tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10671774561958475282024-03-13T08:44:58.608-07:00Bonnie TindaAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14771987721635130633noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1067177456195847528.post-76578697206772396402015-11-16T13:06:00.003-08:002015-11-16T13:08:49.342-08:00THE SOCIAL MEDIA BUZZ AS #OBAMARETURNS FOR G.E.S 2015<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<![endif]--><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif;">The</span> much
anticipated return of the son of the soil finally broke forth on Friday 24<sup>th</sup>
July at 2002 hours East African time, when Air Force One touched down at the
JKIA where tens of journalists, both local and international were eagerly
waiting to capture that moment when the most powerful person on Earth, the
president of the United States of America, Barrack Hussein Obama was going to
step on Kenyan soil, being the first sitting US president to do so. </span><br />
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"> </span>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">It was a sigh
of relief for millions of Kenyans especially those who live in Nairobi, for
Obama to step out of that huge, magnificient airbus, one of its kind, since the
Nairobians had already been held hostage in their own city for hours waiting
for the arrival of the US President. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Of course,
president Obama was visiting Kenya for the sixth Global Entrepreneurship
Summit, the first to be held in sub-saharan Africa and the second to be held in
Africa after the third which was held in Morroco last year. This three day
event was going to mark a turning point in the entrepreneurial history of Kenya
and Africa as a whole. Kenya has been greatly described as the gate to Africa arising
in technological and entrepreneurial advancement and this was her time to
launch into that arena. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">As many were
glued to their Tv screen to witness this historic event, there was a team which
had analyzed Obama’s visit before it actually happened, ‘fought many battles’
to make it happen, prepared the avenue on which Obama was going to ride on and
also spread a proper ground for him to tread upon while in Kenya. This is the
social media team. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Ranging from
facebook, twitter, Instagram, blogs, websites and such like platforms, the
social media in Kenya was a buzz of activity as teams such as #KOT
(KenyansOnTwitter) widely shared information using different hashtags to
describe Obama’s visit, the preparations, the actual events during the GES as
well as antics from the sidelines.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">In today’s
world, with the high level of technological advancement in communication
especially in the mobile industry, Hashtags have become the norm in which
information is shared, since they easily identify information pieces and make
it to flow very fast as well as bringing similar information together. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">During Obama’s
visit to Kenya, hashtags were widely used in the different social media
platforms and they proved to be powerful tools of impact in the communication
industry in today’s era.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">#KideroGrass </span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Nairobi
Governor Dr. Evans Kidero initiated a beautification process for the city of
Nairobi weeks before the arrival of POTUS (President of the United States) in
the country. This project estimated at a cost of Kshs. 180 Million attracted a
myriad of comments from many online users who used the hashtag #kiderograss.
Comments varied from questioning the large amount of money allocated for the
work compared to the quality of the work delivered, the time in which the grass
was planted and its ability to grow within days before the arrival of POTUS. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">@LLoperioMUSA No one is under pressure like the
#kiderograss which should grow in days.</span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">After POTUS
left the country, this trend still continued with many saying that #kiderogras
was no longer under pressure to grow. Others wanted a proper account for the
money allocated for this project. This hashtag was frequently used alongside
#NowThatObamaIsGone after president Obama left the country.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">#ObamaReturns</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">This is one of
the trends that did well and trended for a long period of time in the month of
July with many online users very excited that President Obama was visiting
Kenya as the first sitting president of the US. It was described as a historic
event and one which would change the world’s perspective about Kenya. Many blew
the trumpet that Obama was not only visiting Kenya for the Global Entrepreneurial
Summit but was also visiting his father’s homeland where he would interact and
mingle with his African family.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Powerful and
strong messages that Obama delivered during the GES at UN headquarters at
Gigiri were posted online alongside this hashtag.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">@JamesPatie Jubilee was electes, support it –
Obama tells Opposition #ObamaReturns.</span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Obama’s call
for youth and women empowerment and his enthusiasm for the next generation was
widely spread via the social media platforms via this trend.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">#GES2015 & #KenyaMeansBusiness</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">These hashtags
were primarily used to point out some of the key highlights that came up during
the Global Entrepreneurial Summit which was hosted by our president Uhuru
Kenyatta and President Barrack Obama. In this summit young Kenyan entrepreneurs
had a chance to pitch their ideas before potential investors from across the
globe. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">The President
of the United States was visiting Kenya to attend the Global Entrepreneurship
Summit and also for bilateral talks with president Uhuru Kenyatta.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">#SomeOneTellCNN</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">America’s
Cable News Network experienced the wrath of team KOT –Kenyans on Twitter, as it
is famously known, after it aired a story that seemed to paint Kenya
negatively. CNN cited that president Obama was not only visiting his father’s
homeland but also going to a ‘hotbed of terror’. This is not the first time
that CNN is carrying negative stories about Kenya as the same was experienced
in 2013 during the general elections.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">@LeonLidigu </span></i><span lang="EN-GB"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SomeoneTellCNN?src=hash"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><s><span style="color: windowtext; font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; text-decoration: none line-through; text-underline: none;">#</span></s></i></b><b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: windowtext; font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; font-weight: normal; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">SomeoneTellCNN</span></i></b></a></span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">
: ‘Foreigners’ will never tell the African story !</span></i></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">However,
Kenyans were quick to criticize and highly respond to CNN. This even attracted
the attention of other international news casts like The Independent and the
BBC</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">#KenyanMediaFailure</span></b></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">The buzz did
not end without the criticizing of the local media stations and outlets for
highly concentrating on the sidelines of Obama’s visit rather than highlighting
more on the GES and its importance to Kenyans.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><a href="https://twitter.com/kenyanpundit"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><s><span style="color: windowtext; font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; text-decoration: none line-through; text-underline: none;">@</span></s></i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: windowtext; font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">kenyanpundit</span></i></a></span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">:
A whole article on where Air Force One spent the night. </span></i><span lang="EN-GB"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Kenyanmediafailure?src=hash"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><s><span style="color: windowtext; font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; text-decoration: none line-through; text-underline: none;">#</span></s></i><b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: windowtext; font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; font-weight: normal; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Kenyanmediafailure</span></i></b></a></span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>nonsense</span></i></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">#NowThatObamaIsGone</span></b></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">After the
whole buzz, Airforce One took off to Ethiopia where Obama was going to
address<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>the African Union summit, and it
was time to go back to the daily routines and domestic affairs, now that Obama
was gone. </span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><a href="https://twitter.com/JulieOtieno"><span class="username"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><s><span style="color: windowtext; font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">@</span></s></i></span><span class="username"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: windowtext; font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">JulieOtieno</span></i></span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: windowtext; font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"> </span></i></a></span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></i><span lang="EN-GB"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NowThatObamaHasGone?src=hash"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><s><span style="color: windowtext; font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">#</span></s></i><b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: windowtext; font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">NowThatObamaHasGone</span></i></b></a></span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">
let's internalise and actualise the audacity of hope. Yes </span></i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">we </span></i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">can</span><span lang="EN-GB"></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14771987721635130633noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1067177456195847528.post-51957221346505031652015-05-25T07:31:00.005-07:002015-05-25T07:36:43.400-07:00THE WAGALLA MASSACRE, 31 YEARS LATER<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="background: white;">“We are in a country where justice and
reconciliation and recognition of past events and understanding our own history
is a problem.” – Salah Abdi</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
On February 9<sup>th</sup><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>1984,
during the wee hours of the night as the residents of Wajir town were deep in
sleep, a lot of activity that would change their lives forever was taking place
in the covering the night as security officers from the military, the General
Service Unit and the regular police were busy taking their positions in a move
aimed at disarming members of the Degodia clan in the area in which intertribal
clashes were rampant.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
The residents were woken up by the heavy sound of military
apparatus hitting the ground as the operation began. On this day, men from the
Degodia clan were rounded up from their homesteads and the streets and taken to
the Wagalla military airstrip where they were tortured and many brutally
killed.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<b>Torture<u1:p></u1:p></b><o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
In this operation, which the government termed as a disarmament exercise
to retrieve illegal weapons from the members of the Degodia clan, the men were
forced into police trucks and taken to the Wagalla airstrip where they were
stripped naked and forced to lie down under the scorching sun and the cold of
the night for three days, without food or water. They were battered, tortured
and shot in an ordeal that left hundreds of them dead and thousands unaccounted
for. The government claimed that only 57 men lost their lives but witnesses
indicated close to 500 were killed.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
As the men were being burned and tortured at the airstrip, women
and children were not spared. Many women were raped, beaten and dragged out of
their houses leaving many wounded and even some even permanently disabled.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<b>Violation of Human Rights<u1:p></u1:p></b><o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
The United Nations condemned this incident describing it as the
worst case of violation of human rights in<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">Kenya</st1:country-region></st1:place></st1:country-region>.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
This massacre termed as government genocide against its own
people, immediately attracted a lot of criticism from far and wide not only
from the United Nations, but also from NGOs like the UNICEF, the Kenya Red
Cross and the World Vision. However, the government downplayed the operation
with a series of cover ups and frustrations to the international organizations
that had the quest for justice for the Wagalla victims and families.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
Three decades after this incident, three different governments
have been in power but little has been done to bring justice to the people of
Wajir. Though they have tried to move on with life, many of them say their
pride and humanity was trampled down.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<b>Moi Era</b><o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="background: white;">This heinous act was conducted when president Moi
was in power, and many of the intelligence and security officials during his
reign were alleged to either have authorized or had information of the attack
before it took place.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="background: white;">Two days before the operation began, some top
government, security and intelligence officials met in Wajir at the DC’s
office, and according to the list obtained from the visitors book the following
government officials attended the meeting; Benson Kaaria (PC North Eastern
Province), Bethuel Kiplangat (PS Ministry of Foreign Affairs), David Mwiraria
(PS Ministry of Foreign Affairs), John Gituma (PS Ministry of Information and
Broadcasting), Bigadier J,R Kibwana (Department of Defence), John Kagathi
(Senior Administrative Secretary – office of the President) and James Mathenge
(PS Office of the president).</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="background: white;">Many of the above have never spoken on the matter
while others denied the said meeting ever took place, and distanced themselves
from any involvement in the planning of the operation. When the matter was
tabled before parliament on several attempts by former Member of Parliament for
Wajir West, Abdi Mohamed Sheikh, to institute a probe into the circumstances
surrounding the massacre, the parliament was hostile and did not give a hearing
into the matter.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="background: white;">In 1992, Moi unofficially apologized to some
Degodia elders and promised to establish a trust fund for the victims. This
promise never came to pass and he remained mum on the matter ever since.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<b><span style="background: white;">Kibaki era</span></b><o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="background: white;">In July 2010, some women who survived the horrific
attack paid a visit to the deserted Wagalla airstrip where there has not been a
single plane for the last close to 30 years. Here, they cried and wept bitterly
as the deserted place brought forth memories of the ordeal the were forced to
go through. Many were widowed and lost sons in the hands of the police, they
still had not got justice from the government.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="background: white;">Various groups of women have tried to broker
peace in the area with the help of community elders and businessmen reducing
inter-clan conflict which was cited as the initial lead to the Wagalla massacre.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="background: white;">In 2008, The Truth Justice and Reconciliation
Commission was set up to investigate the human rights violation and other
historical injustices meted upon the people of<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">Kenya</st1:country-region></st1:place></st1:place></st1:country-region>.
This was after a peace agreement was reached after post–election violence.
