THE GOVERNMENT DOESN’T CARE

The July attack of the Ugandans by the Al Shaabab militia and the action taken towards the suspects is a clear indication that the government does not care about its people.  After all, we only heard of the victims after the blast.  

The victims of the 1988 bombing in Nairobi too have not been compensated.  The suicide attacks in Middle East have become the norm of the day.  The US army in Iraq lost and amputated many of her soldiers. 

As President Yoweri Museveni may say, there is no way he is withdrawing the troops out of Somali soil, despite knowing the situation they have to deal with.  Why should Uganda play the hero when she can’t face Joseph Kony, a war leader in her very own soil, yet, go to another land for a peace keeping mission?  It is incongruous!

I do believe President Museveni, he is a man of his word and deed.  No soldier will be packing for home anytime soon.  But, as long as none of his kin is on the battle field, or is victimised by the Al Shaabab, he will never take the issue seriously, nor will any leader.

The message being sent by Somalis or any other Muslim national(s) fending for their own unity and sovereignty through such vengeful missions will never get through.  If it does, it will not achieve its intended action.  Action can only be achieved through hitting the bull’s eye.  Why would someone aim at a cat when he wants to get rid of the rat?

MJN

EXORCISM OF ALEJANDRO

Paloma
“Sir Alex…please don’t say those words to me.”
Juan Alejandro
“Alex, don’t call me Sir”
Paloma
“But…”
Juan Alejandro
“Shhh! (Putting a finger across her mouth, then holds her tightly and gives a lengthy kiss.) I love you and no one can change that (Breathing hard as he speaks.) (Takes her palm and puts it on his bare, tanned and well built chest) Feel that, that’s the feeling I get whenever I am with you, please don’t let my heart stop for being denied this love.
Paloma
“Please stop…people might see us.”
Juan Alejandro
“You can deny what people say, but you can’t deny what your heart has feels for me. Don’t you love me?
Paloma
“I do but…”
Juan Alejandro
(Cuts her short) Let’s run away my love …get married then come back once you are of legal age…
Paloma
“I’m scared; I don’t want my aunt to worry.”
Juan Alejandro
“Once we get there, we will send her a postcard (kisses her again as Santos-Alejandro’s step brother comes…)
********************************************************************************
These words are the words that our women rarely, if ever get from their men. However, listening to them from a more charming man isn’t that bad.

These words are the reason why your shirt ‘got burnt’ while being ironed; why your favourite meal burnt as she prepared it for you; why she had to ‘cut’ the queue in front of you to get home on time; why she calls you unromantic; why she keeps suggesting you check into the gym to look like Alejandro; why the sudden interest in learning Espanola; why her profile picture on Facebook is neither hers nor yours;

Yes, I do admit that these soap operas are a little too addictive. They make you experience a love spell, a charm, an irresistible kind of love that you never witnessed. Even a one year old falls in love, why can’t you?
Its only in these soaps; and Afrosinema-o, that the poorest maid gets married to the richest entrepreneur of the region; a woman is bound between the love of two family members-a father and his son; the most wicked character is always a woman, who gets her way throughout the plot and only got caught at the end, where she is either sent to a mental asylum, jail, or killed; where all the female leading characters are timid, naïve and pretty girls; where the accent doesn’t matter, as a matter of fact, it is regarded to be sexy.

This obsession with Alejandro, is far too much, and unrealistic. I have never seen those men go after a black woman. It is even worse there because; each programme uses women as either servants or witchdoctors and wizards. The only place I have seen a black woman treated more like a human rather than an animal is in Shades of Sin. I therefore wonder why one has to be addicted to something that de-dignifies them.


SMART QUOTE: When a man is cheating, he says damn stuff, but a woman; smart stuff.

MJN

HEROES AND DEMONS

We celebrate heroes in death and villains in life.

How true this is, you may wonder. The truth is, Jesus became a hero upon his death, so does Mary Magdalene, Mother Theresa, Ken Saro-wiwa…and the endless list goes on. This however doesn’t mean that if you are an icon, you are a villain/demon…or that after living all this years as a nonentity, you will soon become a celebrity after your death.

Demons are our mothers; mothers’ who dedicate their entire adult life looking after the family and taking care of their needs: Putting up with all sorts of insults from abusive husbands, both verbally and physically. They do it for the children, they will argue out. But which child is okay seeing their mother face slow death because of a man, and eventually die of brain tumor. Such scenes are no different from putting a lion to guard your home against the enemy, when one day the lion will turn and feed on you.
Upon death however, all mothers become heroes…that’s where I will never understand.

Martin Luther King, well, a hero of course…everyone worships him to this very day. Personally, he wasn’t. Just because the man had a dream, what makes him different? Every one of us has had a dream, even kids do dream, but what makes one a hero is executing the dream, failure to which, it remains a dream. Whatever makes MLK a hero is there uncomprehendable…

Al Bashir is the man to look out for: Not only a living hero, but a legend.

All the drug dealers and illicit alcohol brewers are exceptional heroes. I have never heard of a brewer go blind or die for taking his poisonous brew, nor any drug dealer check in to rehab. What’s important is looking after ourselves; Man for himself and God for us all.

-MJN-

LETTING GO

Back in 2007 when I joined campus, I encountered a lecturer whom I thoroughly despised and loathed. Despite having both of us come from almost the same geographical region, our bloods never matched. Things got worse when I had to take four of his units during the same semester. By the end of the fourteen weeks, I had to be sober.

Anyone who knew Dr. Mugambi as I did halfway through could never fail his units-so long as you had an up-to-date critical mind. Questions like; is there a future of publishing in Africa, What’s the impact of culture and religion on development…

Ignorance is the core reason behind us lagging behind in our day to day lives. We are the first to queue and beg for aid from the West for not utilizing our natural resources; brain drain our regions in search for greener pastures; hang out in places where there is a little bit of white skin because, white is class…
Culture, traditions and beliefs are the reason behind our lack of foresightedness. Kenya now does have a Ministry of Culture and *something* but still, we are so hard on fights towards putting an end to these archaic cultures, only to end up upholding them.

At one hand, we are trying to end the culture of inheritance, like wife inheritance; white rule to equal distribution of power, inter alia. On the same note are corruption, impunity and nepotism. However, this is what may have meant when they said; talk the talk, never talking the walk.
Despite the efforts of ending this kind of culture, we have ended up forming colonies of power, property possession, ways of passing down what we assume to own to the next generation; but, to a generation that has your blood running through their veins.

I look at our leaders; brought up in the royal families and now in more royal ones. Nothing has changed, it’s just like it was during the past, when Kingship or Chiefship was handed over from one generation to another. As for the rest of the ordinary citizens, they tire and sweat to put linen, spices and myrrh on the royalty.

Uhuru son of Jomo; Raila and Oburu sons of Jaramogi; Joseph son of Kabila; Museveni and his cabinet/royal regime, ditto, ditto. A democratic nation they may call it, but… Do you ever wonder- Are they more charismatic, or do they posses more leadership skills, or are they the ‘inborn leaders’?

We, Kenyans, will never cease to complain about this and that; blame something on someone; accuse everybody for setting a trap against us; or, always know of a better solution than that already implemented.

I may write of how mean, inhuman, self centered, arrogant, ignorant and useless leaders we have…because they never let go off their top seats. Of how I’ll never cast a vote until I see a new face vie for the position-a face from a new family line. But look at me, us. We have never thought of letting go of our jobs and positions. If we do, it’s only after finding a replacement that will ‘click’.

On a light note-I’m still wondering of what will be the outcome of dual citizenship in Kenya. Will our athletes be allowed to run and complete for other countries?


-Mjn-