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WriteThinking: 21, still counting!
Posted: June 21, 2011, 10:30 am by Jacque
Today marks the 21st week since I started writing the #writethinking series. When Wamathai approached me to run something here every Tuesday, he said I could write anything that I wanted, attend events and critic them, observe the online community and type a word or two. It was simply an open space for commentary posts to break the monotony of the fiction in it and to allow for discussion on issues affecting us. As someone mentioned yesterday on twitter, in the blog orb, it is never good to be diverse in content. There is always need to identify that thing that you think you are good at and focus on it. It is good to have some specificity in your content in order to cull the following that you want and keep it constant. It is actually easier for you as a writer. So we settled on a writers’ pot kind of content.
Allow me to be narcissistic and blow some air into my balloon this week. Writethinking makes me feel alive. It reminds me that I still have inks in me. It gives me the pressure that I need to deliver every Tuesday. I run a blog yes, but my blog is diverse. It is random. Again, without the pressure, I cannot write. If there isn’t pressure, there has to be a supplement to nudge me…like stress. Mostly stress. But I digress.
To post weekly is a demanding task. Tuesdays come too quickly. In between lazing around, tweeting, and looking for rent, there isn’t much time to observe the world around and come up with something ‘blogworth’. My main reason for writing here was to test how unswerving I can be in writing to be able to run a column if ever I get one at some point in my life. My basket however has come out of this series with more than just one fruit. I have grown as a writer. I have tentacles. I have learnt
I have learnt that having someone read your work to a point where they remember it months later, even just one person per year, is a big deal. I cannot explain the feeling I got when I met someone who had actually mastered the name of this column. The overwhelming feeling I get when someone randomly wishes me luck on Monday night as I struggle to put something together.
I have learnt that with it comes a responsibility to deliver. I have for two Tuesday been unable to post anything. In those two weeks, I felt like a failure. I don’t usually just write it because someone is going to read. I write it because I need to. I have to. I felt like my blood supply was suddenly cut off and the veins filled up with cold air. I felt inadequate that I couldn’t write for those few people that have managed to follow this series from week to week. Thus, I have come to realise that you can never tell the reader that this week you are slightly contented and because lack of depression is not a nudge enough, there is no post. There are never explanations. Here, in a non-evil kind of way, no one cares about that finger that can’t type or a mind that is too clogged to construct good sentences.
I have also learnt that as a writer, you will fail miserably in writing and deliver posts that are as interesting as sticking a needle through the eyeball. Sometimes you will write and feel that you have written something fleshy, well cushioned. Other times you write highly malnourished posts where the only warmth in them is the use of heavier synonyms. It is ok. These things happen. Write anyway.
I have learnt that not every reader will agree with you. Yours are simply thoughts from your mind, no matter how well researched, or well versed. It is an opinion. Your opinion and that is where it ends. You must therefore appreciate all the comments and allow everyone a space to agree or disagree. In all these cases, be dignified in receiving. If you cannot allow someone to disagree with your writing, then you have no business writing for people.
This is just a dot of sand in the sea of what I have amassed, but for those 21 weeks, I am very grateful for the readers who constantly read these easy words, and for the host who has given me this space.
21 weeks of WriteThinking, still counting!
© Jacque Ndinda | blog | Twitter|
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Nairobi’s Finest: Maziwa ya Kenya Edition, 24th June @ Dass Restaurant
Posted: June 20, 2011, 11:00 am by Wamathai
Join the Nairobi finest crew as they celebrate and reminisce the nineties with poets/rappers who grew up during the nineties (Nyayo) era and give you food ( maziwa/milk being the most nutritionally endowed food) for thought.
There will be performances by Grandmaster Masese and Al-hasira FM, Wangari Kibanya, Kennet B, Ban2S.L.IM, Immah of circles of Poetry, Samo the Almighty and many more
Entry: 300/-, Advance 250/-. [Call 0752677380 for advance tickets and to register for open mic]
Venue: Dass Restaurant, Westlands
Date: 24th June
Time: From 7.30 PMKindly follow us on Twitter & also like our Facebook Page
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Q&A Monday : @ArcherMishale
Posted: June 20, 2011, 8:00 am by Mwirigi
Archer Mishale needs no introduction. Since 2006 he has made us laugh, he has made us cry and he has given us a look at life from the most interesting perspective imaginable.
@ArcherMishale
We had a few questions for him and this is what he had to say:
1. What was your first phone?
A blue Ericsson T1018 that was a hand me down from my mum. That thing was so messed up that I had to slap the keypad hard before it could work! But that was back in 2000 and I was the first of my mates to have a mobile phone so it was pretty cool. Safaricom hadn’t even introduced SMS yet!
2. What do you prefer? Facebook or Twitter? Why?Twitter, without a doubt. The level of intellectual interaction is far higher than it could ever be on Facebook. I’ve met lots of great tweeps who have improved the quality of my life in several ways. It’s a great tool for networking and doing business, and it’s currently the fastest way to get breaking news in 140 characters. The possibilities on Twitter are endless! I only use Facebook to stay in touch with my pals all over the world.
3. Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
I see myself heading a successful business venture. I have lots of ideas right now, and it’s only a matter of time until I put them into action.
4. Any question for us? We’ll publish our answer as wellIf you crossed a Bulldog with a Shitzu, which Kenyan politician would you get?
- We think the real question is which one wouldn’t you get?
5. What would you do if you were president for a day?
I would invite representatives from all 210 constituencies and special interest groups to State House to present their problems to me directly. Using that information, I would put all MPs, ministries and parastatals to task to provide those services or face execution by firing squad. I’d slash MPs salaries & allowances to a third, increase teachers and police salaries. I’d take measures to introduce accountability in government.
On the fun side, I’d take a drive in the presidential limo, complete with motorbikes & chase cars. Because I can! (Impunity, I know…but that becomes your problem, not mine) I’d fly to shagz and back in the Presidential jet. Just for the fun of it. Then in the evening, I would throw a grand bash at State House and invite all my pals. Then I’d chips funga a hot chic. Think about it, when was the last time anyone got laid at State House?
6. Whats your favourite book & movie?My favourite book is the 48 Laws of Power. It has valuable lessons that can be applied in every sphere of life. If I were to be locked up in prison for the rest of my life (God forbid) and I had the choice of only two books, I’d say the 48 Laws of Power comes second only to the Bible.
