ZIADA Nairobi Worship Experience

Dec 12, 2012 (12.12.12) is an important date. For one, it is the last of the repeating dates until Jan. 1, 2101 (01.01.01) meaning for most people alive, it will be the last repeating date they get to see. Moreover, at 12:12:12 p.m., the day will offer fans of the number 12 a whopping six repeats! 12/12/12 12:12:12. Nice, ey. As if that is not enough, at 1:21:02 a.m., palindrome lovers everywhere can rejoice in the single second that marks when the date-time combination is the same read both forwards and backwards: 2012-12-12 1:21:02 = 201212-1-212102. Most importantly, 12.12.12 will mark 49 years since Kenya got it’s independence and 84 days to the general elections. 84 is not an important number unless you take 12 and multiply it by the number of days we have in a week and voila! Okay, enough of the OCD.

All these numbers will be useless but one thing will remain; and that is our country Kenya. The state with which it remains depends on us as a people. We all know what happened after the 2007 general elections and as a country, we cannot afford to go through the same again. It is this in mind that ZIADA -which comprises of award winning bands (Zidi the Band and Adawnage Band); and reknown poet Number 8 – has come up with a peace concert dubbed ‘ZIADA Nairobi Worship Experience’ on the day Kenya got it’s independence, that is 12.12.12. The event’s main purpose is to unite the country ahead of next year’s polls under the theme One Nation Under God.

 

Brilliant works of photography on the beauty of our country captured by talented, professisional and widely celebrated photographers has been lined up. This work of photography will preceed a musical event in which ZIADA will perform featuring strong leads and additional home-grown artists auch as Mercy Wairegi, Nasara the poet, Carlisto, Makena and Mwanga Band. The photography and worship experience is set to be one whose impact will linger on long after 12.12.12.

Details about the event are on the poster but here they are again:

Event: ZIADA Nairobi Worship Experience.

Date: 12.12.12.

Time: 3 – 6 PM.

Venue: Parklands Baptist Church.

Artists: ZIADA (Zidi the Band, Adawnage and Number 8) featuring Mercy Wairegi, Nasara the Poet, Carlisto, Makena and Mwanga Band.

Theme: One Nation Under God.

Entrance: FREE!!!!!! (Just bring yourself).

Also, read about the event here by Kenyanmom, here by Kawiria and here by Kifalme.

Follow (and RSVP) the event on facebook here and follow Adawnage, Zidi the Band and Number 8 on twitter for more details about the event.

This is one event you will not want to miss!!!!

Registrars’ Strike vs Threats – Whose Fault is it?

By the Secretary General, University of Nairobi Medical Students

We have seen lecturers, teachers, nurses and now doctors in all levels (interns, registrars, MOs, and doctors themselves) strike for better working conditions and better pay. But why do doctors have to fight for their pay yet no one can work for free? Has society and culture made us feel that wanting to earn a living should dictate our choice of profession? The so called “noble” professions are seemingly not so any more. They more than most are repeatedly taking to the streets demanding better pay and improved working conditions. “Who is to blame?” we ask; and then we quickly point fingers at each other. The Ministry of Medical Services wants Kenyans to perceive it as immoral and selfish for doctors to go on strike. In my point of view, there are two ways to look at it:

1. Either our society had become so materialistic that it reflects clearly on these professions OR

2. . The leadership of our country is becoming questionable in its priorities regarding public interest.

