Kenya Christian

• Video: Manufacturing Consent: Noam Chomsky and the Media

  Posted: January 29, 2010, 3:48 pm by KenyaChristian

  This is a 1992 film based on a book of the same name by Noam Chomsky & Edward Herman(which I'm currently reading). It is nearly 3 hours long,so get a comfortable seat.. but it's worth it. Enjoy your weekend!
  
  
  
  

  Peter Wintonick and Mark Achbar made this penetrating documentary about the career and views of linguist and media critic Noam Chomsky. While the man is the subject of the movie, the filmmakers wisely and carefully choose not to make Chomsky more important than his insights into the way print and electronic journalism tacitly and often willingly further the agendas of the powerful. We learn a lot about Chomsky's formative experiences as a child, student, academic, activist, and politician (he has campaigned for office), but we learn just as much about the media institutions that deny him access today, from ABC to PBS. The centerpiece of the film, arguably, is a long examination into the history of the New York Times' coverage of Indonesia's atrocity-ridden occupation of East Timor, reportage that (as Chomsky shows us) was absolutely in lock step with the government's unwillingness to criticize an ally. --Tom Keogh

  
  Previously: Book Seen! Understanding Power by Noam Chomsky

  
  

• Video: Mr.Vee - "Busy"

  Posted: January 29, 2010, 12:37 pm by KenyaChristian

  I used to like this song which is a few years old, but it seems the video has just come out.
  
  

  
  

• Kenya's growing literary scene..

  Posted: January 28, 2010, 8:25 pm by KenyaChristian

  Whatever opinions you have one way or another about Kwani? Storymoja and the like, (and trust me I do have my opinions on them which I may post one day) you can't deny that they are at the forefront of an Kenyan-urban literary revival.and that is a good thing, it is obvious that Kenyans are a relatively politically aware and opinionated lot and it was just that we needed the freedom to express ourselves which the KANU regime totally regimented. So, I'm not really surprised by the thriving literary scene which continues to grow by leaps and bounds. I went for this literary festival last year at Impala Grounds called the Storymoja Hay Festival and I was left feeling encouraged and hopeful about what the future holds for literature in Kenya. It has only just begun, I believe. Anyway check out this article from the Christian Science Monitor about this burgeoning scene..
  
  
  
  

  It might be just another club night in party-hearty Nairobi. In a little, second-floor downtown bar bathed in red lights and decorated with funky paintings, crunk music thumps from a high-quality sound system. Couples at tables sip drinks.
  

  But then, after a few measures, the music stops, and a poet takes the stage. Wearing dreadlocks and an orange scarf tied around his head, Kennet B begins a spoken-word tirade against environmental degradation and corruption.
  

  “Something revolutionary is going to happen tonight,” he announces. The crowd shouts its approval.
  

  It’s the first Tuesday of the month, which means that the Kwani? Trust (the question mark is part of its name), a Kenyan literary collective and nonprofit publishing house, has sponsored open mic night at Clubb Sound. The event brings together Nairobi’s intelligentsia and literary dabblers.
  

  Read more here
  

  
  

• Video: Haimie Armide - "Sema"

  Posted: January 28, 2010, 12:32 pm by KenyaChristian

  featuring Milee & Rachel
  
  

  
  

• Sade - "Skin"

  Posted: January 28, 2010, 11:35 am by KenyaChristian

  Here's some new music from Sade's upcoming album Soldier of Love, which I'm now highly anticipating after hearing the first single. Good music is hard to find these days, so this is a breath of fresh air...
  
  
  
  Listen: Sade - "Skin"
  
  Previously: Soldier of Love video
  

  
  

• Liz Ogumbo - "Maro Pa More"

  Posted: January 27, 2010, 5:24 pm by KenyaChristian

  
  
  Listen: Liz Ogumbo - "Maro Pa More"
  

  
  

• Video: Who is Nneka?

  Posted: January 27, 2010, 3:33 pm by KenyaChristian

  
  

  Nneka speaks of what inspires her and discusses Concrete Jungle, her first album to be released in the US on February 2, 2010.

  
  

• Video: Bebe Cool - "Kanyimbe"

  Posted: January 27, 2010, 3:18 pm by KenyaChristian

  featuring Tickie Tah, Luther T and Crystal Fabulous
  
  

  
  

• Video: Pumzi (trailer)

  Posted: January 27, 2010, 3:15 am by KenyaChristian

  A film by Wanuri Kahiu
  
  
  
  Check out an interview Wanuri did with Wired News
  
  Previously: Pumzi: Does Kenya's first sci-film hold up?

