Creativity is the beauty of art, for the past week nude photos of Kisumu Governor’ Son Junior in a red dress posing in a thong has been doing rounds on Kenyan media pages creating much controversies and rumors with some saying he’s gay, some alluded he was getting initiated into the Illuminati world to join Hollywood, there have been even more ridiculous ones.
However, turns out Junior who’s also a model was working with one of Kenya’s most talented photographers Lyra Aoko on a project ‘what if Adam was Eve’ with a theme of femininity is not weakness.
She simply reversed the traditional story of the Bible that God made men first and created woman out of his rib while the man was in deep sleep. In her concept, Lyra visualizes a scenario where the woman is created first, the man who eats the forbidden fruit.
Explaining her objective of the project, Lyra say it was aimed at creating visuals challenging the
stereotypes related to gendered clothing. “This is the most powerful force perpetuating the fashion divide; the fact that we have all been trained from anearly age to regard some clothes asstrictly for men, and other clothes asstrictly for women. And anyone who refuses to follow this code is seen as
making a huge statement.”
Not only in Africa, worldwide, femininity has been seen as weakness so by visualizing a man in the exact shoes, she says, “The most telling part about all this is what it says about the value we attach to
masculinity and femininity. When a man wears pants and trousers most people will think little of it. The rules arehowever very different for men wearing clothes that are deemed to be for women.”
“Underlying these reactions is a profound disrespect for women and all that we associate with femininity. In the end, the “rules” around gendered clothes aren’t about fashion, or taste. They’re about how we mark difference, enforcing and reiterating restrictive ideas about what it is to be a girl or a boy,
a man or a woman. Perhaps this is the real issue; that to challenge the rules of fashion is to challenge our settled ideas about gender roles.” She summarizes.
I know one day the Internet will show you what has been said and written about Mum, Jacque Maribe.
As the search returns the results, may you also find this message.
Mum has friends, who stood by her because they know, she is the true definition of Love.
When she loved she gave her soul and heart as it should be. She loves with all she got. Pure and true.
As a friend, she was always available, even for smaller functions where friends do not have to turn up, she always showed up. Friendship is not an after-thought for her, it is a lifestyle.
That is why despite all the defence she has, she choose to say the only reason she wants Bail was because she wanted to be with you – Her love. – that is Mum for you.
To her friends Loyalty, to those she loves, wholesome sacrifice and endless affection.
Importantly, despite all that is written, we believe she is innocent.
By the time you read this in the future, she will be free, will have written a great book and all that negativity about her will have been replaced by the reality that Mum is a lovely human being.
We pray for Justice for all involved. It has been established by final verdicts in courts that Prosecutors and investigators are not always right.
We stretch a hand of friendship and sincere prayers to and for Mum.
She was not alone, through what Google may return as results, she lived well with people, in turn, her frirnds stood with her
I am not a perfect friend, but like all her friends, we all aim for perfection, just like her.
BBC have just released a digital series called’Sugar’ which looks at the rise of sugar daddy relationships in Kenya.
In Kenya and beyond, ‘sugar’ relationships have become mainstream. Transactional sex was once driven by poverty, but now, increasingly, it’s driven by vanity. More and more young women are using sugar daddies to fund a lifestyle worth posting on social media.
Older men have always used gifts, status, and influence to buy access to young women. The sugar daddy has probably been around, in every society, for as long as the prostitute. So you might ask: “Why even have a conversation about transactional sex in Africa?”
The answer is that in Kenya, and in some other African countries, “sugar” relationships seem to have become both more common and more visible: what once was hidden is now out in the open – on campuses, in bars, and all over Instagram.
Exactly when this happened is hard to say. It could’ve been in 2007 when Kim Kardashian’s infamous sex tape was leaked, or a little later when Facebook and Instagram took over the world, or perhaps when 3G internet hit Africa’s mobile phones.
But somehow, we have arrived at a point where having a “sponsor” or a “blesser” – the terms that millennials usually apply to their benefactors – has for many young people become an accepted, and even a glamorous lifestyle choice.
Until recently there was no data to indicate how many young Kenyan women are involved in sugar relationships. But this year the Busara Centre for Behavioural Economics conducted a study for BBC Africa in which they questioned 252 female university students between the ages of 18 and 24. They found that approximately 20% of the young women who participated in the research has or has had a “sponsor.”
The sample size was small and the study was not fully randomised, so the results only give an indication of the possible numbers, they cannot be taken as definitive. Also, only a small percentage openly admitted to having a sugar daddy; the researchers were able to infer that a number were hiding the truth from answers they gave to other questions, using a technique called list randomisation.
Huddah, another Kenyan socialite flaunts her body on the popular network Instagram. These are the pioneers of the new age prostitution culture where young girls use such networks to sell their body.
But interestingly, when talking about others, not about themselves, the young women estimated on average that 24% of their peers had engaged in a transactional sexual relationship with an older man – a figure very close to that reached by the researchers.
Jane, a 20-year-old Kenyan undergraduate who readily admits to having two sponsors, sees nothing shameful in such relationships – they are just part of the everyday hustle that it takes to survive in Nairobi, she says.
She also insists that her relationships with Tom and Jeff, both married, involve friendship and intimacy as well as financial exchange.
“They help you sometimes, but it’s not always about sex. It’s like they just want company, they want someone to talk to,” she says.
She says that her religious parents brought her up with traditional values, but she has made her own choices. One of her motives, she says, is to be able to support her younger sisters, so they won’t need to rely on men for money. But she has also been inspired by Kenya’s celebrity “socialites” – women who have transformed sex appeal into wealth, becoming stars of social media.
In the past, some of Kenya’s socialites have styled themselves as #SlayQueens, and have been quite upfront about the financial benefits that have come from dating tycoons. Having made it to the top, though, they often begin to cultivate a different image – presenting themselves as independent, self-made businesswomen and encouraging Kenyan girls to work hard and stay in school.
The millions of fans scrolling through their Instagram posts, though, are not blind. The sudden emphasis on entrepreneurship does not hide the fact that these women used their sex appeal to create opportunities in the first place. And many – quite understandably – are attempting to apply this methodology to their own lives.
These young women have come of age in the last decade, bombarded since childhood with images of female status built on sex appeal. But according to Crystal Simeoni, an expert on gender and economic policy, Kenyan society encourages sugar relationships in other ways too.
If women have become more willing to profit financially from their youth and beauty, she says, it’s partly because of Kenya’s gross economic inequalities, lack of social mobility, and widespread corruption.
“The way things are constructed in this country makes it so much harder for a smaller person to make ends meet,” she argues. Hard work won’t get them anywhere. “They have to get a sponsor, rob a bank, or win a tender.”
Michael Soi, a well-known artist whose paintings satirise Kenya’s culture of transactional sex, takes a similar but more cynical view, attributing the phenomenon more to laziness and a get-rich-quick mentality than to structural injustice.
The days of waking up early and working from morning to night are behind us, he says: “Right now the ass is the new brain, and this is what you use to get what you want.”
Dr Joyce Wamoyi from the National Institute for Medical Research in Tanzania says girls and young women between the ages of 15 and 24 have consistently been at higher risk of HIV infection than any other section of the population in sub-Saharan Africa.
Sugar relationships, she says, are contributing to these risks because the women who engage in them do not have the power to insist on the use of condoms. “With sex work, men are more likely to use condoms because it’s more explicit that this is selling and buying.”
For many young Kenyans, the values espoused in families, schools, and churches simply do not align with the economic realities of the country, or cannot compete with the material temptations that, in the age of reality TV and social media, are everywhere visible.
Even within the family, most Kenyan girls have it drummed into them from an early age that they must marry a rich man, not a poor one. It’s taken for granted in these conversations that men will provide the money on which women will survive. So for some it’s only a small step to visualising the same transaction outside marriage.
“What is wrong about sex anyway?” asks Jane. “People just make it sound wrong. But sometimes, it ain’t wrong at all.”
Kamene Goro is all the way on a downspiral, one a darling of the TV when she debuted on Ebru as an anchor, the cool, sassy Kamene is gone, like Sean Carter said, good girl gone bad the city is filled with them, that line fits like nonsense on this case.
Now a radio presenter on NRG Radio which is curving out a niche as one of the biggest urban radio stations, Kamene has come out of her shell and gone plainly ratchet.
Kamene during her TV days, decent and composed before somebody let the dogs out.
She has a breakfast show that goes along with our boy Kibe(Big up Kibe by the way, only real nigga in these streets). If you’ve listened to the show then you should spare a minute for it, like the rest of many, highly sexual but it’s a relief from the same old Maina stale show with his shambas in ukambani.
Anyway, back to the story at hand, the voluptuous presenter is not who you used to, for those only knowing her on radio. She’s as ratchet as a mother@$*(saying it like Kibe would). Have you seen her Instagram page? She makes your favorite socialites look like amateurs.
Talking Of ratchetness, in a recent show with Kibe and rapper Prezzo involving a drinking the game, the 26-year-old Kamene, after several shots, was asked by the two men to reveal how many guys she has been with under the sheets.
Kamene And Kibe At NRG Radio.
“And please, don’t judge me,” said the curvy presenter in the video before answering.
“We are not here to judge you, we are just here to get the facts and fictions,” Prezzo retorted.
“My body count…Body count is the number of people I have slept with my whole life. My body count currently stands as we speak at 27. Twenty seven d****,” she said.
You don’t go on radio saying such kind of shit, your head gotta be out of normalcy. She’s now a hardened street chic. But I have a feeling much of it has to do with the stations policies. You know sex sells, coz most of you after reading this article will head to her IG page and probably listen to the station so I suppose they have to keep it dirty to get all you perverts on board.
Bonus photo of Kamene.
But how sustainable is this strategy? We’ve had more controversial shows come and die just like the sexual act itself. But you know what whey say, whatever works for you, NRG keep at it and by the way I’m waiting for my cheque over this free publicity. I wonder how longer we’ll have to wait to get celebrities with more than big booty to sell to the youths.
