Mrs Roocy Kibaki asks 'Who is your mother'

- Mama Diop? Mama Diop!
link I want to see the pictures!! highlights from nation article written by Story by [snip]

First Lady Lucy Kibaki dramatically disrupted a farewell party at the Nairobi home of outgoing World Bank country director Makhtar Diop on Friday night.
An angry Mrs Kibaki invaded the house demanding that the loud music be switched off.
At that time musicians Mercy Myra, Eric Wainaina and Suzanne Kibukosya were on stage entertaining the guests. [snip]At one time she told Mr Diop that no man in Kenya has dared talk back to her. [snip]

Singer Eric Wainaina recalls: "I was still on stage preparing to do my second song when she turned up. She had like five bodyguards and ordered the music to be stopped from playing. It was so embarrassing since she is the First Lady and even diplomats had been invited.
"She could not listen to anyone, not even to Mr Diop himself. In fact she started asking irrelevant questions such as ‘who is your mother?’ It was so bad. What she was wearing was not very clear to me, but it looked more like some blue track suit or pyjamas." [snip]

Some of those present witnessed Mrs Kibaki trying to unplug the music system and shouting that "This is Muthaiga, not Korogocho".

Its Moto!!

angalia this meme. by wassapangaz, and also the ones by Bankelele, everyone really kinda said something about her.

And the oscar for best dramatic sequence goes to...

btw it is almost mothers day in US, her PR people could spin it that she wanted to wish Mama Diop 'Happy Mother's Day!' We have checkad!

oh btw, does that mean 'Who's your daddy' is so passe' as a phrase? KJ of redykyulas should do a sketch of this incident complete with play by play commentary by nyambane. Cant wait to hear what the blogosphere will say! . Ok, i'll stop now.

Update: Check out who is your mother and luci kibaki a repository of Roocy shenanigans. :)

JamRock - Damian & Stephen Marley concert

The first thing that popped in my head as my sis and I turned onto the main street was "Coffee". The air was infused with the smell of it, increasing in intensity as we neared the destination. After a couple of blocks, my mind switched to the immediate need of finding a parking spot.

We got in quickly after paying half the price (We were late and had missed the first set.) We finagled our way onto a vantage point. Jr. Gong was a vision in dreadlocks that extend close to his knees. Rapid fire delivery, lilting alittle, undulating beat, thoughtful, then slowly building, building into a pandemonium of sorts, with us jumping around with our hands in the air.
"Exodus! Movement of Jah People"

After a couple more songs, Jr. Gong and his band leave the stage. We go and get some tshirts. The crowd starts stomping on the floor (it wasnt an aggressive type of stomp) shouts of 'JamRock!" are heard(from people i know ;). They return with Stephen Marley, and get right to performing. The vocalist is incredible. Her voice is expressive, effortlessly so, so powerful. Her dancing...passion personified.
The air is thicker and it feels hot, i fan myself with my palms (futile! - dont ask GW to pronounce that word).

"Could You be Loved?"
I start smiling, like this huge huge smile and saying things like "Thats! My! favourite! Song!" (I think my sis was wincing at how giddy i was, and probably at how loud i was exclaiming...corny moment of the day.) This version of could you be loved is amazing. The original is preserved, but they speeded up alittle, so its like you are hearing Bob Marley kabisa, yet it is updated. I was damn near euphoric with glee. (Should there be a rule that if you cover one's legendary song that you have to be a direct talented progeny?- This version was amazing. If the marley brothers tour again, check out their version of 'Kaya' Hai, utapenda - you will love it).

Some tall dude (wooie he looked African) just comes and plants himself infront of us bila masilahi. we look at each other quizzically, wait a moment to see if he realises the error of his way (literally)...he doesn't. Repositioning...
A guy on the stage is waving the lion flag. (I had seen him before at previous concerts by the Marley brothers) The enthusiasm of his flag waving cannot be underestimated. I swear he is the best flag waver i have ever seen. He waved that flag to the beat the whole time we were there, his dancing was preety good too.