  
  

• Video: Pumzi (trailer)

  Posted: January 27, 2010, 2:05 am by KenyaChristian

  
  

• Video: Wazee Wetu - "Yesu Kristo (Suduu)"

  Posted: January 26, 2010, 7:32 pm by KenyaChristian

  
  

• Maximum Melodies - "Medley 3"

  Posted: January 26, 2010, 7:19 pm by KenyaChristian

  
  

• Video: Maximum Melodies - "Medley 2"

  Posted: January 26, 2010, 7:18 pm by KenyaChristian

  
  

• Video: Tete Runinga - "Nimempata Rafiki"

  Posted: January 26, 2010, 7:13 pm by KenyaChristian

  
  

• Video: Jimmie Gait - "Sonko"

  Posted: January 26, 2010, 6:48 pm by KenyaChristian

  
  

• Video: Cubanotics ft.Kera - "Yesu Pekee"

  Posted: January 26, 2010, 6:26 pm by KenyaChristian

  
  

• Video: B.M.F & H.O.Js - "Njoo"

  Posted: January 26, 2010, 6:22 pm by KenyaChristian

  
  

• Video: Rufftone - "Chant A Prayer"

  Posted: January 26, 2010, 6:08 pm by KenyaChristian

  featuring Tahilla
  
  
  
  This song is kinda growing on me...Rufftone, one of the earliest urban Gospel stars still going strong, big up!

  
  

• Video: Sally - "Shukrani"

  Posted: January 26, 2010, 5:58 pm by KenyaChristian

  featuring Dunco & Rufftone
  
  

  
  

• Video: Chit Chat - "I La La Like It"

  Posted: January 26, 2010, 5:36 pm by KenyaChristian

  
  
  Previously: Listen -I La La Like It

  
  

• Help for Haiti @ Tribe

  Posted: January 22, 2010, 4:29 pm by KenyaChristian

  
  
  Venue: Tribe Hotel, Village Market
  Date: Thursday, January 28th 2010
  
  Time: 6:30 - 10:00pm
  Entrance: Ksh 500
  
  (Proceeds from drinks will benefit relief effort in Haiti)
  
  

  
  

• Video: M.O.G - "Someday"

  Posted: January 22, 2010, 4:19 pm by KenyaChristian

  From his debut album Someday
  
  

  
  

• Nas & Damian Marley - "Strong Will Continue"

  Posted: January 22, 2010, 4:08 pm by KenyaChristian

  From their upcoming collaborative album Distant Relatives
  
  
  
  Nas & Damian Marley - "Strong Will Continue"
  

  
  

• Book Seen! Understanding Power by Noam Chomsky

  Posted: January 20, 2010, 5:21 pm by KenyaChristian

  
  
  Here’s a shocker for you. I had never heard of Noam Chomsky until about three years ago; I hope that does not say something about my ignorance. But I happen to suspect the reason I had never heard of him is because I was never supposed to; it was designed that way. That I only heard of him because my father had travelled to the U.S while I was there and wanted to meet him says a lot. Though my dad never did get to meet him, it did pique my interest in who exactly this person is.
  Officially, Noam Chomsky is a Professor of Linguistics and Philosophy at MIT, Boston who was born and grew up around the time of the Great Depression. But “on the side” he is a brilliant political activist and thinker. He is what most people would call a leftist radical or as he might term himself, an anarchist.
  
  Noam Chomsky as I have come to learn is widely known and gets to speak around the world. But this is where it gets paradoxical; if Chomsky is in high demand as a speaker and is known why had I never heard about him until three years ago? Well first of all he will only be known to you if you are looking in that direction, i.e. you are a politically aware person who is questioning the state of the world. But most importantly it is by design that he is “invisible,” i.e. his ideas are so challenging and critical of global power structures that those in power make sure people like him are never known by the wider public. Noam Chomsky levels his criticism largely at U.S power and its destructive aspects and he says he does this because he would consider it hypocritical to critisize other countries while ignoring his own (see:Matthew 7:3-5)
  
  Understanding Power is a collection of discussions he held between 1989 and 1999 in different U.S. cities. The book mainly deals with the post Cold War Era. He speaks about a wide range of topics from media to globalization, to Middle East & Latin America to the military-industrial complex and many other topics. He seeks through this book to help the reader become a critical thinker when understanding issues relating to power as exercised in its various forms.
  