OUR GOVERNMENT’S EXTRAVAGANCE

So maybe doctors are being immoral and selfish. But if doctors are as we judge them, could it not be that it is because of what our leaders expose us to as a nation: Kshs. 400 million vice-presidential mansions, gas guzzlers whose weekly fuel needs could power a small village for a day or twenty, exotic vacations at the sunniest sandiest resorts at the coast, Kshs. 200,000 seats – that are used for only a few hours every week… And as if to mock our collective intelligence, the speaker of the National Assembly goes ahead to say that MPs should receive a salary increment because they are “…paid peanuts…” Such extravagance is not just limited to the August house. At the recently concluded London Olympics, Kenya sent 32 world-class Olympians – whose glory was then watered down by a whopping 200 officials in the name of support. Said supporters were nowhere to be seen when our sportsmen and women needed a much needed morale boost. In fact, the officials apparently travelled earlier to Bristol leaving a part of the team behind training. If provided with this evidence, and that of the countless scandals through which our leaders have siphoned off billions of taxpayer money, the average Kenyan would infer that there is in fact more than enough money to cater for the needs of this country, or that the little that should get the job done is being stolen as they watch.

In light of the government’s extravagance I am forced to ask myself whether the priorities of the government are in the right place.

THE LONG AND TEDIOUS JOURNEY OF A MEDIC

Currently the longest undergraduate degree to qualify for in Kenya is the medical one. It takes 6 years for one to become a general practitioner, who while very capable of addressing a majority of ordinary health concerns, has no capacity to deliver specialized care. For one to acquire specialist skills takes another 4 – 5 years of post-graduate training (compare with 3 – 4 years undergraduate degree training and 2 years post graduate training in most other disciplines- with the option of working, since most of these programs are evening classes).

In Kenya, admission to a post-graduate program in medicine requires at the very least, an impressive academic record and excellent clinical skills. In Kenya, one must either be government or self-sponsored. To receive government sponsorship, one must work for at least 2 years in the public sector before being considered eligible.

After having spent 6 years in undergraduate training, a 2 year hiatus followed by 5 more years of intensive full-time training might appear too great a sacrifice. This, together with the competitiveness of earning government sponsorship (and the demand for specialists) leads many a student to choose to fund their postgraduate training. Once admitted, the registrar- as the post-graduate student is now called; begins a journey of apprenticeship and ceaseless practice. Inasmuch as they are taught through instruction and demonstration, a large part of the learning experience at this level is practice. In simple terms, registrars perform most of the procedures in teaching hospitals. In spite of the patient being charged for these procedures, the registrars receive no pay for the service they render.

In total, one will spend between 11 and 13 years between beginning medical school and becoming a specialist in a medical field in Kenya. During this time, one – who might be married and have started a family- will not have earned a single cent from applying their skills.

But enough of all this immorality and selfishness – wherever it may come from. Something is a-festering somewhere methinks, and someone should attend it soon.

A BIG PROBLEM

In the recent months, we have seen how much more it would cost us if Kenya failed as a nation. In Mombasa, the youth – turned mercenaries – resorted to treasonous acts and hurled grenades at their countrymen. The very fabric of patriotism unravelled as they kissed the foreign hand that fed them, and bit the cruel hand that bred them. It is said that their thirty pieces of silver were a paltry ten dollars per grenade. Everywhere in Kenya these past two weeks, doctors, teachers and lecturers have abandoned their posts in actions that popular opinion would call heretical. Apparently, the care of the sick and the education of a nation’s youth cannot be abandoned at any cost. Apparently also, patriotism and all things black, red and green are immutable, blood-borne and forever. Why then are our young people so easily sold to the enemy? Why then are the most noble of our public servants so ready to leave their posts? If the government will not respect a (self) empowered group such as lecturers, doctors and teachers- in terms of education level, work ethic in building the society and appreciation by the society; how much less can they care about as vulnerable a group as the youth who unfortunately may not have the same opportunities? It goes beyond just immoral and selfish medics Mr. Nyong’o. It goes down to the fundamentals of the government that you represent to protect the rights of its honourable citizens. And so we are frustrated and angry and abandon principle.

