Movie Seen! Is Avatar the new face of cinema?

So I went to watch Avatar, the highly anticipated movie by James Cameron this past weekend. This is a film James Cameron has worked on for 14 years, well not literally, but he has had the dream in place for that period of time. He was unable to realize that dream until now because the technology simply wasn’t in place to fulfill it. He was so determined that he travelled to Sony in Japan to request them to develop (or invent) the technology capable of realizing Avatar on screen. He also worked with WETA Digital, the same production company responsible for the CGI in Lord of the Rings. For more on this check out my previous post “I Wish Kenya Had IMAX.”

Avatar is set in the year 2154, and is about a paraplegic ex-marine Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) who embarks is brought to the planet Pandora to embark on research. He is chosen to replace his dead twin brother because of their DNA match, and is thus able to inhabit the Na'vi body his twin used to navigate. At the same time the military wants to mine Unobtanium a highly precious mineral from the planet and to do this they have to get the native Na'vi out of the way. This creates a conflict between them and the Na'vi, and Jake Sully has to choose between the Na'vi and the military demands that he persuades the natives to get out.

So let’s get to the big question; did Avatar live up to the hype or not? Well, I’ve learned not to get caught up in such hype because it raises the stakes to mostly unattainable levels. I’ve discovered that when you temper down the hype and just go there to enjoy the film you enjoy it much more. If there is anything spectacular, well then that’s just an added bonus. The hype surrounding Avatar has made it sort of the Detox of movies (i.e. it’s way too much.)

With that said, the story is really quite good and involving. One thing I have to give James Cameron credit for is that his movie has hit all the right buttons at the right time. It was like perfect timing that Avatar was released in the middle of the Copenhagen Climate Conference. The world of Pandora is simply beautiful to look at with lush vegetation and wildlife which is in danger of being destroyed. Don’t be surprised to see Avatar winning awards because of its environmental message; the movie is like one long environmental ad that ends up being more effective than the many you see on CNN and other channels.

The acting in the movie is good, with Sigourney Weaver(Aliens) playing Dr.Grace Augustine, a lead researcher and Michelle Rodriguez  playing marine pilot Trudy Chacon. Miles Quatrich is a genuinely menacing as hoorah-jarhead type Colonel played Stephen Lang. As for the aliens O.K let me just get this out of the way, the female Na'avi Neytiri (Zoe Saldana)is the hottest film alien ever! Yaani if I was a Na'vi, I would so date this alie-chick, she is just so strong and so graceful. The Na'vi and other creatures in the film are very well animated; it is very fluid and unnoticeable. The love story between Jake Sully and Neytiri is probably the best CGI love Ive seen yet.If James Cameron was trying to achieve lifelike creatures that were indistinguishable from real people, he has very nearly achieved it here. There are some very beautiful creatures in the film (my fav are the spinning luminous ones). The scenes where the Na'vi are interacting with the other creatures are unlike anything you’ve seen before.

The graphics of the film are definitely a step-forward. Check out the computer generated foliage and how it is blown by helicopter blades during landing; very well done! The water effects are dazzling too with waves splashing onto the rocks very realistically. But not only that, the sand and soil effects are minutely accurate; and this is an area where James Cameron has outdone any previous efforts. The way in which the movie can go from an epic scale with mountains and rain forests, to the tiniest detail of a foot in soil or sparks from a burning forest is really spectacular. You can tell a whole lot of work, time (and money) went into the creation of this world, and the results impress.

As for the message I got from the film, for one I couldn’t help wondering if earth once looked similar to that and what humans have done to story it in their pursuit of development. Avatar has made me question the idealized notion of industrialization; why does development have to involve destroying everything in your path? Why do humans have to live in concrete environments devoid of most animal and plant life, couldn’t humans adapt to the environment around them and live in harmony with it. Is it necessary to clear a forest to create our habitats? The anti-war message was also a very prominent theme, with unmistakable similarities to Iraq and Afghanistan.  The U.S military (whether intentional on Cameron’s part or not) ends up looking really bad in this film, something we rarely see in Hollywood. As the marines arrive on the base, the Colonel tells them that they will have to "fight terror with terror" and carry out "pre-emptive strikes," obvious George W.Bush references.The American corporations want to make their money and the U.S military is how they are going to do it, the native populations lives be damned. I think voices like Cameron’s could hopefully wake up more Americans to the destructive policies their elite have wrecked on the world. James Cameron however can’t help in promoting more "American-as-the-hero" notions with his protagonist, something unfortunate we also saw in The Last Samurai.

Avatar is a good movie which will probably get repeated viewings just too see that beautiful world again, and the action sequences are also well executed.  For all its coolness, Avatar fails to top Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings trilogy which has become the Star Wars of its generation. With Avatar however James Cameron has managed to demonstrate that film still has new places it can go and it hasn’t hit a ceiling. With some of us who were becoming bored of not seeing anything groundbreaking in film, Avatar has given us hope. And if that’s James Cameron’s only accomplishment with this film, I say mission accomplished!