7. Who/What inspired you to do what you do now?I’ve always loved writing for as long as I can remember, so when I discovered blogging in 2006, it was only natural that I’d start a blog. I intend to take up writing full time at some point in my life, perhaps after I retire. Maybe write a series of novels, one each year.
8. If you were to change jobs, what profession would you get into?I’d want to be a diplomat or a pilot, coz I’d get to travel the world and experience different cultures and sights. That also provides a lot of material for photography and writing. If not that, I’d love to be a BBC Top Gear host, coz that’s undoubtedly the coolest job in the world!
9.If you had a superpower, what would it be?
Teleportation combined with time travel. With all the knowledge of today’s events, think about how cool it would be to go back into time and change things. Imagine if you could cockblock Hitler’s parents, save Tom Mboya & Robert Ouko, poison the idiot who built my laptop. The world would be a better place.
10. If you were deserted on an abandoned island what 5 things would you want to have?- A solar powered laptop with internet connection. Don’t ask me how.
- An endless supply of whisky & Coke.
- A Swiss Army knife.
- A jogoo and a hen. For eggs and chicken and an alarm clock.
- A beautiful woman.
11. If you were a car, what car would you like to be?
A 1965 Shelby AC Cobra in black with silver double racing stripes.
Why?
Unique. Sexy. Powerful. Desirable. Expensive.
12. If you could be in any band in the world, which one would you like to be
in?Jamiroquai!!!!!
Why?
Coz they’re the greatest band in the world!
Normal 0 false false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE*Q & A Monday: The Questions*
1. What was your first phone?
A blue Ericsson T1018 that was a hand me down from my mum. That thing was so messed up that I had to slap the keypad hard before it could work! But that was back in 2000 and I was the first of my mates to have a mobile phone so it was pretty cool. Safaricom hadn’t even introduced SMS yet!
2. What do you prefer? Facebook or Twitter? Why?Twitter, without a doubt. The level of intellectual interaction is far higher than it could ever be on Facebook. I’ve met lots of great tweeps who have improved the quality of my life in several ways. It’s a great tool for networking and doing business, and it’s currently the fastest way to get breaking news in 140 characters. The possibilities on Twitter are endless! I only use Facebook to stay in touch with my pals all over the world.
3. Where do you see yourself in 5 years?I see myself heading a successful business venture. I have lots of ideas right now, and it’s only a matter of time until I put them into action.
4. Any question for us? We’ll publish our answer as wellIf you crossed a Bulldog with a Shitzu, which Kenyan politician would you get?
5. What would you do if you were president for a day?I would invite representatives from all 210 constituencies and special interest groups to State House to present their problems to me directly. Using that information, I would put all MPs, ministries and parastatals to task to provide those services or face execution by firing squad. I’d slash MPs salaries & allowances to a third, increase teachers and police salaries. I’d take measures to introduce accountability in government.
On the fun side, I’d take a drive in the presidential limo, complete with motorbikes & chase cars. Because I can! (Impunity, I know…but that becomes your problem, not mine) I’d fly to shagz and back in the Presidential jet. Just for the fun of it. Then in the evening, I would throw a grand bash at State House and invite all my pals. Then I’d chips funga a hot chic. Think about it, when was the last time anyone got laid at State House?
6. Whats your favourite book & movie?My favourite book is the 48 Laws of Power. It has valuable lessons that can be applied in every sphere of life. If I were to be locked up in prison for the rest of my life (God forbid) and I had the choice of only two books, I’d say the 48 Laws of Power comes second only to the Bible.
7. Who/What inspired you to do what you do now?I’ve always loved writing for as long as I can remember, so when I discovered blogging in 2006, it was only natural that I’d start a blog. I intend to take up writing full time at some point in my life, perhaps after I retire. Maybe write a series of novels, one each year.
8. If you were to change jobs, what profession would you get into?I’d want to be a diplomat or a pilot, coz I’d get to travel the world and experience different cultures and sights. That also provides a lot of material for photography and writing. If not that, I’d love to be a BBC Top Gear host, coz that’s undoubtedly the coolest job in the world!
9.If you had a superpower, what would it be?
Teleportation combined with time travel. With all the knowledge of today’s events, think about how cool it would be to go back into time and change things. Imagine if you could cockblock Hitler’s parents, save Tom Mboya & Robert Ouko, poison the idiot who built my laptop. The world would be a better place.
10. If you were deserted on an abandoned island what 3/5 things would you
want to have?A solar powered laptop with internet connection. Don’t ask me how.
An endless supply of whisky & Coke.
A Swiss Army knife.
A jogoo and a hen. For eggs and chicken and an alarm clock.
A beautiful woman.
11. If you were a car, what car would you like to be?A 1965 Shelby AC Cobra in black with silver double racing stripes.
Why?
Unique. Sexy. Powerful. Desirable. Expensive.
12. If you could be in any band in the world, which one would you like to be
in?Jamiroquai!!!!!
Why?
*Q & A Monday: The Questions*
1. What was your first phone?
A blue Ericsson T1018 that was a hand me down from my mum. That thing was so messed up that I had to slap the keypad hard before it could work! But that was back in 2000 and I was the first of my mates to have a mobile phone so it was pretty cool. Safaricom hadn’t even introduced SMS yet!
2. What do you prefer? Facebook or Twitter? Why?Twitter, without a doubt. The level of intellectual interaction is far higher than it could ever be on Facebook. I’ve met lots of great tweeps who have improved the quality of my life in several ways. It’s a great tool for networking and doing business, and it’s currently the fastest way to get breaking news in 140 characters. The possibilities on Twitter are endless! I only use Facebook to stay in touch with my pals all over the world.
3. Where do you see yourself in 5 years?I see myself heading a successful business venture. I have lots of ideas right now, and it’s only a matter of time until I put them into action.
4. Any question for us? We’ll publish our answer as wellIf you crossed a Bulldog with a Shitzu, which Kenyan politician would you get?
5. What would you do if you were president for a day?I would invite representatives from all 210 constituencies and special interest groups to State House to present their problems to me directly. Using that information, I would put all MPs, ministries and parastatals to task to provide those services or face execution by firing squad. I’d slash MPs salaries & allowances to a third, increase teachers and police salaries. I’d take measures to introduce accountability in government.
On the fun side, I’d take a drive in the presidential limo, complete with motorbikes & chase cars. Because I can! (Impunity, I know…but that becomes your problem, not mine) I’d fly to shagz and back in the Presidential jet. Just for the fun of it. Then in the evening, I would throw a grand bash at State House and invite all my pals. Then I’d chips funga a hot chic. Think about it, when was the last time anyone got laid at State House?