Is there a country in the world that doesn’t pay its registrars? In Malawi, interns are given free housing. Hasn’t Rwanda, a country that is yet two decades old from being war torn, ensured that they treat the healthcare industry much better? Aren’t there on going, serious violations of rights to health (especially maternal and child health) in Kenya due to its policies- perhaps the reason why the country’s maternal and under 5s mortality rates are barely improving? Of poor policies, hadn’t our current National health policy become outdated in 2002? It is the job of the government to spearhead these policies. There are not enough paediatricians and obstetricians (both post graduate degrees) at rural levels yet Mr. Nyong’o can’t help but fire those in training. Instead, isn’t it only rational to motivate Kenyans to empower themselves into taking up these responsibilities? They want it to seem that healthcare practitioners issue threats, yet, it is them who passively threaten everyone.

Private Doctors are concentrated in major cities of Kenya. There is a siege of highly qualified doctors in the environs around Kenyatta National Hospital (still a result of poor government policies). They are operational. Maybe this is the reason why Mr. Nyong’o is not shaken. He either visits these doctors or flies off to America for treatment. Never the government hospitals he represents. What does that say of his faith in a Ministry he heads? Can it be he asks himself for what reason is there to educate our own if the policies the Ministry made aren’t meant to function? Leaders lead by example- it is implicit. Can we really afford to be led to follow considering the evidence that the government’s priorities are not in its people’s welfare?

No matter which way one looks at it Mr. Nyong’o, governance is to blame. I only have two questions for you Mr. Minister: If you had the choice of picking any government profession in the current situation of our country (on condition that you are not to pick your current one). Which one would you? Would you then be ecstatic and thrilled to build the nation for free?

About the Author: The Secretary General, University of Nairobi Medical Students

The Princess Project: Freedom in Writing

The third PPK Reading Circuit took place on the ninth of April 2011 at The Mug on Kaunda Street. We discussed Freedom in Writing.

A writer’s work embodies all kinds of freedoms; political, religious, moral, ethic and sexual. The questions that begged were, what was freedom and its expression in writing, and what was writing and its expression in freedom?

Freedom is the power to act or speak or think without externally imposed restraints. It was generally agreed that freedom is freedom only when coupled with responsibility. Without responsibility, freedom becomes reckless and self-restraining and shackling.

An analogy was given, about all of us being born into a little cell. We have two choices; to break free of our own volition or to just stay put, serve our sentence and enjoy eventual freedom.

African writers of the sixties and seventies, writers like Ngugi wa Thiong’o, used their books to free the people from colonialism. From then, a cliché arose that to be an African writer, one must either write about disease and poverty, or about freedom and angst directed at the various kinds of colonisers.

In the meeting, it was generally agreed that such writing was relevant to the pre and immediate post-independence era. Africa is free in the sense that we have sovereign self-governing states. That is the argument anyway.

So we asked, are we as the new generation of writers free? Why are we still forced to carry titles such as ‘African Writers’? What do such titles mean to us? Do they free us or further shackle us? And what is our responsibility as writers? Do we free our minds, or do we free our readers?

It was pointed out that in freeing our minds, we shall free our readers.

In the end, we learnt that we condition ourselves to accept norms we did not create. Perhaps we need to question more, carry out our research well before we say things like “Africans don’t do that” or “We’ve always done things this way.”

We learnt that books are a preview into the human condition and as such, perfect characters do not or should not exist. Earth is not a utopia!

We also came to the consensus that writers have a lot of power in their hands. We hold a direct discourse with minds. With just a paragraph we can influence the thought of populations and generations.

This is one reason many writers have been persecuted by governments or gone into exile. This power can be counterproductive because instead of freeing it could shackle not only the reader but also the writer. John Emerich Acton said, “Power corrupts, absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are almost always bad men.”

Writers should be careful not to box themselves or be boxed in by their writing. We have a responsibility to ourselves and to our readers. For this reason, we all came into the consensus that it would be wise to invest in our writing. Gift plus skill is a potent combination.

Gideon and Wambui read excerpts of their own work, while Jackie read an excerpt from Stephen Derwent Partington’s essay titled Contemporary Vennyan Poetry, Circa 2010; a Manifesto, not for a Movement, but for a Moment in the History of our Kenyan Poetry.