There is something magical about reggae. It seeps into your soul, your mind and most of all your body. It makes you move, and stomp your right foot on the floor as if in worship at church, stretch your right hand in the air as if you are elastigirl from the incredibles...then be at a loss for words to say, coz you are enjoying this so so much.

For tour dates in US and UK click here

Rawstory on Gannon

link here... sorry too tired today to blog about it, but it will probably be blowing up on Kos later in the day.

Kibaki meme.

Kijiti ya thinker, bankelele na githush...

1 a. Do u think Kibaki is LAZY?
It appears to me that he may be having trouble keeping up with the pace of Kenyan society. Could it be the side effects from his medication?

1 b. Give an instance of when he portrayed LAZINESS as president.
Ditto on thinker’s , Kenyan pundit, bankelele and Githush’s assessments, Though I will add about the lack of vision. Tuko wapi na tunaelekea? The importance of vision to me is so important. (granted am away, lakini I don’t get a sense of this at all, correct me if I am wrong) I recall a quote that goes something like ‘it is easier to motivate people against something, than to motivate them for something’. I was in Kenya shortly before the election and he was elected in part because people were fed up and were motivated against…well you know…moi his ilk. Bleh bleh… Kibaki’s challenge is to motivate and deliver on a clear vision, consistently and on point.

2 a. What trait do u find the single most detrimental to the national cause?
As Mr. Njeru says ‘Money illusion syndrome’ i.e. dependence on AID for budgetary support, and the squandering (si you know!) of said support.

2 b. Comment on it Link to research paper by James Njeru. Skip to the conclusion if you do not have time. Of note.
"The linkage between foreign aid flow and recurrent expenditure may indicate that at the margin, not all aid flow is spent for development purposes. Policy makers may perceive aid commitments as increases in government revenue and after the budget approvals they switch budgetary resources from one vote to another to finance any extra recurrent expenditure. This explains why the government is able to pay salaries and allowances for civil servants immediately upon entering into new contracts on aid disbursement."

Not only are we in debt, the system if messed up and these guys are not really talking about the issues in a constructive manner. Our leaders need to change their thinking on how they perceive AID, DEBT and BUDGET. Better yet, we need to reevaluate how we see those 3 things. Yeah we are in a funk, lakini we can work towards getting out of it! How about a regular peugeot instead of a mercedes and the fancy cars we read about when the NARC govt came into power. Our leaders then passed 1 not 2 not 3, 1 bill in 2004. What about the ‘monster trucks’ driven by constitution commissioners ? Na constitution iko wapi?

3. What is the most embarrassing thing, in your opinion, Lucy Kibaki has done?The one I recall involved the reassertion of her first ladyness. Tact woie tact.

4. Do you wonder where Wambui, the Hillary Rodham of Kenya, ever went to?

nope
5. Do you care How much influence the First Lady has over decisions made by the president?
Yeah. It would be great if she had an exemplary influence, I am all pro-women leading the world…(Quit shaking me!!!…I am awake now…) still.

6. What is the single most critical issue facing the Kenyan presidency today? Others have answered this one thoroughly, so I will say chauvinism. The fact that Kiraitu Murungi still has a job in the govt.

7. Did you vote in 2002 General Elections? (must answer). No excuses required.

No. Away from home, no absentee ballot.

8 a. Do you care?

Yes

8 b. Who else would you like to complete this meme?
Mental, Ms K, Bullets&Honey, MJY, Mshairi, Wassapangaz , shipwright and everyone at KenyaUnlimited! oh and nicholas gichu too.

African Union Response!