6. Whats your favourite book & movie?My favourite book is the 48 Laws of Power. It has valuable lessons that can be applied in every sphere of life. If I were to be locked up in prison for the rest of my life (God forbid) and I had the choice of only two books, I’d say the 48 Laws of Power comes second only to the Bible.
7. Who/What inspired you to do what you do now?I’ve always loved writing for as long as I can remember, so when I discovered blogging in 2006, it was only natural that I’d start a blog. I intend to take up writing full time at some point in my life, perhaps after I retire. Maybe write a series of novels, one each year.
8. If you were to change jobs, what profession would you get into?I’d want to be a diplomat or a pilot, coz I’d get to travel the world and experience different cultures and sights. That also provides a lot of material for photography and writing. If not that, I’d love to be a BBC Top Gear host, coz that’s undoubtedly the coolest job in the world!
9.If you had a superpower, what would it be?
Teleportation combined with time travel. With all the knowledge of today’s events, think about how cool it would be to go back into time and change things. Imagine if you could cockblock Hitler’s parents, save Tom Mboya & Robert Ouko, poison the idiot who built my laptop. The world would be a better place.
10. If you were deserted on an abandoned island what 3/5 things would you
want to have?A solar powered laptop with internet connection. Don’t ask me how.
An endless supply of whisky & Coke.
A Swiss Army knife.
A jogoo and a hen. For eggs and chicken and an alarm clock.
A beautiful woman.
11. If you were a car, what car would you like to be?A 1965 Shelby AC Cobra in black with silver double racing stripes.
Why?
Unique. Sexy. Powerful. Desirable. Expensive.
12. If you could be in any band in the world, which one would you like to be
in?Jamiroquai!!!!!
Why?
Coz they’re the greatest band in the world!
Coz they’re the greatest band in the world!
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Living Dead
Posted: June 17, 2011, 12:00 pm by Cassandra
I remember when I couldn’t get out of bed
When I didn’t want to get out of bed
I stayed in bed
Breathing, but dead
The sadness, festering madnessIn…
My…
Head.
Wrapping around the concept of you
Lying scheming and cheating
Like you always do
With someone new
AgainMaking me promises i never asked for
Keeping me baited
Always hoping for more…
More than you’d give
Than intent
You’d deceive
And I……I
Would willingly believe
Because it was much better than dealing with
The lonely sad excruciating pain
Againand again
and again
and again.
© cassandra mwangi
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I hate dawn
Posted: June 14, 2011, 12:00 pm by Wamathai
Did you know
That the world’s beauty
Can be seen at dawn?Have you ever seen
Flowers unfolding
To receive the sun,
So bright and fresh?Have you ever smelt
The fragrance in the air.
Or seen how butterflies and birds
Excitedly dance at dawn?
Singing and shouting their voices out!But I hate dawn!
Because it breaks my dreams,
Cuts my sweet sleep short,
And the birds call out my name.
“Awake!” They say,
“Time to labour under the sun
Time to sow your seeds
Or lay them out to dry
So we can feast
And enjoy our dawn!”Ever noticed how cows mow
At daybreaks arrival?
So that the old lady
Can sit on her low stool
And swing with the milk-laden teats,
Massaging and smearing them with oil!Ever realized how that old man,
Is utterly excited
To discover once more
That he still can breathe?
Breathe deeply this fresh
Warm and sweet aroma of dawn!But I hate dawn!
Because it breaks my dreams,
Cuts my sweet sleep short,
And the birds call out my name.
“Awake!” They say,
“Time to labour under the sun
Time to sow your seeds
Or lay them out to dry
So we can feast
And enjoy our dawn!”© Kenya Tweets | Website | Twitter|
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WriteThinking: BlogWars
Posted: June 14, 2011, 10:30 am by Jacque
This is where I do me. It is where I hide to be seen. It is my private public space. It is where I walk around crack-naked without worry, where I eat my pasta from a glass of water and not worry what the walls will think. In an article that has been published before in this column, I touched lightly on some of the reasons why a good number of us run blogs, why we write. Some of us do so because we are vain and writing offers us a chance to converse with our vanity. It is the only way we know how to hone morality and immorality. It cures our madness, our depression; it fills spaces where sleep has deserted by connecting a day to another. It is “a desire to seem clever or not, for fame, to be remembered after death”. We do because we have pens and muted voices. With our incapacities and our knacks, we asked you to let us be. We waged a war with the Journalists, a war that eventually seems to have taken a road down the ego way.
It saddens me however that the war has moved from Journalists versus Bloggers and has taken a different route. It actually is sad that there was a war in the first place. Blogs are slowly becoming a weapon for the heart of the enemy. Missiles are flying from the hearts of a blog to another. Irresponsible blogging is what I would call it. A few months ago, a certain blog published pictures of students from USIU with very unsettling information on the said students just because the blogger did not like them. The epitome of idleness. The very peak of babyhood. Weeks later, sites were rolling with repulsive pictures of naked people, some in the very minute of coitus; from Nyeri to Muliro garden. You can say that I am suffocating in my moral uprightness, which I probably am not, but I am not in support of this kind of blogging that has lost its due diligence. You, of course, are entitled to think otherwise of the whole matter at hand.
I understand that traffic in blogging is as important as acing an exam or nailing that presentation. However, the depths to which bloggers are going to fetch that traffic is highly distressing. People are slowly becoming scavengers of dirt, burying their beaks deep under to fish out the best of filth.
I believe anyone old enough to open a blog is someone of a measurable degree of sanity and intellect if not all. To use that platform for slander, whether your claims are true or false speaks volumes about the kind of person you are. As Mukoma wa Ngugi once said, we all must know that if people like Steve Biko died so that we could write all that we liked, then our pens cannot and should not become the weapon that justifies the torture and murder of others. What is the purpose of owning a blog if all you do is bring down others or destroy their career by the shutter of a camera of the publish button? How unfeeling can a writer be!
In every word that is put up in a blog, in every sentence, there is supposed to be a purpose, a reason for it. When we say that blogging is a free field, we forget that we are accountable to our readers, and our words are responsibilities we carry on our shoulders even after we write them. So how much dirt do you have saddled on your back? These words that you carry, what do they speak about you? Can you take responsibility ? How many people have lost their jobs because of your words? How many have been wounded because of your staggering words?
