Beyond the Nakumatt Generation

“Addressing the concerns of the poorest households and facilitating the inclusion of smallholders in modern distribution chains should be a priority in all East African countries.”
(“Beyond the Nakumatt Generation: Distribution Services in East Africa“, World Bank Policy Note No. 26, Oct 2011)

Talking about videos from Kenya, here is another – totally unrelated – one about a revolting teenager:

Do It Yourself, The Art Of Being Punk

Oh, and the art of browsing Vimeo & Co. for original Kenyan content is to exclude those vids produced by religious Wazungu Churches with their “Coming to Africa and doing good”-approaches that either show some slum dwellers or other poor groups in rural areas. It’s also the reason why I like this last video: even though it shows a household and protected childhood that probably only a small percentage of Kenyans have enjoyed, it’s the other side of Kenya that I have in mind when I talk about Kenya.

(“Blue Band Generation” is a play on the 1990s Kenya)

Coming back to my satirical he-said-she-said piece on Pirate Party Kenya, I think there’s 80% truth in it and that Kenya could also use such a modern political party. And this although I also believe that democracy as such still isn’t the best option for today’s Kenya, at least not when it comes to the way it has been implemented in the past and when we look at the historical structure of societies in East Africa.

I am not a member of the Pirate Party Germany because I am trying to be independent and have in the past also contributed to Germany’s first hyperlocal project frankfurt-gestalten.de (which is similar to Mzalendo.com, but for (the City of) Frankfurt am Main only and is more about republishing open data (e.g. hansards from the local parliament) and capturing citizen voices) and have as such tried to keep a neutral position.

I have, however, voted for Pirate Party during the last two local (German) elections because of the following reason(s).

I also voted for them because I am convinced of their concept. You’ll have to understand that about 95% of the German media are currently trying to brand us floating voters as “protest voters“, who voted for the Pirate Party out of protest. This is SO wrong and I am strongly opposed to this limited point of view! The problem is: most of the media didn’t get it. As much as they never understood the need to update their views on the law which regulates the use of (online) content. What’s a free and open media when they are too stupid to understand a completely different approach to politics? A new approach that also requires a different benchmarking system if we are to compare the new option with the traditional alternatives. And please remember: Germany already saw the introduction of the Greens Party (“Die Grünen”) in the early 1980s, so our society here is already familiar with new approaches.

I am calling the Pirate movement a modern party because I strongly believe that their structure is the logical consequence of what the internet has brought us so far. Such as an international and timely response on open issues that have in the past only been dealt with by a relatively small group. I see it as a response to the success of the internet – this world wide network that is as revolutionary as letterpress, radio and television combined. The understanding of the impact the internet has on all of us probably is something that many of the critics do not really want to acknowledge. As such, with new structures that introduced a completely new concept in communication, it’s also about time for a new and different system. Either way, it just happens, whether you like it or not. I also don’t like everything they put on Wikipedia, yet I often use it like many others.

What makes Pirates Party special to me is the integration of modern tools and a completely different understanding of grassroots democracy – something we already know from the internet. “Liquid feedback” is such a system and piece of software that collects voices and forwards votes to a person in the system that has more competence on a particular subject. Everyone can cast his vote on all issues or delegate his vote to someone else. It’s still a relatively new approach, but the one that makes the difference to me.  This alone – the different understanding of TRUE democracy – is reason enough for me to give them my vote.

It is also this understanding why I just laugh at critics who are asking me on “how can you vote for the Pirates – they don’t even have a political agenda next to their internet stuff??! 1!11″. Most critics just repeat what they read somewhere.

And the Pirate name? Well, both in Kenya and Germany, many if not all political parties seem to have names that don’t hold true to 95% of their daily business. Maybe the Anarchist Pogo Party of Germany (founded in 1981 by two punks) is one of the few that is as consequent in their approaches as the name dictates.  So either way you may want to interpret the name and how it qualifies for a better marketing strategy (given that it sounds a bit anarchic to most conservative voters), it probably only matters for marketing reasons and as such, it isn’t the worst.

In a recent election in two different states within Germany, the German Piratenpartei scored between 7 and almost 9%, thereby securing a few seats in local parliaments. They currently have over 23.000 (!) members in Germany, which is quite a lot for such a young party. Something tells me that a) they are doing it right, b) the interest to engage in local politics isn’t dead and as important as it has always been and c) not all of their members are the stereotypical IT folks with long hair who are into Terry Pratchett and/or have a paranoid fear of everything Google Inc. does. All these members, rich and poor, old and young certainly aren’t engaging for the protest only.

It is for these reasons alone, but also for many unmentioned more that I would to see politics adopting more structures that correspond to the technological framework we currently experience on our planet. New structures that enable crowdsourced project approaches, something that will hopefully also change the way we perceive to live in urban communities (e.g. a modernized infrastructure that plays along with our needs, not the other way round as it has been in the past). Pirate Party as such may not be the best option with all its typical start-up problems, but it’s the one that works and that’s all that matters to me at the moment. If we could have the same in Kenya, I’d be very happy!

Famous former Kenyan blogger, techpreneur and writer Kahenya Kamunyu today announced the formation of Pirate Party Kenya.

In a festive event at Tribe Hotel, Mr. Kahenya said that Pirate Party Kenya has now been officially registered according to Chapter 7 (a) of the Political Parties Act as a Political Party in Kenya.

Pirate Party International

Pirate Party must not be mistaken for the Eastleigh-based Pirates Ransoms Association (PRA) or the Give Enough Money Association (GEMA), but is instead a Political Party which has of late been successful in different countries such as Scandinavia or German.

Mr. Kahenya today said that the motivation for the formation of the Kenyan branch of Pirate Party came from reading the late Wahome Mutahi’s “How to be Kenyan” which reminded him of the core values within the Kenyan society: good leadership, quick wins and a rich nation.

According to an Internet database, the Pirate Parties support civil rights, direct democracy and participation, reform of copyright and patent law, free sharing of knowledge (Open Content), data privacy, transparency, freedom of information, free education and universal healthcare.

Pirate Party Kenya will be the first Pirate Party branch in Sub Sahara Africa, with Morocco and Tunisia being the other two Up Sahara African countries where Pirate Parties exist, albeit unregistered. This will make Pirate Party Kenya unique on the continent and will underline the important role it will play for the region, Mr. Kamunyu said.

Interested members of the public and all members of Kenya’s famous tech incubator iHub are asked to join and register with Pirate Party Kenya as of today, Mr. Kahenya said.

Upcoming elections

Mr. Kahenya also said that he is going to run for the presidential seat in 2012.

After a quick enquiry via the Nation’s Social Media back channel Twitter, many Kenyan Twitter celebrities welcomed this announcement and said they will support Mr. Kahenya and even vote for him in the upcoming elections.