Bethuel Kiplangat, a former operative in the Moi government, and one mentioned
to have attended the Wajir meeting before the termed genocide, was appointed to
steer this committee.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="background: white;">In 2010, a new constitution was implemented in an
attempt to end years on violation of human rights in the country.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<b><span style="background: white;">Uhuru Tenure</span></b><o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="background: white;">The Truth Justice and Reconciliation Commission
conducted its investigations and presented its report to president Uhuru
Kenyatta who came to power in 2013. In the report the commission stated it was
unable to determibe the precise number of persons murdered. It also reported
that the security agents committed antrocities including torture, brutal
beatings, rape and sexual violence as well as looting and destruction of
property.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="background: white;">Several remedies were outlined in the report one
of which demanded of the president to make a public apology on behalf of the
government to the Wagalla victims. This report was tabled before parliament for
discussion and it is yet to be implemented.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="background: white;">So far, none of the perpetrators have been
brought to justice, none of the families have been compensated for the loss
they suffered.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="background: white;">Organizations such as the Truth be Told, Wajir
Peace and Development Agency have been formed to educate people on peace as well
as tackle violence and crime as well as campaign for peace and seek justice for
the people of Wajir.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="background: white;">31 years later, justice is yet to be found, only
a monument has been set up in Wajir town in remembrance of those who lost their
lives in the ordeal. However, the wait continues.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<u1:p></u1:p>
<u1:p></u1:p>
<u1:p></u1:p>
<u1:p></u1:p>
<u1:p></u1:p>
<u1:p></u1:p>
<u1:p></u1:p>
<u1:p></u1:p>
<u1:p></u1:p>
<u1:p></u1:p>
<u1:p></u1:p>
<u1:p></u1:p>
<u1:p></u1:p>
<u1:p></u1:p>
<span style="background: white; letter-spacing: 1.6pt;">We cry out for
Justice.</span><u1:p></u1:p></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14771987721635130633noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1067177456195847528.post-2972744824805134782015-05-05T04:56:00.000-07:002015-05-05T04:56:06.620-07:00THE EMPIRE: The hidden motive behind this highly celebrated movieJust at the mention of the name Lucious Lyon many movie lovers will turn their heads and want to know exactly what you are talking about and maybe join in the conversation. This is simply because there is a new movie in town that seems to have registered perfectly well in the minds of many who have watched it, but not without passing its message which though partly hidden, comes out clearly.<br />
<br />
I do not command a standing as far as knowledge about movies or even their evaluation is concerned, i actually do watch not so many of them, maybe until everybody is talking about it and i have to visit the movie shop after a long time, just like it happened with the Empire. And therefore, these are my humble thoughts concerning this ‘Empire’.<br />
<br />
I write this piece from my Christian faith and understanding of the actual African society values and practices. What is depicted in this movie is not new, and it is also not the first time that it is being portrayed, it is only that it is well orchestrated and coiled within the particular scenes of this movie such that everything comes out interesting and almost perfect. For instance, did you notice that the lady singing at the very beginning of the first episode has such a beautiful and a strong voice? Now that’s good singing right there, not to mention those of Hakeem and Jamal his brother.<br />
<br />
Allow me to first appreciate the way in which the whole concept around the movie has been executed. The locations, the actors, the camera shots, the directing, the continuity, the editing, the transitions, everything is just fantastic. Lee Daniels and Danny Strong the brains behind the Empire properly earned their money.<br />
<br />
Andre Lyon health condition gets worse after his father fails to vote in his favour to become the company’s next CEO, after which he is put on medication and assigned a music therapist named Michelle White, who also leads a singing team in a church. In the process of helping Andre, Michelle takes him to the church where he seems to regain his health and find his purpose in God.<br />
At one point while talking to his dad in his office, Andre tells him, “There is always something missing. A void that is filled with darkness, but now I’m getting to know my God. And He is sealing this void with a higher purpose.”<br />
<br />
Andre brings out the fact that without finding your purpose in God, there is always am emptiness inside a person that remains dark and void.<br />
Lucious immediately trashes of these words saying, “There’s no higher purpose than being a maker of music, that’s the voice of God.”<br />
<br />
These are utter lies that Lucious speaks, dismissing his son’s new identity he has found in God, a clear indication that he neither respects nor honours God.<br />
<br />
In another incidence, Lucious is in need of his son Andre back to the Empire. Andre has been away in his new found life in church where Michelle White led him, and he seems reluctant to go back to the Empire. Upon seeing her, Lucious cannot believe that the young church-girl has managed to influence her son to that extend.<br />
“Is this the little angel who has got you down here?” He laments, “Let’s see who is more powerful. Your God or your Daddy.”<br />
<br />
Lucious goes ahead to pretend on Michelle that God has spoken to him while she was singing, and he wittily lures her into the Empire alongside his son Andre.<br />
<br />
Lucious Lyon boasts himself as more powerful than God both by his words and actions.<br />
<br />
Naomi Campbell features in this movie starring as Hakeem’s girlfriend. However Lucious doesn’t like the fact that Hakeem is dating this ‘old’ lady. He calls her in her office and asks her to leave Hakeem alone and vacate the Empire. And here once more he makes some controversial statements.<br />
He says to her, “Do you know how God made man in his image, I am making Hakeem in my own image. God didn’t need help and neither do I.”<br />
<br />
Lucious makes himself equal with God, that he can do things on his own.<br />
<br />
As the family music business continues to flourish amidst many challenges, the Empire is set to become the first black owned entertainment company to be publicly traded in the New York stock exchange. Lucious invites journalists to come and experience what he terms in his words,” The brand new Lucious Lyon sound.”<br />
“So you can witness as the Empire becomes synonymous with the American culture, and Lucious Lion becomes a god.”<br />
Then Snoop Dog takes up after him and says, “And while he is God, then I must be Jesus.”<br />
<br />
This is pure blasphemy as Lucious and Snoop both declare themselves God and Jesus respectively.<br />
At the end of the 12th episode which is the last episode for this first season, Lucious Lyon is arrested and put in jail for murdering his friend and business partner Bunkie Williams. These are his last words behind the bars, blasphemous ones indeed.<br />
“You may think you have gotten away with it, but don’t fool yourselves, this is only the beginning. If streets couldn’t defeat me, if diseases couldn’t defeat me, even God can’t kill me. The day will come when Lucious Lyon will return.”<br />