I’m not such a big fan of local music save for a few conscious artists like Juliani whom I listen to their art but nothing in the music industry will pass without my knowledge. So in the past few months, a group made of few kids from Kayole have been running the airwaves.
Known and Ethic Group, the five boys are behind what’s arguably the biggest song in the country this year ‘lamba lolo’ which loosely translates to go to hell. The explicit song that started off a joke on YouTube has gained big traction and probably the most watched clip on Kenya’s YouTube community. The song made the group popular and elevated the crew to stardom.
And ever since their star started shining, it has never gone off. From radio to tv interviews, shows to beaches, this had been the go to group and most sort after. Position is their latest hot song that they did with Kansoul and currently doing great in the charts.
With all these successes, the acts behind are never mentioned. Nothing happens by chance but design. There’s no successful artist who ever made it without a manager. Talent management is a core part of the growth. Teleh Mani of Hype Group Limited took up the group when their first song was gaining momentum on YouTube and became their manager until recently.
He opens up,”lot of industry guys told me to stay away from Ethic and it was gonna be rough. Nothing repaired me for the fuckery today. I was wrong and I shoulda listened.”
Narrating his ordeal, the manager explains what really happened leading to the break out, “Ethic are extremely talented. They can make hits. They have another 2-4 hits in them. However greed will be their ultimate downfall. Mark my words. That ‘ghetto’ mentality is toxic.”
“So basically, I hit these guys up when ‘Lamba Lolo’ had a ka small buzz. Before 100k views around June. At the time all I wanted was to pay for a new ‘polished’ video. However, I realized that one of the reasons the video even trended was because of how raw and real it was. So I get back to Nairobi and me and the boys meet. I specifically ask how they feel I can help them because Artist management is something I really hate but I wanna help them build their brand. They say help us record, shoot videos and get shows.”
He continues, “First of all, these guys weren’t a group. They just got together for that one song. So I suggested they try out the group thing for a year and if it doesn’t work, they can figure their shit out. They said cool. So after the dynamics of our work relationship were agreed upon ON PAPER we hit the ground running. Sent them to record ‘Saba’ at Pacho and to Madtraxx for ‘New Position’ Paid for everything from cab money for interviews that I put together to credit for these guys to keep their socials active.”
He then goes to where the cracks started forming, “Anyway, cracks start forming and one of the members says that he doesn’t like the idea of being under a label because he doesn’t understand why we have to take a percentage(in their favor) of all revenue. I explain that that’s the only way we can get our investment back. We hustle and get these guys gigs including my own Ofcourse while still trying to figure out the brand. We realize one of the boys has been booking his own shows where he goes solo with his close pals for 2k-4K Ma bucla. The group is unhappy esp since he’s the popular one(this one must be Mtoto wa Eunice).”
Problem comes up after the group dropped their new song Position with Kansoul and the manager left the country leaving his colleagues behind to manage them. They started listening to outsiders as the manager notes, “That’s when everybody gets into somebody’s ear about ‘achana na hawa wasee wanawatumia’ ‘ata bookings zetu wamekataa’ ‘hawa wasee wana wawaste’. Now for context, if you’re 5 guys in a group (The 5th is their ‘road manager’ Imma) and have arguably two of the hottest songs out why would you want me to consider taking a booking of 20k? …like….seriously?”
It continues, “Either way, they had already set their rate which we all agreed on so you’d think that telling somebody with a smaller offer ‘afike bei’ would be understood. So that becomes a basis for their arguments as a collective. Like I said, I hate artist management and these guys I felt were diamonds in the rough which I still truly believe however I decided to part ways with them at that point. Almost 2 weeks ago. It was agreed that they’d pay me back my investments to that point and the bail money for getting reckless out of jail after beating up someone at 1824 through gigs that they do and other sources.”
On signing off, he puts it, “That said, these kids are talented, that I know. Their next video for Saba coming soon. However, if you’re of the industry, I wouldn’t touch those boys with a 10 foot pole.”
Many people are arguing that game got into the heads of these young artists, however, seasoned rapper and music mentor Juliani thinks deeper on the matter. In his view, they need deeper mentorship to build them up as artists given the fact that their fame came too fast and they’re too young. He preferred patience.
I feel @telehmani pain, however…I said this before in one of my Threads on Ethic or any young talent.
They need certain level of development before becoming "big" that's what we do at @DandoraHHC . It takes time but worthy investment later.
Njugush is currently one of the hottest selling comedians in Kenya with several brands including communication giant Safaricom working with him. Arguably one of Kenya’s top funny men, the comedian who started off as an actor in local comedy show ‘The Real Househelps of Kawangware’ and gained great influence online is the man to go to on this town.
All is not merry as Njugush seem to have taken a joke too far. For a comedian who hasn’t been shy from addressing typical issues, his skits have been going on a day of subjects including politics and governance. He’s been limitless in coverage as compared to other comedians who restrict their content.
Njugush is however in trouble reason being he touched on a sensitive subject that has left many angry and disappointed. The comedian posted a skit that seemed to glorify the rampant rape culture. While it would pass as a normal funny clip, the video irked many keen eyes who were disturbed by the normalization of rape culture as the video portrayed.
Njugush in the video where he takes a girl out on a movie date then insisting on going home with her for sex. On resisting his demands and refusing to go home with him, Njugush insists and forces her into it.
This according to general views is seen as promoting rape culture as many women in this town have had to go under similar ordeals. Feminists are guns blazing but it’s nit just them, there’s a problem. As adults we must behave like ones, mutual agreement and consent is needed when it comes to sex.
Njugush ego attempted to justify the content as mere comic and for educational purposes, has since deleted the video following harsh reception it received. Some are now even questioning the stand of the brands he represents. The comedian has since issued an apology and its only time that will tell where this will go.
The last time a comedian was in a similar problem was when Eric Omondi took naked video with kids and it nearly killed his career but even though it didn’t, he lost several contracts. The lesson here being, before you start recording, think! Before you post, think!
Industry should have the chosen few who can accomplish what governments, schools or religions can’t do. Artists who can write and perform inspirational songs about how their strong faith got them overcome challenges in the filthy ghettos where they grew up.
Unfortunately we have an industry that cares less about the ministry, fairy tales, fables and nursery rhymes with the word God or Jesus pass for gospel music. This was not the case like a decade ago when the likes of the late Angela Chibalonza, Rose Muhando and the likes made sense of the gospel music writing witty lyrics that pushed the notch even higher.
A crop of money hungry deejays took over the industry with their girlfriends, mistresses and groupies. These guys got the gospel glory all faded, who is going to reshape it? Janet Otieno is riding high with her cricket sound because she has deep pockets, Size 8 is where she is because her man is calling shots in big events and gospel tv shows otherwise she talks, walks and act secular.
Willy Paul is calling his thing gospel because that sells for him and pleases the deejay units that run the game. Loyalty pays more than royalty in this industry but if you dare to say it like I just did, gosecular queens like Size 8 will grab you by the ankles like she nearly did Jalang’o who criticized their shallow lyrics that don’t sound gospel.
But hey! We don’t care how big or long your chain is. Industry should have real artists who live to their titles in terms of content, performance and actions. Ringtone is no longer serving music but his fantasies and infatuations over Zari Hassan. Yes and a good chunk of these fakers are bootlickers who made money from jubilee campaigns / rallies, the same regime that is responsible for the poisonous sugar and rampant looting.
Its money over everything they say but I fear for the next generation that will have to trace the footsteps of failures to succeed. Where did the real gospel music go? I think it never left and secular never closed shop, secular took over gospel, maintained its banging beats that vixens can shake to and shut down hip hop that had socially conscious rhymes that they say is never selling.
Today we no longer have artists who can write rhymes that can be read even by the visually impaired for the world to realize the deep vision they share. It’s who you date, know or the money that will buy your way the media flooded by bentens and comedians.
No serious producers, writers, shows and awards. Things won’t change if people don’t stick to their lanes; deejays are running everything from events, production, radio/TV shows, management, wardrobe and makeup artists in shooting sets. Long live gosecular.
Fr Paul Ogalo had been using rap music to attract youth to Church and spread messages against drugs and in favour of social justice issues.
The priest was told to ‘reconsider his ways’ after using rap music to attract young people to church.
After Mass, Fr Ogalo would change from his vestments into a white shirt, black shorts and a red bandana, beginning to rap for the congregation, who danced along to the music.
“We need to take care of the interests of youths in our churches,” he said. “We need to change the way we do things.”
Church youth leader Violet Menya said not only do many young people come to church because of the rap music, they keep coming back.
“We are happy that his style of preaching is attracting many youths to church. He has mentored very many youths to leave … drug abuse and embrace farming, business and other activities,” Menya said.
Benard Oketch, a 28-year-old member of the congregation said he will stop attending church because of the priest’s suspension.
“Fr Paul has been our mentor. He uses the language youths understand,” Oketch said. “[Fr Ogalo] has saved thousands of youths” from drug abuse.
However, the bishops of the diocese have rejected these practices, saying they are against Church doctrine.
Father Paul Ogalo displays his rapping skills.
Father Charles Kochiel, judicial vicar of the interdiocesan tribunal of Kisumu, said Fr Ogalo is suspended for a year in order to “reconsider his ways.”
“There are ways of doing things,” Fr Kochiel said. “There are certain things the Church promotes in the society. If we mix … what the secular and church institutions do, then definitely people are going to read different messages.
Those in favour of the suspension argued that his actions are unbiblical and cannot be justified through mere popularity.
“People could be looking at it from the social point of view, like bringing people on board, gathering and entertaining people. But people could also be looking at this from the spiritual point of view: Does it promote spiritual values or is it sending a wrong message?” Fr Kochiel said.