  It is in the above mentioned aspect where I find Noam Chomsky absolutely fascinating and compelling. The depth and breadth of Chomsky’s knowledge and his understanding of a vast array of important issues is unlike anything I’ve come across before. He can go from talking about peace activists in Latin America, to environmental destruction in Haiti, to how sports is used to control the masses; all from his head.This is a man who obviously spends his time doing tonnes of research. And he is never glib about anything, Noam Chomsky is extremely meticulous about relying on facts and citing his sources, and he has a website just dedicated to his reams of footnotes and sources. His ability to uncover how power deceives us in very many and unsuspecting ways is also fascinating, and causes you to question the whole power structure as is currently set-up.
  
  While reading this book I was pretty surprised by some of the things I discovered. For example most people would understandably be of the opinion that former U.S President John F. Kennedy was this handsome, progressive and great American president who died a martyr. However did you know that Kennedy ordered one of the most horrendous, terroristic, not to mention illegal military operations in Cuba, right after the failed Bay of Pigs invasion? Also that America planned on invading Cuba in 1962 even before the Cuban Missile Crisis? Further in 1971 Anwar Sadat offered a peace settlement to Israel which Israel & U.S turned down? These and more amazing facts which are largely covered up by the powers that control world thought and opinion (mainly Western media) can be found in this book.
  
  Noam Chomsky is brilliant in the way he shows how the United States has controlled much of the world through brutal aggression,propaganda, oppression and yes terrorism. After reading this book, though I had already suspected some of this stuff to be true, Chomsky really revealed just how sinister and deep American evil can get. What really disturbed me was just how enslaved the world is in terms of trying to chart its own course away from American influence (you’ll probably get bombed or assassinated for it.) Also Noam Chomsky though Jewish is not afraid of vigorously criticizing Israel’s brutal policies in the Middle East (something he’s received a lot of criticism for.)
  
  If you are one who is predisposed to looking at America as a benevolent, noble and democratic nation this book might be a bit much too handle; but I believe for those who are not afraid to think critically and question what their assumptions about the use of global power, then I highly recommend this book.
  
  “One of the most important books I’ve ever read. It changed the way I look at global power and its exercise. Chomsky is a genius”
  
  (Noam Chomsky has authored lots of other books. Take your pick.)
  
  [Edited on 22/01/10]

  
  

• Video: Have You Heard From Johannesburg?

  Posted: January 20, 2010, 4:47 pm by KenyaChristian

  
  
  

  Have You Heard From Johannesburg? is six documentary stories, produced and directed by Connie Field, chronicling the history of the global anti-apartheid movement that took on South Africa’s entrenched apartheid regime and its international supporters who considered South Africa an ally in the Cold War.
  

  Read more here
  
  Watch the full film in 6 parts here
  
  Previously: RIP Dennis Brutus

  
  

• Video: Ngashville - "Fanana Naye"

  Posted: January 20, 2010, 4:36 pm by KenyaChristian

  featuring Danco & Baa Mdogo
  
  
  
  I'm liking this kapungala sound.. who knows it just might become an established music genre.
  
  Listen: Ngashville - "Fanana Naye"

  
  

• Lauryn Hill - "Adam Lives In Theory"

  Posted: January 20, 2010, 4:15 pm by KenyaChristian

  This was always one my favourite songs from her 2002 album MTV Unplugged. 2.0
  
  
  
  Listen: Lauryn Hill - "Adam Lives in Theory"
  
  Previously: I Miss Her Education!

  
  

• Video: Mini Doctrine on Haiti

  Posted: January 20, 2010, 3:08 pm by KenyaChristian

  
  
  Previously: illdoc on MJ

  
  

• Penya Africa presents LOVE IS...

  Posted: January 20, 2010, 2:33 pm by KenyaChristian

  
  

  
  LOVE IS .... presents an all STAR lineup, Songstress Dela, Just a Band, Sauti sol, Muthoni the Drummer queen and Stan on one platform.
  On the eve of Valentines day, PENYA AFRICA presents LOVE IS....An all rounded concert to celebrate our love for one another,for our country,our music and our diversity.
  