Twitter is an instant message service similar to SMS and has recently been announced as the official successor to SMS by Safaricom’s pleasant CEO Bob Collymore. In a press announcement via Twitter earlier this week, Mr. Collymore said that his company will offer special Twitter packages and is already in talks with Twitter Inc. in California for a zero costs access service.

Bandwidth, bandwidth, bandwidth

Pirate Party Kenya, Mr. Kamunyu said, will also focus on bandwidth problems which have of late been an issue in the upcoming ICT industry in Kenya’s striving capital Nairobi. “We will actually work for bandwidth“, Mr. Kamunyu said. “Interested IT companies will receive a reduced membership fee for their employees and are also encouraged to pay via stable bandwidth, airtime credits or local content“, he said.

“Pirate Party Kenya will also advocate for Free and Open Software in Kenya and ask the Government of Kenya to introduce a secure web-based email service for all public servants. This will also ensure productivity at various parastatal offices which are often affected by malware and other security issues.”, Mr. Kahenya said.

Mr Kahenya also said that “in a country where you can already pay your rent, your electricity, internet and water bills via mobile payment systems, it is about time to have a modern political party which addresses the needs of all stakeholders. Pirate Party Kenya will stand for these rights and will ensure that Kenyans are prepared for the global competition.
Furthermore, we encourage everyone who is fed up with the current political spectrum to give us his vote as we also provide democracy at a very basic level. All our members can directly vote for a candidate and it is this democratic basis that ensures stability in the long run”.

In a direct response via Facebook, famous Kenyan writer Binyavanga Wainaina said that he will name one of the characters in his upcoming novel “Kahenya”. Mr Wainaina is currently crowdsourcing fictional characters for a novel on a Kenyan who becomes a Swahili star in popular Nollywood movies. It is said to be the first true piece of pan-African fiction after the remains of Muammar al-Gaddafi’s diaries (“United States of Africa”) where found in a sewage pipe in Sirte, Libya in October 2011. Binya, as he is commonly known among his fans, said that “I support Kahenya Kamunyu’s introduction of the Pirate Party system in Kenya because Pirate Party Kenya will play an important role for the acknowledgement of Intellectual Property Rights which have always been an issue in most African societies due to historical reasons.”.

Meanwhile, the website of Pirate Party Kenya could not be reached at the time we went to press. “We are currently experiencing technical problems with the load balancer”, Mr Kahenya said in a telephone interview. “This, however, also is a good sign as it clearly shows the demand for a Pirate Party in Kenya”, he said.

Jahrelange Korruption und Missbrauch von staatlicher Gewalt haben trotz einer erstarkenden Mittelklasse auch immer weiter dazu geführt, dass die Kluft zwischen Arm und Reich immer größer und deutlicher wird.

Gelder, die für den Aufbau des Landes gedacht waren, flossen in die falschen Taschen. Innenpolitische Machtkämpfe führen immer wieder zu Verlusten, vor allem bei der armen Bevölkerung.

Kenia ist ein wunderschönes Land voller innerer Spannungen und Gegensätze, es befindet sich im Aufbruch in eine neue Zeit, in der die selbstbewusste Jugend eigene Erfolge verbucht und – verführt von ausländischen Investoren aus China und Russland – ihr Anlagevermögen vermehrt.

Der Mobilfunksektor boomt mit seiner Vorreiterrolle – seit Mai 2010 gibt es in der Hauptstadt Nairobi einen eigenen Inkubator, der gleichzeitig als Treffpunkt aller IT-Spezialisten dient. Die Stadt Nairobi platzt irgendwie aus allen Nähten – was wenig verwundert, denn sie wurde nie auf die ständig wachsende Einwohnerzahl ausgelegt: einen aktuellen Masterplan zur Stadtentwicklung gibt es nicht.

Seine Entwicklung ist auch seiner geopolitischen Lage zu verdanken – Kenia gilt mit seinen Häfen und seiner internationalen Anbindung auch als wichtiges Zentrum internationaler Politik. Zwei UN Programme (UN-Habitat & UNEP) haben dort ihr Hauptquartier.

Bei dieser idealen Ausgangslage könnte man also davon ausgehen, dass Kenia wie jedes andere Land in der Lage sein sollte, seine internen Probleme selber zu regeln.

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Spendenwerbung mit afrikanischen Kindern, gerade zur Weihnachtszeit, war schon wiederholt Gegenstand der Diskussion in diesem Blog (hier, hier, hier, hier und hier).

Diese international als “poverty porn” bezeichnete Methode empfinde ich als falsch, da sie nur weiter das falsche Afrikabild nährt und dunkelhäutige Kinder visuell mit den Begriffen Armut, Elend und Hunger gleichstellt.

Wieso sehen wir bei den Spendenaktionen von UNICEF & Co. keine Bilder von – weißen – unterernährten & geschlagenen & zugedröhnten Kindern aus Moskau, die in der Kanalisation hausen? Oder von den vielen, täglich vernachlässigten armen Kindern in Deutschland?

Der Aufruf zum Spenden kommt für mich in der deutschen Gesellschaft oft einem modernen Ablasshandel gleich, zumindest wenn auf diese rhetorischen Mittel zurückgegriffen wird.

Dabei ist Spenden eine sehr feine Sache und sollte hierzulande viel selbstverständlicher werden! Mein Vater musste mit seinen Geschwistern nach dem 2. Weltkrieg auch monatelang “stoppeln” gehen, also die Früchte vom Feld auflesen (oder eben klauen), weil sie nichts zu Essen hatten. Ohne die gütliche Hilfe Anderer wären sie wohl damals nicht über die Runden gekommen und ich würde nicht diese Zeilen schreiben können. Folglich sind alle Menschen, die ohne eigenen Nutzen anderen Menschen helfen (gelebter Altruismus, sofern erwünscht), in meiner eigenen Wertschätzungsskala ganz weit oben. Die eigene Motivation (“ich mache das weil sonst keiner hilft”, “ich mache das damit ich mich besser fühle”, “ich spende weil es mir auch mal dreckig ging”, etc.) bleibt dabei jedem selber überlassen.

Im Folgenden möchte ich nach dieser Einleitung aber doch erwähnen, wieso ich trotz meiner Ablehnung des poverty porns, der vielen Nichtregierungsorganisationen in Kenia und der gegenwärtigen Übersättigung mit Spendenaktionen das folgende Projekt für sehr gut befunden habe und nach Möglichkeit aus der Ferne unterstütze:

The Nest Home

screenshot der The Nest Home Website

Das Nest Home “..ist ein Programm zur Prävention und zur Wiedereingliederung für Kinder in Not und deren inhaftierter Mütter in Kenia.”

“Programm” ist hier eigentlich eher der Übersetzung des englischen Begriffes zu schulden, denn es ist keineswegs ein staatliches Programm, sondern ein privates Hilfprojekt mit deutschem Trägerverein im Hintergrund und als eingetragene Stiftung in Kenia registriert.