This is a statement from all Kenya Sevens national team players of this season.
In this statement, we give our side of the story and answer some of the unanswered questions.
We are doing this for the love and respect we have for this game. We would also like to state that we followed the right protocols to see that concerns were addressed, and that we were left with no other option but to blank out the logo.
ISSUES
Below is a chronology of the events that led to the impasse
The national team players (Shujaa) met Brand Kenya CEO together with the KRU CEO May 24 after Brand Kenya announced that they were coming in to sponsor Shujaa as the brand ambassadors to a tune of Sh20 million for a period of eight months.
To add on this, the Brand Kenya CEO stated that they were giving each player a token of Sh100,000 in form of cheques in appreciation of the good work done this season.
The KRU CEO interrupted and told Brand Kenya that it was easier to send the money to KRU first then to the players’ accounts directly as they have our account numbers.
We didn’t see anything wrong with this as we were told the money would be in our accounts before we travelled for the London and Paris legs. We agreed to this as we had already been told by our team manager that our May salaries were going to be delayed and paid on May 7, so we knew the Sh100,000 was going to sort out a few bills as we waited for the salaries to be paid.
We travelled to London before the money hit our accounts. Reaching London, the Team Manager informed us that the money would be in by May 31. We waited for Thursday but nothing reflected in our accounts. On asking the Team Manager, he said that he had been told there was a delay and that the money would reflect the next day.
On Friday, nothing reflected in the accounts and we were told by the Team Manager that they had deposited the money that same Friday so we it would be there the coming Monday after the tournament. We decided to play the tournament with no hiccups, trusting that the money issue would be solved.
On Monday May 4, we travelled to Paris and still nothing had reflected in our accounts. On asking the Team Manager for the reason, he said that he would have a solid answer by Thursday June 7, the time which we were supposed to receive our salaries.
On Thursday, we had a meeting with the Team Manager and still, there was no answer from him. That was when we felt shortchanged by the union, hence the decision to blank out the sponsor’s name came about so that the union would answer the sponsors on why we hadn’t received our money, yet they had paid. Which at first was to be given as cheques but KRU insisted that it has to go through them.
After that incident, we heard that KRU had a bank overdraft that they didn’t know of, and that’s when we understood why the KRU CEO insisted that the money go through KRU accounts.
We were told that we would be paid when we returned home but up to now nothing has reflected in the accounts.
Pride
We love doing what we do and it is with so much pride that we don the national team jersey and represent our country on the international rugby playing platform.
It is unfortunate that what appeared to be an internal matter has degenerated into uncalled for hostility and demonisation of the players.
We respect the institution. Respect is two-way. It is unfair to give us tags when all we are asking for is a tool to ensure that we do our work to the best of our ability.
Brand Kenya Director Chris Diaz (right) with KRU chairman Richard Omwela.
The issues we have raised are basic but crucial now and in future of this sport that we all love. Player welfare is key for us to move to the next level and we feel like this is what is holding us back and if it continues, we shall never ever play to our full potential and most upcoming players will never realise their dream fully.
We feel like so much is demanded of us by the union but they aren’t even doing the bare minimum to make sure we focus on bringing in the results.
We struggle to get training venues, our gym has very minimal equipment and these are just a few of the issues we have to go through and yet be able to compete with teams that are well taken care of.
We would not like to antagonise anybody but a time has come for our side of the story to be heard and hopefully things will change for the better of the sport and future players. Below are the 19 players who have taken a joint stand to ensure that these issues of player welfare are addressed.
1) Oscar Ayodi 2) Oscar Ouma 3) Andrew Amonde 4) Collins Injera 5) William Ambaka 6) Billy Odhiambo 7) Dan Sikuta 8) Dennis Ombachi 9) Eden Agero 10) Samuel Oliech 11) Augustine Lugonzo 12) Jeff Oluoch 13) Nelson Oyoo 14) Brian Tanga 15) Arthur Owira 16) Herman Humwa 17) Ian Minjire 18) Eric Ombasa 19) Samuel Mureithi
RESOLUTION
We reiterate, we have never refused to talk and discuss with the technical bench or the KRU. We feel that we have not been unreasonable with whatever issues we have raised.
We are not rogues, rebels or superstars. For most of us, rugby has been part of our lives and played a big role in helping us be role models in society, not forgetting the amazing support of the 40M+ over the years, in good and bad times.
We would also like to state that t it was Shujaa’s decision to blank out the logo. It was a unanimous call by everyone in the setup, so we expect no name-calling of individual players and victimisation of any player or management by the KRU.
We hope that this will be resolved soon as the game we all love has to continue.
When you have a gift and talent deeply entrenched within you and on top of that the society trusts you with leadership to represent the youth, you do all matters youth and beyond. Hon Moses A. Oindo (commander 001) or Cvilizer as he is commonly known in artistic spheres is that guy.
Mheshimiwa wears many caps and in a sure way that is exclusively his own, he does a proper balancing act to ensure they all fit perfectly well. He is everblazing in political circles and at the same time keeps his rapping flames on. This rap lord never hanged the mic, he still goes back to the booth and uses his political influence to tap, nurture and bring undiscovered talent to light. He does this through his foundation ( Cvlizer Foundation) which promotes arts and sports among other things, also under him is rapper Jasper who is signed to Nairobi based More Media.
His recent song (Heshima na Nidham) with two super talented upcoming rappers Double O and Ohms Law Montana is a testimony to this. The single will be launching on Pili Pili fm on 7th June 2018, 5pm hosted by Mc Gates. The title of the song itself is quite different from these daily songs that praise imaginary wealth and women. That’s what you should expect from a mheshimiwa who lives up to his title.
We are living at times when the society’s linen is stained, hanged in open and no one seems to care. The news is full of corruption scandals that are in a wrong way tilting the thinking of our youth to believe that looting is the quickest and smart way to obtaining wealth.
This is truly not the case; ‘heshima na nidham’ shifts that mentality to an all-time proven, inspiring and proper way of doing things. Hard work and discipline. With the coastal feel, sweet rhythm, flow, witty rhymes, punch lines and word plays in the song the rappers can only leave the listeners yearning for more.
In a twist of its own, Cvilizer writes a new page in hip hop history with this song. Hip hop culture has always been against the established because it’s fuelled by impoverished conditions. His song is a slight deviation from the hip hop subgenre that developed in the 1980s as a way of calling for any form of social activism. He is in the system and doing what should be done to and for the people.
It’s no doubt that politically charged songs carried a range of styles and messages eliciting a debate as to whether musicians should comment on activism or matters political. Cvilizer’s creativity in this song is blowing a wind of change to the game; rappers are becoming politicians and politicians are collaborating with rappers.
The song shows that things have changed and concepts can go beyond dissing the system. Today at least every assembly has an artist, Jonson Sakaja (Nairobi Senator) is known for his excellent flow and nice rhymes and Starehe Mp Jaguar is known to have made hits as a kapuka singer.
Cvilizer is nominated member of Mombasa county assembly representing the youth, he is inspiring, nurturing and pushing talents to the next level among other things. ‘Heshima na Nidhamu’ song is good, and that’s leadership right there.
For the last two days, Kenya’s social media has been filled up with crocodile tears and cosmetic concerns with faked surprise following a campaign aimed at exposing the explicit photos teenagers have been posting in their social media pages.
I’m saying this for the fact that, these things have been happening right before our eyes but passed as normal until someone started a campaign then suddenly everyone activated their moral cards.
While it’s convenient to blame the kids for the ratchet behavior displayed, it exposes the hypocrisy, escapist nature of the society that would rather die, then own up to its mistakes. One thing for a fact is that the society went bad ages back and the teenagers are the fruits of what was sowed. They’re a direct reflection of the society that has normalized explicit behaviors, a society that has normalized sexy affairs between young older people in sponsorship arrangements.
Dear Young People of Kenya – please listen, from a Mwalimu that loves you so much. Don't let this ifikie wazazi hashtag shame you into silence, or derail you from demanding more from the adults and leaders of your country. I know its hard, but pay it no heed. Resist. Persist.
— Writer | Climber | Mother of Dragons | Kas Ka Gan (@Wordslinger__) April 13, 2018
Today’s teenagers are a reflection of a society that is passing out nudity as art, normalized prostitution by encouraging the socialite culture which is a soft term for prostitutes. Why would we expect the young generation to be better when the old already went to the dogs. These young people don’t create anything, they simply adopt from what surrounds them. We should be soul searching instead of mere castigating as to where the society went wrong.
Parents, guardians, influencers, brothers and sisters, we’re largely to blame, we’ve abandoned the duty of raising these young people and left them on their own, to learn on their own. We no longer give life directives. When was the last time your young one down to speak some sense to them, then we act all surprised when they live their own ways.
I clicked #IfikieWazazi out of curiosity and I must admit that THE SOCIETY HAS COMPLETELY FAILED THE KIDS! What happened to parenting? Back then every adult was a parent and could discipline any kid. This system should come back. We must salvage this generation while we still can
Society had run out of role models, we’re having more single mothers than ever and many kids raised without their fathers, this affects their growth and development but nobody wants to touch it. Parents are spending time more at work and social places, giving kids zero attention and only left in the hands of teachers and the cruel world to pick life lessons from.
In fact, the only remaining time models are the Huddah’s who the kids spend most of their times studying. The Vera Sidikas are now the virtual parents to these kids, you know They’re not Sunday school teachers and they don’t post-church photos, and again we act surprised when our kids take photos as if they’re auditioning to cast on Pornhub.
The thing that finishes me about #IfikieWazazi is not even the fake concern, but that so many ADULTS are taking sadistic joy in one future outcome: deep shame of parent(s) (and moralising that it must happen) resulting in cruel reactive punishment and humiliation for MINOR(S). https://t.co/g5HQ6BeUif
Traditionally, in Africa, the duty of raising kid was the society’s, today with civilization or in this context, destruction, it has become a parent’s obligation. This why we overlook bad behaviors by teenagers around and ignore the fact that it’s not your son or daughter, brother or sister. And since their parents don’t bother either like the Society, they adopt it as a norm.
