Langston Hughes On Democracy

Democracy

Democracy will not come

Today, this year

Nor ever

Through compromise and fear.

I have as much right

As the other fellow has

To stand

On my two feet

And own the land.

I tire so of hearing people say,

Let things take their course.

Tomorrow is another day.

I do not need my freedom when I'm dead.

I cannot live on tomorrow's bread.

Freedom

Is a strong seed

Planted

In a great need.

I live here, too.

I want freedom

Just as you.

Langston Hughes

Dennis Brutus on Freedom Fighters

For a Dead African

We have no heroes and no wars

only victims of a sickly state

succumbing to the variegated sores

that flower under lashings of hate.

We have no battles and no fights

for history to record with trite remark

only captives killed in eyeless nights

and accidental dyings in the dark.

Yet when the roll of those who died

to free out land is called without surprise

those nameless unarmed ones will stand beside

the warriors who secure the final prize.

Dennis Brutus

Mashujaa day is all about remembrance. Not much has been done to honour the lives of those who died for or freedom. Countless others who actively took part in the Struggle remain banished to obscurity. Dennis Brutus, a South African, wrote this poem at the height of apartheid when no end was in site. Nonetheless he had hope, a hope that was not in vain, the false naivety of the rhyme scheme does nothing to shroud the horrors of an oppressive regime. This was political writing at its most ironic.

So on the 20^th of October let us salute the lives that were lost to build this country and the countless sacrifices not forgetting the barbarous aftermath of the 2007 General Election, “the nameless unarmed ones”.

Dennis Brutus, poet, political activist and instigator of change died on December 26th 2009. He was 85.

On CDFs...

Launching Our Community Development Fund

It was announced in the Daily Times, the New Nigerian,

the television, the radio and other acclaimed megaphones.

Today we launch our Community Development Fund

to complete the project the Government abandoned from start

for lack of funds; the Treasury looted overnight

by those elected to generate national wealth.

Dancers are back again from their holes, gyrating

in front of the Chairman and the Chief Launcher, millionaires.

The booths are painted bright in national colours.

In those days as dancer twisted themselves out of breath

to the applause of the Governor and his vast entourage,

we laid foundation stones with party blocks that dissolved

with return of Honourable Guests to the capital –

the budget allocation went with the civic reception.

There was no attempt to build what would outlive the builders,

and this disregard for afterlife was unfortunate for us

Christians and Muslims; heaven could not be gained here.

Today, as before, there are dancers to excite the chiefs

to pledge millions of naira to build their egos.

Always before new lords that rise with the fall of old patrons,

the dancers live eternally digging the ground that swallows

the Very Impotent Personalities. And after this launching,

the proceedings, the names of donors, will be announced

in the Daily Times, the New Nigerian and other acclaimed

megaphones.

Tanure Ojaide

This was one of those poems I studied in school years ago, you know the one that came from one of those ubiquitous potry anthologies with an obvious title like Modern Poetry for the African Child or Wole Soyinka's Clever Use of Satire -The Simplified Commonwealth Edition.

Anyway, now that Promulgation Fever is over maybe we can settle in to the task of Nation Building and finally put an end to any parallels between Nigeria's Organised Chaos and Kenya's Fuck-it-all philosophy. Ojaide's wry observations are none the less witty and broadly applicable.

Mannenberg Is Where It's Happening

Mannenberg is perhaps one of the most politically charged songs in the history of the South African Struggle. The song came to Abdullah Ibrahim then known as Dollar Brand almost serendipitously one day after Cape Town's District Six had been razed to the ground. What I like about this song is that it first and foremost defined the Cape Jazz sound and secondly it was political and subversive in a way very few songs at the time were. It's melody is pleasant and nostalgic - almost easy listening but it's the title that got South African's of all shades really riled up. From the townships of Meadow lands and Mannenberg to the Umkhoto we Sizwe training camps in Tanzania and Zimbabwe Mannenberg's tune rang clear and true reminding them of what they had lost, asserting a future that was pendant on their actions - a future that was now in their hands, Mannenberg was where it all begun.

Kuweni Serious

Kuweni serious is a movement that brought together a bunch of concerned people for a peaceful Referendum. It urges Kenyan's to think critically and objectively about our future. Here is their most recent video, its moving, personal and relevant. Again Jim ChuChu had a hand in producing the clip.





Kuweni Serious: http://www.kuweniserious.org/

The Stingo

Well it's been a while since I last blogged. Apologies to all 4 of my followers. I came across this fairly artistic and experimental web magazine called Stingo. Jim Chuchu collaborates and is the one who takes all the lovely photos. I have come to understand that Jim is perhaps Kenya's premier graphic arts guru. He's also one third of Just a Band (the one who makes the cool videos).

Incidentally I'm personally acquainted with a member of the crew and a couple of models. I now feel both jealous/ inferior and immensely proud of these talented youth.

Here's the link: http://www.thestingo.com/

And the clothes aren't bad either. Some of it is locally produced. I say BUY BUY BUY!

In other news, Tamaku cut me to the chase when he published this. I read the article only, partly shocked, partly amused and partly well angry. Whilst reading it I got that disconcerting feeling one gets when reading yellow journalism like say The Standard and for a long time I did think I was reading The Standard - but I wasn't.