For those who read this blog, you may recall that i mentioned AU needs to have an online app to enable people in the diaspora or anyone for that matter to contribute directly for their efforts in Africa. This was precipitated in part by this entry I wrote to the admin then, no response. Tried again and cc’d the webmaster

Your Excellency,
My name is [snip], a [snip] of Kenyan origin. I got the above Contact from the site which is super by the way. As an African, I would like (and I think many other Africans away from home would) like to be able to make a direct financial contribution to the AU using a web application on the African Union site. This would enable your venerable organization to tap into the generosity and ability of Africans to contribute to a specific cause that your organization is working on. An example of this is the UN foundation site https://secure.groupstone.com/unf-donate/donate.asp?program=rwanda
Very thankful for your work and hopeful for a better Africa,[snip]

The response

Dear [Snip],

Thanks for your interest in the African union.
We would like to assure you that your message has been forwarded to the Bureau of the Chairperson of the African Union.

Best regards,
-----------------------------------------
Christiane Yanrou
Senior Website Administrator
African Union

If you would like this done, the contact info is on the African Union site link . From the above correspondence it appears the appropriate person to contact is the Bureau of the Chairperson of the African Union
Director, Bureau of the Chairperson
Mrs. Margaret Vogt
Tel: (251) 1 525838
Fax: (251) 1 513036
E-mail: mailto:VogtM@africa-union.org

Tusaidiane!! (Lets help each other) If you saw Hotel Rwanda and wish we as africans had done more, send an email. If you read reports of rape and death in the Congo, send an email, if you read and your heart breaks at the genocide in Darfur Sudan, send an email, then when the app is running, give what you can to help African Union do what it must.

Odds and ends

A video game which aims to teach children about global hunger has been released by the United Nations. When I get time, will try it out…
Calling a spade a spade, IMF and World Bank undemocratic. Meanwhile, there is economic growth in Africa, but people are still poor. That is because the world financial systems are completely skewed, amongst other things ofcourse... We already know that. The African ministers should be applauded and now the next question becomes, what happens if IMF and World Bank relent perhaps and allow a modicum of real contribution of voices and real action? In my opinion, I doubt that it would happen expeditiously, this could take years. Regional integration is something that can enhance the ‘African voice’. If we can trade with each other more, and create a more solid bloc, perhaps the IMF and the World Bank may have to think twice. We are in the correct direction however, EAC (I think it is now a customs union) specifically has made huge strides in this direction. We have so many organizations, COMESA, NEPAD, AU, all with different budgets, what if they were consolidated? Streamline the mandates that are alike and create sub organizations to handle ‘special circumstances’. The fast tracking of African integration should perhaps be one of the most important things we could do, in conjunction with what the African ministers are doing. Burn the candle from both ends. For those in the Diaspora, contribution to such organizations should be encouraged. AU does not have a way to contribute online right now. Contact info here.
Relevant books that I read awhile ago that may pertain to this…Hertz, Noreena - The Silent takeover ,Soros, George - Soros on Globalization .I am yet to read The Debt Threat also by Noreena Hertz.

The world in the last 24 hrs. A great summary by soj.
BTW, isn't Bono quite cool? I feel like making something for him. My beading skills are lacking, perhaps I can pick up something for him from Maasai market when I go home later in the year. Just a thought...I checked for U2 tickets and most of their shows are sold out. Anyone reading this and going for the U2 concert, please carry a placard saying “Thank you, from Africa!” For real, he does a lot in championing debt relief.

I saw this story on weapons (soj linked to it), and it reminded me of Koranteng Toli’s words
“The one thing that all the developed countries in the world insist upon is that they have the right to sell you weapons systems. They'll disagree about aid, their protective tariffs or debt relief, but if your poor country needs guns, by God, it's your right to find a supplier (and preferably ours).”
Can you smelt weapons and turn them in farm machinery? One can dream…

BTW, Check Kenyan pundit on githongo, and now Gladwell Otieno on Kenya’s fight against corruption.
Watched Sahara the movie...Favorite part was the humongous solar farm, and to a small extent, the guy who was merovingian on matrix reloaded.