Like a tree, kids will only grow according to according we nurture them, watering, trimming, there are no miracles here. If we want better kids then we must be better adults. This starts all the way at home where hold parties, behave in the most ratchet ways, what we say and do, the kids pick every single detail.
I’m not going to act surprised at what I’m seeing on the trending topic because I’ve seen grown-ups do the worst and this they picked from us. If you want them to do better than we must start being better and please can you start paying attention and speak to your sons and daughters, most simply lack guidance in their lives that’s that’s they don’t see any harm in being raunchy for internet love, after all, internet is giving them attention and love, something lacking in most homes.
Apart from the actual award, the red carpet is always the highlight of the award and so celebrities step in their A game. For the 90th Annual Academy Awards, the situation wasn’t any different only that this time, we had our very own Lupita shutting down the event.
Declared the queen of the red carpet, Lupita didn’t come to play, in a perfectly fitting and glittering golden dress made by Versace and an outstanding hairstyle to compliment the look, she became one of the most talked about according to Twitter report on the red carpet.
Lupita Nyong’o stuns the Oscar’s Red Carpet in a gold Versace gown.
Awards show always come out more as fashion display than anything that’s why designers will spend millions and endless pursuit to book an actor, artist, athletes whoever is appropriate to model and showcase their brands. In such a case like that of Lupita which I suspect she was approached by Versace given her A listing especially on the carpet, they customize the dress for you and you don’t pay them, it’s the other way. This is always a marketing strategy and securing a deal with an actress in the league of Lupita to model your dress is tedious given a number of designers streaming for a chance.
Lupita’s outstanding hairstyle, the loops of the golden string aren’t just a beautiful style, however. The look is inspired by traditional Rwandan Amasunzu hairstyles, whipped up by Vernon François, who was responsible for the Black Panther star’s hair on the cover of the March issue of Allure.
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bf7piSPD4c4/
I’ve come to notice the Nyongo’s love for Rwanda designers. During Black Panther premiere, her younger brother was dressed by ‘House of Yayo’ a fashion designer in Kigali. It was such a milestone especially the fact that she posted his work to millions of her fans worldwide. What I’m trying to build here is Kenya as the homeland of Lupita is missing out on golden opportunity to showcase it’s own and not featuring on the fashion bloc when other countries are lucky and milking off it.
Who’s to blame? Kenya undoubtedly has sharper fashion designers who can come up with inspiring styles for Lupita the question that would remain is if they’ve made efforts to dress Lupita and if yes what has been the response? I’m yet to publicly see anything from fashionistas in town complaining about being shut down by her. Imagine a case of Lupita hitting the red carpet in a fully Kenyan inspired outfit beaming cultural diversity. Has it ever even hit the minds of our friends at Kenya Tourism Board to fix such a deal.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BevpsRVjGWH/
Our fashion designers some of whom have done well in the international market, deserve such high audiences to show their works. It shouldn’t just have to be them pushing, Lupita should too find it patriotic and be inspired to put out other Kenyan talents out there. Commendable that at some point back she posted on her Instagram about ‘Housewives of Kawangware’ a local reality show satire, that was a boost.
I just want to see more of Kenyan designers work being out there whether through Lupita or any other celebrity gracing a big stage. We need to embrace spirit of helping each other grow and using the privileges and opportunities we hold in the society such as they of Lupita to build up and promote talents. Oscars is gone there will be many more awards and magazine shoots can those engaged ensure that we have something Kenyan other than herself on these stages.
Lupita and Dianna from Black Panther At the Academy Awards.
At one point we were talking about national uniform, it is celebrities such as Lupita who inspires culture and if we can have these celebrities influencing a culture through Kenyan-fied dressing them we get closer to that dream. Fashion culture is underrated in its potential to creating employment & promoting creativity. If we’re to address the super climbing disaster of joblessness then we must diversify in creating job opportunities and fashion is such one opportunity.
Hawayuu Eric Omondi, long-time since we last talked, scrap that, since this letter is all about honesty I won’t even lie coz I’ve never met you at least since you burst into fame. You might not know me or maybe you’ve heard about me but that’s not really important for now. Growing up in Kisumu, you were my neighbor, we stayed at Robert Ouko Junior and you senior, we weren’t boys like that so we were never a clique as I was with likes of Funkiss you know him. I’m saying this to tell you that I’ve watched you grow in this industry.
I’ve watched you grow from a tiny built comedian who positioned himself in the industry and placed himself top in the list, you started off with Churchill and being an ambitious man, you even went ahead to start your own show was it called Hawayuni? Whatever the name. Though it would, later on, die a natural death, it showed your character, you dared to dream and lived it. An idea that remains just that is a wastage of intellectualism, I’m not saying you’re one, I’m just saying you took your chances.
I’ve watched you grow from a mere comedian on weekly gigs with Churchill to a big brand that corporates line up to book. You’ve inspired a generation and made many cash in on their talents. Eric, I’ve seen you grow from a funny man to a plainly boring comedian. It is normal in any industry, we have our high and low points, I’m telling you things your friends won’t coz they’re leeching off you so they’ll clap on your cough saying it’s funny.
I’ve watched you grow from a top funny comedian to a top ranking mediocre comic. Like many other of Kenyan comedians, you’ve refused to diversify your content, you’re still stuck in the same tribal jokes, mimics and a list of stale jokes we’ve been getting for over a decade, our tongues became numb, we can’t feel them anymore.
I’ve seen you shift from television comedy to being one of the most viewed and most popular digital content creators, from Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, Twitter you name it, you’ve been a master and most sought after by brands. You know there’s there’s popular African saying that before the gods destroy you they first make you mad. You might not see it yet, your friends might not tell you even if they’re seeing it but man you’re losing it.
One thing I have to give it to you is your mastery of courting attention, you somehow find ways to have people talking about you, that’s why the other day you stuffed your pants with giant pawpaw to show how big your balls are, unsuspecting, we all talked about your big balls only to, later on, realize you were advertising Bonfire Adventures, that was a good one. You even ‘bought’ your girlfriend a Mercedes on Valentine’s eish omera,pesa otas, you made many men in this town who couldn’t afford gifts in this town in this economy get weird looks from their women. Again we talked in envy only to be slapped with the reality that you were merely advertising for a Car yard. Remember when you welcomed your girlfriend back home with a billboard of her erected along Mombasa only to realize later it was a Startimes advert? Man, you’re smart when it comes to viral marketing undoubtedly.
Too much of something is dangerous, this isn’t just a by the way saying. I know that the more buzz you create, the greater your chances of success on pitching ideas to brands, you’re the man running the show, you’re the publicity master, you’re the man with the views everywhere, a turn on to brands seeking bigger reach. The latest stint that you’ve pulled is a perfect example of attention seeking gone wrong, if your jokes have been dry, you’ve now found a flooded river to swim in.
I know for a fact that these clips of you swimming naked with young boys in Turkana weren’t leaked but you released them yourselves for attention and attention you got, so much that now a good number of brands are holding crisis meetings to review on their contracts with you. NGOs concerned with children rights are also looking into how they can milk dry this opportune scandal. Your haters are celebrating some even threw a party of the year last night reading from harsh criticism online. I know you’re also seeking the publicity to maximum for your 60,000 Kasarani solo show,careful man, a small mistake and not even 6 people will show up other than production crew.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BfwJxb4ltIE/
You see I understand where you come from, in the village, bathing naked in the river with other men and boys is something normal in fact its still happening but given culture diversity, other people couldn’t see it that’s why you’ve even heard of paedophilia allegations yet we grew doing these things without such suspicions. Civilizations have killed a lot of traditions but this is not an anthropology or social science class so I’ll leave it at that. Most of us Nilotes weren’t really offended by the video our the only problem is you filmed and subjected the kids to indecent exposure but others who don’t relate to the culture were justified to set fire on you. It’s a wake-up call that you have a multicultural audience and therefore must factor in both.
You’ve made enough money in this industry and probably won’t be getting broke anytime soon, nothing is really permanent. We’ve had comedians come and go what really matters is the legacy that you leave. What do you want to be remembered for, the artist who did the most ratchet stuff in town for brand deals and just that? I was talking about comedians utilizing their stages for social good.
There’s more to this life than just making money that’s why I recommended for Kenyan comedian to watch and learn from American comedians who’ve turned comedy into a social activism platform. Watch Dave Chapelle, Chris Rock, Katt Williams just but a few of them who’re relatable. In their skits, they inform and empower. They don’t just make people laugh, they use the opportunity address social injustices like extrajudicial killings of the black community, racism. In Kenya we have corruption, unemployment amongst many other problems, you have the stage, get creative, start being politically conscious. It’s not just you Eric, all comedians need to wake up from mediocrity.
When your flag is flying so high, it is easy to dismiss criticism as jealousy but again the gap is thin but here’s the thing, everything happens for a reason and I think this latest fuckup was meant to be your comeback. Well, they say all publicity is good publicity but not this time bro. You went too far and touched a sensitive nerve, women and children are so sensitive they can destroy you. Has it happened to you that people will never look at you in the same way again? Has it occurred to you that some parents will be uncomfortable having you around their kids with assumptions of paedophilia? Do you know how however how well dressed you’re we can still picture your bare black buttocks? Consequences of indecent exposure that you’ve adopted as your market strategy might as well be your undoing.