It would be prudent to mention here that the success of the meeting was also courtesy of well-taken care of throats and a wonderful environment, Samosa and tea was in great abundance courtesy of THE MUG restaurant.

Click on this image to see more Pictures from the April Edition

*Definition of Freedom courtesy of WordWeb, the Free Online Encyclopaedia.

Before we wish you a great week ahead, allow a short recap of last week’s magazine:

Locations On Your Phone – @Chiira Maina’s Last Post on the PP(K). Chiira has moved on and we wish him all the best in his new life! We also welcome Norman Osodo who will be taking over next week.

The Other Woman & Other Stories by Grace Ogot – A Review by Stella Riunga

Emotions on Chronic City – With Nyambura Kiarie

Rahab Wangari – March Diva 2011 – An Interview with the IvoryPunk

Behind One’s Back – The Punk’s Twilight Zone

My Legacy – @MoAngwenyi with Society & Identity

Catch up with The Creekside Princess Episode – Every Word Part One, Part Two and Part Three. Part Four is coming your way this week.

We wish you lots of creative energy and good will in the week ahead!

The Princess Project: 1, 2 Step – There’s the Stereotype

Okay, so maybe I was listening to Ciara’s 1, 2, Step when I started writing this. But truth is, stereotyping is so easy. As easy as 1, 2, 3… Especially when there’s facts to back it up.

So anyway, I had a conversation with my mum this morning. Something along the lines of a conversation she might or might not have had 30+ years when she might or might not have contemplated marrying a white boy. Only this time around, it was about a Kikuyu boy who might or might not have been buzzing around my sick bed.

“Ríu-rí, arúme agíkúyú ní-úí ní ta matakoragwo mena bata na mútumia wona ní-aingíra nyúmba?”(Something to the effect that Kikuyu men only really value and cherish a woman during the chase, but once she is a wife, and mother, the romance is gone.)

I laughed, and told her, “You know, even during the chase a Kikuyu, Embu or Meru man still does not value his woman. Otherwise, they’d keep promises, arrive at dates on time, and treat their women kind.”

“So why do you girls still marry men who treat you like that?” Mum demanded to know.

“Oh, I don’t know, mum.” I have definitely had my share of ‘not-so-good’ men. And true, the worst have been Kikuyu, Embu or Meru. But I really don’t think it’s all about the men. In the same breath I hope there’s a good man out there who just happens to be a Kikuyu, Embu or Meru man. And I think that there might be some men just as bad as the stereotype who are neither Kikuyu, nor Embu, nor Meru. God, I hope I am right to hope that that is the case!

My point is that as easy as it is to drop all the men into one basket, it’s also about how a girl views herself, how much value she tags herself with. A man will definitely treat you only as bad as you allow him to treat you.

If from the beginning you have shown him that you will let him break promises, keep you waiting, stand you up, talk to you abusively, push you, hit you… then that’s how he will treat you always. Don’t expect him to change.

On the other hand, if you hold yourself up with dignity (which does not at all mean that you should be stuck-up no fun bitch), then your man will treat you with dignity. If you demand that he keeps time, keeps promises, and you do so yourself, he’ll know the game plan. And if he deviates blatantly from the code of respect, you should value yourself enough to point it out and walk away sooner rather than later when there is already too much at stake.

So I guess the end of the conversation with my mum dropped the ball at the girl’s court. How do you want to be treated? Because he will live up to the Stereotype if you let him.

That said, here’s a recap of last week’s Ezine:

Every Word is still at Part One. We apologise for the delay.
Social Media Monitoring – Business & Internet with Marvin Tumbo
Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen – Reading Room with Gideon Chumo
Sharon’s Story – Chronic City with Nyambura Kiarie
Smile – Poetry with @IvoryCherub

While we Live, Let us Live – Society & Identity with @Sheblossoms
The Miscarriage – Paper Mache with @Soul_fool

So, here’s to a great, creative, blessed week!