A blog is not a weapon. It is not a place where I am supposed to run every time someone gets me worked up to unearth the grime on them. There has to be other ways to vent. I believe this kind of defamation can even result in a lawsuit against a blogger. No?
Let us learn how to be diligent with our words.
© Jacque Ndinda | blog | Twitter|
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She Wolf
Posted: June 13, 2011, 12:00 pm by Wamathai
You don’t know me
My name you know not what it is
You don’t know where I’ve been
Or what it is that I have seen
The hurt I have been in
All you can do is read the lines on my face
Yes, judge this book by its cover
And I don’t mind
Because I wear each and every one of these lines with prideEach one of these lines tells a unique story
For you maybe gory
But mine all the same, telling all of my glory
Of the day I had none to eat
Nay, of the days I had none to eat
Of the days my husband came home in a stupor and beat me and mine within an inch of our lives
Of the days he forced himself on me
Of the days I was faithless, because I was convinced there was no God!
Of the days I cried myself to sleep
Of the days my children stared at me, their eyes deadened
Sigh…Then finally my day had come
My oppressor taken swiftly and I did not ask how come
There was hope, of which I had constantly sought and never got
Or maybe not
My oppressor, reincarnate
His brother came and took his place as if never had he left
And once again, my story it has no end
Of the days my life it seemed had no meaning
Of the days I looked back at my children and realised the fight was not over
Of the days I was powerless to control my destiny
This cannot be so, enough is enough!Of the day I decided I would change this story
Of the day I knew I did this all for my children, I needed to change their story
With these thoughts in mind I did not flinch as I slit his neck with the kitchen knife
Not a tear stained my cheek
Not a scream escaped my throat
Not a shudder shook my body as I thought of what I had done
But a slightly crazed smile, my face it wore
As I thought ‘today is the day, my life it begins!‘© tess wandia | blog | twitter|
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Open-Mic Alliance: Launch of Flowetree, 18th June 2011 @ Club Metro
Posted: June 13, 2011, 11:05 am by Wamathai
For the first time ever, Flowetree presents “Open Mic Alliance” A collaboration of all your favourite open mic events in Kenya. Get ready to see Wamathai Spoken Word, Adelle’s Open Mic, Slam Africa, Monaja with Nairobi’s Finest,the Talented Immah with Circles of Poetry,Carol with Poetic Mic, Koa with Poetry Spot, Oliver with Bar Stool Open Mic, the multiskilled Namatsi Lukoye with Hisia Zangu and the fresh re-introduction of Sitawa Open mic in one place.
There shall be performances by Nemesis (Man Njoro), Checkmate, Adelle, Wamathai, Samo Bryton, Kenneth B, Monaja, Abu Sense, Tolboy, Achieng Odhiambo, Sitawa, Namatsi, Nuru Bahati, Asali,Kevin Orato,divine bandit,nginya, The poetiqa, Pepe Haze, Peace, Earnest, USIU (Michezo Africa), Paul Mbuvi, Kuni Mbichi, Immah,Wanjiku Mwaurah, Karen, jaju, Bundu Bandit, Nuru Bahati, Queen Moraa, Jemedari, Black skillz among others!!
HOSTED BY: Entertainer Martin “Daddie Marto” Githinji and the compelling Radio Personality Marcus Olang’
Damage is 300/= [Inclusive of a soda]
Time: 6PM – 10PM
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Q & A Monday : @WagaOdongo
Posted: June 13, 2011, 8:00 am by Mwirigi
Waga Odongo is a Student and a columnist for DN2 on Monday. We had a few questions for him and this is what he had to say.
1. What was your first phone?
My first phone was an Alcatel. I forget the exact model; it was a stew of consonants with a few token numbers. It was unbelievably short and stumpy- while every other phone around that time was larger. It looked like the sort of gadget an ersatz third rate James Bond circa 2003 would use. It was unbelievably dense so he could kill the bad guys by using it like a brick and bashing them over the head.
2. What do you prefer? Facebook or Twitter? Why?
I dislike both. Facebook is a holding pen for advertisers with Potential customers already stratified according to age, nationality, likes and beliefs. If world war 3 were to break out today and Neo-Nazis wanted to round up all Jews/blacks/gays they would use facebook no need to demand census lists. Twitter is the greatest work shirking scheme ever invented my pal Frank calls it a ‘Social-not-working’ site.
I once wrote about twitter in my column The wag- you can read it online on nations website- that “ twitter is capable of a lot or rather I have been made to understand that its scope and application is near limitless, yet it is used to peddle the most mundane doggerel. It is capable of so much more than it is actually used for- it is a severely underemployed and abused medium that still insists on being taken seriously.” I still think those words hold true.
I prefer Facebook though, but it’s like being asked to choose between Cinderella’s ugly step sisters.
3. Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
Five years? Degree in hand, a Job as an actuary and generally to become Kenya’s premier Acid penned writing aristocrat, Writing two columns a week preferably in The Daily Nation.
4. Any question for us? We’ll publish our answer as well
Wamathai Why are there 13 questions and do I get 7 years of bad-luck after answering them? I thought we put that poetry beef behind us?
- Don’t you have to break a mirror to get 7 years bad luck?
5. What would you do if you were president for a day?
President for a day? Invade Uganda they have lots of oil and wouldn’t know what to do with all of it.
6. What’s your favorite book& movie?
Books. Just read Christopher Hitchens memoir Hitch -22 and it is very good. I think he is the greatest journalist of our age. Movie: Matrix. It introduced the concept of bullet time to my very young fecund mind. I have never quite recovered from seeing Neo dodge a fusillade of bullets in slow mo.
7. Who/What inspired you to do what you do now?
Inspiration? Lots of quarters. I admire Clay Muganda’s Clay Court, Philip Ochiengs article the Fifth columnist, ( which is a brilliant play of words I must say it’s both the fifth column on the Sunday Nations main commentary pages and is also fifth columnist in nature) and always used to read Tony Mochama’s “Scene At” although I have fallen of that wagon of late.
8. If you were to change jobs, what profession would you get into? Why?
I don’t yet consider writing a job. So I would write more. I would love to write plays and all manner of scripts.
9. If you had a superpower, what would it be?
Superpower? The ability to make Manchester United lose at will. Which they would do every weekend except when they are playing Arsenal or Liverpool.