Ayaan Hirsi Ali profiled in The New York Times Magazine

Link to the article.If you are not able to read everything, here is a short short summary from the article,(do read the article though in order to get the full gist of what she is about).
She is an outspoken critic of Islam's treatment of women. She is currently a Dutch legislator. She was born in Somalia to educated parents who had to go into exile. She attended Muslim girls secondary school on Park Road Nairobi, Kenya. (During this time her name was Ayaan Hirsi Magan.In case you remember her from school)She attended University of Leiden where she studied political science and political philosophy.She has written a book 'The Cage of Virgins'(doesnt seem to be on BN or Amazon).Ms Ali Wrote Submission Part I, Theo Van Gogh directed it. Mr.Van Gogh was murdered November 2nd 2004 by an Islamic Extremist in opposition to the film. There is a 3min clip of the film called Submission available on ifilm, here is the link.Some quotes from the article: Ms Ali "I may polarise on television and on the op-ed pages, but in parliament, i always get my majority"
Caldwell Campbell the author of the article:"Hirsi Ali has been dealt a full house of the royal virtues: courage, intelligence, compassion. She has needed them. Hers is a big, heroic life that moves her fellow citizens but now gets lived mostly in locked rooms and bulletproof cars. She leads that life partly above other Dutch people, as a national symbol -- and partly below them, as a prisoner. She is a democracy campaigner for whom the role of an ordinary democratic citizen is off-limits, an egalitarian for whom equal treatment is turning out to be an elusive and maybe impossible thing."
I am completely in awe of what she is doing, despite the danger to her life. What courage, what conviction.

Chasm between Africans and African Americans?

This entry was precipitated by a conversation with an African American who simply asked me "Why is it that Africans do not like African Americans?" I think it is not so much dislike, i think part of the reason for this,is perhaps ignorance or a lack of knowledge about African american history. Lets' see, i do not recall learning about the underground railroad or Hariet Tubman in school, i came to learn about it when i came to the US. It is a large body of work and African American culture cannot be summarized by the images you see in the media, or the rap videos. It is a wonderful culture all its own, which i am not qualified to even attempt an analysis. The same case about lack of knowledge about African history can be made for some African americans. It doesnt appear that we had a confluence point for the two cultures. I think in the 60's there was dialogue between the black leaders in America and leaders in Africa, as we were all struggling for civil rights, just on different continents. African Americans wore dashiki's, and i dont know to what extent American culture permeated Africa at the time. (If there is a blogger with insight about that, please post)Well, point is, i think there was some dialogue with the leaders on both continents. (I know i have to support this assertion with specific facts, i will add that later, send me links if you have some, this is more of a thought)Moving along...I do not recall a major initiative by African leaders to reach out to the black community here, When African leaders visit the US do they speak to the NAACP? I dont know, i could be wrong about this.There is an author whose upcoming book will look at this question, amongst other immigrant experiences that he shares in his book Check out his website here Disclosure: The author and his wife are dear friends, i actually read the manuscript for the book.
Song of the day: Pimping Around the world by Ludacris(Believe me, listen to the song!)Why is it the song of the day on a Kenyan blog?? Because of this line towards the end of the song...
"...ain't no need of even askin brah, the best women all reside in Africa, and that's real"
Need i say more? Peace.
*This entry may contain generalizations, look at it as more of just a thought...
Update: Do check out The Desert Warrior's take on this issue link

Nice paper - CS Monitor

Happened to pick up The christian Science monitor yesterday April 5th, and was pleasantly surprised to find 3 articles about africa, and an editorial about Zim. The editorial looked at the struggle for democracy in Zim and Ukraine,pointed out: Ukraine - well fed masses, zim, people are hungry. Ukraine - judiciary ruled in favor of a new election, Zim - Courts have yet to take up the opposition's legal challenges to the 2002 elections.
The other story by 'World reporter on the job' Mike Crawley was on Imam Demba Diawara, a leader in the village of Ker Simbara Senegal. He learned how to read and inspired others.Get this...the number of projects underway; community owned store, Day care ctr, Medical clinic once a week and literacy classes. This was a great positive story. The other story was on rising opposition to FGM (female genital mutilation) in senegal. This was also by Mr. Crawley.
Factoid from another story therein: In 1900 19% of Africans were catholic, as of 2000 that percentage is 33.
For those following news on Sudan, there was also a story about Summits to tackle the Sudan crisis in Cairo Egypt. The G word (genocide) is not used, CSM quoted the UN calling it the 'worst humanitarian crisis'. Note: Egypt's foreign minister defended the Sudanese stand to not try the genocidaires by ICC, but to implement the peace accords. Check out this from Nicholas Kristof of IHT about the hypocrisy on darfur.
To watch: Upcoming international conference on AID to sudan held next week in Norway.