Dass dieses Projekt überhaupt als Stiftung bzw. Nichtregierungsorganisation in Kenia anerkannt wurde, ist nur dem unermüdlichen Druck der Hauptverantwortlichen und Initiatorin des Projekts, Frau Irene Baumgartner, zu verdanken, die mit ihren Mitstreitern unentwegt, d.h. an 24h am Tag und fast 365 Tagen im Jahr für das Wohlergehen der Kinder sorgt. Da die Mitarbeiter des Nests zur Ablehnung jeglicher Korruption angehalten sind, dauern einige bürokratische Prozesse auf staatlicher Seite oft länger als eigentlich notwendig. Und das, obwohl der Sinn und Zweck dieses Kinder-aufname-heimes nur darin besteht, den in Haft befindlichen Müttern und gelegentlich auch den vielen (!!) Findelkindern eine liebevolle Unterkunft (eben “The Nest”) zu bieten. Es handelt sich um einen Dienst an der kenianischen Gesellschaft, die immer stärker mit offenen Armen bei diesem Projekt mithilft und seinen Wert erkannt hat. Umso erfreulicher ist es dann auch, wenn Adoptionen innerhalb Kenias – z.B. durch kinderlose kenianische Ehepaare – erfolgen können.

Das Nest Kinderheim mit seinen Häusern (mehr dazu auf der Homepage) ist für mich eine wirklich sehr gelungene Einrichtung, die es im Idealfall natürlich überhaupt nicht geben sollte. Es muss sie aber geben, weil es in einer Welt von Gewinnern auch ebenso viele Verlierer gibt, die in ihrer Not oft auf sich selbst gestellt sind. Hartz IV? Gibt es nicht in Kenia.

So zum Beispiel junge & alleinerziehende Mütter, die beim Handeln auf der Straße von der Polizei erwischt und aufgrund einer fehlenden (da teuren & aufwendigen) Geschäftslizenz / Geschäftsausstattung (z.B. kein Verkauf von Lebensmitteln ohne Schürze) eingesperrt wurden. Und die Kinder? Kommen mit ins Gefängnis. Oder verwahrlosen tagelang alleine im Wellblechverschlag, bis sie von den Nachbarn oder den Sozialarbeitern – die Füsse voller Würmer – ganz zufällig entdeckt werden. Es ist ein Teufelskreis, weil die Menschen teilweise aus Not, teilweise aus eigener Dummheit ins Gefängnis kommen und die Kinder darunter zu leiden haben.

Ebenso gibt es auch die traurige, aber wahre Geschichte des kleinen Jungen, der von seiner Mutter in die Toilette geworfen wurde, weil sie zu jung und unfähig war, für ihn zu sorgen. Was macht man in so einer Situation? Wie hilft man? Und ist es nicht ein Fass ohne Boden, wenn es in einer sich wandelnden Konsumgesellschaft immer mehr zur sozialen Verwahrlosung kommt? Wem hilft man? Und wem hilft man nicht?

In der Regel werden die Kinder für die Dauer der Inhaftierung der Mütter bzw. der Eltern aufgenommen und neuerdings auch schulisch ausgebildet. Im Anschluss daran gibt es eine Rehabilitierungsmöglichkeit für die jungen Mütter, wo sie in einer ruhigen Umgebung an der Ausbildung ihrer Fähigkeiten arbeiten können. Wenn das jemand als private Entwicklungshilfe (-zusammenarbeit) oder Diakonie bezeichnen möchte – so be it. Wichtig ist mir, dass sich jemand um all diese Menschen kümmert, ihnen Halt gibt (weil es sonst niemand tut) und dafür Unterstützung bekommt.

10 Minuten Video über das Nest Home in Limuru, Kenya

Die Website des The Nest Home in Limuru (Vorort von Nairobi) in Kenia läuft in einem Unterordner auf meinem Uhuru.de Server und ich unterstütze die Arbeit des Nests hier aus der Ferne über diese technische Seite. Manchmal schicke ich auch ein paar alte (aber noch funktionsfähige bzw. von mir reparierte) Handys zur Familie Baumgartner nach Nairobi, weil man in einem Land wie Kenia – trotz des Reichtums einiger Weniger! – auch diese Dinge gebrauchen bzw. verkaufen kann. Das ist nicht gerade viel und ich würde gerne mehr für das Nest machen: der Unterhalt des Kinderheimes verursacht jeden Monat hohe Kosten. Alleine schon die Krankenhauskosten für kranke Kinder sind so dermaßen hoch, dass man nur ganz direkt nach einem Zahlungserlass bitten kann und auch muss, weil es anders gar nicht zu stemmen wäre. Gesundheit kostet Geld – auch in Deutschland ist die soziale Absicherung für Menschen ohne Aufenthaltspapiere trotz des Grundrechts auf Gesundheit nicht viel besser.

Selber aktiv werden

Meine Motivation zur Hilfe ist nicht das Mitleid mit den tragischen Einzelschicksalen der Kinder – jeder hat seine eigene, oft traurige Geschichte – sondern weil ich diesen Kindern das Familienleben/Gruppenleben und die Geborgenheit ermöglichen möchte, die andere als selbstverständlich betrachten und die ihnen genauso zusteht. Im Gegensatz zu ihren Eltern rutschen sie meist unverschuldet in diese Situation und werden dann der Möglichkeiten beraubt, die ihnen den Rahmen für eine erfolgreiche Entwicklung bieten. Beim wem, wenn nicht bei den Kindern, sollte Hilfe ansetzen?

In der Vergangenheit gab es auch schon diverse Helfer aus Deutschland und den USA, die im Nest Home in Limuru ehrenamtlich ausgeholfen haben (alles selber bezahlt, kein warmes Wasser, etc.), oder aber eine Solaranlage oder ein tolles Kinderklettergerüst errichtet haben. Ohne diese Hilfe von Außen – von Ausländern, aber auch von Kenianern! – wäre das Nest Home Projekt sicherlich nicht zu dem geworden, was es jetzt ist.

Ich habe daher beschlossen, den Jahreserlös des erst vor Kurzem auf meinem Blog eingeführten “Flattr.com“-Buttons (bei dem sich registrierte Nutzer/Blogger gegenseitig Guthaben zuweisen können, d.h. man legt zu Monatsbeginn einen Betrag fest und dieser wird dann am Monatsende durch Anzahl der Klicks geteilt) an das Nest zu überweisen. Das ist jetzt nicht sonderlich viel (derzeit 1.31 EUR), weil die Flattr Funktion meiner Meinung nach vor allem in der deutschsprachigen Blogosphere bekannt ist, es den Flattr Dienst noch nicht so lange gibt, erst seit kurzem auf meinem Blog richtig aktiv ist (zwischenzeitlich deaktiviert) und weil mein Blog eher international erscheint & ich nur selten Beiträge auf Deutsch verfasse. Aber dennoch – vielleicht kommt ja so einiges zusammen. Selbstverständlich wird es zu dieser Aktion auch ein Update zur Schlussüberweisung geben.