Pray to your God that this publicity doesn’t translate to you losing deals and brands running away for the sake of their reputation. Talking of which, reputation is everything in this town, don’t get over excited with traffic that you and up losing yourself and damaging your brand that you’ve struggled to make. Look at Hollywood, sexual scandals have had many respected and big producers lose everything, doesn’t this scare you or you think you’re immune? The audience is the king, pay attention. You could easily wake up next day a man with empty hands. Keyword, reputation, guard it! Look around, we had people like Joe Muchiri who thought they were untouchable, he touched women and he got touched back, fired from Capital (after bragging that they won’t). Look at Dr Ofweneke, a fellow comedian who turned his wife into a punching bag, they parted and it cost him deals. Reputation is everything bro.
I’ve said much but I think it’s merely out of concern as a young man seeing another one of his own go wrong, I believe in giving people second chances and I think Eric has learned the hard way and this should be a turning point for him to know there’s a red line. Dust off. If this was an initiation, then it’s time you stopped being a boy to being a man.
Charles Darwin’s Biological idea on Evolution of Man was theory, if it would have been authenticated, it would be principle. This is why 200 years after the birth of Charles Darwin, his theory of evolution still clashes with the creationist beliefs of some organized religions. For him personally, it meant the end of his belief in creation by God.
Charles Darwin thought his own theory was “grievously hypothetical” and gave emotional content to his doubts when he said, “The eye to this day gives me a cold shudder.” To think the eye had evolved by natural selection, Darwin said, “seems, I freely confess, absurd in the highest possible degree.” But he thought of the same about something as simple as a peacock’s feather, which, he said, “makes me sick”.
INCIDENCES
1. South Africa’s H&M became a victim in a racism scandal after an advertisement showing a black child model wearing a hoodie written “coolest monkey in the jungle” posted to the clothing chain’s online website.
The problem was not the writing in the jumper but a black kid in the jumper.
In 2015, the same company H &M came under criticism from a social media user for not featuring black models following the opening of their stores in South Africa. The company’s response via Twitter implied that white models were featured to create a ‘positive image’
2. Chinese ‘The Spring Festival’ which is a time to honour family ties, friendships and acquaintances turned sour racial rebuke from around the world.
That was what producers of the Annual Spring Festival Gala on China’s Central Television (CCTV) probably had in mind when they agreed to include a Comedy Skit about the growing ties between China and African countries called “Celebrating Together” (同喜同乐).
They’re cultural artefacts that speak to domestic audiences and as such they’re refferd to as “Main Melody” a concept often attributed to China’s President in the 1990s, Jiang Zemin.
When these cultural artefacts are relevantly used and not as a tool of constant and intentional abuse, discrimination is where we ought to blow the whistle.
Below is the clip during the event.
3. The Inkhosi Albert Luthuli International Convention Centre in Durban, South Africa ready for The continent’s largest tourism trade fair, Africa’s Travel Indaba.
You can see a monkey portrait which ‘is Racial’ and since it’s perceived to be racial, i expected South Africa’s EFF and Activists to storm the centre and take down the banners and authorities to deal with the Event organizers. This would absolutely not happen when the Organizers are Africans themselves and since it was cultural exhibition and if i’m wrong, ” How often do we get frustrated when fellow Africans use Monkey or Ape –Simians gestures or images?”
4. “So I was playing a game of Halo: Reach today with me and a couple friends earlier today. It was one of those game where only me and my friend had our mics plugged in so the match was silent. Then we piled into a Warthog and while we driving along I tell him to turn right he turns left and we got killed. I called him a “Stupid Monkey”. Before we even spawned at least two guys plugged in their mics and something to the effect of “You racist motherfucker!”. I quickly asked what the hell I said that offended them so much they felt the need to reach over and plug their mics to attempt in intimidate me. They said I can’t go onto the internet and start calling people “monkeys”, WHAT?!?!. I grew up in West Virginia and have family in Virginia, I’ve heard every racial slur in the book and monkey is not in cards. Racism in America is such a pathetic thing, I believe the true racist are the people that accuse others of being one. EDIT: I have no idea why this is indented.”— Courtesy from Giant Bomb Forum.
What It Is.
My problem is slur and turmoil caused when it comes to African culture display, the fact remains: Africa is the cradle of mankind, Africa is the cradle of Simians, Africa is Epic in it’s own way, Africa itself is a Zoo. Did this made Barack Obama not to become President of United States of America World Super power? Did it make Lupita Nyong’o not to win Oscars? Did it make the Late Professor Wangari Maathai not to win Nobel Peace Prize? So many Africans are rising to the bar because they’ve encountered such frustrations and have smartly overcome them.
These are minority group of haters and Critics who must be there for complete society ecosystem
It has not always been of Monkey images but also now eating of banana in public space can easily spark racial allegations when actually banana is a fruit and edible food. This is too much exaggeration on racial sensitivity. On the other hand, banana is sexually-related as it symbolises a part of male reproductive organ (Penis) “Phallos” . Sorry for use of that language but that’s it!
Despite marketing agencies who have become the site of libido and persistent victim of Racial insensitive adverts, we too have become petty. We Africans are so much into Western Culture and perhaps if it was a crime, majority would be victims of the crime and that’s the West Culture. Africans too have cultures, some of which we’ve more often felt demeaning and downgrading because of perception and guilt. And the problem should be if these ‘chocking’ cultures turns violent, if they’re bringing about inequality or other social injustices but if not then let them be.
Africa is the origin of resources, it’s a pride. The West only advances these resources. Perhaps deep rooted radicalization in Africans by Anti-Racist activists and Institutions who though are in the right track, have spilled the beans.
What Shall End Racism.
For Global end of racism, it must begin in Africa itself and measures to be taken is; we must straight away learn how to survive and live without Western Financial aids, Grants or Funds. Show genuinely extreme Independency and that ‘We can do without your aid’ then do business as tycoons on the same level. This can create boundary with respect and of respect, abandon monotony of parasitism(aids) and build up Mutualism. When that time come, we will be better of and respect will be on board, racism on basis of Superiority and Inferiority will be history. After all, Money and Materialistic Wealth is the root of these evil.
World’s most coveted trophy landed in the country to the thrill of many. Kenya is the third country in Africa after Sudan and Ethiopia to host the trophy that will be doing rounds in 100 countries globally and only ten in Africa. This tells you how privileged Kenyans is to play host. This will be the third time this trophy has been here and only two Kenyans have held it; president Kibaki and Uhuru who’s double lucky to have held it twice.
The excitement around the trophy is something of an envy, organizers of the event sent a team to Ethiopia to escort the trophy home. Ministers, politicians and social media influencers made part of the big team that had an opportune time to lodge in five-star hotels, fly in the luxurious, private chartered plane carrying the trophy. Reception of the trophy at JKIA was nothing short of glamour, ceremonial acceptance painted an excited audience. Photos from JKIA, selfies from the plane and hotels flooded the social media streets as Coca-Cola’s official hashtag for the tour as the sponsors #ReadyFor was flooded with high-resolution photos thanks to the influencers and other social media pages.
Plane carrying the World Cup Trophy received with a water salute at JKIA
At one point it started to look as if this was Kenya Tourism Board’s event as they seized the opportunity and advertised the endless opportunities the countries offered. This explains why Tourism CS Balala was amongst the entourage to Ethiopia and back. While everyone was happy enjoying the luxurious trips to and back from Ethiopia with the trophy, not everyone was onboard and the saddest part, most important group. Frowning from a distance, the football fraternity in Kenya felt sidelined and isolated by the organizers who by default would’ve put them ahead.
I managed to talk to David Onjili who’s a professional match analysts featured in various platforms in the UK and in 2014, was a runners up in Europe as the most creative football blog alongside Amit Singh, Vimal Shah and Timothy Pool. He had no single nice word as far as the entire organization for the event was set up, “The treatment given to the FIFA World Cup trophy is the joke that the government & football stakeholders view the game of football. The very people who once brought glory to this nation languish in neglect as we carry socialites to hype the trophy. Football is not about hyping a nonexistent product. It’s about painfully building a product through a clear plan & structures then inviting flower girls.”
He continues, “It is a sad day to football in this land. Dennis Oliech is the least who would have been on that flight to Ethiopia to bring the trophy home and be met by a host of Legends. Currently, Football is just an Avenue to reward our concubines and Samanthas with trips & commissions. I mourn.”
Influencers posing for a selfie aboard FIFA private chartered plane.
David’s sentiments are shared by many who feel the organizers of the event didn’t do much research and left out the group that would ordinarily headline the tour. From numerous interactions I’ve had with even some top players who’ve asked for anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter, organizers of the event went for socialites to headline the event while blacking out the real players.
“Why is it that no footballer. we have Oliech, Kadenge, Bobby Ogolla and many legends, why is it that none of them is involved in this FIFA World cup trophy? yet we allow socialites.” One legend posed to me. It turns out they’re not happy that the organizers only took ‘joyriders’. “These people only listed their friends and sexual partners to this trip instead of factoring in the real deals. In that plane, we’d have had excellent young players from Mathare, football legends still alive and other stakeholders working on daily to improve football standards. What did they give us? Someone like Betty Kyalo honestly had no justification, other than being a slay queen what was her purpose and what contributions has she made on football in Kenya? What if we had someone like Oliech in that plane, wouldn’t it have had made sense? ” A top Harambee Stars striker told me incognito.
A general perception of my interaction is the football fraternity feel left out in such a lifetime event. Football standard in Kenya has been advancing towards the bottom of the barrel. For three times consecutive, Coca-Cola has done their part by bringing us this trophy but has it really motivated and helped us spring up? Currently, on FIFA rankings, Kenya is at position 111 and 25th in the continent. Despite Kenya producing world class players from Wanyama to Mariga to Oliech and many others, the levels of football remain low given existing discriminatory moves like what has been happening in that tour. We can’t improve standards in this country if we don’t recognize and appreciate our own.
Tourism CS and Sport’s unveils the official world cup trophy at JKIA when it touched down.