 

Stand For Kenya

 

We are extremely proud to be Kenyan!
We are proud of our beautiful country!
We are proud of our diversity cultures and traditions!
We are proud of our heroes!
We are proud of our high achievers!
We are proud of being hustlers!
We are proud of our hoods!
We are proud of our tribes and twengs!
We are proud of our kanges and our mats!
We are proud of our artists and musicians!
We are proud of our industries and farms!
We are proud of our sports teams!

On the 28th of February 2011 at 1pm, wherever you are, at work, in the supermarket, in traffic, in school, on campus, in hospitals, in churches, in mosques, in temples, in synagogues, on sports pitches, in court, on your farm, at police stations, at armed forces barracks, in matatus, in buses, on the beach, in the game parks, at the airport, in parliament, in State House, in your homes ..

On the 28th of February 2011 at 1pm, we stand
On the 28th of February 2011 at 1pm, we unite
On the 28th of February 2011 at 1pm, we shall speak in one voice.

On the 28th of February 2011 at 1pm, let’s sing our beautiful and powerful National Anthem, all three verses.
On the 28th February 2011 the world will watch as Kenyans stand UNITED;
1pm, 1 nation, 1 people, 1 anthem, united in 1 prayer for 1 Kenya
We are Kenya!

 

Interview: Savvy Kenya

The meaning of life is that life ends – Savvy

This is the first part in a series of posts that will shed light on who Savvy Kenya is. For those who have never heard of her, she is a blogger, the author of The Diary of a Kenyan Campus girl, and a student at a University in Kenya. Here is the interview that she willingly granted. The words in parenthesis that have been italicized are mine.

The Greatrnk: My first question to you is…….Can I borrow a K?

Savvy Kenya: Only if you promise to return. But then a K is just a K. I’ll MPESA it pap! I couldn’t resist. Haven’t used that word in an interview before. Not that I’ve had many. This is my first interview.

T. G: How, why and when did you start blogging?

S. K: This is quite a story. In 2006 Dec I was working as an intern somewhere IT’ish and this guy who came to work there (he was cute with long dreadlocks, I love dreadlocks FYI). He told me about his blog (Out of Joints) and after I read it, I felt inspired to start my own. So I started The Diary of a Mad Teenager, but when I turned 20 (which was not too long ago), I started The Diary of a Kenyan Campus Girl. I realize I cannot be a campuserian for long, so am moving on. Got many plans ahead, watch out.

T. G: Are there any trailblazers in the “industry” that you look up to?

S. K: Of course. There is Bankelele, Rafiki Kenya, My Part of the World, Mountainous etc. In fact, if you looked up to all the bloggers on my blogroll at The Diary of a Mad Teenager. They are the reason am blogging today because some of my earliest readers were bloggers, I had little traffic.

T. G: What are some of your current interests? Any hobbies?

S. K: Currently, am obsessed with finishing my final year project, so am trying to minimize my side shows. Twitter however, is something am finding hard to let go. I’m a twaddict. I love travelling but will do that in January after I finish my undergraduate degree in Dec.

T G: Your worst experience was when ….

S. K: Apart from losing my wallet and phone twice in less than a year, it was when I had a fight with this girl. She came to our party with this old white guy and I turned to her and asked her, “don’t you think he’s a bit too old?” she jumped on me, arms around throat and scratched my face. I still have the scars. The worst part is, I was going home for holiday the following day (it was an end of the first semester of third year bash) and my mum thought my boyfriend beat me up. Sadder part is I had no boyfriend at the time. Okay, maybe that’s not so sad.

T. G: Describe yourself in one sentence..

S. K: I’m a dreamer, ambition is in my blood.

T. G: Your DVD collection will not miss….

S. K: DVD? Who does that anymore 😉 I just copy movies, watch and delete. Archive the good ones. Let’s see which bad movies I could do without. This list will be too long. I have watched very many bad movies.