10. If you were deserted on an abandoned island what 5 things would you
want to have?I would carry along my friend Janet for company, a TV with satellite connection to Al Jazeera, An infinite amount of Alvaro, the Guardian and the Nation delivered everyday and a gun so that I can shoot stuff and Janet when I get tired of her asking me when we are going home as I’m reading the paper.
11. If you were a car, what car would you like to be? Why?
A Maserati it is just the right mix of fun and officiousness. It is Sort of like wearing sexy Lingerie under a power suit.
12. If you could be in any band in the world, which one would you like to be
in? Why?Any band? I listen mostly to rap to be honest. But it would be Jamnazi, the dudes who sang ‘Am not sober’ so that I could listen to it ever so often. Or I would join MOG so that I could start internal wrangles that would dissolve the band because I hate their voices and music.
13. Share something interesting about yourself with our readers.
I am a leader of men and a seducer of women. ( I’m not doing much of either at the moment but everyone needs a mission statement)
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Book Review: Reading Lolita In Tehran by Azar Nafisi
Posted: June 9, 2011, 11:16 am by Michael
Something feels wrong a bout writing a book review about this book. Not because it is not worthy of a book review, in fact far from it, it is by far one of the best pieces of proper literature that I have read. What makes it seem wrong to be writing a book review about Reading Lolita In Tehran is that the book itself is a book review. In fact, not a single book review but an in depth analysis of some of the greatest books ever written, the author takes a look at Gatsby by Fitzgerald, Nabokov, Jane Austen and, of course, Lolita among many many more.
The book is captivating tale of the authors days as a lecturer at the university and also her time after that while she struggled to teach literature at the height or the Islamic revolution when books like Gatsby were being banned because they ‘promoted adultery’ writings of the famous poets like Rumi were being banned because they weren’t completely in line with the revolutionary way of thinking. Yet still somehow amidst all this Azar Nafisi manages to get a literature Robin hood band going of her and seven of her favorite students meeting every Thursday and discussing the texts that have been banned due to the Islam Revolution.
The fact that it is women who are doing this in itself makes the stealing away to read that much more of a challenge and it is amazing how the author manages to steer us away from thinking it is women vs men in the book. She paints portraits of bad men, and of good men just as she paints portraits of good women and bad men. She puts it simply in one line when she says “When one half of the population is made invisible the other half is also affected” This affection comes out clearly when her one male student can’t attend the lessons just because he is male and holding a mixed gathering at that time would be the equivalent of suicide.
Many critics have used the word eloquent to describe this book and I was going to avoid using the word but no other word captures how well the author picks her words. She is elegant and eloquent in her writing. So much so that while discussing matters of tremendous weight she manages to tell them in a such a way that it doesn’t hit you how important what she was saying is until you have had a second to think about it. All this time she is giving in depth analysis and quotes from the classics and still she only makes you long to reread those books that you read once upon a time because they were thrust upon you in high school or they were spoked about. This is a lady who makes you long to read Rumi, Fitzgerald, Dorothy Sayers, Nabokov and all these authors who were writing classics way back when you were still a bad idea.
My excerpt this week was, again, one that I had to struggle with. I did settle though on a part that captures the entire essence of the boo and the Islamic revolution when it comes to literature for me. This is from somewhere in Chapter two. Having being challenged by one of her students on whether it was appropriate to be reading studying Gatsby – which you should read by the way, fascinating book – a book that ‘promotes adultery and greed’ in her classes, she doesn’t hide from the issue or dismiss the student. In fact she does something way more fascinating she puts Gatsby on trial. They pick a judge, the questioning student is the prosecutor and another is the defence, the author herself represents the book. This is how she describes what happened after the defence gave their last statement:
In her “can’t you see?” there was a genuine note of concern that went beyond her disdain and hatred of Mr. Nyazi, a desire that even he should see, definitely see. She paused for a moment and cast a look around the room at her class mates. The class went silent for a while after that. Not even Mr. Nyazi had anything to say.
See from the above how Mr Nyazi – the accuser – was turned silent when faced with the truth as it was. And that’s why the literature was destroyed, because within it truth lies and truth, is a powerful weapon in the right hands.
The veil. It just needs to be mentioned. All through the book the veil is a symbol of how something innocent can be used to create fear and tyranny. Pre revolution ladies wore the veil as a symbol of their sacred pact wit Allah but during the revolution with the veil being imposed on women and them being forced to go through random and unnecessary inspections it became a symbol of tyranny it became a tool for oppression. Good thing bad people concept.
I must confess however, that as I write this book review I am but 30 pages from the end of the book and deadlines are looming so I must type faster but with a book like this I have no fear in saying that it has a wonderful ending because the author weaves such a good yarn that you can always be sure that she will not disappoint.
About the Author
Azar Nafisi is an Iranian academic and bestselling writer who has resided in the United States since 1997 when she emigrated from Iran. Her field is English language literature. Nafisi’s 2003 book Reading Lolita in Tehran: A Memoir in Books has been translated into 32 languages. It was on the New York Times Bestseller list for 117 weeks, and has won numerous literary awards, including the 2004 Non-fiction Book of the Year Award from Booksense, and the Europe based Persian Golden Lioness Award for literature. The book also led to controversy about Nafisi’s alleged connections to neoconservatism and colonialism.
Reading Lolita in Tehran is available on Amazon
© Michael Onsando | Blog 1 | Blog 2 | Twitter
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Private Emotions
Posted: June 8, 2011, 12:00 pm by Wamathai
If my heart I could speak
If the depth of my soul I could breathe
If my dreams I could spell
In the present let them dwell
Setting into motion
These fragile emotions
Then maybe you’d be the chosen guardian
A fortunate custodianIf a voice I could gain
If I’d alter this refrain
If my fear of the unknown
From my system would be away blown
Reach out for this heart that bids
Let flow free with the west winds
Then maybe I’d speak of insides boilingIf time could reveal this eventuality
Of emotions bubbling into an eternity
Moulded and natured in perfect serenity
If feelings dwelling in this wanting being
Felt within the confinement of four lifeless walls
Another heart could conceive
Then maybe you’d be my chosen enchanting king
To soothe them through the nightThoughts of desire float in the naked air
I tease these emotions to discover you
Silent oblivious dweller in this foreign land
Ploughing through my fields sowing emotions
If time could reveal this eventuality
Of emotions bubbling into an eternity
..You may not know it to be so
For in solitude I bore this
My yearnings to satiate
Of strong feelings stirring© christine kananu |Blog|twitter|
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WriteThinking:Go to School!
