Wamathai

Book Review: Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Dorothy Kigen — Fri, 24 May 2013 11:45:55 +0000

In the interviews surrounding the launch of her new book, Americanah, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie has been very forthright about the fact that it is a love story. Well, a story mostly about love, but also about race, and hair, and self. The lovers at hand, Ifemelu and Obinze, are young and Nigerian, and the course… Continue reading →

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Strange bedfellows

Alvin Kathembe — Thu, 23 May 2013 13:40:38 +0000

Surrounded by a high, razor-crowned fence With shards of broken glass As an extra deterrent And electrified wires And metal grilles, and German shepherds And Maasai, ‘Waria’, or G4S Our world and theirs, Like parallel universes. Ours is suburbia – Paved pathways in estates And two cars in every garage Uptown apartments and swanky bungalows… Continue reading →

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Africa must wake up

Alvin Kathembe — Thu, 23 May 2013 13:30:56 +0000

Land of the sleeping giants Land of beauty and mystery – Mother of wisdom The stirring-pot of knowledge: Africa must wake up. Land of the rusting spears Cradle of civilization Birthplace of Science; Of Invention, of Philosophy: Africa must wake up. Land of the toothless lions Land of the begging-bowl Land of crippling ignorance –… Continue reading →

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Who to be

Nick — Thu, 23 May 2013 13:06:28 +0000

You feel hate, I feel love, You see faults, I see beauty, You have greed, I have generosity, You tell lies, I tell the truth, You embrace anger, I embrace joy, You fight, I hug, You bite, I kiss, You destroy, I build, You corrupt, I nurture, You hurt, I mend, Don’t be them, be… Continue reading →

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Analyzing performance poetry

Annette Mumbi — Thu, 23 May 2013 11:54:06 +0000

Anyone who has interest in literature may have had a chance to attend a poetry event or a forum where poets freely express their ideas or share their pieces. In such forums, poets read or recite their poems and many times ‘Spoken word’ is used to popularize the forum and get a larger audience. The… Continue reading →

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A Love Story

Lulu Akaki — Wed, 22 May 2013 14:05:10 +0000

Ana was always beautiful. From the first time I saw her, I was hooked. She had this shy innocent look to her. I wanted to get my hands on her. Take away that innocence and be the center of her world. I wanted to mess up her perfect little world. I had this urge to… Continue reading →

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Someone scraped the edges of the photograph off

Dudumalingani Mqombothi — Thu, 16 May 2013 09:51:06 +0000

The bed lamp is flung to the ground. On impact, it bursts; darkness seizes the room immediately, the plug violently pulled out from the plug by the TV. She screams to the deaf ears of the night, how fucking selfish of it. A yellow, warm tinge light from the street lights across the street brushes… Continue reading →

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Man whisperers

Alvin Kathembe — Thu, 16 May 2013 05:11:39 +0000

Resorting to irreverence In a bid to remain relevant They have our ears, they have our hearts And they whisper… Into our minds through tubes – Call it thought transfusion – Tales of murder, lies and crime Bugattis on rims Stacks on deck Hoes in the back And choppers in the trunk… They exaggerate their… Continue reading →

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When did you cop that, top hat

Alvin Kathembe — Thu, 16 May 2013 05:10:04 +0000

It seems like these ‘leaders’ Have a monopoly On all the stealing that’s going on… Every chance they get The dip their hands Into the community chest Wink at some bankers And get a title deed Slipped to them under the table. They don’t want to pay no-one For anything Cars reside in free parkings… Continue reading →

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The Deliverance of Comfort

Ras Mengesha — Wed, 15 May 2013 13:10:29 +0000

I wasn’t supposed to write this, but for some reason I felt compelled to. I felt you needed to know the truth so I gathered enough courage and decide to write. The truth is I wasn’t really writing for you, but for me. I needed to write this more than you needed to read it,… Continue reading →

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A rare opportunity to meet Kenyan authors

James Wamathai — Tue, 14 May 2013 12:34:15 +0000

The writing space in Kenya has seen a bit of growth in recent years with the introduction of new writers . There has also been renewed interest by Kenyan readers in Kenyan literature. This has led to conversation on literature powered by book clubs, commentary in newspapers and blogs, and writing competitions geared towards discovery… Continue reading →

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Bridges, bins and benches

Annette Mumbi — Tue, 14 May 2013 05:00:51 +0000

Sunset found Harriet all crouched up next to one of the bins in the recreational park that had become her new abode. It was her way of calling dibs on whatever was in the bin and she was waiting for nightfall so that she could ransack without getting embarrassed. She hoped that she would never… Continue reading →

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King

Thomas Buckley Opar Owuor — Mon, 13 May 2013 08:13:21 +0000

I am king Emperor Fearless Selfless Ruler I carry 51% of the vote In my world of no rote And it must be stated Democracy is manipulated Freedom is manufactured Rights are what I consent to My citizens imagine I am held to the constitution A necessary construction An Unnecessary construction A contract that is… Continue reading →

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Why do we preach local content but consume foreign content?

