MULEMBE VIBES

Apr 12, 2007 Art of Doing Nothing in the Land of the Calypso by Khamati Shilabuka The Cricket World Cup could have passed unnoticed by many Kenyans in one of the host nations, Trinidad - a country a widespread urban activity, liming, is a sight to behold.With the Port of Spain as a natural hub, the urban corridor dominates public life. Crucial institutions in the Trinidadian definition of public self, such as steel bands, calypso and carnival, as well as the most important economic and political institutions, are located at the Port of Spain and the surrounding area. The origin of 'liming' is obscure. It means 'hanging around', but there is no exact linguistic or cultural equivalent to liming in the cultural contexts with which most of us are familiar. The concept encompasses any leisure activity entailing sharing of food and drink, telling stories, jokes and anecdotes, provided the activity has no explicit purpose beyond itself. Wherea...

The Backlash on elimination of FGC in Kenya Worrying Female genital cutting (FGC) is a term used to refer to any practice which includes the removal or alteration of the female genital or other injury to the female genital organs for non-medical reason. In communities where the rite is practiced, it is part of a retinue rites in the process of passage to adulthood. It therefore constitutes transformation to maturity, just like male circumcision. Whatever varied perception or reason behind the practice of FGM, there seems to be a common thread running through traditional societies that these are male dominated, societies where resources and power are generally under male control. However it is inaccurate to suggest that all women are under that generalisation. That why it is important to know that some women benefit from a certain degree of authority within socially prescribed roles and even in oppressive situations you can come across extremely strong women who defy all kinds of...

Politics of Deception and Manipulation Outdated I was intrigued when one of the leading lights of our political landscape told a gathering something to the effect that they will do anything in their power to get the wrestle Nairobi from the opposition. This got me thinking about the Machiavellian mantra about crushing your enemy completely and wondered whether our leader’s political strategy is still enmeshed in the antediluvian thinking of the original thinking of Machiavelli. Maybe it is still anchored there and maybe because the Kenyan political landscape is full of mindless zombies that swallow everything this kind of leadership offers. The sad thing is: many of our leaders have refused to grow with time and are still enamoured in Neanderthal philosophies of manipulation and occasional cruelty. They believe that it is much safer to be feared than loved. One of the things that come to mind in this political manipulation is the lie that merging parties under one umbrella...

Ways in which Kenyans encourage ethnic prejudices without Realising If there’s anything our fraught national dialogue on ethnic prejudices has taught us, it’s that there are no ethnic bigots in this country. This is confirmed by conversations that many influential Kenyans generally believe tribal discrimination is over. It turns out that many of us actually believe we are victims of ethnic discrimination than people from other communities.   It’s a silly idea, of course, but it’s easy to delude ourselves into thinking that inequality is a result of cultural failures (of others), ethnic pathology and a convoluted narrative involving the way some other communities have made it big in business, education and development generally due to their proximity to power. To admit that ethnic discrimination is fundamental to who we are, that it imbues our thinking in ways we wouldn’t and couldn’t believe without the application of the scientific method, is infinitely harder. And yet...