<br />
What a proud character is portrayed right there.<br />
<br />
Apart from blasphemy, acts of sexual immorality, murder, idol worship and other manners of evil, all are well orchestrated yet disguised and camouflaged with good music, talented actors as well as fine production. Hakeem the youngest son sleeps with his father’s ‘concubine’ or rather fiancée. Jamal is gay and gets intimate with his partners on several occasions.<br />
<br />
The Empire might not be so evil or explicit to be banned or even censored by the authorities, but the message behind this movie is one that is misleading, evil and destructive.<br />
God speaking in Isaiah 42:8 says,<br />
I am the LORD: that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images.<br />
<br />
Anyone who tries to compete with God or tries to make himself equal with Him is only paving his own path towards destruction. In as far as God is merciful and loving, He is also a consuming fire.<br />
<br />
The sin of blasphemy has serious consequences, such that if anyone sins against the spirit of God he has no place in the kingdom of God. See Mathew 12:32. The devil and his agents could devise new and appealing ways of spreading his agenda, but let us be wise and alert lest we be entangled in the schemes of the devil.<br />
<br />
These are my own and personal opinions and are subject to err and omissions. However the truth of the Word of God remains and about that i am not apologetic.<br />
<br />
Ephesians 5: 15-16<br />
Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil.<br />
<br />
Comments are welcomed.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14771987721635130633noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1067177456195847528.post-45297567556357223212015-03-05T05:24:00.002-08:002015-03-05T05:38:46.250-08:00THIS HUNGRY PLANET NEEDS FEEDINGThe statistics indicating that one billion people in the world today do not have enough safe and nutritious food to eat are really shocking, having in mind that the total population is still growing while at the same time the resources are getting diminished. This means that if something is not done to bring a solution, many people will continue going hungry and succumbing to this unfortunate challenge. This essay highlights some of the key causes of food insecurity, their effects on population and also outlines some changes to agricultural practices and food chain practices, as well as personal and community behaviors that can be employed not only to reduce the rapidly growing number of ‘hungry’ people but also secure our natural resources across the planet. I will majorly use Kenya, my home country as a point of reference as I address these issues globally.<br />
<br />
According to the World Health Organization, food security is built upon three main pillars which are; food availability, food access and food use. Therefore, anything that deters these three pillars becomes a threat to food security in the world.<br />
<br />
Some of the key causes of food insecurity include the lack of access to good and sufficient food. This can be caused by the unavailability of the food or the lack of enough resources to obtain it. Many people across the world are poor and live for less than a dollar each day. This makes it very difficult for them to afford basic necessities including food, with the increased cost of living. Natural calamities like drought, floods, fires and crop pests and diseases often lead to poor production of food in most parts of the world especially where no proper prevention or counter measures are employed. In Kenya, for instance, we only have two rain seasons. The ‘long rains’ between October and February and the ‘short rains’ between April and June. Sometimes these rain seasons fail leading to a great famine characterized by crop failure, scarcity of water and food, death of animals among other severe results. It is usually a very difficult period for many people who go even for days without food of water and have to depend on relief food from either the government or from international organizations like the United Nations.<br />
<br />
Apart from that, some environments do not have the capacity to provide enough food for the total number of people living within those areas. Literally, the food is not even there. This is mainly caused by factors such as soil infertility, poor rains and poor farming methods, natural disasters, increased population as well as the lack of a place to cultivate. This leads to a scramble of the limited resources by the inhabitants resulting to a depletion of those resources and negative impact on the environment. Effects such as deforestation, over cultivation of the land, soil erosion emanate as a result.<br />
Other factors such as poor storage of food, lack of quality food as well as crop diseases also contribute to increased food insecurity in the world. Poor education standards for the people has led to the lack of use of environmental conservation practices and continued application of harmful methods of farming and depletion of the natural resources.<br />
<br />
These causes of food insecurity have had negative impacts on population not only locally but also globally. The greatest of them all is loss of lives. In the year 2010, several people lost their lives in the North-Eastern part of Kenya due to hunger, and the people of Kenya had to come together and contribute money and foodstuffs under a programme which was dubbed ‘Kenyans for Kenya.’ Through this initiative, a lot of hope was found for the hunger stricken people, even though this was after several lives had already been lost. Across the world, children born under poor conditions die from preventable diseases like flu, leukemia, malaria and HIV AIDs. Poor health and malnourishment also arise due to lack of quality food.<br />
<br />
Globally, the realization of the Millennium Development Goals is facing a great hindrance from food insecurity. MDG number one is about eradicating extreme poverty and hunger. This can only be realized when everyone in the world has the access and the capacity to obtain sufficient and quality food. To achieve environmental sustainability, proper measures have to be put in place to curb depletion of the natural resources and ensure proper utilization of the same having in mind the future generations.<br />
<br />
Several changes can be made in our agricultural and daily practices to bring a solution to this disaster. The two main areas which need to be addressed are Education and the use of Modern technology.<br />
To begin with, great emphasis should be made on the production sector, which happens to be the core of the whole food chain. Education should be a basic thing for all players in the food chain beginning with the individual farmers, the entire community and all other players in the food chain. This education should touch on proper farming methods and practices, soil conservation methods, water storage and conservation methods, avoiding land and forest depletion, as well as being educated on the need to embrace new technological practices in farming. Education on practices like cross-breeding, crop rotation, new planting methods, new type of seeds and crops will go a long way to eradicating poverty and increase productivity.<br />
<br />
Also, in ensuring that sufficient food is produced for the people, current technology should be employed in the farming methods across the globe. The type of seeds put on the ground reflects a lot in the amount and type of produce achieved. Not only in Kenya, but also many parts of the globe experience shortage of rains. Sometimes this comes unexpectedly and many farmers suffer a big loss after an unproductive season. Growing of drought resistant crops which produce a harvest even under minimal rains should be made available to the farmers, and the farmers educated on the importance of embracing such especially in these times of continuous global climate change.<br />