Auf der Website des Nests war eigentlich auch mal ein Paypal Spendenbutton angedacht – viele Unterstützer des Nests wohnen zB. in den USA, für die die Bezahlung via Paypal bequemer wäre. Aufgrund administrativer Abläufe wie Schwierigkeiten beim Ausstellen einer Spendenquittung für Onlineüberweisungen wurde dies aber erstmal nicht umgesetzt. Ebenso haben wir (wir = die ehrenamtliche Verwalterin der Nest Home Website und ich) auf die üblichen Mittel des Social Media Zirkusses wie Facebook und Twitter weitgehend verzichtet. Es gibt zwar mittlerweile eine Facebookseite und sogar eine Initiative von US-amerikanischen Filmemacherinnen, die einen Dokumentationsfilm über das Nest erstellen möchten, aber… aber viel Erfolg führt auch leider oft zu vielem Neid. Neid, den man bei der täglichen Arbeit nicht gebrauchen kann. Neid bei den lokalen Ansprechpartnern in staatlichen Einrichtungen, weil da eine Deutsche quasi im Alleingang und mit Hilfe potenzieller Geldgeber und vieler Freiwilliger ein Projekt aus der Taufe gehoben hat, das so viel Sinn macht und gut ist. Und bei dem es kaum vorstellbar ist (aus kenianischer Sicht), wieso jemand seine ganze Lebensenergie ohne Eigennutz in so ein Projekt steckt.

Spendern, die es gut meinen und die helfen wollen, muss man daher manchmal vor den Kopf stoßen, weil zu viel Hilfe teilweise genau das Gegenteil bewirken kann. Zum Wohle der Kinder eher weniger herumtrommeln und dafür weniger Missgunst vor Ort ernten. Die o.g. internen Machtkämpfe in Kenia gibt es nicht nur in der Politik!

Jedenfalls: ich finde dieses The Nest Home Projekt sehr gut; ich unterstütze es technisch; ich unterstütze es weil es Menschen aus meinen beiden Heimaten Deutschland und Kenia involviert; ich weiß, dass die Gelder alle gut ankommen und direkt verwertet werden; ich weiß dass die Verwaltungskosten (overhead costs) im Gegensatz zu manch anderen Projekten aufgrund sinnvoller Investitionen relativ gering sind und ich weiß, dass dieses Projekt aus rein altruistischen Stücken von einer mehr als engagierten Persönlichkeit geführt wird, die hier nicht ihren Afrikatraum verwirklichen möchte, sondern dort hilft wo Hilfe wirklich gebraucht wird.

Ich möchte daher jeden Leser dieses Blogbeitrages bitten, entweder die Flattr-Funktion unterhalb dieses Blogbeitrages zu benutzen, oder aber für dieses Projekt auf eines der hier angegebenen Konten zu spenden.

Für eine dauerhafte Unterstützung gibt es auch einen Förderverein in Oldenburg, den “Tunza Dada e.V.”, dessen Mitglieder mit ihren 6,- EUR Monatsbeiträgen die 38 Gehälter des Projekts finanzieren und Sonderzahlungen wie z.B. Reparaturen an den Gebäuden oder dringende Neuanschaffungen ermöglichen. Der Verein hat derzeit 171 Mitglieder und 200 fördernde Nicht-Mitglieder.

Herzlichen Dank!

Juergen “Kikuyumoja” Eichholz (@jke)
Frankfurt am Main, 11.12.2010

update:
Wie angekündigt habe ich den gesamten Jahreserlös via Flattr von meinem Blog ans Nest überwiesen. Allen Spendern ein herzliches Dankeschön!

“Sie kaufen, wir spenden!”

Der kenianische Präsident Mwai Kibaki hat ein höheres Jahresgehalt als z.B. Barack Obama, Angela Merkel oder auch Jacob Zuma.

Vom Premierminister und den vielen (nutzlosen, da inaktiven) Parlamentsabgeordneten und ihren Jahresgehältern ganz zu schweigen.

Deswegen brauchen wir Spenden (“Eine Schulmahzeit hat einen Wet von 20 Cent”) für die Schüler. Weil korrupte Politiker lieber Grundnahrungsmittel & Anbaufläche für einen Gewinn ins Ausland verkaufen und nachhaltige Landwirtschaft (mit allem was dazugehört) auch in Kenia immer noch ein Fremdwort ist.

“Also to be discussed will be the effect on food security of existing land tenure systems and lease/sale of agricultural land to foreign investors “It is hoped that the conference will lead to more informed discussions on food security concerns among important stakeholders, including national and regional parliaments, so that sustainable agricultural development is placed at the centre of investment decision making,” she said.” (Quelle)

GROSSE SPENDENAKTION! !!!1!11! (5 Tage lang)

Ich halte von dieser Aktion überhaupt nichts. Und: wieso gibt es so etwas nicht mal für die Kinderarmut in Deutschland?

(filed under: poverty porn, misguided & embarrassing activism, wrong dev aid policies, disgusting corporate social responsibility)

Just a few minutes ago I found the following images within Google Maps and took some screenshots because I just can’t figure out why there are these detailed shots of the scenery (south of Embu in Kenya). Maybe you know? Is this some sort of highway to-be-built?

Heck, you can even count the plants. This is an amazingly detailed view, imo (2m vs. 5m in e.g. Frankfurt).

In chronolocigal order, just because some of them are so true. Incomplete, mixed-up list as of 08. September, lunch time, RTs (re-tweets) not included. Enjoy + pls feel to add some more, either via a comment or via Twitter.