T. G: On a perfect Friday night, you will……

S. K: Sip cold juice on a balcony overlooking the beach and reflect on what I have achieved in my life, and be content about it.

T. G: The best song, currently, (according to you) is….

S. K: Anthem of the angels, Breaking Benjamin. Other favourites include Marc Anthony’s When You Sing To Me and Chris DeBarge’s Lady in Red. Also, 21 guns by Greenday, Bon Jovi’s Who Said, The Man Who Can’t Be Moved byThe Script, The River by Good Charlotte etc. Before I forget, all of Kidum’s songs and Kare by PUnit.

T. G: Describe your first kiss

S. K: Very sloppy. It wasn’t my best. Enough said.

T. G: What would you change from your past?

S. K: Forget that eh..lie that the past made you who you are. There are a few things that I’d change but I don’t want to start those regret feelings I’ve buried 6 feet under.

T. G: Are you seeing anyone?

S. K: Is this a trick question? Let’s see, we just hang out a couple of times so am not sure we are going out yet.

T. G: Dog or Cat?

S. K: Can I have both? Dogs are faithful and loving, cats are intelligent and human like. Cats though, they’re easier to take care of.

T. G: You are now wearing……

S. K: Black jeans, black tee advertising Kalahari.co.ke, black er…and black er..

T. G: The best approach for a guy to take to chat to you would be…..

S. K: Be himself. Hopefully, himself is someone who can express themselves, and be patient with me because I tend to lose attention easily. I may ask you to say something twice or thrice but once we are past the initial awkward kind of small talk, we’re fine.

T. G: What do you look for in a guy?

S. K: Looks are overrated. Without sounding like am looking for a spouse in an ad agency, I like a guy who’s responsible, fun (as in open to random plans), open minded and financially stable. ( You expected me not to mention the financial stability part?) (aspiring guys, make sure you grow dreadlocks first)

T. G: What is your ideal first date?

S. K: Hmm.. a place with plenty of other people around so they can provide a distraction in case things are not going well.

T. G: Do you have any crush on a celeb?

S. K: Depends, Kenyan or international? Nope. Right now, am over my crushes. Oh, wait a minute. Damien the vampire in The Vampire Diaries.

T. G: Tell us a bit more about yourself that people will find shocking.

S. K: Shock value, hmm. I kissed a girl. Two girls. And I didn’t like it.

T. G: What can you tell someone who has not started blogging and (s)he wants to start?

S. K: Get a topic you are passionate about and just write. Don’t get discouraged by lack of response from the public, I blogged for a year without much publicity. Blog for the love of writing, not with the aim of making money or fame. Those are byproducts of your passion for writing. And oh, be interesting and blog on the regular. Why else would guys want to keep coming back to your blog?

T. G: Your top three blogs are….

S. K: Sleek and wild : You read then tell me what you think.

Ramblings of a Slightly Disturbed Man: though he doesn’t update on the regular

Me I Love Nairobi Regardless – Milonare: another rare blogger but when he does, you have to read from beginning to end.

Kenyan Madness Abroad: he hasn’t blogged in a while but he had me laughing an entire afternoon

Our Kid had to add this one.

Stone Cold Haven: last addition, I promise

New bloggers:

You.(I blush and feign composure)

Me Myself and Isis: she’s special (and crazy)

Lost in the Though >she’s special too

In Over My Head

T. G: Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

S. K: Funny, I got asked this during my first ever interview for internship early this year. I hope to have published at least one book, be a famous sports journalist (having covered the world cup in 2014), engaged ( can’t believe I used to say I’d never get married) or if am not a famous sports journalist, I go the academic route and have done my masters degree, and enrolling for my doctorate. I haven’t decided yet but either way I will be rich in 5 years. Be driving a Ranger Rover Discovery. My dream car.

