The wealth of social commentary on Kenya by Kenyans in the diaspora is simply mind boggling. Browsing about the net looking for something of ‘maana’ to read up on I some how found myself on a blog called Kenyan pundit by a law student at Harvard. Not only did the author have quite interesting blogs of his own but the site also provided me with links to various interesting blogs focusing on Kenya and Africa as a whole.
I couldn’t help but feel proud of ‘my people’ reading through the posts and taking in the potpourie of ideas and silently marveling at the quality of writing we seem to so easily generate. Up Kenya! Up!-)
Anyway, we are now in the thick of the Darfur awareness week here at UT. I wasn’t able go to the letter writing party today but I hear that the turn out is really good. The movie for yesterdays program arrived about 15 minutes before the show was schedualed to star! I was beginning to despair, I guess the timing must have had some significance.
It was really good considering that it was a rough cut. The movie is called ‘A message from home is essentially a collection of interviews from of people at various refugee camps and settlements in Darfur and Neighboring Chad. I like the way the interviews strove to show both the pathos of their current situation and their will to go on and rebuild their lives. Kusdos to the producers!
Thursday, April 21, 2005
Tuesday, April 19, 2005
Ndereba wins fourth Boston title
Defending champion Catherine Ndereba of Kenya became the first four-time woman’s winner of the Boston Marathon yesterday, coming from behind to overtake Ethiopia’s Elfenesh Alemu.
Ndereba won the 109th edition of the world’s oldest annually contested marathon in an unofficial time of 2 hours 25 minutes 12 seconds. That fell short of the women’s course record of 2:20:43 set by Margaret Okayo of Kenya in 2002.
Sunday, April 17, 2005
> Play: Inner termoil and its implications
Well today was an interesting day, I lost a friend to 'the truth' and gained another from her. Truth has a funny way of cutting both ways like that. She gives and she takes away. Either way, what she gives is invariably more precious than what she takes away, and that which she takes away, one hopes, she will one day give back.
A lie on the other hand, gives only what it must and takes all it can, and when it is full grown, it takes back even that which it gave. But this is not an essay on these two timeless foes so ill leave it at that.
The conscience is a very interesting thing don't you think, two days ago I did something I knew was wrong but could justify (sort of) at the time and its interesting how my mind reacted to the whole incident. This was not in anyway the "worst thing" I've ever done, far from it, but I couldn't get it out of my head, this nagging, pocking, feeling in me kept on telling me "that was wrong, you know it, why did you do it?" and I couldn't get it out of my head.
After a while it started getting me down and I came to a cross road where I had to choose the way in which I would react to this feeling. On the one hand, some thing was telling me just to say "See, trying to do right isn't worth it, let it go" and it looked like a very tempting option.
That’s when it hit me! And I'm glad it did just then coz I don't know what would have happened if it didn't. Suddenly I saw that God was trying to tell me something through this inner turmoil that I was experiencing. I began to see that this guilt was not just there to beat me into a depressed state but was there to get me to see Gods position on the matter and to listen up for what to do next. Trust me when you listen, God speaks, he aint playin.
I've had a brilliant 2 days since then and have really felt Gods presence around me. I think I was going through that 'Ministry of the night thing' that is in the 'Purpose Driven life' (wonderful book, must read). I missed Mungu but didn't really realize it until he let me feel his presence again. It was like taking a long breath of fresh air after exiting a smoke filled house... glorious!
A lie on the other hand, gives only what it must and takes all it can, and when it is full grown, it takes back even that which it gave. But this is not an essay on these two timeless foes so ill leave it at that.
The conscience is a very interesting thing don't you think, two days ago I did something I knew was wrong but could justify (sort of) at the time and its interesting how my mind reacted to the whole incident. This was not in anyway the "worst thing" I've ever done, far from it, but I couldn't get it out of my head, this nagging, pocking, feeling in me kept on telling me "that was wrong, you know it, why did you do it?" and I couldn't get it out of my head.