<br />
Employment of machinery in food production. In Kenya, for instance, combine harvesters are only used in the tea, wheat and sugarcane fields but not on maize farms whereas maize is the staple food of Kenya. Manual labor is the main labour force in the country, and happens to be slow and expensive although it provides an employment opportunity for many jobless Kenyans. This makes both the land tilling, planting and harvesting processes very slow, leaving many fields unutilized. If proper machinery was employed in the food production activities, more potential land would have been utilized, activities done faster and as a result more produce harvested. And the country would have enough for domestic use as well as for export.<br />
<br />
Modern means of fighting pests and diseases should also be made available to the farmers and at a favorable price. This will prevent damage of crops in the fields as well as the stored food products. This, together with proper storage facilities of the harvested food, will greatly reduce wastage, damage as well as early expiry which lead to loss of large quantities of food products.<br />
<br />
Modern technology has changed every sphere of life and the same has been experienced in some of the developed countries like Sweden, Netherlands and Switzerland. If employed in every other country, and properly instilled in the food chain, production, transportation, storage as well as exportation of food products to the global market will be impacted positively.<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14771987721635130633noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1067177456195847528.post-56341215388105097882015-02-12T04:43:00.004-08:002015-02-12T04:43:58.010-08:00FACT: TERRORISM IS A GLOBAL THREAT<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">FACT: TERRORISM IS A GLOBAL THREAT</span><br />
<br />
As at 10th Jan 2015<br />
<br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">As I am writing this, news of the killing of two suspected terrorists, who happen to be brothers Cherif Kouachz and Said Kouachi, are going viral across the world. The two carried out a horrific attack at the offices of Charlie Hebdo magazine in Paris, France. Many people continue to condemn this act describing it as an attack to the freedom of ex</span><span class="text_exposed_show" style="background-color: white; color: #141823; display: inline; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">pression.<br />In the words of France’ president, France is living through a trial, maybe one of the worst massacres the country has experienced in the last 50 years. Security forces in Paris remain in high alert after other two suspected terrorists took hostages in a grocery shop under siege. These two incidences remind me of the Westgate attack in Kenya by Al Shabaab terrorists which left 67 people dead and many scores injured. This outlawed group cited that the entry of Kenyan troops into Somalia under the operation Linda Nchi prompted their continuous attacks in Kenya<br />The president of Kenya Uhuru Kenyatta condemned the act and described it as one full of cowardice. In his subsequent responses to the run-away security situation in the country, especially from terrorist attacks, he repeatedly said that Terrorism is not an enemy or a challenge that only Kenya has to battle with, but rather a global threat. This stand by the president now sounds so true to many who are following the attacks in Paris, and the recent ones across the world.<br />Not only Kenya and France have fallen victims of these attacks. Before this, a self-styled muslim cleric named Man Haron Monis held several people hostage in a café in Sydney Australia, before being killed by the police in a dramatic encounter that led to the death of two civilians.<br />On Sunday, 4th January 2015, via a suicide car bomb blast in Somalia’s capital Mogadishu, 4 people were killed. Again the Al shabaab claimed responsibility.<br />Recently in Nigeria, the outlawed terrorist group, Boko Haram, which has been carrying out attacks on several parts of the country, seized a military camp in the Northern part of the country, forcing the military officers to flee and abandon it. In the latest revelations, the group is said to have issued threats of attacks to Cameroon.<br />The ISIS operations in Syria and Iraq continue to harm many across the world.<br />The bottom line is clear, terrorism is a global threat, and no country or state is prone to terrorist activities. And therefore it needs a global prompted mechanism to tackle it. We should all unite irregardless of our ethnic backgrounds, race, nationality or even religion to tackle this threat to our hard earned peace and stability.</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14771987721635130633noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1067177456195847528.post-87782252610538079902015-02-11T03:42:00.000-08:002015-02-11T03:42:03.895-08:00CR7, 2014 BALLON D’OR WINNER - My Reflections<div style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">
That’s me there…. CR7, 2014 BALLON D’OR WINNER, </div>
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<br />His picture holding his third golden boot at the Meliá Castilla hotel in Madrid happens to be my desktop wallpaper on the computer from which am typing this piece, my two cents worth view concerning the 2014 Ballon d’Or FIFA player of the year. This was his second golden boot as a Real Madrid player. I cannot quite clear remember when I customized my desktop to have this smiling chap holding this highly coveted award. My loyalty to his amazing talent is undisputable. This is CR7. Yes, Christiano Ronaldo the Real Madrid and Portugal forward.</div>
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What an amazingly talented lad!! Phew! I exclaim even before I say anything about him. This is the point I wish I come from the lakeside, the adjectives that would follow hereafter… I would definitely paint them ‘Caps-Lock engaged’. My friend Aketch Ochieng Edwin knows what I mean, he does that with ease. Donge! Anyway, let me briefly remind you what this 29 year old managed to achieve in 2014. He became the Ballon d'Or world footballer of the year for the second year in a row beating Barcelona’s Lionel Messi and Bayern Munich goalkeeper Manuel Neuer to the award and took it home for the third time in his career, after also winning it in 2008.</div>
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Ronaldo scored a total of 61 goals for both his club and country, guiding Real Madrid to winning their 10th La Liga tittle, La Decima. In the league, he scored 52 goals in 43 games<br />To the date of writing this article, Ronaldo has scored a remarkable 26 goals in 16 games in La Liga and an additional five goals in six Champions League games.</div>
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After watching Kate Abdo the sky sports presenter, hosting the gala steer the happenings of the night, I think she also stole the show in her own way, that beauty and eloquence, anyway one could easily note the calmness and the beauty of the night. Lionel Messi, the magic boy, was visibly emotional just like his fellow contestants, when Arsenal legend, Thiery Henry called out Ronaldo’s name as the winner, Messi closed and opened his eyes just as immediately as he had closed them in unbelief. The continued competition between the two has always sparked a myriad of reactions from their fans across the globe. The Argentine has earned the honors of lifting the title for four straight years from 2009 to 2012. Pure magic and talent combined.</div>