• @zionafrika #youknowyourKenyan when you arrest all youngest with dread locks for the clam that they are mungiki member
• @jke #youknowyourKenyan When a conversation with another Kenyan goes like this: “Ah, so you’re from Kenya? Where from?”
• @jke #youknowyourKenyan in the diaspora when your folks in Nbo only call you to ask for kitu kidogo or for that *urgent* Paypal transaction
• @Udisco #youknowyourkenyan when you call every City/Town Council “Kanjo”…
• @jamesmurua #youknowyourkenyan When your roadside maindi dealer doesn’t have pili pili and you raise a hissy fit.
• @bytebandit #youknowyourKenyan when you meet a childhood playmate who had one of those nicknames e.g. toi, boi, mdogo etc
• @mkaigwa #youknowyourkenyan when you call your daughter “Mum” and your son “Daddy” #buthowwouldiknowidonthavekids?
• @majiwater #youknowyourkenyan when customer serivce agents always have an excuse and blatantly deny responsibility for not delivering service.
• @tchenya #youknowyourkenyan when All children have annoying nicknames. (bebi, toi, boi, kadogo, nyako, dadie, toto, kanono, twig)
• @tchenya #youknowyourkenyan when u don’t have genuine containers or utensils, you only use margarine, ice-cream Blue band, Kasuku, Kimbo
• @africafeed #youknowyourkenyan If @coldtusker and @Kahenya accuse you of corruption.
• @majiwater #youknowyourkenyan when ‘no’ or ‘I dont know’ dont exist in your vocab. You always have an idea or always an expert.
• @majiwater #youknowyourkenyan when recycled and repackaged ‘visions’ and ‘dev plans’ since independence still give you hope of a brighter future
• @mountainous @youknowyourkenyan when you belive that voting for the same clowns every year because they have defected to a new party will change anything
• @mountainous #youknowyourkenyan when you blame TV for corrupting the morals of Todays Children yet you let them watch what they want.
• @paulakahumbu #youknowyourkenyan when you laugh at how bad things have gotten here… sad sad sad
• @Kizee_Brian #youknowyouarekenyan if traffic lights are just a suggestion and you do what you want anyway #youknowyourkenyan
• @tchenya @mountainous #youknowyourkenyan when youTotally agree with the wrong grammar #wearekenyan off course
• @paulakahumbu #youknowyourkenyan when your politicians say “dont worry El nino will solve the drought problem” – praying 4 one disaster to solve another!
• @Mkaigwa #youknowyourkenyan When you don’t remove the plastic cover from your remote, your car seats or your new mobile phone!!!
• @mkaigwa #youknowyourkenyan When you don’t remove the plastic cover from your remote, your car seats or your new mobile phone!!!
• @mkaigwa @paulakahumbu Hilarious! What about the fellas and ladies on Facebook using pictures of celebs (and having no other pics) #youknowyourkenyan
• @mkaigwa #youknowyourkenyan when you want to say what another Kenyan wanted to say first @Tchenya I was just about to tweet that. #iknowImkenyan
• @mountainous #Youknowyourkenyan when the only time you visited the game park was during a school trip (Sad!)
• @paulakahumbu #youknowyourkenyan when you miss every deadline – Africa time is… ouch!
• @paulakahumbu #youknowyourkenyan when you use a cute chick avatar on twitter and you’re a guy! Cheap stunt to get followers!
• @tchenya #youknowyourkenyan when your follow #youknowyourkenyan instead of #youknowyouarekenyan
• @tchenya #youknowyourkenyan when your radio station reads news from your daily newspaper and you still have to listen to news.
• @mountainous #youknowyourkenyan if you are still waiting for the ‘Serikali’ to ‘give’ you a job! <== Kwani its an entitlement, look for it.
• @mountainous #youknowyourkenyan when you complain about everything, power, roads, water, school, food, etc and do nothing!
• @tchenya #youknowyourkenyan when you read #youknowyourkenyan tweets to understand who you really are
• @jke #youknowyourKenyan when you are still waiting for Nyayo Car.
• @mountainous #youknowyourkenyan when you insist on negotiating every purchase!
• @inteligensia #youknowyourkenyan when you write tweets long enough that they continue next line (via @TChenya)
• @tchenya #youknowyourkenyan when you use twitter instead of woofer.com
• @tchenya #youknowyourkenyan when you write tweets long enough that they continue next line
• @mountainous @youknowyourKenyan when you ask for a WARM BEER! This has been pointed out so many times by foreigners.
• @paulakahumbu #youknowyourkenyan because nobody has a landline anymore
• @paulakahumbu #youknowyourkenyan when your power is off 3 days a week and they double your bill , and you don’t say anything.
• @careyeaton #youknowyourkenyan when you don’t question the publication of prices of sacks of vegetables in the newspaper.
• @paulakahumbu #youknowyourkenyan when power company bills u wrongly by 20,000 & says pay & we’ll resolve the problem – or we’ll disconnect u immediately
• @careyeaton #youknowyourkenyan when you tell foreigners that ugali is cuisine.
• @mountainous #youknowyourkenyan when you must have a #HARAMBEE for everything! Amen!
• @mountainous #youknowyourkenyan when you must have a #HARAMBEE for everything!
• @Akarumba #youknowyourkenyan when your MP says ‘I dont earn a 6 figure salary, I only make 800,000!! – Unbelievable!
• @careyeaton #youknowyourkenyan when the only thing you know what to do when you drive up to a gate is hoot
• @inteligensia #youknowyourkenyan When you tell ignorant peeps that r runners keep fit by running to school, running from lions (via @paulakahumbu)
• @mountainous #youknowyourkenyan when you groove to gospel tracks at the disco
• @mountainous #youknowyourkenyan when you have worn a pair of safari boots
• @Akarumba #youknowyourkenyan when your MP says ‘I dont earn a 6 figure salary, I only make 800,000!!
• @paulakahumbu #youknowyourkenyan when a hole in your ear works like a “KWS smart card” – know what I mean? Free park entry 4 life!
• @paulakahumbu #youknowyourkenyan when you actually take that 500/- before entering the poll booth…and then vote for the idiot!
• @paulakahumbu #youknowyourkenyan when you proudly wear shorts, long socks safari boots and say “I’m from Keeeeenya”
• @paulakahumbu #youknowyourkenyan When you tell ignorant peeps that r runners keep fit by running to school, running from lions – I do it all the time :)
• @paulakahumbu #youknowyourkenyan coz billions r made by foreigners fm biopropsecting and none of it comes home – stonewash story
• @RookieKE #youknowyourkenyan when your mother’s sitting room has all your graduation potraits,and she wants more.
• @paulakahumbu #youknowyourkenyan when you pay a processing fee then fly to Nigeria to collect your “winnings” in an online lotto scam – WTF?
• @inteligensia #youknowyourkenyan because our politiians s think ‘blog’ is a rude word (via @paulakahumbu)
• @VIKKISECRETROXS #youknowyourkenyan when you’re disapointed at the “chai” lattes at Starbucks and you wanna go home everytime you think of REAL tea
• @VIKKISECRETROXS #youknowyourkenyan when Obama being president is a reason to drink
• @MosesKoinange #youknowyourkenyan when you drink on the beach and feel NOTHING hahahaa
• @paulakahumbu #youknowyourkenyan when you can’t work without a steaming cup of tea at your side
• @paulakahumbu #youknowyourkenyan because our politiians s think ‘blog’ is a rude word
• @paulakahumbu #youknowyourkenyan when u shake ur fists at pedestrians as ur matatu overtakes traffic by hurtling down pedestrian paths on major highways
• @paulakahumbu #youknowyourkenyan when you put 5 teaspoons of sugar in each of your ten cups of tea – then wonder why u got diabetes
• @mountainous #youknowyourKenyan when you start reading the newspaper with sports, then stars, then cartoons………
• @paulakahumbu #youknowyourkenyan when the boss of your online company talks about the ‘interweb’ in a fund raising meeting – ouch!
• @davdalx #youknowyourkenyan when you say your instead of you’re, but still follow the trend
• @bytebandit #youknowyourKenyan when you say “imbox” while referring to “inbox”
• @gishungwa #youknowyourKenyan if you bargain everything including bus fare
• @bytebandit #youknowyourKenyan when you see a commuter taxi aka mathree conductor hanging precariously on the door.
• @mountainous #youknowyourKenyan when you have peculiar calling habits eg jamming the network promptly at 5PM every Friday
• @paulakahumbu #youknowyourKenyan when you get used to washing in a bucket
• @paulakahumbu #youknowyourKenyan when the presidential escort rounds roundabout wrong way crashes into matatu beats up driver 4 risking presidents life
• @paulakahumbu #youknowyourKenyan when you realize your convent school classmates are involved in corruption scandals – gr8 education!
• @paulakahumbu #youknowyourKenyan when peeps greet you with their twitter names in public – “Hi I’m miss Wretched” @misswretched gr8!
• @paulakahumbu #youknowyourKenyan when most of ur tweeps greet u in the morning n ask if you slept well :-)
• @natekev #youknowyourKenyan when international artistes fail to show up in ur country days to their concert
• @dnyaga #youknowyourKenyan when you speak #swanglish (Me i kulad, i somad, … , then i lalaad!) (via @mtotowajirani @kenyanpundit @intelligensia)
• @bytebandit #youknowyourKenyan if you get an adrenalin rush and dance like whoa!! when the DJ hits a gospel track in the club.
• @bytebandit #youknowyourKenyan when someone says “crips” instead of “crisps”
• @Wyndago #youknowyourkenyan when you utter half a word in the middle of a sentence just to complete it ‘..then he ca..? He came’