Posted: June 8, 2011, 11:00 am by Jacque
To penetrate and dissipate these clouds of darkness, the general mind must be strengthened by education.
Thomas JeffersonI have looked for the most inimitable and fascinatingly witty way to start this in vain so I will just hit it in the head: GO TO SCHOOL!
I know a girl. She is young, talented. To every song, no beat is left unattended. The first time I watched her dance during an audition for a club in Campus, my lips hang loosely for minutes! A girl can boogie like a leaf in the wind! I know another. Her acting skills are unmatched. She swallows scripts into her mind; each and every line is mastered. I have seen her on stage; I have watched her on screen. In her is the ability to be herself and seventeen other people, all at a go. These two have taken their art seriously, and have decided to make money out of it. However, the story becomes a tragedy when these two drop out of campus to take their art as a fulltime career. I weep! This is where they die
I write this post out of an observation of a trend rampant in the entertainment industry in Kenya. This is not about writing but art in general. There is talent, then there is school. The assumption seems to be that as long as you have one, then you are good and ripe to go. Radio presenters are quitting campus in their third year, musicians, actors, writers…all are doing the same.
In a country that does not have much reverence for art, even with the little reverence that might be budding, one cannot afford not to go to school. Unfortunately, fame and money gets into our heads. I asked one of my friends who quit school in his second year to go into fulltime acting and he said “I go to school to learn how to make money. If money comes before I finish school, what will I be doing continuing?’. How superficial!
My lecturer the late Dr. Ezekiel Alembi always told me to ‘iron my craft’ with a good education. I might sound like old auntie Redempta talking about school, education and all, but tell me…have you met a musician whose talent is so ironed…sharp like a knife, but what lies beyond there is a clutter of brainlessness? The one who can only hold a conversation about his upcoming album and the age of his dreadlocks only? For what use is the sharp flair of photography on your plate if you cannot hold a straight and civilised conversation to at least sell your work? What use is my writing if I am not informed about the world around me? The write I’m writing about and for?
I respect talent. I do. I respect those that have discovered theirs. I hysterically wail for those who do not know what they are good in yet. I also respect the idea of honing your craft, backing it up with something stronger. Even more respected is that person who discovers what they are good at and takes that talent to school to sharpen it there by studying a related course.
People, let’s go to school. Knowledge my friend. Knowledge and schooling!
© Jacque Ndinda | blog | Twitter|
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Now FEARLESS
Posted: June 7, 2011, 12:00 pm by Wamathai
Fear flee away from me,
Vacate from within; I insist,
In me, I know, you’d forever be,
But old enemy; get to shteppin’You have been an unwelcome guest,
Somehow you found room in this nest,
But now: get up and make haste,
Be gone: you annoying pest!Thanks to you, i have missed many opportunities,
Chances I can never redeem,
Discouraging ME and living rent free,
Get the hell out of me!Faith is eagerly waiting to replace you,
So disappear and retire to your doom,
I have changed the keys to your room,
Good riddance, you unwanted fool!© Ivy Muigai |twitter|
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Jemedari Live, 11th June @ Club Metro
Posted: June 6, 2011, 1:45 pm by Wamathai
Rapper/Poet Jemedari presents JEMEDARI LIVE, an event that aims at remodeling the stereotypical Hip Hop concert from the usual playback performance; we take you into the new frontier with LIVE HIP HOP, Hip Hop performed alongside a highly versatile live band.
June’s edition of JEMEDARI LIVE will entail:
- Introduction to “The Foundation”- it’s purpose and objectives
- A musical showcase of Live Hip Hop – performed by Jemedari and Blackskillz and a few surprise acts.
Details:
Gate Charges: 200/= in advance and 300/= at the gate
Date & Time: June 11, 3PM to 7PM
venue: Club Metro, Koinange Street (Opp Consolidated Bank)
It being the first of the series, you can not afford to miss it!
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Help Kenya Break A World Record….. in Reading!
Posted: June 6, 2011, 10:36 am by Michael
I’ve been staring at the cursor for a whole 26 and half minutes trying to think of some witty, sharp, attention grabbing, fun, hilarious, deep or just cool way to open this piece. I mean how can I just start writing a piece about a world record attempt here, in Kenya, in Nairobi, just like that? Well 26 and a half minutes later (make that 28 after typing the above sentences) and I’ve come up with nothing. I guess no words are cool enough to completely grasp the awesomeness that is the Kenya Reading Revolution. So, ladies and gentlemen, allow me to start from alpha.
We have all heard of the phrase “Kenyans don’t read” right? It is everywhere everyone is saying that Kenyans have no reading culture, that Kenyans can’t really claim a seat among intellectuals, well there are a couple of people who beg to differ. Starting with this world record by led by Storymoja, Kenya has been engulfed by a revolution. The climate in the entire country is about to change. Yes, it is a revolution by all senses of the words and I hope you are ready for it, for the Reading Revolution.
Okay, away from all the melodrama, I’m sure many of you are sitting back and thinking, “Sure Kenya doesn’t read we have gotten by thus far haven’t we?” Well who is ready to be content with getting by? It is about time we started to prosper, in order to prosper we need to be thinkers, and we all know that readers have a greater chance of being thinkers than none readers. Don’t believe me? An study by IBM released in January 2010 said the most important factor in success is creativity. Reading is one of the things that increase creativity. If really nothing else reading about places that you have never been and even seen opens up your mind to cultures that you wouldn’t have even have known about. It shows you the world from several perspectives. Also, if you want to be Obama, you should read or at least that’s what Michelle said while addressing some students: “Read, write, read, read. If the President were here — one of his greatest strengths is reading. That’s one of the reasons why he’s a good communicator, why he’s such a good writer. He’s a voracious reader. So we’re trying to get our girls, no matter what, to just be — to love reading and to challenge themselves with what they read, and not just read the gossip books but to push themselves beyond and do things that maybe they wouldn’t do. So I would encourage you all to read, read, read. Just keep reading.” Reading is cool.