Commentary in unexpected places..CN!

Foster’s home for imaginary friends: Cartoon network
Sundays 10:30am CST.

It is a repeat, but I did not mind at all since I wanted to blog about it since seeing it the first time. The story starts with the home having a leaky roof.This might be a little long but stick with me if you would. Bloo literally has a light bulb moment,to sell lemonade to raise money for the roof. He is outside trying to sell the lemonade. The best friend comes and points out the problem, it is dead of winter. Bloo insists…’I seen it in the movies!’ Mrs. Foster brings them warm cookies, because it was a nice thing bloo did… A passerby sees the cookies and wants one. Flash bulb moment,they start selling the cookies. They keep selling them as more people come back for more.Problem, Mrs. foster only bakes the special cookies once a year. Bloo cannot accept this, so he tries to get the others on board with him because he sees an opportunity to ‘make some dough…you know like dough’. To get them on board he cites stuff like we’ll be helping Mrs. Foster, and I will “Cut each of you a slice of the pie”, Eduardo says ‘I thought we were making cookies’. Bloo convinces the imaginary friends with all the sales pitches you can think of.
They steal the cookie recipe. Mr. Harriman the home admin, bloo flatters him by calling him Mr. Chairman, gets him on board ‘to get in on the ground’...All the middle management diatribes you have come across continuously spew from bloo’s mouth to motivate production. When  Mrs. foster finds out, bloo says ‘Its business baby don’t blame me, blame our capitalist society” He negotiates for rights to the recipe with the help of two big fish lawyers, complete with one of them reading the fine print disclaimers ala’ those ads we are so inundated with.Frankie loves the cookies, buys dozens of boxes and eats them maniacally. Bloo gets pushy and inconsiderate. Frankie disappears and continues to eat the cookies. Greed meanwhile is personified by Bloo who forbids his friends from watching ‘his’flat screen TV. He buys a yacht ‘the Bloositania’ walks around with a crown, and now has a butler. Harriman becomes a lapdog to bloo and has a big portrait of bloo the founder in his office. Bloo’s best friend Mac can’t get Harriman or Frankie to rein in bloo from being a total jerk face. The cookies stop selling because there is no secret ingredient – love. Bloo tells Mac ‘you just don’t understand the art of the sale’ then tries to revamp the business ‘stop the presses!’ he yells. Wilt: ‘Wait, I thought we were making cookies!’ To revamp, Bloo introduces: Clear cookies u can see through and just see the chocolate, Septuplet chocolate chip cookies – not double not triple,Cookie roll ups, 3 flavor, regular, nacho and ranch, Change focus of the company: Merchandising out the wazoo, Super size the cookies.

Blue gets a machine to replace Eduardo, tells him he has to downsize because of flagging sales, fires everyone except the oven since it was under contract. Everyone leaves, including his best friend. He is left to make the cookies by himself. Looking at an egg, ‘how do you open these things?’ He is impatient, turns up the heat in the oven and blows up the kitchen and the roof.
He is dejected and apologizes, calling himself the lowest form of life, lower than a single cell paramecium. He is forgiven by his friends. Mrs. foster becomes the jerk face now overseeing the lemonade stand that is now making money since it is summer.Frankie is still eating the cookies like there is no tomorrow.

You can probably see the commentary onentrepreneurship, business ethics,supply and demand,greed and remuneration of CEO’s; most of all,consumerism. All this from one episode of a cartoon. Bravo Mr. McCracken.What a wonderful show.