• @inteligensia:#youknowyourKenyan when you speak #swanglish (Me i kulad, i somad, i twittered, then i lalaad!) (via @mtotowajirani)
• @kairitu #youknowyourkenyan when some random mamaz show up at your house and tell the mboch “tumetumwa na mwenye nyumba tuchukue gas,fridge….etc”
• @mountainous #youknowyourkenyan when you sin all week long and expect that going to Church, listening to Christian music on Sunday will erase it all
• @gitts #youknowyourkenyan when you buy a Toyota yet you wanted a Subaru
• @gitts #youknowyourkenyan when the car in front of you is a Toyota
• @kairitu #youknowyourkenyan when you cant wait for mayoral elections to happen coz most definately cityhall watauana
• @AkelLove #youknowyourkenyan when you’ll take anything that’s free.
• @AkelLove #youknowyourkenyan when your president is senile.
• @gitts #youknowyourKenyan when you pronounce heart, hat, hurt and hut the same way
• @kairitu #youknowyourkenyan when the goverment announces an emergency vaccination then the parents go like “they want to make our kids sterile”
• @gitts #youknowyourKenyan when you have a VHS tape of Sarafina in your digs
• @gitts #youknowyourKenyan when you are surprised that the road doesn’t have any potholes
• @gitts #youknowyourKenyan when telling a story you say half aword and wait for it to be completed
• @gitts #youknowyourKenyan when you have a dog called simba and mbwa kali sign on your gate
• @gitts #youknowyourKenyan when you pronounce Milo me-lo instead of my-lo
• @gitts #youknowyourKenyan when every time you alight from public transport you have to check your pockets
• @inteligensia #youknowyourKenyan when your neighbours kids are called ocampo, obama and bolt! (via @mtotowajirani)
• @magaribina Si #youknowyourKenyan when you somehow manage to turn every third sentence into a question, yeah ?
• @magaribina #youknowyourKenyan if you measure distance by shillings ( si mbali – ni thirty bob tu)
• @MosesKoinange #youknowyourKenyan when someone shows up 2 hours late and says ‘don’t worry, it’s African time” (time to kill them!)
• @mountainous #youknowyourkenyan when the whole village (including the chief) come for your graduation ceremony and insist on decorating you with Tinsel!
• @mountainous #youknowyourkenyan when christmas lunch or any party isn’t complete without Chapatis
• @mountainous #youknowyourkenyan when you expect “Serikali” to do everything for you, feed, educate, cloth, employ, treat. Heck even pay your Dowry!
• @mountainous #youknowyourkenyan whenever you asked by a TV reporter about any calamity/problem you respond starting with “Serikali inapaswa kusaidia…..
• @wilfylou #youknowyourkenyan when you say excusssss instead of excuse me.
• @mountainous #youknowyourkenyan when you ask for a salary advance the week after payday!
• @mountainous #youknowyourkenyan when your ultimate concept of going out is Nyamachoma in a dingy joint while grooving to Mugithi/Benga/lingala
• @mountainous #youknowyourkenyan when you think only people from Central love money, We ALL love money!!!!!
• @mountainous #youknowyourkenyan when you actually believe HIV/AIDS only infects unmarried/loose/poor/uneducated people
• @mountainous #youknowyourkenyan when you insist on staying on the more expensive, unreliable, congested cellphone network
• @egm_photo #youknowyourKenyan if you complain about the dirty condition of the streets/roads, yet you toss stuff out of your car window free style!
• @iAlen #youknowyourKenyan when you send a hot chick credit and she flashes you back to just say thanks!
• @iAlen #youknowyourKenyan when you can’t get your grammar right even in the hash-tag @paulakahumba
• @mountainous #youknowyourKenyan when you stop the matatu infront of your gate then spend all day bitching about how Matatu are causing jam
• @mountainous #youknowyourKenyan when you wait till the last minute to do your back to school/christmas/household shopping
• @mountainous #youknowyourKenyan when you flash someone and when he @ she calls back you only say you wanted to say Hi!!!!
• @mountainous #youknowyourKenyan when you call someone just to ask ‘uko wap?’
• @iAlen #youknowyourKenyan when someone insists there only one First family and Wambui et al know otherwise…..
• @iAlen #youknowyourKenyan when you call State House and the person on the other end goes, “You want a srap?” lol
• @bnalyanya #youknowyourKenyan when you can’t get your grammar right even in the hash-tag
• @iAlen #youknowyourkenyan when on Sunday Kibaki didnt go to kabarak for sunday service!
• @iAlen #youknowyourkenyan in Tanzania having a Tusker and its just tastes like crap!
• @iAlen #youknowyourkenyan when your in Tanzania and wabongo are speaking in Swa!
• @Shiko_Msa @iAlen @paulakahumbu @crystalsimeoni when peeps queue at express counter with trolleyfulls #supermarkets #youknowyourkenyan. @toneendungu
• @iAlen @Shiko_Msa @crystalsimeoni @Mwirigi #youknowyourKenyan when there’s no news on the news (its the same old same old) haha
• @iAlen @Shiko_Msa @paulakahumbu @crystalsimeoni RT #youknowyourKenyan when goodbye’s end in “nice time”…uh…yeah you too…
• @Mwirigi #youknowyourKenyan when there’s no news on the news (its the same old same old)
• @crystalsimeoni #youknowyourKenyan when goodbye’s end in “nice time”…uh…yeah you too…
• @iAlen @paulakahumbu #youknowyourKenyan when you say “Hello” and he answers “fine” …what the hell do you say next? hahahahahahahahaha
• @iAlen @kainvestor@Shiko_Msa @paulakahumbu RT #youknowyourKenyan when someone calls you and says “who am I speaking to?” hahaha
• @paulakahumbu #youknowyourKenyan when you get back from holiday and your manager says “your back from China?”
• @iAlen #youknowyourKenyan when you’re next door neighbour is a Mungiki adherant and you cant report it to the authorities
• @paulakahumbu #youknowyourKenyan when someone calls you and says “who am I speaking to?”
• @iAlen #youknowyourKenyan when you start negotiating for you wallet from the pickpocket on a mathree
• @paulakahumbu #youknowyourKenyan when being able to say “I’ve never given a bribe” is something worth getting a prize for
• @iAlen #youknowyourKenyan when you steal from public coffers and get reappointed Minister
• @paulakahumbu #youknowyourKenyan when you say “Hello” and he answers “fine” …what the hell do you say next?
• @iAlen @queenkenya562 @MosesKoinange @paulakahumbu #youknowyourKenyan when you call a parastatal and the receptionist goes, “kunatia?”
• @paulakahumbu @Shiko_Msa nice one …and #youknowyourKenyan when she says “Imagine” in response to every statement
• @iAlen #youknowyourKenyan when you call a parastatal and the receptionist goes, “kunatia?”
• @Shiko_Msa @paulakahumbu when the word ‘otherwise’ is a greeting #youknowyourkenyan?
• @paulakahumbu #youknowyourKenyan when police refuse your offer of pie in a bag in response to “can u give us something for lunch” – I did that :) ha ha
• @paulakahumbu #youknowyourKenyan when police get into ur car 2 get 2 next police check then offer u KSh 200 for fuel – 4 hours later!
• @paulakahumbu @ialen #youknowyourKenyan when the radio DJ tells a crying woman who called in to stay with her brutal husband for the sake of the kids :(
• @paulakahumbu #youknowyourKenyan when the breakdown service truck is being towed – I saw that today!
• @paulakahumbu #youknowyourKenyan when the traffic police are push starting their car
• @paulakahumbu #youknowyourKenyan when u turn on radio and they r playing Roger Whittaker – we must b the only people on the planet who listen to that crap
• @iAlen @paulakahumbu #youknowyourKenyan when you get “leave a message” when you dial 911 lolest @moseskoinange @ialen @kainvestor
• @paulakahumbu #youknowyourKenyan when they give you anti malaria pills for a headache
• @paulakahumbu #youknowyourKenyan when you get “number out of service” when you dial 911 or KWS hotline for that matter
• @paulakahumbu #youknowyourKenyan when you get “leave a message” when you dial 911
• @paulakahumbu #youknowyourKenyan when you tell the guy who jumped the q to go back to the end and he says “do you know who I am?”
• @paulakahumbu @moseskoinange @ialen @kainvestor #youknowyourKenyan when ur warned “uta lala ndani” for worn tyres
• @iAlen #youknowyourKenyan when Michuki rattles at you and you cant do anything about it!
• @iAlen #youknowyourKenyan when half of the MP’s in the house have past criminal convictions! ouch!
• @iAlen #youknowyourKenyan when 17 screaming cars 42 bikes with flashing lights pull traffic off road 2 let Rais attend to a golf lunch on a Monday
• @wayneryner #youknowyourKenyan when you rape, steal n kill and expect your kids to love n respect you
• @paulakahumbu #youknowyourKenyan when 17 screaming cars 42 bikes with flashing lights pull traffic off road 2 let Rais attend to a golf lunch on a Monday
• @iAlen #youknowyourKenyan when F 2 is beckoning at midnight
• @iAlen #youknowyourKenyan when your listening to Genge!
• @iAlen #youknowyourKenyan when Kenyans dont know about twitter Trending Topics and cant contribute…..hah
• @iAlen #youknowyourKenyan when karaos on night patrol arrest you and ask for your grandfathers ID….
• @iAlen #youknowyourKenyan when Museveni attacks Migingo and Kibaki is comfortably sleeping and doing nothing about it
• @iAlen #youknowyourKenyan when the First Lady goes srapping journalists at mid night….i wirr srapp you
• @iAlen #youknowyourKenyan when you are enjoying succulent nyama choma at Dagoretti Corner or Olepolos….yummy
• @iAlen #youknowyourKenyan when you hear your President saying Kubaff in public…lol