Greed and open corruption has to blame largely on the dwindling rates, an instance of sabotage is that there is an initiative called Jaza Stadi, during the Super Cup game between Gor and AFC in Kericho, the guys involved led by Radull demanded to be paid for bringing fans to stadium yet and AFC vs Gor game attracts fans anywhere. They negotiated to be paid 100K yet the proceeds for the game were to be shared by AFC and Gor who have no league sponsors yet the Jaza Stadi initiative could not account for number of fans it had brought to the stadium. Can’t it be possible for us to genuinely support our own or get stuck with European leagues?
Football leadership in this country has turned out to be an enriching scheme for elected leaders who least prioritize the growth of the supersport. It doesn’t make sense why is Nick Mwendwa the FKF boss is quiet when he knows it is the footballers who need to be involved with this trophy and not socialites. More worrying is even himself wasn’t at the airport to receive the trophy. Don’t get it wrong that it was Tourism Boards affair at JKIA after all its for the general good. Mwendwa has in this instance exhibited sissy character for a football federation boss. Ordinarily, he would’ve been in the entourage and if not, ensured that recognizable football figures were prioritized.
Organizers will argue that football legends and shareholders were honored at Statehouse where the trophy was presented to the presented and treated to a dinner. It is a consolation. The peak of the tour was jetting in the trophy, it holds a symbolic significance that can’t be seen with naked eyes and that’s perhaps why organizers opted to embrace a socialite affair while leaving out football legends.
Real quick I need to make a point clear here, everyone has a role to play on the society and even though it’s convenient to hammer the socialites I’ll be fair that they help especially in hyping events. But here’s an event that needed an inspiring leading figure. You won’t find Kim Kardashian going to receive the trophy in the US or elsewhere. They’ll use legendary players because you know what? They know the value of that trophy and they appreciate their legends and the game. Social media was used in mobilizing for the ‘Jaza Stadi’ drive, it proved effective, this is why we’ve missed a chance to utilize this trophy tour. There’s nothing much to celebrate, Kenya has never qualified for world cup, the national team currently doesn’t have a coach, sponsor and our Sports CS is illiterate. We must really start taking this prestigious sport. We can’t act like we love this sport while treating out local talents as trash. For organizers making the whole thing a socialite affair while sidelining footballers in the hopes of maximizing publicity, now that have it, no one is really bothered with the trophy actually the turnout at KICC was a record low compared to the last two times, the topic now everyone is talking about is now the organization was trash and how the local football stakeholders were ignored, perhaps that’s the kind of publicity Coca-Cola wanted.
An opportunity has once again been lost where we’d be talking about genuine issues surrounding football crisis in Kenya. Other day the women’s national team, Harambee Starlets had an international gig and not even government offered assistance, they had to turn the public for assistance, what a shame. Sportpesa threatened to pull out sponsorship and football almost froze. Local players are ever underpaid and in pathetic living standards. It at a point as a country we start viewing football as an economic activity beyond ball juggling. You only need to see how much European players are earning to know this is a serious revenue hub.
Faces of social media influencers sent to Addis Ababa to accompany the trophy home. Headlining; Betty Kyalo and Carol Raddul.
After public viewing today and selfies, the trophy will go and what will be left of us? Nothing just selfies. This was yet another opportunity for the media who by the way were never in the group selected for Ethiopia, to ask serious genuine questions. Thiery Henry came and went thanks to Guinness, what improvements or impact did it make be beyond selfies? None. We can’t survive on selfies. We need critical thinking and strategic plots. Media ought to take the authorities into the task as to why football standards are not improving, ask where the promised mega stadiums are but instead, they uphold mediocrity. It was a WTF moment watching most stations dragging decade-old clip of Raila being denied the chance to hold the trophy which is a reserve of heads of states only, such are the innuendos that thrill our media.
World Cup Trophy is supposed to motivate us to improve our football but organizers have effortlessly failed the nation by further isolating the stakeholders who’re overwhelmingly and extremely unmotivated. We must learn the art of seizing the opportunities. We have big characters in this country making big steps unappreciated in uplifting the spirit and prevalence I the game. Let’s learn and live by appreciating our legends while they’re still breathing.
I’ve learned a good number of players have been invited today for the viewing at KICC, I also know of senior players and former who’ve resorted to boycott the invites saying it is a mockery of the sports. “Why would I attend an event to legitimize a fraud scheme, if the organizers appreciated our input then we’d have had real footballers in that plane and at the airport receiving a trophy but all we saw were socialites and busy bodies who’ve done absolutely nothing to the football industry in Kenya.” A Gor Mahia player told me in anonymity. Maybe, the organizers can wake up and learn from this alternatively, they can ignore the insiders cries cried continue with normal programming but the general view is that of disappointments.
Football fever is hitting high codes as the world prepares for the biggest tournament in the globe set for July in Russia. To set The moods right, World Cup FIFA working with Coca-Cola have embarked on a 100 days tour that will see the trophy do rounds in 50 countries. Kenya becomes the third country amongst the lucky ten in Africa to host the coveted trophy after Sudan and Ethiopia.
A tour of this magnitude is priced, brings with it immeasurable thrill as it gives football fans a rare opportunity to come close to world’s most prestigious trophy. Kenya according to latest FIFA ranking, is at a low 111th position and 25th in Africa, a continent famed for making top-class players. Just to brag, Wanyama playing for Tottenham Hotspur is from Kenya and doing well in The international bracket. Oluga, Oliech, Musa Otieno, Mariga are just but a few recognizable top ranking international players I can think of now. The message being, Kenya is a hub of endless talents.
Organizers of the World Trophy Tour in Kenya which by default is an agency firm sent a team of respectable and well established social media influencers to Addis Ababa where the trophy had landed from Sudan, the team was to accompany the trophy to Kenya. Ministers and other politicians and sport ministry officials were also incorporated into this team.
Moving on, according to Coca-Cola the official sponsor of the tour, they’re specific about the objective of the tour, “The visit of the trophy is set to re-ignite the overwhelming World Cup fever amongst soccer fans and country teams preparing to compete in the 2018 Russia FIFA World Cup tournament. The Trophy Tour gives fans a once in a lifetime opportunity to enjoy a rare close-up view of the authentic Trophy while having a great experience and an opportunity to take plenty of souvenir photographs to share on their social media pages.”
Summarized, social media buzz which is also to give Coca-Cola maximum positive publicity, the company has been undeniably supporting talents from music to football and who hates that taste of cold refreshing drink? Not even me. Anyway, my point is, the organizers of this event failed to capitalize on a lifetime opportunity served on a silver plate. Just to be specific, Kenya has never participated in the world cup and that’s why I’m furious coz
FIFA World Cup Trophy Tour is an opportunity that any country would salivate to be allocated, it gives a global audience perfect for selling your country. Kenya being a tourism destination, hasn’t disappointed to capitalize from various social media pages, they’ve used the opportunity to showcase endless opportunities, Tourism CS Balala was part of the entourage that flew to Ethiopia to bring the trophy home.
Tourism CS and Sport’s unveils the official world cup trophy at JKIA when it touched down.
Having studied the whole scenario from a 360 view, I feel the organizers missed an opportunity to ignite a conversation that we do much need, state of the Kenyan football field and how it can be improved. Recently, Guinness brought Arsenal legend and legendary striker Thierry Henry, he came, we took the selfies and as soon as he boarded the plane, everything died actually the only thing we have left is TBT pictures on Instagram. I think we need to move away from face value PR drives where everything dies as soon as the event relegates from the trending topics list.
Organizers such events need to start thinking outside the box, we can’t keep on missing opportunities to improve the state of sports in the country by convincing the clients that topic A trended and people are posting selfies. If I was such a client, I’d be more than happy to note that my event made a huge impact beyond selfies.
It will be the third trip in Kenya for the FIFA trophy and one question we all should ask is behind the thrill, what has this trophy tour impacted the country’s sports levels? It can’t be that that wait every five years for selfies whose shelf life is as relevant as filters apps are updated. Kenya’s organizers need to see beyond their noses and not advice the clients from a customs perspective. We can’t continue relegating on the FIFA ranking, dwindling on football quality in the country. We must be innovative enough to use such lifetime opportunities not for anyone but for the country to improve sports in the country. Can you imagine Europe’s Football Leagues unites Kenyans more than locals? Not for anything but there’s nothing motivating locally, we need more salad on the plate.
My issue here is not that A, B, and C official was sent out but lack of far-thinking by organizers to have right persons. First of all, that trophy touching down is supposed to be symbolic, it’s supposed to inspire c’mon, only ten African countries have this privilege.
Social media influencers have incomparable relevance when it comes to pushing an agenda and that’s why I feel the influencers had to be part of this journey. However, think for a minute, if we had on that plane landing at JKIA and it was a super player in Mathare from MYSA, Joe Kadenge or even relatable legends as Musa Otieno, Dennis Oliech other reigning Mariga, Wanyama…headlining the trip to Kenya, as opposed to ministers and Social media influencers, don’t you think it would impact and inspire those kids in Mathare, Korogocho? I mean why couldn’t the organizers have common figures that those in the grassroots could relate with? Perhaps they were there but from the public limelight, I never saw any.
In my own view, considering the pathetic state of football in Kenya, that we even had to fundraise for Women’s National Team, Starlets to participate in a world cup tournament. By the way, they’d have been amongst those headlining this tour. Other than taking selfies with the trophy, organizers would have been innovative enough to come up with ways to engage Kenyans more specifically on the sport’s state and how to improve it. Who would you relate more so as a football enthusiast, a football legend or a YouTube legend aligned with fashion or cooking in such an event? Maybe I wasn’t clear enough, the influencers are and must have a play in this, but not as the headlines. We’d have had example Joe Kadenge traveling to Ethiopia to bring the trophy home and Betty Kyalo enjoying her glass of wine at home while tweeting on Kadenge’s journey home. Wouldn’t that be inspiring? But I guess the organizers think differently. But they have a role to advise their clients based on existing market situations.
Influencers posing for a selfie aboard FIFA private chartered plane.