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There were no tears, no frustrations. Infact, Ronaldo went ahead to applaud Messi as his fellow compatriot in the race. “I’m proud to have been in the World XI for eight consecutive years … it’s something very few people manage to do. I think just Messi and I have done it, not many more anyway. I don’t think anyone else has done it eight years in a row”.<br />After following this event, I wanted to find out more about Cristiano, but since I couldn’t make up a one on one interview with him from the ‘wanting’ state of my couch, I decided to trace his childhood life and how it was growing up in the in the mountainous outskirts of Santo Antonio, Portugal.</div>
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Amazingly, I found out that we share a lot in common with him, as far as childhood and growing up is concerned. Ben Heyward of <a href="http://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2FGoal.com%2F&h=BAQG2qWp4&enc=AZNyGJk23fxEY_a3QdA4nQbcPESBdoYQj4TEEYKHvzaTVbIgcW6n0NNQX6q_rkZMR2lY_xIiur-cg-StzflmR-q4Y7VuvCcnJ7K7YbDkKRkjvnGTucAgf2M1gi87u3igHbvh3mL1AvyVRHYWRvwaQoP6Q3DW3a-pgWLty1RCI-tQrg&s=1" rel="nofollow" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Goal.com</a> did a very informative story on Ronaldo’s background which I used as my reference in comparison to my own upbringing, and of course my ‘yet’ achievements.</div>
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Ronaldo was born in Santo Antonio in 1885 in a relatively poor family. His mother was a cook and his father was a gardener and struggled to provide for the family. Unfortunately the father passed on in 2005 after a long battle with alcoholism. One of Ronaldo’s childhood friends, Rui Alves, describes him as a fighter who always wanted to play football. If he didn’t get the ball, he got upset and when his team lost, he cried. When Ronaldo joined the Sporting Lisbon football academy, he was bullied by other boys for being too small and having a heavy Madeiran accent. (It sounds like Madea, the movie!). He became homesick many a times, but he did not lose hope. He kept rolling the ball, passing it on, running wild, practicing and putting more effort every day until Sir Alex Ferguson noticed the lad and brought him ‘home’. Yes, the theatre of dreams, Old Trafford.</div>
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I will confess I came to realize this lad was talented when he joined Manchester United. His footwork, speed, passing, body movement, stamina, airborne skills and of course his ability to convert penalties and free-kicks. He flourished under Sir Alex and the initials CR7 became a brand. He was later to move to Real Madrid from where he is now ruling the football world.</div>
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However, Ronaldo does not go back to Santo Antonio more often, many guys there don’t work, and all they do once he steps his foot there is to ask him for money. His family has relocated to greener suburbs. Even so, I believe that all football fans there roared in great delight when his name was called out as the winner.</div>
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Now, this is why I think I will be the next CR7. I come from an average family, the time I was born; my parents did exactly the same work as Ronaldo’s parents did the time he was born. The alcoholic part, no. In our family we never taste anything bitter. I used to play serious football; yes, actual passing, defending and scoring goals too, actually am a legend the place I come from, all until I came to the city; there is no football here, it’s just a rowdy group of fans who sing around a statue when their team wins and throw stones, snarling up traffic when it losses. I hate this madness. In this very city, many told me I had a funny ‘lower-eastern’ accent and my name betrayed me, and therefore was disqualified from sailing in the ‘city businesses’. Many a times I felt like giving up, but anyway I am still ‘kicking the ball’, punching keys on this PC, zooming in and out, panning and jibbing out all at the same time. And by the way somebody told me I should do a voice test somewhere, that’s like when Sir Alex brought Ronaldo to Manchester. I believe my voice will not betray me. Ronaldo’s talent put him through, didn’t it? I still go back to my roots, and just like in Santo Antonio, there are lads waiting for me to buy them ‘tea’ and ‘mukhombero’. The bitter stuff I don’t relate to. My family built a new house a few years ago, to me that’s relocation. Same story like Ronaldo’s.</div>
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I need no other conviction. If CR7 made it that big in 2014 am gonna make it too. That’s my little story for now. Adios.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14771987721635130633noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1067177456195847528.post-89259607948223000052015-02-07T04:11:00.002-08:002015-02-07T04:15:39.852-08:00It had been long since i wrote a story, until the demand to write one came. And this is what I penned down.<br />
<br />
STEVE BIKO, THE B.BALL STAR<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span lang="EN-GB">It was a few minutes to seven o’clock
in the evening, East African time, Steve Biko just like most of his teammates
was comfortably leaning back on his seat aboard the Kenya Airways Boeing
KQ-708. The comfort of the plane and the softness of his seat almost lulled him
to sleep. Suddenly the Captain called, “We are landing in five minutes, please
everybody fasten your seatbelts and remain seated.” Steve had now been used to
such alerts; they were not strange to him anymore. He had boarded a plane for
the first time in his life two weeks ago when his team was travelling to
Michigan in the United States after qualifying for the NBA School’s
championships. ‘The Stormers’ as they were famously known, was the Nairobi
University basketball team which had just been crowned as the national
champions which made them qualify for this highly feted tournament.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span lang="EN-GB">Steve turned his head and looked
around the plane, carefully moving his eyes as if he was taking his last
glimpse of the plane. The inside of the plane was painted cream white with well
decorated red finishing around the almost oval shaped windows. The seats were
blue in colour with small cream rectangular patterns, and had the KQ
inscription well labelled at the back of each seat. They were arranged in two
rows on either side of the plane leaving a clear path at the middle where the
air hostesses passed when attending to them or when they went about their
business. They had just passed by there a few minutes ago taking away the empty
cans left behind after the team enjoyed a round of their favourite Coca-Cola
drinks. The floor of the plane had a well laid red carpet which had white and
green shield-shaped patterns, an ideal symbol of the Kenyan flag. Above the
seats were well partitioned cases in which Steve and his teammates had stacked
their bags. Each case had its own perfectly fitting cover which also had the KQ
inscription. Just after the front row at the partition that separated the
passengers and the pilot’s cabin, it was written ‘The pride of Africa’ in bold
well-designed red words. It was such a spectacular view for Steve to behold. He
could not hide his joy after enjoying the experience of flying first class on
his second time aboard a plane, the wide smile on his face was evident. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span lang="EN-GB">“Hey happy man, what is it?” Raul, the
team coach, who was seated on his far right on the adjacent row called on him.