T. G: You would like to send a shout out to……

S. K: My friend Josie in London though she may not be reading this, my friends in campus who’ve been with me since my first year in campus and stood by me through thick and thin.

T. G: Any parting words

S. K: The future is thine, embrace it. So am not good at parting shots, but this interview has been awesome. Blogging is my life and I hope to do it all my life. That’s not my only ambition, I want to change someone’s life for the better. I think that’s my purpose in life. I found out that the meaning of life, is that it ends.

THE DAY’S:

Special Thanks: To Savvykenya for granting me this interview.

Definition: Thinking (verb): A process that should be related to speaking in the same way that chewing is related to eating – Joe Heuer

Quote: Want to annoy them pesky heroin addicts? Hide their needle in a haystack – Papa Shango

Indecent Proposal

Indecent Proposals; offers that you would rather not get from certain people. Ideas that make you uncomfortable, challenge your morals and make you question human nature.

Bold proposals that make you blush and then let that second question come to your mind: Where is the harm? The answer(s) to that question is what separates the risk takers from the proper ‘goody two shoes’. So, is Gaby a risk taking free spirit or is she a proper girl who will stick to human expectations and the moral standards that are  requirement at St. Hilary University…..

Indecent Proposals

‘What’s a beautiful girl like you doing in the ugliest part of Nairobi?’

‘And you?’ She sniggered. ‘What are you doing in the ugliest part of Nairobi?’

He lied that he lived somewhere around the block and had stopped off on his way home from campus—by sheer chance.

From that simple but calculated surprise, his spontaneous visits to the bar to see her graduated into statistical proportion. He even took to inventing workshops, and seminars in mitigating the new absences to his wife.

It went much further, for when you allow a leper to shake your hands beyond the elbow, they’ll be dying for an embrace. He talked about his boring marital sex life, sleeping in the same conjugal bed, and rousing at wee hours to his wife’s foul breath. If he had his democratic vote, he’d have chosen a bed for himself. The matrimonial bed is still the metaphor of the selfless nuptial union, and metaphors, for a prince to a pauper, are sacrosanct.

‘Every time I lie down next to my wife in that bed, I think about you.’ Said he on one occasion. ‘I fancy and fantasize about you lying down on my chest, and that makes me feel ashamed of myself.’

‘Is that the reason you want to sleep in a separate bed?’

‘You read my mind so easily. Yes, as far as East-is-to-West possible, for even to make love to you in my wet dreams gnaws my scruples to go on sleeping in the same bed as my wife.’

Read the rest here.

Aside from the Creekside story,this week we have a review of the TEDx event, held in Nairobi. Chiira Mainagives us a very good report on what happened there. If you don’t feel like you were actually there after reading this, you most probably will wish you were there. A win-win situation (so to speak).

On Poetic License, this week  is Poetic Wednesday: Proposal 2; We have poetry by Alfred Ochieng’,Dennis Kebu and Ikweri Anariko.Don’t hesitate to read and vote. These are three very profound poems.

Then there is the book review by Gideon Chumo. He gives us a very good preview of  Lysistrata, a play  by Greek Playwright Aristrophanes. A comedy that addresses some very weighty issues….issues that are very close to a woman’s heart and extremely close to a man’s mind. Indeed!

Finally, Marvin Tumbo is back this week and this time he has a bone to pick and break with the Kenya Tourism Board and it’s embarrassing effort at embracing social media. They made an equally absurd effort to defend their laxity with their presentation at the E-Tourism East Africa Conference. Read and get astonished….Kenya Tourism Board Slaughtered at E-Tourism East Africa Conference

Have a lovely weekend!

Do you have something to tell thePrincess out there? We welcome Mzee Articles: Pieces on personal experience overcoming trial or going through the staircase of life. We would also welcome Girl Royal Articles: How to and Skills from a personal perspective. Please drop us a line attheprincessprojectafrica@gmail.com.