Know of any other reasons that fit into this meme? Go ahead and comment or participate by adding a “#youknowyourKenyan” to your Tweet!

(Twitter logo based on the wonderful work of Gopal – thx!)

FarmVille is a new Kenyan game on Facebook where you can grab land, excel in overgrazing farmland and overstocking sheep & cattle, buy luxurious decorations and spend the rest of the time idling with a sundowner in your hand.

A report by the KenyaTimes recently revealed that most employees in Nairobi CBD are spending their lunch break in front of computers, playing FarmVille. FarmVille is said to have 9 million users worldwide, a quarter of Kenya’s current population.

A personal computer, commonly referred to as an IBM-compatible device, is a machine often see in offices, hidden under a dust cover. The first personal computer was brought to Kenya by an US-American bible translator family in 1979.

One employee of Kenya Paraffin, Lanterns and Candles (KPLC) who wants to remain anonymous, told us that Kenya currently experiences a power rationing program due to an excessive use of Facebook.

Facebook is a very successful website on the internet (mtandao wa intaneti), often used as a dating site and for subversive political and digital activism. The website includes a microblogging service called “status update” which has recently substituted the blooming Kenyan blogosphere.

Another popular microblogging service called “Twitter” (ndege kelele) has meanwhile been condemned by the Government Spokesperson Dr. Alfred E. Neuman who said that “it can not send SMS” to him. In a related matter, Dr. Alfred recently anounced that those without telephone network should sms him directly so that he can forward the matter to the relevant ministry in charge of terrorcommunications.

A delegation of Kenyan MPs, who is currently touring the United States, recently wrote a letter to the Office of the President, asking for a national holiday to celebrate FarmVille Day. This, as they explained in their open letter, will also help those urban citizens who have in the past failed to secure their own upcountry shamba due to lack of funds and competition in their extended family networks.

A group of young Kenyan writers also published an open letter, claiming that FarmVille actually comes from the United States of America and was introduced to Kenyans by visiting UN interns and PeaceCorps youth who used their daily allowances to access the internet from remote villages. This, as they claim, is “clearly evident as there is no mobile version of FarmVille”.

A group of talented programmers from JKUAT is meanwhile working on a mobile version of FarmVille. The project is financed by Sufericom.

