DO NOT DISCRIMINATE, HIV/AIDS DOES NOT DISCRIMINATE. |
| posted by milayetu @ 12:08 AM |
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| Wednesday, December 13, 2006 |
| The man of the house |
He quickly throws down his bundle of books, removes the only pair of uniform he has, and neatly but hurriedly folds it away. He is not going to wash them; washing will only make them wear out faster. The uniform is only washed once a week, or when it is visibly dirty. He goes out to the shed and picks up his guiding stick. It is a hot afternoon and he has to go out and graze the three cows they have.
He is the first borne of the family and the man of the house. His father is dead, died of some disease. He does not know much about this disease, they told him it is called HIV and AIDS. He wonders which is which. They told him he is too young to be told more, that he will learn more of this disease when he grows older.
He does not feel the loss of his father, after all he barely knew him. He saw him once a month or sometimes once in three months. Mother told him father is a busy man, who works in the big city and sends them money, but now father is dead, and he is left with five siblings. He is only thirteen but he is the first borne and the man of the house.
He grabs his guiding stick and runs to the field. He has to release his mother from her morning shift. See they take turns. His mother grazes the cattle in the morning while he is at school, and in the afternoon he takes over. He can’t afford to take afternoon classes. His mother has to go and look for food for their evening meal, which will also be their breakfast. See now, they can’t afford to have all three, or four, or five meals in a day.
In the evening he guides the cattle back to the worn out shed, which is at the brink of falling apart. He makes sure his siblings have eaten first, “they are young,” he says, “They need the food more”. It is only then that he will sit down to eat.
After everyone has gone to sleep he grabs the kerosene lamp they have and goes to a corner. Careful not to disturb the rest with the light. He brings it closer to the pages, he has to remind himself what he had been taught that morning. The boy has a dream and believes in struggling to achieve that dream, he believes he is the only hope for the family, he believes he is the man of the house.
As he blows out the lamp after reading, and as he crawls on to his bed a sisal mat, he considers himself lucky. He knows there are those worse than him. One can’t help wondering how those worse than him survive. |
| posted by milayetu @ 11:47 PM |
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| find your theme |
Theme
There is a theme in each opus
And in the theme joy and sorrow echo in turns
When one has captured the clear cut shape
Of the theme
An unparalleled masterpiece may be born
There are themes to human life
And when one has discovered his own particular theme
And s an actor given it the fullest expression,
A mighty dream may be born
This thing called life-
With sweat and thoughtfulness,
As a novelist writes a novel,
With sweat and perseverance,
As a painter plies his brush,
Seated before the blank paper of the instant
And the future,
One creates a new portrait of oneself-
It is a vigorous task to be engaged
Daisaku Ikeda
This is a poem that I think everyone should internalise. But I place this message with the girl child in mind. I stress this because I believe the girl has a huge burden placed on her and her role in the development of society has been greatly undermined and limited.
There is a theme in each and every one of us. We are all here for a purpose; we all have unique talents and skills. It is important for which one to have dreams or at least a dream. The journey to the fulfilment of these dreams is not easy. The process of sharpening these talents will not be smooth. There will be ups and downs. So do don’t quickly give up when faced with a low period in life. The low periods are there to make us appreciate the high periods in life.
Once we capture the clear cut shape of our dreams and talents and work on perfecting them as much as is humanly possible, we will be an unparalleled masterpieces. According to Maslows hierarchy of needs we will have reached self actualisation. We will have found our purpose in life, and thus be able to appreciate life and help others discover themselves. Its called living life the fullest.
The tricky part is discovering your dreams and talent. One needs to pay close attention to ones self. Discover your strengths and acknowledge your weaknesses. Once you have discovered your strengths give them the fullest expression. All this as the poet plainly yet vividly puts, requires sweat and perseverance.
It is a life long commitment; it is living life. |
| posted by milayetu @ 11:41 PM |
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| poetry for the soul |
A journey begins
Not with the first step
But with the mental decision
To make the first step
On the road
There are many hazards
Roadblocks and careless drivers
Safety is a necessity
There are those
Who will stop you with no fault
And demand a bribe
Do not fret, keep going
There are those
Who will try to push you off the road
There are those
Who will try to overtake you
Do not fret keep going
There are those
Who will arrogantly and loudly hoot at you
When you make a mistake
Do not worry, do not beat yourself up
Do not fret keep going
And when you cover a milestone
Do not forget to stop and look back
And give yourself a pat
For having come this far, because
You did not fret, you kept going. |
| posted by milayetu @ 11:38 PM |
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| Friday, December 01, 2006 |
| Equality Through Education |
In Africa societies it is a common fact that women are undermined in almost all areas of life except the kitchen and their role in the family circle. A lot has been said about the right to women being given equal opportunities as men in all areas of life. As this is said a very important aspect must not be overlooked, education. Women should use education as a tool to fight for those positions and jobs that have been branded “men only” by the patriarchal society. Girls should not be denied the right to education despite the circumstances they find themselves in. There are many incidences that occur in which young girls get pregnant in school, and that pregnancy marks the end of their education. Parents quickly marry them off, in the name of covering the 'shame'. And what about that man or boy that made the girl pregnant? What embarrassing mark does he bare? A huge burden is placed on young girls. From childhood the girl is taught that she is different from the boy; that the boy is stronger than she is, that there are some things that a boy can do and get away with it but not her. She is taught that there are subjects that if she does not do well in she is excused because she is a girl. When she fails she should know that she needs to work harder, the fact that she is a girl should not be an excuse for failing. If this is not done as the girl grows up, she grows knowing that there is always someone better than her, someone she can depend on; the man.
By providing equality in education the girls grow up knowing that there are not different from the boys. They will therefore not shy off from challenging positions in life, positions branded by the patriarchal society as "men only". There will be no need of spending so much money in informing women that they are equaly as capable as men when it comes to leadership positions. We now even have women presidents in Africa. Education is the hammer to use to break this stigmatisation faced by women. Strike when the iron is hot, that is when the women are just young girls. Mould these young girls and help them realise the potential they have, and few years from now inequality based on gender will be a thing of the past. |
| posted by milayetu @ 2:26 AM |
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