After a while it started getting me down and I came to a cross road where I had to choose the way in which I would react to this feeling. On the one hand, some thing was telling me just to say "See, trying to do right isn't worth it, let it go" and it looked like a very tempting option.
That’s when it hit me! And I'm glad it did just then coz I don't know what would have happened if it didn't. Suddenly I saw that God was trying to tell me something through this inner turmoil that I was experiencing. I began to see that this guilt was not just there to beat me into a depressed state but was there to get me to see Gods position on the matter and to listen up for what to do next. Trust me when you listen, God speaks, he aint playin.
I've had a brilliant 2 days since then and have really felt Gods presence around me. I think I was going through that 'Ministry of the night thing' that is in the 'Purpose Driven life' (wonderful book, must read). I missed Mungu but didn't really realize it until he let me feel his presence again. It was like taking a long breath of fresh air after exiting a smoke filled house... glorious!
Saturday, April 16, 2005
> Play: on being a good boy....
My goodness! How can this be! How can this silly computer erase all the things I just wrote! If I wasn't so gangster I'd cry :-) Anyway I guess there is nothing else to do but start over. Maybe the ideas will flow better this time.
I finished watching Hotel Rwanda yesterday, that’s a wonderful movie. I mean its simply amazing, I have to get the DVD and you should too! It’s been so long since I watched a movie with meaning and a message.
For all who don't know ( I have learned not to assume common knowledge since I came to this continent of America, Rwanda is a country near the east coast of Africa where over 800,000 people where killed in a genocide that lasted 100 days. The world closed its eyes and ears and refused to call what was going on genocide until it was too late. The war was between the two major Rwandese tribes, the HUTU and the TUTSI. The movie is about on courageous hotel Manager, Mr. Paul Rusasabangina who was able shelter over 1200 people from the massacre. It’s a beautiful tale of love and courage under fire.
I had the opportunity to watch the real Mr. Rusasabangina give a narration of his ordeal just last week. It was truly amazing. He came to UT Austin and im glad I went.
I will not tire to reiterate that the same thing that happened in Rwanda is now taking place in the Darfur Region of Western Sudan. 10,000 people are dying every month and the United Nations has abdicated its duty and responsibility by delegating the task of deciding whether to call the situation in Darfur genocide to an external body.( The government of the Sudan is sponsoring a militia called the janjaweed to systematically wipe out all “non Arabs” in the area)
What bugs me the most is that almost everyone that I have spoken to here at the university, has no clue of what is going on. Isn’t it amazing that almost anyone who cares to read a newspaper or watch TV in Kenya knows of and has seen people feverishly protesting for the preservation of Terry Schiavo's life yet these people don’t know about the mass murder of 10s of thousands that is taking place in Africa? Are these lives worth less than Mrs. Schiavos’? Why won't anyone protest for them, stand up for them... at least write a letter to their congress man for them? Ruminate on that...
A riveting story of courage
I finished watching Hotel Rwanda yesterday, that’s a wonderful movie. I mean its simply amazing, I have to get the DVD and you should too! It’s been so long since I watched a movie with meaning and a message.
For all who don't know ( I have learned not to assume common knowledge since I came to this continent of America, Rwanda is a country near the east coast of Africa where over 800,000 people where killed in a genocide that lasted 100 days. The world closed its eyes and ears and refused to call what was going on genocide until it was too late. The war was between the two major Rwandese tribes, the HUTU and the TUTSI. The movie is about on courageous hotel Manager, Mr. Paul Rusasabangina who was able shelter over 1200 people from the massacre. It’s a beautiful tale of love and courage under fire.
I had the opportunity to watch the real Mr. Rusasabangina give a narration of his ordeal just last week. It was truly amazing. He came to UT Austin and im glad I went.