Like many Kenyans I tend to trust the relative subjectivity (and solemnity) of The Nation and equate this to The Truth. Things however, have changed and for the worst. Tamaku made a fairly exhaustive analysis with the article's intrinsic wrongness with his trademark half ironic, half wry sense of justice and for that we thank God for people like him. Dorothy Kweyu and her ilk are a dying breed maybe she needs to read Stingo to realise this. Times are changing and the youth of tomorrow, lesbian or otherwise are finding thier voice - and it's filled with colour!

More disturbing still is the method of behavioral correction employed by these religious therapists. In the West at least, homosexuality is not a mental disorder and can threfrore not be treated clinically. The Church seems to think otherwise. Dark time for Kenya's minority groups? Or does our shiny new constitution offer refuge? The future is most certainly uncertain but if there irs one thing the minorities are not is silent.

Find The New Kenyans A-Gay

I read a rather charming article by Venetia Thompson in last month’s British GQ – the one with the very naked and rudely luscious Rosie Huntington–Whitley wearing a come-hither pout. God that mouth!

Anyway Miss Venetia made some interesting observations in her column. So let me colour in the background first. The Tories as we now know are a UK political party also know as the Conservatives and are led by David Cameron, a young, dexterous and somewhat handsome (I lie) man. They are the rough equivalent of American Republicans in the sense that they hate immigrants. But who doesn’t? Also common with the Republicans is their presumed aversion to all things queer, tax on the rich and ethnic minorities. But the Tories won their election and here’s how.

Miss Venetia had been invited to a dinner party (in pre-election London) in which everyone or at least almost everyone was a Tory and Gay, and here’s the best part they were all in their mid twenties to early thirties. They were all young, eloquent, well dressed, handsome and chiselled; the sleek, elite well choreographed (pardon the pun) political machine that’s drove the Tory party to victory and here’s the real kicker; everyone wants to be gay just to join them. Like high school but with of irony (on the side of course).

This is all well and good for the English but what about us mere mortals in Third World obscurity? Well for one thing I completely see where these new gay Tories are coming from. They don’t do “identity politics”; leave that to Harvey Milk, they find the gay rights movement “embarrassing” and they’d sooner be caught dead than be spotted at a Pride march because they are British men first who happen who see a problem with their country but who also happen to be gay and don’t see the point of parading this. Two things therefore stood out for me. The first is identity. The second is the importance of being gay.

As a confessed conservative and for the last time gay conservative is not an oxymoron, I sometimes feel disillusioned with Nairobi’s queer society. It’s petty and vain, loud and stereotypical, godless and immoral, disease ridden and promiscuous. This depravity is sometimes confused with progress but if it is progress then it’s in the wrong direction. Obviously not everyone will agree with me but I feel that there needs to be a time and soon when the two spheres of Nairobi society merge to a cohesive whole. Government legislation is a long way off unless we style up and focus on what’s important. Getting the right people in the right places is and so is creating a good image for ourselves, a tell all spread in Pulse is not. Are there gay men and women in positions of power? The conventional Kenyan would say nay, but we know better; there are lots of them but they’re all from a different age. Is there anyone to take over from them? Who knows? The Modern Young Gay like their straight contemporary would rather indulge in week long alcohol binges, recreational drugs and precarious sexual exploits with a stick of lip whatever in one hand, a dwindling bank balance in the other and swinging a fake designer man purse from his dick all the while claiming he’s all for the fucking gay rights even though he doesn't know what the fuck he’s talking about because he does not watch politics (and his brain is full of jizz) but he had his mohawk redone so it all works out in the end. Everyone’s happy because everything is the same.

But then what’s the point? Personally I’m not a fun of gay rights. I thought I was but I’m not. Human rights sure but are gay rights that important. The answer is no - because there are bigger problems to contend with. To begin with we live in a failed state yet nobody takes up arms over it, poverty is widespread, so is malnutrition. Education system is so bad we churn out airhead little shits with mowhaks who don’t know their head from their ass. Then there is the corruption that is so deeply ingrained in us and not just the government but every single one of us that it would require an act of god to reverse this moral degeneration and of then someone inevitably shouts tribalism; factor in an election in two years and we are simply fucked!

But what about the gays? What of them? Gays need rights, of course they do. So do refugees, women, children, whites, blacks and soon, men. But not now. There are simply bigger things to worry about, like the economy or William Ruto. If the gays want to bring about change then they must smarten up, literary. Become the sharpest, handsomest damn near perfect tit in the office and see real power. Do that collectively and watch the straight world turn and gape. Then they’ll want to join us. Then we can say no. Like in High school.

Obviously I went into a pretty long rant but I’m tired of the stereotypes, and immorality. Take off your sisters jeans, put down that darn mascara maybe it sounds like we’re going back in time but maybe some modesty would help our image immensely and like everyone else do the job of nation building and not whinging. It’s in the damn constitution, read it!

We are all Kenyans, first. Everything else is second. While you’re at it setup a genuine political party. We haven’t had one in a long time.