So I have told of the plan to get the whole of Kenya ablaze with the hunger to read and how we will get the whole country to thirst for knowledge. The question then arises, where will we begin? I mean, every good fire needs a spark to kick it off right? So here’s the plan, On June 16th 2011, Kenya will attempt to break a Guinness World Record in reading – this will be the first time in Africa that has ever been attempted. On this historic occasion, we will try to unite 25,000 Kenyans on June 16th, the Day of The African Child to put Kenya in the history pages. The World Record that we will be attempting to break is; Most Number of People Reading Aloud Simultaneously in a Single Location,” which is currently held by Turkey at 22,000 people. Don’t raise your eyebrow like that, haven’t we broken world records before. Okay not – strictly speaking – we, but our runners break world records that include immense physical prowess. Now we need your help to prove our mental prowess.
So here’s what you are going to do: you will go to the reading revolution website and register, although you don’t have to register that will be preferred. Now the next one we strongly advise you do, go to Facebook , Twitter or both and find us then tell your friends, who will tell their friends, who will tell their friends… I think you get the picture. Finally, the one you absolutely have to do, on June 16th at 9.00am find yourself at Nyayo Stadium for the world record attempt. The reading itself starts at 10.00 so you have to be there by 9.00 to be counted. Drag along as many willing, and unwilling, friends (or enemies) and read aloud with us. We will provide a book worry not. You have to join in, it’s a revolution!
© Michael Onsando | Blog 1 | Blog 2 | Twitter
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Q & A Monday : @SadiaOfficial
Posted: June 6, 2011, 9:47 am by Mwirigi
Sadia Ahmed is a 20 something year old Radio Presenter. She’s been in the industry for 9 years. She does sales and marketing for various companies, but at the moment more focused on Zone Infinity Ltd. She would not say that she is a big gadget freak but she does have an iPod! She loves jewellery and handbags and shoes and a good pair of fitted jeans. She also deals in the real estate market for the family business.
We had a few questions for her and this is what she had to say.
1. What was your first phone?
- Motorola V2288 – That brick that had 2 skins you could change. My colours where pink and blue. Only awesome thing about the phone was it a had radio as a feature!
2. What do you prefer? Facebook or Twitter? Why?
- Twitter. I feel I have more freedom expressing myself. On Facebook, it’s more of Gossip-Land and I am glad I deactivated my account. You can read about it here
3. Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
- In London. Married. With a Firm of my own. And a part time job at a Radio station.
4. Any question for us? We’ll publish our answer as well
- Do you think Kenyan Artists have “upped” their “game” in the past decade? And do you reckon their ideas for videos have gotten better or worse?
- Depends on the Artist. Just a Band have been doing some amazing work lately
5. What would you do if you were president for a day?
- I would take the chopper and travel all over Kenya. I would love to do that as I haven’t seen 90% of Kenya. Being President can’t be easy; making the necessary changes would take more than a day. So I’d rather enjoy the benefits for that day.
6. What’s your favorite book& movie?
- I don’t read a lot, but a friend bought me a book and insisted I have a read – Robin Sharma’s “The Man Who Sold His Ferrari”. I LOVE movies. My old time favorite is “Coyote Ugly”.
7. Who/What inspired you to do what you do now?
- I was very young when I fell in love with Radio. I used to listen (and still do) to Rick Dees and The Weekly Top 40, so he was my inspiration. Eventually I’d listen to other stations too. And the interaction between listeners and the presenters amazed me. And before I knew it, I was the Presenter interacting with Listeners.
8. If you were to change jobs, what profession would you get into? Why?
- I would be a kindergarten teacher. I absolutely love kids. It would be wonderful to spend an entire day Monday to Friday just teaching them and enjoying their innocence (that no longer exists in this World). They say kids laugh 300-500 times a day. And adults about 100 a day. Being around kids would probably jump that figure up a notch.
9. If you had a superpower, what would it be?
- The Power to Fly! So I can avoid the Nairobi Jam and travel around the world without paying for flight tickets.
10. If you were deserted on an abandoned island what 3/5 things would you
want to have?- First of all I would be HAPPY to be on an abandoned island (so long as I can get off it after 3 days, that’s a short vacation with me-myself-and-I right there!). As for the question, I can’t do without my BlackBerry. I would definitely need it with me to communicate with civilization (it should have network as well!). It has music so that is SORTED! Drinkable water. My blanky (yes I have a bright pink blanky like babies do) and my handbag (you don’t know what’s in there! Hahaha)
11. If you were a car, what car would you like to be? Why?
- A sexy, red Ferrari. Do I really need to say why?
12. If you could be in any band in the world, which one would you like to be
in? Why?- I would so want to be part of FORT MINOR! When Mike Shinoda decided to (not exactly break away from Linkin Park) create his own band that was the smartest move. He was able to rap about what he always wanted to. His collaboration with Ryan Patrick Maginn (Ryu) and Takbir Bashir (Tak) was unbelievable. Their music is about the NOW and the HAPPENINGS. Not typical love songs or heart breaking songs. To be a part of something meaningful is bliss.
13. Share something interesting about yourself with our readers.
- I have a blue-green birthmark on my right hand/wrist. It’s nice to know that I would never get lost. I have a weird fixation with dates (not those that include the opposite gender). I remember events that took place to the exact day and time. My family love to take the kick out of it too. And I can’t help it. I’ve got a living calendar in my head.
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Soul’s Loss
Posted: June 5, 2011, 12:00 pm by Wamathai
Once on a Mondays Stroll
I came across a hidden Cross.
Polished to a Spot it glinted with beauty,
It told me of devotion, hard work and Love
That a Carpenters hand had immortalized.But lifting it up I found a termites nest,
Left unattended, they had crept up on it
And were now eating through Someone’s Salvation© xavier waweru
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Kisses
Posted: June 4, 2011, 12:00 pm by Wamathai
Your kiss is like chocolate, sweet and flavored.
The taste of it is subliminal making me want to melt
Like the chocolate that melts on my tongue.
Our kiss is like the game one plays with chocolate,
A nibble here, some savoring there.
Then there’s the texture of the kiss, it’s like different kinds of chocolate.
The lips are smooth like dairy milk, soft and sweet,
Leaving one aching for more.
The tongue kiss is like fruit and nuts,
Different flavors mingling into one.
But one kiss like chocolate is not enough,
You got to have another taste.
There is nothing like the anticipation of opening that chocolate,
Savoring that sweet desert it’s like lips that beg to be opened and kissed.
So as I savour this chocolate that devastates my senses
I think of you and your kiss.