In other news, a Mr. Kamau from Muranga’a was today injured in a battle with Mr. Ezekiel Oluoch, an official from the National Bureau of Statistics who had approached Mr. Kamau for Kenya’s fifth national census. In a heated debate, Mr. Kamau refused to state the actual number of his lifestock.

The fifth Kenya National Census is an inititiative by the GoK to allocate farm land on FarmVille according to family size and fixed assets. In an unexpected move, the World Bank and outgoing ambassadors recently called for a country wide introduction of FarmVille so that no Kenyan will have to suffer from malnutrition in future.

After having read this interesting book by Michela Wrong, written in a similar style as “In the Footsteps of Mr. Kurtz: Living on the Brink of Disaster in the Congo” (which I really liked) – I am still confronted with some open, or rather: resulting questions this book has generated.

And this although the issue itself – the bogus deals by the “Mount Kenya Mafia” – have been debated elsewhere numerous times. I chose so call it “elsewhere”, as Michela Wrong also mentioned the (Kenyan) blogosphere where John Githongo’s seemingly sudden departure from the official job & disclosure of cosa nostra secrets had been ripped apart in the usual manner. I am yet to see a German publication where the German blogosphere is taken into account with so much attention. This, however, may be related to their media and German sceptism which doubts anything that’s not published or confirmed by numerous sources.

I take it that a lot of readers of my blog with an interest in Kenyan affairs also read, or at least read about this book, and have their own opinion of it.

Another reason for blogging about this – already closed? – chapter of contemporary Kenyan history is that I can somehow relate to the described silver spoon upbringing of JG in a sense that a) discussions and intellectual discourse where part of the family life and b) that our generation – JG is 10 years older than me but I think most of you are just as old as I am (>30) – still enjoyed this limited or filtered view of the world, where everything new was sucked up with great interest for the lack of multiple media resources that would otherwise constantly penetrate your brain with “news”. I actually enjoyed this part the most during childhood – being forced to live in an environment where news would only dribble in, instead of showing up on the web-based RSS feedreader. Why? Because it enables you to take your time for your own development and dreams. I consider this a luxury that I am not taking for granted. Michela also mentioned this part where listening to the BBC World Service (instead of the montonous “HE DT arap Moi today said…” on KBC) was part of the daily habits. And I wouldn’t limit this to a family’s financial status as most Kenyans actually read more newspapers than e.g. Germans.

Sooo…..my first question is: why was such a book written by a foreign observer? Why not by someone in Kenya or in the diaspora? Because of fears? Or because life is so hard & busy that there’s no time for such excursions? Or is it because of the culture which is so much forward-driven, with a focus on things to come instead of those that already happened?

After the first 100 pages into the book, I thought it is a bit too Kikuyu-centric, but then, again, I think it’s Tucholsky who once said it is best to view your own country from the outside – and if these stereotypes (she even mentioned the jokes) are what it takes to draw a rough picture of this group for the uninformed world, then so be it.

Which effect did this publication have on Kenyan society (within and outside of Kenya)? What’s with the role of a whistleblower (anyone still remembers David Munyakei?) in today’s Kenya and what about that anonymous reporting tool introduced @ KACC two years ago? What do you think about JG’s actions (as described via the book)?

“Kenyans tend to quickly forgive or forget”… in the light of the post-election violence, a corruption scandal may not be that interesting after all.

I also wondered how Kenyans would feel about this book + the story it tells. The way it was written, the examples used to explain historically-based feelings inside ethnic groups, the readership it was written for… questions that pop-up between the lines, how it feels to read about your own people, friends and known public figures.

Michela also mentioned the network: “..he became aware of a delicate cobweb of expectations, obligations and duties tying him down” which makes Kenyan politics so interesting to me. It’s like having half of the Kenyan blogosphere / diaspora as friends on Facebook and Twitter, and then publishing opinionated status updates in a Koigi wa Wamwere manner. And, again, comparing Kenya to Germany (which is an on-going mission of this blog, I think), I am yet to see an interesting book on a contemporary German politician. Most of them are just as boring as their political agenda – which is also why Angela Merkel will most likely win the upcoming elections in Germany and remain Chancelorette for the next legislative period. Not because she’s any better or because she’s a woman (only positive reason, it seems), but because she has a network where she remains the queen at the center of the beehive. This is btw the same woman who once refused to meet with Barack Obama and later on licked his boots just because his network is so much more influential then hers.

You know it’s a bit hypocritical to openly wonder about politics & corruption in an African state when at the same time Europe comes up with dictators leaders such as Silvio Berlusconi in Italy. You can write a book about just another African economy that has been corrupted in the past by the Hippo Generation and a laissez-faire mentality in society, and it will sell quite well. But a book on a corrupt European leader? No. Makes me wonder where our priorities are.

Another detail or theme that I’ve been wondering about is the change on Kenyan culture. Yes, Kenyan culture. As paradox as it may seem – and I am not talking about books like “How to be a Kenyan” by the late Wahome Mutahi, the national dress once artificially invented by the Nyayo regime (Nyayo car??!) but rather this new Kenya which developed along with Moi’s last years, NARC and the 2002 elections and the spirit it brought to society since then.

The appreciation of a society for cultural values – their own + shaped style, language, habits, new communication tools – has so often been an indicator to me of how a country actually performs. Please correct me if I am wrong on this, but I think that Kenya has in the past 10 years eventually found its own roots somewhere out there where local stars have become more interesting than foreigners, where the City of Nairobi is actually (& eventually!) regarded as a cosmopolitan place (despite frequent power failures & water shortages) and where there’s much more nationalism to be found these days which is not based on Obama’s Kenyan roots or just another sports athlete. And it’s not that Nairobi has never been that progressive before – only: the speed of growth seemingly increased tremendously, it seems (to me).

Taking this new Nairobi as an indicator (! – pole for the NGO lingo) for things to come, where do these worlds of the old and new mix up to the bigger picture? When will we see the political change in Kenya the electorate voted for in 2002 and 2007? A new Kenya where power failures are a thing of the past, where broadband internet connections will help the youth stay in rural areas (vs. urbanisation), where water bodies are actually protected and land grabbing reversed for the sake of a growing nation? Where education and proper health care are top priorities?

Questions which probably won’t be answered any time soon, but I secretly wish that integre characters like John Githongo are now using the time building up their support on the basis. Bottom-up instead of top-down – maybe that’s the new strategy these days – loosely joined forces that have a nation in mind and not their own pocket, where qualifications are more important than cosa nostra networks.

Politics. I actually decided not to blog about politics anymore since January 2008, and this isn’t even meant to be book review. I’d love to read about your opinion of this book though, and maybe also find some answers to my given questions above and other things I’ve most definitely left out for various reasons. Thx!

Is Tana’s Sugar Really Sweet? – part 3 (Video by Adrian Seymour on Vimeo).

“Kweli Sukari ya Tana ni Tamu?” – Is Tana’s Sugar Really Sweet? – I guess we already know the answer to this rhetorical question…