James Wamathai — Mon, 13 May 2013 06:06:41 +0000

There has been a concerted push for local content by the Kenyan government, through the I.C.T. Board, for a couple of years. They have even offered grants to companies to further the local content cause. You would imagine that by now we’d already have 40% of the content on our TVs locally made. This reality… Continue reading →

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Failure; Even the best amongst us fail sometimes

Annette Mumbi — Fri, 10 May 2013 06:35:56 +0000

Different people are known to react differently during their moments of weakness. For some, crying is the utmost sign of falling apart while for others, locking out the world is what helps them get above their weaknesses. Truth be told, failure is never easy on most of us especially when it involves things that we… Continue reading →

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Brutal caregivers

Annette Mumbi — Fri, 10 May 2013 04:00:32 +0000

Shirley looked away when she saw him approach her bed. She closed her eyes and mumbled a short prayer hoping that he was not the nurse on duty that night. Sandy crossed her fingers too, and if she could, she would cross her toes. In fact, she’d cross her arms at her elbows and do… Continue reading →

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Silhouettes

Annette Mumbi — Thu, 09 May 2013 06:21:18 +0000

While everyone got excited about the completion of Thika Highway because of its aesthetic appeal or that it would take less time to move about, I was busy getting excited that road signs were using silhouettes. Back in the day, an impression of a boy or girl was made by joining a head and a… Continue reading →

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Cab driver

Annette Mumbi — Thu, 09 May 2013 06:10:26 +0000

The sewer system had blocked for almost a week and though the council officials had ignored it, calls to unblock it were intensifying so they gave in. Some of the waste water had begun to spill onto major roads and most roads would be impassable if it rained even for an hour. The officials went… Continue reading →

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Crushed Flower

Lulu Akaki — Thu, 09 May 2013 05:00:27 +0000

I sit staring into space, Njeri’s hand in mine. We know it can’t be good news that the doctor sent us out of the room and took her up to the operating room. She had blood poisoning from a failed abortion. I had long lost count of how many she had had. In her time… Continue reading →

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Frankenstein hearts

Mwende Nguti — Wed, 08 May 2013 10:34:45 +0000

She’d gone into battle unarmed, unshielded. She was unprotected against his assault upon her. She banked his scent in her mind, a permanent reminder of what happiness smelled of. She spent hours staring into the depths of his eyes, memorising the crook of his smile, hanging onto every word that he said. He became familiar.… Continue reading →

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Book Review: 50 Shades Of Grey By E.L James

Faith Oneya — Tue, 07 May 2013 11:21:37 +0000

By all means, 50 Shades of Grey has Few Literary Merits. The use of description as a technique has been used solely for the characters, and the BDSM scenes that keep graduating as the story progresses. The book tells the story of Anastasia (the submissive) and Christian’s (the dominant) sexual adventures as they traverse through… Continue reading →

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A poem for girls once loved

Euticus Mola — Thu, 02 May 2013 08:18:20 +0000

This is for the widows staring out of bedroom windows hoping the last ray of sunlight will warm the side of the bed that is now empty. Scared that a smile from a stranger’s visage will strike up a memory long forgotten, afraid to shed any more tears in the rain as the earth soaks… Continue reading →

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Let’s value writers and pay them well

James Wamathai — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 06:57:43 +0000

The pen is mightier than the sword. That is all well and good in philosophy and we can rant about the social revolutions brought on by the mighty pen. However, this cannot be said to be true when it comes to making a decent living. Art is considered a calling and to be an artist… Continue reading →

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Chasing the wind

Ngartia — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 07:06:38 +0000

There comes a time when, emotions, one cannot deride. When, a feeling, man can no longer abide to hide. When such a moment befell young Albert Mwiti, he made a decision; Grabbing a keyboard and hitting each key with uttermost precision, He summoned all the artistry he had learnt from books and teachers, Then slowly… Continue reading →

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I want to grow up

Lulu Akaki — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 04:00:56 +0000

“Mary, umeosha nguo? Na wapi chakula yangu?” Mrs. T yells from the living room. I run to serve her food and rush back to wash the clothes. It’s 1.00 am and she just got back from a trip. I am exhausted and cold, but I know what would happen if I don’t wash the clothes… Continue reading →

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