He had been closely watching Steve for some time. He had earphones well tucked
in his ears, probably listening to some music from the CD-player which was well
fitted at the back of the chair on his front.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span lang="EN-GB">“Am fine coach, all is well,” Steve
said trying to wipe off his smile unsuccessfully, “I am just happy.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span lang="EN-GB">“I know. Thank you for making us proud
son,” the coach went on.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span lang="EN-GB">“Thank you too for believing in me.”
Steve replied. “You are the best coach in the world,”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span lang="EN-GB">“And that’s why you emerged the best
player in the tournament, ha ha!” Coach Raul concluded laughingly. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span lang="EN-GB">Steve was very amused and overwhelmed
with joy after being voted the best player of the tournament, and the team
clinching the highest tittle. The team was now jetting back to the country, the
mood was high among the team members and they were looking forward to a warm
welcome from their fans at the Jomo Kenyatta international airport. Steve was
seated next to a window and could clearly see the city of Nairobi far at a distance;
tall buildings looked like small ant hills, with the Mombasa-Nairobi highway
looking like a small path meandering through the hardly recognisable buildings.
They were finally home. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span lang="EN-GB">However, the thought of home did not
seem to please him. In his mind he could see the state of his family and only
hoped that this would be the beginning of the end of their predicament. Steve
was the only child to his mother, having being brought up in a very poor family
by the single parent. He did not have the opportunity to enjoy life like most
of his peers did. He went to a local school near his home but was out of class
most of the time due to lack of school fees. His mother did menial jobs to put
food on their table, and many were the times they went to bed hungry. He had
nothing like luxury. This was until the government rolled out the free primary
and secondary education, which to him came as miracle at the right time,
prompting him to settle in school. He was very bright in class and always
topped each time the results came out. In his final exams, Steve emerged as the
best student and was awarded a government scholarship, and that is how he ended
up being in Nairobi University.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span lang="EN-GB">Because of his poor upbringing, Steve grew
up as a very shy and lonely person with a very low self-esteem. This affected
his social life and he used to spend most of his time alone thinking about his
poor mother and the demanding state of his home, something which would make him
shed tears. He continued being lonely as
nobody seemed to care about whatever he was going through. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span lang="EN-GB">In his first year in campus, Steve saw
the basketball team players train and was very pleased and attracted by the way
they played. He would closely watch the way they passed the ball from one
player to the other, bouncing the ball on the ground as they moved towards the
ring and finally tossing the ball into the ring ‘Vuuuush!’ It was just amazing
to him. He longed to learn this game; it looked very interesting and enjoyable
at the same time. After one training session, he approached the team coach and
told him his strong desire to learn the game. Coach Raul admitted him into the
team and began teaching him the moves of the game. He was quick to learn the
three-pointers, the passes, the spins and the dunks as well. This game seemed
to carry off his mind that he would forget his predicaments, the thoughts of
his poor home seemed to fade away the more he played this game. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span lang="EN-GB">The coach noticed his dedication to
the team and his growing talent and immediately incorporated him in the
school’s main team. This is where he met Mike, who was the best player in the
team at that time. Mike was very skilled and talented, but also very proud and
arrogant. In one training occasion, Mike seemed to miss almost all his shots,
while at the same time Steve was hitting all his shots on target. The coach
cheered Steve more and congratulated him before the entire team something which
made Mike feel very devastated and become jealous of Steve’s performance. He
began to hate him, though in secret. However, Steve was very committed in the
game than all other team members. He would wake up early and go to the court to
train every morning before taking his breakfast. This helped him sharpen his
skills and grow his talent. But most important, he played it more because it
took away his loneliness feeling and the thoughts of the poor state of his home
faded away too. Later that year, the team went up to become the national
basketball champions and qualified for the NBA School’s championships in
Michigan USA.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span lang="EN-GB">Being the only team from Africa, ‘The
Stomers’ were given a warm welcome by all the African-American students and
fans in the University of Michigan which was hosting the games. In the
tournament, Steve and his team faced challenging teams from across the world
including Australia and China. They however managed to win their way up the
chart to the finals, where they were scheduled to meet one of the best teams in
the world, The Cavaliers, from the state of Texas. To that level, Mike and
Steve were the key players in the team with each scoring crucial points
steering the team to this level, but Steve had a few points more. Although the
team was altogether showing an impressive performance in every game, Mike still
was still very jealous of Steve. He knew the player with the highest number of
points would definitely bag the award of the most valuable player in the
tournament and the only guy who stood on his way was his teammate Steve Biko,
and the coach seemed to have more confidence in him. He had to do something to
win the award.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span lang="EN-GB">Then the final match came. This was
the game that was going to determine whether the cup would end up in Africa
courtesy of Nairobi University or whether it was going to remain in the
American soil where it had been for three years in a row. At the Michigan
university main arena, the stadium capable of holding fifty thousand fans was
filled to capacity. Fans were chanting songs, and making shouts as they eagerly
waited for the two teams to make their way to the stadium. Fans loyal to the
Cavaliers were donned in their trade mark yellow coloured t-shirts, scarfs and
headgears. To come out of the tunnel first was the tournaments mascot. This big
puppy-like cartoon was dressed up in white, red and blue costumes ideally
looking like the US flag. Behind the mascot followed the two teams with each
being led by their coach amidst loud cheers from the fans. The players from
both sides looked really psyched up and well prepared for the game, jumping up
and down, waving to their fans and acknowledging their chants from all corners
of the stadium. After the customary greetings, the toss of the coin, the
choosing of sides and the ‘high fives,’ the match kicked off to the cheering of
many. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span lang="EN-GB">In the first half the Cavaliers seemed
more confident, organised and well put, passing the ball carefully, making well
calculated moves past the boys from Nairobi. Their players were more talented
and experienced, having participated in this tournament several times. When the
sound of the whistle was blown to signify the end of the first half, the
Cavaliers were up fifty five points against fifty three of ‘The Stormers.’ The
coaches from both teams were burning with pressure, they both knew the second
half was the final chance they had and each calculation or miscalculation by
their players would be celebrated or regretted altogether. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span lang="EN-GB">The stadium was experiencing a
deafening sound from the loud singing and chants from the fans eagerly waiting
to see who would win the title. Some were beating drums, flying flags, with
some singing, others blowing trumpets all in a systematic rhythm. The place was
rioting with eagerness.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span lang="EN-GB">Inside the changing room, the teams
were taking a breather.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span lang="EN-GB">“This is our last chance guys,” Coach
Raul began, “we have made it this far, we cannot let it go.” His voice was
becoming heavy as if he was literally begging them to win the match for him.