Temptation calls to savor your tingling, sweet kisses.© rayhab wangari | blog|twitter|
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Manna
Posted: June 3, 2011, 12:00 pm by Wamathai
Carved on a Child’s mind a preacher’s words rang,
Treading earth and Filth with hardened soles
His puny hands sorting out Post sell-by discards
Past his black -Cracked lips,
Behind his Camouflaged teeth, by his parched throat,
Just below that;
His empty stomach treated him to a Sumptuous
Drum Beat….
Neither dance nor hum escaped his Countenance,Had he not heard it before?
None but a Sigh!How he yearned for Heaven
Where there Flowed ‘Manna’ enough for A days meal!© xavier waweru
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Siren
Posted: June 2, 2011, 12:00 pm by Wamathai
She likes. No, loves to set fires,
To set ablaze the desires of men.
She feeds on desire, it makes her feel powerful.
The want she creates in men when she flirts, teases
Or seduces a man with her body is an aphrodisiac for her.
It’s not the sex she loves or craves,
It’s the power to turn those men into her slaves.She is like a witch,
Bewitching men with her body,
Her body becomes a spell when she offers herself up as a sacrifice to her lover.
Once tasted, desire and desperation to taste again ignites and he is bound.
She plays body games, mind games, sexual games,
Dancing such moves that she leaves the competition lagging,
Struggling to understand what she gives those men,
That makes them stick like glue.
She just laughs,
Because her secrets only she and Victoria know.She is a sexual vixen, a goddess worshiped by many,
A vampire that feeds on lust.
Sexy scandalous is her trademark.
She is Siren.© rayhab wangari | blog|twitter|
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Book Review: Children of our Alley by Naguib Mahfouz
Posted: June 2, 2011, 11:27 am by Michael
Coming to the end of this book one must be obliged to say that what I am writing is not a book review but a review of books. The children of our alley is a collection of stories (five to be exact). Originally published in Arabic in 1959, under the title Awlad haratina the book has the ability to hold you in with the prose poetry kind of writing and musical dance on words.
Naguib tales one on a journey that is full of laughs cries and unexpected turns of an alley somewhere in Egypt owned by Gabalawi who is more of a mystery than anything else to his loyal subjects and hence the mystique makes the subjects create all kinds of myths and legends behind his existence that are sometimes so wildly exaggerated that one can only wonder if the people who lived in the alley were sane to believe them. Yet they were, in several instances you can see statements that just got to prove the human nature of Gabalawi and other statements just show how gullible the occupants of the alley can get.
Each story sheds its focus on the emergence of a hero of sorts that saves the town from some sort of tyranny that had plagued the alley especially focusing on gang rule, which then brings about stretches of time when everyone is happy and at peace. But eventually the hero dies and the dwellers of the alley fall back to greed and lust for money which brings the gang rule right back to exactly where it was before the hero emerged.
Funny thing is the book was written in 1959 and yet it’s writing sounds very 1990’s. The pick of words, the poetry interludes, the way the author seamlessly jumps from one topic to another all these things join up to make up a piece of work that was written in the middle of a tyranic era in Egypt but has a complete “later” feel to it. It is as if the writer was predicting something. Sure he touches on issues that affected his country at the time but the book has fundamental morals that are priceless.
Reading what I have written above it seems easy that someone could draw the conclusion that the book is “heavy” reading. It would be easy to mistake the book for one of those books that you meditate, tell yourself you are reading, set aside an afternoon a fortnight in advance, put on your thinking cap and read. It isn’t though. It is a very pleasurable book to read that takes you through story after story. It draws you into a world of happenings invokes the feeling in you that the character is feeling in his heart, plus it has amazing short snippets of poetry (which for a poetry lover like me is always a plus).
Normally when doing a book review the I find that the hardest part would be how to pick an excerpt. Most books I reiew are just bursting at the seams with witty, inspiring, deep statements that at no one point can I oint and say this is the best statement in the book. It wasn’t the case this week, don’t get me wrong not that there was any lack of thought provoking statements in the book but because the book, to me, was about the vanity of some situations this part really seemed to capture it for me. The excerpt is from the beginning of the 4th story, Qassem:
Almost nothing in the alley had changed. Feet that were still bare left their deep prints in the dirt. Flies still lingered in garbage and on people’s eyes. Faces were still tired and haggard, clothes were ragged, obscenities were exchanged like greetings and ears were numb with lies and hypocrisy. The mansion still sat behind it’s walls, immersed in silence and memory, with the overseer’s house to the right and the protectors house to the left;…
All in all this is definitely a book worth your time. The culture behind it and the power in every single word written sheds light on how no matter how much we try to change the world unless we get the people to change the world will remain the same.
About The Author
Naguib Mahfouz was born on December 11, 1911, in the old Gamaliya quarter of Cairo, the youngest of seven children in a family of five boys and two girls. Although he had many siblings, Mahfouz felt like an only child because the next youngest brother was ten years older than him. He mourned his lack of normal sibling bonds, which is reflected in the portrayal of fraternal relationships in much of his work. But his childhood was a happy one—the family was stable and loving, with religion playing a very important role in their life—and there are many signs of Mahfouz’s affection for his early childhood in his work.
Naguib Mahfouz died in Cairo on 30 August 2006 at the age of 94, in the presence of his wife Atiya and his daughters Fatma and Umm Kalthum. The Children of Our Alley was his 17th book and is available on Amazon.
© Michael Onsando | Blog 1 | Blog 2 | Twitter
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The one Hidden Inside
Posted: June 1, 2011, 12:00 pm by Wamathai
What do you see when you look at me,
Is it my ant waist that you wish to clasp your hands around?
Is it my berry brown eyes that you stare at and get lost in?
Is it my round booty that you so desire to squeeze?
Is it my pearl white teeth, hidden by my warm full lips that you long to kiss?
Is it my long ebony hair that you would like to run your fingers through?
Is it my chocolate dark skin, that you fantasize rubbing?
Is it my curvaceous frame, that you so long to caress?
I beg to disagree and tell you what i see..
I see a woman who deserves a proper education, a learned woman,
I see a woman with big dreams and goals,
I see a woman who does not deserve the cut,
I see a woman who is free to express herself,
I see a woman without a price tag,
I see a woman whose opinions are valued,
I see a woman who could be a great leader, a legend,
I see a woman with a choice,
I see a woman, whose beauty overflows from the inside to out,
I see a GREAT AFRICAN WOMAN.Now what do you see?
© June Njoroge
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Blah blah blah
Fish cakes
Alas a fish cake.
Yet more fish cakes
Guess what ... yeah ... fish cakes.
The end of the fish cakes