  Date: February, 13th 2010
  
  Time: 6.00 pm
  
  Venue: National Museum, Museum Hill, Nairobi
  
  Price: Ksh 400(advance) 500(at the gate)

  
  

• Slideluck Potshow @ Tribe

  Posted: January 14, 2010, 5:58 pm by KenyaChristian

  
  
  
  
  

  Slideluck Potshow is a New York City-based, non-profit arts organization that provides an opportunity for artists and arts-appreciators to gather around food, friends, and artwork for an unforgettable night. This event, which began in a Seattle backyard eight years ago and regularly draws crowds of a thousand people in NYC, is coming to Kenya!
  The evening begins with a couple hours of mingling and dining on the home-cooked delights of those who attend, and then the lights are dimmed, the crowd is hushed, and a spectacular slideshow commences. Please join us by the pool at Tribe on Saturday, January 16th, for an engaging, unique, and fun evening.
  
  The Nairobi event will feature Kenyan and African photographers and artists along with a handful of international artists. Presenters range from the very accomplished to the up and coming, and everyone has a maximum of 5 minutes.
  

  Date: Saturday, January 16, 2010
  
  Time: 7pm Potluck, 9pm Slideshow (Afterparty to follow)
  
  Venue: Poolside, Tribe Hotel, Village Market, Nairobi
  
  Price: Bring a dish to share or a Sh500 donation
  
  Tel: (020)720.0000
  
  For more info visit: here and here

  
  

• Video: Sade - "Soldier of Love"

  Posted: January 14, 2010, 4:26 pm by KenyaChristian

  
  
  "I've lost the use of my heart/but I'm still alive..."

  
  

• Please help Haiti in any way you can..

  Posted: January 14, 2010, 3:00 pm by KenyaChristian

  
  
  Here are some places donations can be sent through The ICRC, World Vision Yele and Salvation Army
  
  Follow events taking place in Haiti concerning the earthquake through Ushahidi
  
  Haiti is a country that has really suffered alot through the decades, please pray for Haiti and do whatever you can to assist, even in a small way.

  
  

• Video: Juliani feat. Jaya - "Rauka"

  Posted: January 14, 2010, 2:35 pm by KenyaChristian

  
  
  

  Juliani addresses the issue of climate change and talks about the effects it will have on the future generation. Juliani and DJ Vic were also part of the Climate World Summit that happened in Dec 2009. They took their message to The Opera House, performed on a Cruise and finally presented at... Copenhagen petitions collected from Juliani's Kenya Uni Tour.

  
  See: Juliani Copenhagen Performance
  
  Previously: Jaya - "Msamaha"

  
  

• Fela! on Broadway - "Upside Down"

  Posted: January 12, 2010, 7:41 pm by KenyaChristian

  
  

  "People must learn their..African name/people must find their..African style/people must know..Africans pray/for a new Africa I can see..."

  Listen: Fela! - "Upside Down"
  
  Previously: Fela on Broadway video
  

  
  

• DJ Dona Gospel Mix

  Posted: January 12, 2010, 7:27 pm by KenyaChristian

  
  
  

  A full 30 min set of Gospel music spanning from 2008 to current Gospel tracks. Featuring M.O.G, Michelle, Eko Dyda, Daddy Owen, Ringtone and more!
  

  Download the mixtape here
  
  Visit his website here and here

  
  

• Africa Know's: Photojournalism

  Posted: January 12, 2010, 7:15 pm by KenyaChristian

  
                                           
        
  

  Our Purpose: To tell a different story about Africa. The Re-branding of Africa.
  
  
  The story everyone knows and yet no one knows. Africa Knows is about the challenges, triumphs, dreams and nightmares of being an African in a 21st century city that is straddling several revolutions at the same time – the technological revolution, the agricultural revolution, a democratic resurgence and a post-colonial identity crisis complicated by old ethnic tensions.
  Africa Knows about its own land and its own people more than any international media agency can ever know. Africa tells its own story to those who want to listen with their hearts and their heads. This is the beginning of a new identity, starting with Kenya and for Africa as a whole.
  

  Read more here and check out the website here
  
  Previously: 24 Nairobi

  
  

• Video: The Villagers Band - "Kenchic"

  Posted: January 11, 2010, 5:55 pm by KenyaChristian

  I'm not saying they're biting Sauti Sol's Lazizi, I'm just saying...the themes sound similar
  
  ...