I will not tire to reiterate that the same thing that happened in Rwanda is now taking place in the Darfur Region of Western Sudan. 10,000 people are dying every month and the United Nations has abdicated its duty and responsibility by delegating the task of deciding whether to call the situation in Darfur genocide to an external body.( The government of the Sudan is sponsoring a militia called the janjaweed to systematically wipe out all “non Arabs” in the area)
What bugs me the most is that almost everyone that I have spoken to here at the university, has no clue of what is going on. Isn’t it amazing that almost anyone who cares to read a newspaper or watch TV in Kenya knows of and has seen people feverishly protesting for the preservation of Terry Schiavo's life yet these people don’t know about the mass murder of 10s of thousands that is taking place in Africa? Are these lives worth less than Mrs. Schiavos’? Why won't anyone protest for them, stand up for them... at least write a letter to their congress man for them? Ruminate on that...
A riveting story of courage
Thursday, April 14, 2005
>> FFW: Many days later John found himself in a strang and distant land...
It burns me that I dont care enough. I may say that do, console myself with the suggestion that the fact that i wheep when I watch a video that shows my own, my kin, suffering beyond my capacity to understand means tht I care. Truth remains, if I don't act, then I don't care; not really. Or maybe I do care, but jsut nt as much as i care about gettin' me a neew ipod or cell phone. Maybe I care but don't care enough, not nearly enough.....
Its burns me inside to know that the humanity of my fellow man seems to be inverslly proportional to his distance from me. That the further you are, the less human you become to me. It hurt to know that even though we have suffered so much in persuit of knowledge, we so badly lack understanding. We we gain a form of tollerance in exchange for all form of compassion. Its ubsurd, it make me sick, sick to know that this is me.
I must, i have to do something. I cant the self deception, this 'bad faith', this 'decedance'. I have to do something.... something. But what? I will start with speaking, lending my voice to those withot a voice those of my Kin who die for want of someone to speak of their plight.... for one of 'men with chests'. Who.... what am I, if i can sit and watch as the river runs read and say, wih out lifting so much as a finger "I am power less to stop it, willing but unable"
Every month, more than 10,000 people die in the Darfur reagon of Sudan. 10.100!! That the entire UT population in 5 months.... the Govenment of Sudan is sponssering a melitia, a band of armed men on horse back called the janjaweed to systematically wipe out all all the non-Arabs in the region and though this has been taking place for over a year now, the rest of the world has closed its eyes and ears, silenced their tongues, renegaded on their "Never Again" pledge and patient watched over 300,000 people die. Still they refuse to call this genocided, I guess they are.... no waite, WE are afraid of steping on someones toes. I makes me sick to see that this is me. I hope, and i pray that soon, I will be able to say that that WAS me, but not any more... no longer.
Why them....
Its burns me inside to know that the humanity of my fellow man seems to be inverslly proportional to his distance from me. That the further you are, the less human you become to me. It hurt to know that even though we have suffered so much in persuit of knowledge, we so badly lack understanding. We we gain a form of tollerance in exchange for all form of compassion. Its ubsurd, it make me sick, sick to know that this is me.
I must, i have to do something. I cant the self deception, this 'bad faith', this 'decedance'. I have to do something.... something. But what? I will start with speaking, lending my voice to those withot a voice those of my Kin who die for want of someone to speak of their plight.... for one of 'men with chests'. Who.... what am I, if i can sit and watch as the river runs read and say, wih out lifting so much as a finger "I am power less to stop it, willing but unable"
Every month, more than 10,000 people die in the Darfur reagon of Sudan. 10.100!! That the entire UT population in 5 months.... the Govenment of Sudan is sponssering a melitia, a band of armed men on horse back called the janjaweed to systematically wipe out all all the non-Arabs in the region and though this has been taking place for over a year now, the rest of the world has closed its eyes and ears, silenced their tongues, renegaded on their "Never Again" pledge and patient watched over 300,000 people die. Still they refuse to call this genocided, I guess they are.... no waite, WE are afraid of steping on someones toes. I makes me sick to see that this is me. I hope, and i pray that soon, I will be able to say that that WAS me, but not any more... no longer.
Why them....
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