The players were seated in a circle, with the coach standing at the middle
addressing them while emotionally moving his eyes from one player to another.
Mike had so far hit twenty three points, with Steve having hit twenty. He
normally hated competition and did not like the fact that Steve was doing so
well. He lifted his eyes and looked at Steve who was drinking water from his
can. He saw the first time the boy joined the team as a first year. He even
didn’t know all the rules of the game. He was so naïve, quiet and lonely. He
remembered that day during training when fate seemed not to be on his side, when
he was missing almost all his shots, and the boy was hitting all his’ on
target. Then the coach congratulated him in front of the rest of the team, as
if to humiliate him. This thought struck him like a sharp nail in his heart.
“If only he was not in this team, If only he did not score any point in this
tournament, If only he was injured.” He wished all the bad things he felt in
his heart against Steve. Suddenly he felt a heavy weight of bitterness fall
upon his heart, he stopped staring at Steve and now looked down. At this point
he resolved not to pass the ball to him at all during this second and last
half. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span lang="EN-GB">“Please…please, team work is the thing
I want you guys to put up on that court, pleas…” Coach Raul was now yelling,
but before he could finish his statement he was cut off by the sound of the
whistle calling the players back to the field. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span lang="EN-GB">The second half kicked off with speed
and focus. Each team seemed stronger and better. After fifteen minutes, the
tally had changed. Steve threw in four three-pointers pushing his team a point
above their opponents. The noises from the stands increased, time was ticking
fast, coach Raul could not sit down, he was almost losing his voice urging his
boys to keep going. Steve now had one point more than Mike. Then suddenly Steve
got the ball which was carelessly passed on by the Cavaliers players, he
dribbled fast towards the ring, Mike was on the far right of the court he
quickly gazed upon the clock and only two minutes were remaining, Steve was a
few metres from making history, by being the first African player to score the
highest number of points, the bitterness upon Mike’s heart leaped again, he
could not let Steve do it. No not again! He jumped up the same time Steve also
jumped towards the ring, then he carefully moved his hand onto Steve’s face
blocking him completely; both of them collided, dropping on the ground with
Mike falling on Steve and hitting him on the head! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span lang="EN-GB">The stadium went dead silent. It was
unbelievable; Mike had blocked his own teammate. The commentators lacked words
to explain that. Coach Raul immediately called for time out, Mike looked
disturbed. Suddenly Steve rose up to the excitement and cheers of the whole
stadium. As he entered the changing room where the rest of the team were
gathered, he came up to Mike with a questioning face, Mike did not wait any
further, he had now turned a beast. He clinched his fist and threw it firmly at
Steve intending to hit him, but before he could do it, one of the security
officers who saw his intention him bounced on him bringing him to the ground.
He was pulled out of the stadium under heavy security guard.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span lang="EN-GB">The match resumed with only a minute
left. The boys from Nairobi defended the game for the remaining sixty seconds,
sending the whole stadium to an uproar of shouts after the final whistle. A
record had been set. ‘The Stormers’ became the first African team to win the
NBA schools’ championships with Steve Biko chosen as the most valuable player
of the tournament.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span lang="EN-GB">As the plane touched down at the Jomo
Kenyatta international airport Steve was in high spirits and was very proud of
himself. News of their great victory had spread around the world like bush
fire. Families, friends and fans had filled up the airport waiting area to
welcome the boys back home. Both local and international media journalists were
all over taking pictures and asking for interviews. From the crowd, Steve could
not notice anybody from his family; probably they even did not receive the
news. Anyway, he was used to this from his childhood. He enjoyed the picture
moments with the different fans who were so eager to take pictures with him.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span lang="EN-GB">Later, at the Nairobi University main
campus, the team was hosted for a celebration party with local artists
entertaining the revellers who had turned up in big numbers. Steve was chatting
with his friends when suddenly Mike appeared with tears on his face. He looked
gloomy, tired and older than his age. His eyes were red and swollen. Anybody
could tell he had been crying for a long time. He looked at Steve, who looked
back at him. They both stared at each other in a silent moment which everybody
could tell meant a lot for both of them. They seemed to communicate through
their eyes, Mike full of disgrace pleading for mercy and Steve’s full of grace
and pity. They finally jumped into each other’s’ arms with Mike sobbing
woefully apologetically. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span lang="EN-GB">When Steve finally retired in his room
that night, the only thing he could not sleep without doing was admiring his
array of medals which now seemed to grow as he added the gold medal from
Michigan.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
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