Safaricom remains one of the most innovative companies in my corporates radar and their Dimba mtaani meant to improve and promote talents remains a relatable program to my issue today. It is convenient to argue that the public will have their time to view the trophy at KICC on Tuesday and everyone including legends in talking about will be included but still, we miss the opportunity.
We need to see a team that represents the face of Kenyan football getting off that plane with the trophy, not a team that represents the face social media, the symbolic message that would send to the nations and soccer fans is unmatched. I know for a fact, that this article who be dismissed without without second thought by the organizers but I’d urge them to revisit after the plane departs, maybe you’ll pick some senses in it. As a country, we can’t just be stuck at supporting foreign music, sports while diminishing ours. We must learn to take advantage of opportunities.
The landing was in my view supposed to be symbolic, I’d have loved to see faces representing real football team from that plane as opposed to people in suits and smartphones. Take an example, while going through the hashtag, I encountered a lady whom the organizers would’ve incorporated.
Fatuma Abdulkadir Adan was born to parents who were from two warring tribes in Marsabit, Northern Kenya. After her training as a lawyer, she returned to her hometown in order to promote peace between the conflicting Borana, Gabra and Rendille communities. In 2003, she founded Horn of Africa Development Initiative – HODI, a non-governmental organization she uses football to foster peace, advocacy, education for vulnerable children and building resilient communities.
Through HODI, Adan launched “Shoot to score, not to Kill”, that uses football to engage Kenyan youths in advocacy for peace. The initiative was featured in an award-winning film the Soldiers of Peace narrated by Michael Douglas. In 2008 she initiated Breaking the Silence through football on FGM, Early Marriage, and Beading. In 2015 Breaking the silence won Beyond Sports Award for Social Inclusion and Fatuma was featured among the 50 most influential personalities in Sports. In 2016, Fatuma was re-elected to the Board of Streetfootballworld bringing together 125 organizations using football for social change as the 1st African Woman. In 2017, she was nominated to Champion Goal5 on Gender Equality by the Kenyan Gender Minister during the UN Convention on the Status of Women in New York. She has been invited and treated to many FIFA events on VIP standards, in fact, she’s tipped to be amongst few Kenyans who’ll be traveling to Russia on FIFA bill. She’ll be viewing the trophy tomorrow like the rest of public, no prioritization.
Fatuma Abdulkadir Adan, attending a match between Ghana and Germany in South Africa as a FIFA ambassador.
Having studied the interactions on the trending topic #ReadyToGo which is the official tour hashtag, most are talking about side shows as wastage of water on the salute accorded the plane. Tomorrow it will be selfies with the trophy and then what? We will forget everything just like we forgot about Thierry Henry. We must deviate from face value services, yes we trended on social media, people selfies then we went back to same pathetic sports situations. It is time for such high valued, rate international events to put the country’s interests beyond their own. They can make the money and at the same time impact sports culture. Keyword, be innovative, listen to different opinions it won’t explode your eardrums.
Right now imagine if we had short clips of kids in the football academies who’ve been kept off crimes in the slums thanks to football, flown to Addis or any country, football legends speaking on state of soccer and improving it, we’d we’d be having constructive conversations running alongside #TembeaKenya (who’ve performed well from my evaluation, took advantage of every opportunity to sell Kenya) promo clips but since I am an outsider with no idea how things run let’s meet at KICC tomorrow and take selfies and bury this thing. I’ll be there.
Bonus: Mainstream media remains disillusioned stuck in traditional, rudderless, news angles. Instead of talking about topical sports issues in the country within this time frame, are bringing back Raila and Kibaki a decade ago stories. Coca-Cola have done their parts bringing this trophy here but we’re stuck at the same FIFA rankings. This would’ve been opportune time for the media to take into task sports officials and other stakeholders. Instead, media would rather play into comic agendas. This country bores me at times.
Laughter they say is an incomparable medicine, comedy has been a source of that medicine but not anymore especially in Kenya. I’ve been watching a lot of American comedy as compared to Kenyan, actually, I can’t even remember the last time I say down to watch a Kenyan skit. Don’t get me wrong, I support local content but I’m not a fan of mediocrity so I’d rather spend my time counting sugar granules than sit my nini down to watch a boring, empty show in the name of comedy.
Pioneers like Mzee Ojwang, Othorongongo, Ondiek Nyuka Akwota amongst others gave us real comedy that we grew up with. Came the new phase of comics and not so much has really changed. They still tell the same old stale tribal jokes I mean can’t these people get their brains out of the skull and think beyond? Diversify?
Anyway, the reason I decided to write this is to talk about the lack of touch out artists in Kenya and specifically in this case out comedians are. Political consciousness, we’re living in difficult times with endless political intrigues, society is in turmoil with countless social shortcomings.
American comedians mostly from the minority like the blacks have been using art to address social issues like racism, extrajudicial killings, bad politics amongst other things. Art is a powerful tool in the society, rappers like 2Pac were more than just entertainers, they addressed the very issues that affected the societies they came from and this shaped a lot.
Today, comedians are using their stages to address a ray of topical issues, in his latest special on Netflix, Tamborine, one of my favorite comedians Chris Rock said, “I want to live with real equality. I want to live in a world where an equal amount of white kids are shot every month. I want to see white mothers on TV crying.” This was a satirical take on discriminatory killings of young black Americans who’ve been targets of police killings. He goes further to talk about gun control which is currently a topic of discussion in America following the mass shooting in Florida where 17 students were shot dead by a former schoolmate.
“Gun control? We need bullet control! I think every bullet should cost $5,000. Because if a bullet cost $5,000, we wouldn’t have any innocent bystanders.”
Instead of being bystanders in a scandalous system, we’re seeing these comedians coming out and utilizing their stages for the social good. Political comedy is now the in thing, comedians are diversifying their content and becoming more conscious and in deep connection with their audience. These are things that affect them on daily basis. Dave Chappell, Noah Trevor, John Oliver amongst many other top American comedians are now more politically engaged than before.
You see being active on social issues springs you up from being a mere entertainer into something bigger like being an opinion shaper someone with a tangible, shaking influence. Kenyan comedians have left their audience malnourished with a strict diet of stale tribal jokes, a mimicry that will have you asleep seconds into the skits and you need serious tickling to laugh at the Sahara desert packed dry jokes.
Churchill Show, for example, has a large audience, the biggest in comedy I think that if only he used it right then I’d be ranking him high and he’d be a real opinion shaker. For relevance, one needs to be as dynamic as possible and content must be super rich. Our comedian needs to crawl out of their boring shells and be politically active. Corruption, killings and other vices continue to strangle Kenyans and we need real voices addressing these things. Instead, Churchill Show has been alleged to bring used in sanitizing corrupt officials.
I’m not saying our comedians should fold the carpets and go but hey if they can’t level up and diversify their content, get in touch with real issues then they should already be on their way out of the door. There has never been a better time to rise above ‘protecting my brand’ an excuse they’re using to shut when everything else is going wrong than now. When the police were mercilessly beating and killing opposition supporters, they remained tight-lipped. Corruption is affecting many lives of young people who’re supposed to make part of their audience by not talking about this, they’re not being helpful in any way. I give credits to Octopizzo and Juliani they dared to talk against police brutality, the rest remained silent for political correctness and for Statehouse gigs.
‘Protecting my brand’ has had Kenyan artists remain silent as their fans undergo endless suffering all because they want to remain darlings of the system for gigs and other favors. They’re forgetting who the real bosses are; audience. I think we’re at a point where we should boycott sissy artists who’re not politically conscious. You don’t necessarily have to be affiliated with traditional political parties but be someone who’s in touch with real social issues. Our comedians and artists, in general, need to take a deep breath and rethink their strategies, think beyond gigs, money, and women. Think about how you’ll want to be remembered, be someone who dared to dream, took an unpopular stand and confronted societal bullies.
Until I start seeing a change in content, I won’t waste a coin going to attend stale jokes shows, I’d rather wipe my ass with that note and flash it down. Sorry but no sorry for the language I’m just sick and tired of mediocrity. I hope one of you comedians sees an opportunity in political comedy and run with it, I can promise you whoever will take it up will become one of the most powerful comedians and a voice to reckon with.
Until these comedians and artists generally rise above the mediocre bar and start using their influence to raise awareness around prevailing social and political issues affecting the society, they can miss me with the bullshit. Until they start realizing the real power of art and how it is a serious tool for shaping the society, I’ll not clap. And just to be clear, not everyone has to be politically conscious, they can continue with the mediocrity but we need to separate boys from men, lets have real sons and daughters of the soil rising and setting New standards.
Comedy is a new, fresh platform for the modern philosopher to stand on. Stand-up comedy is a form of social commentary. It is the perfect way to reach a wide array of people and to explain serious topics to them in a hilarious and entertaining way. Just look at “The Daily Show”—why do you think that’s such a hit?
When Jon Stewart left the show, big names were thrown around as possible replacement only for a lesser popular Trevor Noah from South Africa to take over the show. Coming from Africa and used to an African audience, many were hesitant of he could crack up the American /international audience but he took the show over and never did he impede the producers. Today, according to Comedy Central, the show not only drew the biggest crowd among total viewers and in the demo since Noah succeeded Jon Stewart, but it also overtook all other daily late-night shows to earn the title as the top-rated show among millennials, adults 18-24, in the category.
Content is key in any production, in comedy as well, diversity of content is what determines whether the audience is going to keep glued to your show or flips to the next. I mean there is a million comic content on the internet and cable TV that it will take powerful witchcraft to keep me watching a horribly presented show.
Kenya is a blessed land with so much to offer from tourism, agriculture, sports but there’s a bit of a challenge when it comes to entrainment more particularly comedy. For decades, we’ve been served with the same diet of tribal, voice mimics same old Vasco Da Gamma jokes that I think we’ve caught numb head and dead stomach. We have so-called comedians who’ve refused to get out of the pot and think beyond their noses. I mean jokes are restricted to narrow subject of the tribe and imitating voices and that’s the widest most can stretch, damn these people need yoga classes but in comedy.