  
  

• Video: Fela! On Broadway

  Posted: January 9, 2010, 6:47 pm by KenyaChristian

  So far the Fela! Musical currently playing on New York's Broadway has been getting rave reviews! Some are saying its breathing new life into Broadway which had become boring. They so need to do an African tour...*sigh
  
  Revolution:
  
  
  
  
  Listen: Fela! On Broadway - "Everything Scatter"

  
  

• Video: Webi ft.Holy Dave - "Free"

  Posted: January 9, 2010, 6:17 pm by KenyaChristian

  
  

  
  

• Video: Njoki Ngumi on Kuweni Serious!

  Posted: January 9, 2010, 5:38 pm by KenyaChristian

  
  
  

  “Blood Is Not Going To Clean Bloodstains”
  
  Njoki Ngumi who wrote “Someone Lied to you, Mwananchi” explains why she doesn’t like to read newspapers, and wonders what will happen to us all in 2012.
  

  
  

• Nneka - "God of Mercy"

  Posted: January 8, 2010, 4:32 pm by KenyaChristian

  
  
  Listen: Nneka - "God of Mercy"
  
  
  
  
  Download: Nneka & J.Period - The Madness Mixtape(Onye-Ala)
  

  
  

• Video: Jua Kali: Harsh Sun (Final Scenes)

  Posted: January 8, 2010, 4:02 pm by KenyaChristian

  A film by Amie Williams starring Edi Gathegi and Idris Elba
  
  
  02-JUA KALI FINAL SCENES from Brian Olson on Vimeo.

  
  

• RIP Dennis Brutus (1924-2009)

  Posted: January 8, 2010, 3:27 pm by KenyaChristian

  I admit, I wasnt really aware of Dennis Brutus' work, but I'm fascinated the more I learn. Dennis Brutus was a South African poet and activist against the Apartheid Government of South Africa in the 1960s and fought for social justice throughout his life. Read more about him here
  
  
  Here is one of his poems. Purchase a collection of his works here
  
  

  THEIR BEHAVIOUR
  
  
  (by Dennis Brutus)
  
  Their guilt
  
  is not so very different from ours:
  
  —who has not joyed in the arbitrary exercise of
  
  power
  
  or grasped for himself what might have been
  
  another’s
  
  and who has not used superior force in the
  
  moment when he could,
  
  (and who of us has not been tempted to these
  
  things?)—
  
  so, in their guilt,
  
  the bare ferocity of teeth,
  
  chest-thumping challenge and defiance,
  
  the deafening clamor of their prayers
  
  to a deity made in the image of their prejudice
  
  which drowns the voice of conscience,
  
  is mirrored our predicament
  
  but on a social, massive, organized scale
  
  which magnifies enormously
  
  as the private dehabille of love
  
  becomes obscene in orgies.
  
  © Dennis Brutus
  

  
  

• Sauti Za Busara Music Festival

  Posted: January 5, 2010, 11:30 pm by KenyaChristian

  
  
  
  
  

  The Sauti za Busara music festival, Zanzibar features a rich variety of African music from the region with more than four hundred musicians participating over four days in historic Stone Town supplemented with fringe events around town and across the island including a festival street parade and finalé beach party.
  

  
  Date: 11th - 16th February 2010
  
  
  Venue: Stone Town, Zanzibar (map)
  
  
  Time: Late afternoon till the early hours
  
  
  Price: Free to East African Residents before 5pm (click here for ticket info)
  
  2009 Festival recap
  
  
  For more information click here and here

  
  

• Video: Nneka - "Walking"

  Posted: January 5, 2010, 5:01 pm by KenyaChristian

  What can I say, I just realized last year she's now my favourite artist. I don't know, it's like there's a type of artist I've been looking for, for years and I just hadn't found him/her until now.There's just no one (since Lauryn Hill) who was really inspiring me. So if I post alot of Nneka stuff, please bear with me...lol
  
  

  
  

• Video: Nneka feat.Wesley Williams - "Kangpe"

  Posted: January 5, 2010, 3:54 pm by KenyaChristian

  
  

• Video: Michael Jackson - "This Is It"

  Posted: January 1, 2010, 3:03 pm by KenyaChristian

  
  

Blah blah blah

Fish cakes

Alas a fish cake.

Yet more fish cakes

Guess what ... yeah ... fish cakes.

The end of the fish cakes