Trevor Noah and Churchill
Over time, the right thinking audiences have developed immunity to these nonstandard jokes. If I was to describe majority of so-called comedians here it would be something like they’re hackneyed, tired, worn out, overworked, threadbare, warmed-up, banal, trite, stock, stereotyped, clichéd, run-of-the-mill, commonplace, platitudinous, unoriginal, derivative, unimaginative, uninspired, flat; outdated, outmoded, passé, archaic, obsolete, defunct and antiquated.
Now don’t get it wrong, I just Googled the words, the message here is, with a bit of research, you can brainwash people into thinking you’re smart, why can’t out comedians research and trick is to believing they’re witty? You see they don’t even have to go far but simply look around to what’s going on around and make a comic relief out of complex social issues.
Art is a powerful tool that if used right can shape the community in unwritten ways. The case at hand, stand-up comedy gives a platform that shouldn’t just end at cracking people laugh but leaving them with something to think about. In a world with so many injustices take Kenya for example, a comedian worth his salt would use such a platform to align themselves with justice. But we have sissy celebrities who would rather remain silent when their fans are being trivialized just so they don’t miss out on government gigs, a bag of douches.
One of my favorite comedy shows happens to be ‘Last Week Tonight’. Comedian John Oliver satirically covers the week in news, politics and current events in this Emmy-winning variety series. Oliver knows his art and I just like how he talks about everything from healthcare to calking out Trump to nuclear talk I mean, which sane person cant appreciate such a well thought out the show, talking on basic, typical issues on the society? Jimmy Kimmel Live has lately been interesting too after his kid was diagnosed with cancer, Jimmy turned the show advocating for better health policies for all.
Back home in Kenya, one of the biggest comedy shows also happens to be one of our many national problems, needless to talk about stagnant tribal jokes, the show does less to comically address issues around us, in fact, to be fair, it is a crap show that I stopped watching since I have better things to do like holding wind and counting sugar grains. See unlike American examples I’ve given, Churchill has a great platform that if he were right thinking, would’ve high ratings and great impact but nope, apart from exploiting comedians in the name of exposure paying them not just peanuts but the peel offs, the show has been subtly used to sanitize social menaces.
Growth is important, we can’t be stuck at telling jokes that Mzee Ojwang told 20 years ago and wouldn’t say in his grave, these new boys in the comedy are too stale I’ll slap my ears if they ever try giving audience. You wonder why it is easier for a camel to walk through a syringe than a Kenyan comedian to break through the borders? And if any do then they’ll they’ll perform skits at house parties abroad. The simple reason is diversity, they lack that, they’re restricted to the same set of jokes that’s only relevant to the malnourished Kenyan audience.
Chipukeezy’s career peak was a photo session of Hart’s with fans during the promo of his book. Chip came home and lied that he was working with Hart infact said he’ll bring him to Kenya like the picture says, hahaha!
Chipukeezy, I’m told he’s a comedian had to fake a while story how he used his YouTube videos as uber payment an access to Kevin Hart’s show, I watched that video and was like wow he’s so talented in being super dumb, you try that YouTube shit in real life you’ll catch your phone in space. He took a photo with Kevin Hart thanks to the Kenyan lady who begged Hart for it and he termed it his best career moment, a selfie was his best moment. Now you see why we have dafts running the show. I once watched Churchill co-host some show in S.A. I think MTV awards and his jokes couldn’t make pre-recorded audiences in comedy shows laugh. Super dry.
In a nutshell, Kenyan Comedians and entertainers need to learn the power of art and how they can use the tool in impacting the society, if you don’t recognize this and only in it for money then I should hire you for a NASA demo then call the police to finish this mess. We need to see diversity in content, jump away from tribal jokes actually it is profiling and I hope one day, fake cop Ezekiel Mutua and Ole Kaparo wakes up on the wrong side of the bed, ban such jokes, I bet many would be sent to indefinite retirement. Look at new comedians like Andrew Kibe, annoying to feminists but that guy cracks up yes I I said it. He’s good, natural and his jokes are not your usual so Andrew go on.
I know you celebrities are used to being massaged and worshipped such that you don’t take criticism well, I’d love it if instead of rubbishing off my points, you collect the stones and build a mansion. Diversify your jokes, use that platform to advance positivity. Don’t be the comedian to n remembered for just telling tribal jokes but also one who used the platform to address social issues. To be fair, I’ll give the devil its dues that we have some pretty good comedians in Kenya I just think they’re stuck somewhere in the traffic so lets hope they make it in time for the show.
Otherwise, with same old tiring jokes and equally lame comedians I say #Resist.
It has been way over a decade since Kenya’s national soccer team ‘Harambee Stars’ featured in a continental tourney. A story that does not rest well in the hearts of soccer lover in the
A country, fans are for this reason left to seek solace in embracing European soccer, which
actually, boasts of the best leagues in the world.
Any country across the globe with a player in top European leagues considers such a national pride, the likes of Kenya’s skipper Victor Wanyama who plays for Tottenham Hotspurs are such players though the country’s soccer remains in a deathbed. Kenya was bundled out of 2018
world cup qualifiers at the very early stages.
Many reasons have been speculated over this among other poor performances. It’s said that
Kenya does not spot and nurture talents at an early age. Yes, and on a darker timeline, there is a
tactic admission that the system is too fragmented, unreliable and excessively unpredictable to undergird anything close to a globally elite system of youth production.
A rule was introduced that required all teams playing in the national league to have youth teams, under 19s, 16s and such. The question if this has been a success will leave all soccer administrators dancing around the answer. This can only point that it takes a lot to shape any aspiring player into a complete and professional soccer player.
This is what Vintage Soccer Club does, fitting these giant boots with bravado. Who knew that
Has Kenya this excellent academy? Vintage SC in embracing Spanish soccer philosophy and believes. And by so doing it does all within its abilities to provide consistent structured training,
equip every aspiring soccer player to meet highest standards of skills and fitness needed in the
The game, as such all their registered players, are given equal opportunities for gradual progression
in all aspects of the game.
One would ask why the soccer is still struggling with such good academies but in a broader sense, the system is too broad to realize the fruits overnight. Habil Sidera, The Coaching
Director at the institution notes that discipline is the key to success in this game and many
players of Asian origin beat others in this.
The academy has players in other academies in Europe, Seville, Crystal Palace just to mention a
few waiting to burst into major leagues in those parts of the world, an indication that their success will be an objective to gauge vitality of the game’s lifeblood. Nevertheless, what more does it take? ‘These three facets – player ability, coaching ability and matriculation ability – are the guideposts for any successful academy’ Mr. Sidera adds.
Rappers, singers and artists of all genres of music work their best to craft catchy lyrics and nice melodies but who really takes all the credits? Some of the greatest tunes of the music world are not written by the same artists who perform them. Ghost writing has been in the music world, in fact as old as the hills.
In the rap world for instance, it’s no secret, super producer/ artist, Dr Dre is known for his habitual use of ghost writers. Writing may not be his forte but he is a genius when it comes to production and spitting. Rakim, Eminen, Snoop and Kendrick have been his back room boys writing great hits.
Some of the ghost writers are well established artists who are successful in their solo careers behind the microphone, say Ice Cube who wrote bulk of NWA’s Straight outta Compton, the legendary Hov (Jay Z) who wrote Dr Dre’s 1999 all-time classic ‘Still Dre, The late Biggie wrote a million bars for Lil Kim which eventually got the rap queen drunk and who doesn’t know that NeYo has written for Beyonce, Rihana and Celin Dion among others.
Ghost writing should be considered a full time job in the music business, it has saved careers of some of the greenhorn artists who churn out single hits and resort to the backroom either as producers or to use ghost writing apprentice as a second opportunity to kick start their careers. One hit wonder Yung Berg went into silence, producing and writing for old and established artists from both rnb and rap worlds. He penned Lil Wayne and Rick Ross’s serious hit ‘John’.
Coming closer home the secular music has not really appreciated or welcomed the use of ghost writers like gospel section of the industry has.
Pitson who catapulted in the limelight through his 2013 hit single ‘Lingle Ya Yesu’ has the magic pen, writing some of the major hits that constantly rock the airwaves. The Nisaidie hit maker has a fair share of covert scribbling for Daddy Owen (Vanity), for Makena, Size 8 (Afadhali Yesu, Pale Pale) which are major hits, he has also written for Boss MOG (Naiunua) and the recently released ‘Shule Yako’ by Mercy Masika.
Ghost writing is not a bad thing as much as some artists shy away from giving credits to the real crafters of their hit songs. Established artists who have been in the industry for a minute accepting to use ghost writers who are fellow artists is a commendable thing. Daddy Owen’s boldness to acknowledge that Pitson wrote his hit song ‘Vanity’ is what this industry needs for further growth. It shows that he does appreciate other artists’ expertise, Pitson is a talented vocalist, guitarist and also a supper talented song writer who has cemented another spot in the music industry. He has peened one too many hits.
Mr. Vee
Born Venanzio Githae aka Mr Vee is another gospel crooner with the magic pen, he has not been celebrated so much as an individual artist but he has penned unfading hits. He wrote Mercy Masika’s comeback hit ‘Mwema’. His personal works include V.I.P, Fundi wa Mbao with Gospel Fathers and Just away alongside the late Kaberere.
With gifted writers like this in the game, it’s alarming to see young boys parading as gospel singers churn out unserious songs like ‘Tiga na we’. Both Pitson and Vee have managed to stay away from unnecessary theatrics that are ‘impuning’ the musical integrity of other artists. Ghost writing should be accepted and appreciated in the game, especially in secular side where artists are clueless and aping their Nigerian and Tanzanian counterparts.