::KC Blog Rating:: 5 out of 5 Stars

"Sure to become a classic if only for the bar it has raised for CGI films. The messages against environmental destruction and U.S aggression are  very relevant."

Nina Ogot - "Chokora"

This is a nice song by Nina Ogot, Ive heard her performing it live once or twice and its quite powerful.It makes you think about how you treat those who have less. Lets all think about (and give) to the less fortunate this Christmas.

Listen: Nina Ogot - "Chokora"

Previously: Nina Ogot - "Runaway"

Video: Wangari Maathai on CNN Revealed

Watch: Part 2

Part 3

Washington Projects - "Joy"

Here is the The Washington Projects take on "Joy to The World."

Listen: The Washington Projects - "Joy"

SK Blue - "Pamela"

Listen: SK Blue ft.Ringtone - "Pamela"

Previously: SK Blue - "Pamela" video

Kijiji Records presents "A Totally Sold Out Christmas"

Video: Astar ft.Kerah - "Songa"

Listen: Kerah ft.Astar - "Songa"

My views on the Harmonized Draft Constitution

O.K I admit I hurriedly wrote this up today morning and I've just sent it in. Better something than nothing, right? (This is the unedited version so forgive the errors)

MY POSITION ON THE HARMONIZED DRAFT CONSTITUTION

With this historic moment of our country Kenya in mind it is my right and indeed my duty to present my views on the Harmonized Draft Constitution. Kenyans have struggled for almost 20 years for a new constitution and we have now been presented with an important opportunity. It with this in mind that Kenyans are putting their hopes and trusts with the Committee of Experts  to honour citizen’s views and accurately reflect them in the draft constitution to be presented next year. I, Karanja Kebuchi as a Kenyan citizen am committed to a new constitutional dispensation as I believe this will be instrumental in guiding Kenya to a prosperous and unified future. However there are some issues with the Harmonized Draft that I hope will be addressed by the Committee of Experts; the issues are as follows:

EXECUTIVE

After careful consideration on this issue it is my view that two centres of power is not a good system for Kenya. If powers of the Executive are to be checked this should be done through and independent and powerful Legislature and Judiciary. Creating two centres of power will inevitably bring instability and power struggles between the two offices.  It is my view that the Presidential system is the most stable system of Executive dispensation for our young and fragile democracy. A Parliamentary system is unstable and constantly changing as witnessed in countries like Italy and Israel; Kenya as a young, developing democracy cannot afford constant change of government taking into consideration the tribal dynamics present in the country. We have come from an Imperial Presidency, but this should not mean we create a whole new office. We must only strengthen the Legislature and Judiciary and make them independent, strong and effective to check Presidential excesses.

PRESIDENCY

A President should be elected through universal suffrage (i.e. by all Kenyans). Anyone seeking to exercise executive authority of a whole nation should go to the people to be elected. I am strongly opposed to a situation where the Executive will be chosen by MP’s. Kenyans have the democratic right and duty to determine who will exercise ultimate authority and implement their vision on the country.

CABINET

It is my view that the Cabinet should be chosen by the Executive with the approval of parliament and the Cabinet should NOT consist of Members of Parliament. This is a system used in the United States and this will ensure the stability and cohesion of the Cabinet; it will also avoid a situation of undue political games being played in the Executive in terms of policy implementation.

LENGTH OF THE DOCUMENT

It is my view that the Harmonized Draft Constitution is unnecessarily lengthy and includes too many details. A constitution should be a living document that mainly reflects the basic principles and aspirations of a society. It should be a living document that can stand the test of time and can be in use centuries in the future. I do not desire a situation where the document has to be amended every few years like has happened with our independence constitution. The length of the harmonized Draft should be greatly reduced and unnecessary detail should be removed. The details in the constitution should be dealt with through policy enacted through acts of Parliament.

EQUALITY OF THE VOTE AND REPRESENTATION

All Kenyans must be fairly represented in Parliament and ALL Kenyans votes must be equal.  The principle of one-man one-vote MUST be upheld in this country as a basic principle of democracy. All Kenyans must be equally and fairly represented in Parliament whichever region or constituency they come from and all their votes must be equal.

DEVOLUTION

It is my view that the three-tier government proposed in the Harmonized Draft will be an unnecessary burden to a poor country like Kenya. We live in a country that still cannot feed all its citizens and thus bringing on a new burden on the Exchequer and stifle development programs.  A three-tier system will also create unnecessary bureaucracy and slow down government’s ability to implement rapid development. A two-tier system of Central and County should be maintained but with reforms to ensure better service delivery and less bureaucracy.

SOVEREIGNITY

The constitution should reflect that Kenya is a sovereign nation. It should clearly state that Kenya will make decisions that are in her own interest and without undue influence from other nations. Kenyans have the right to make their own decisions and build their own country and the President should be obligated to defend the country from exploitation in all spheres including economically, politically and socially from other nations. Any administration found to be exposing Kenyans to adverse influence and exploitation by other nations that threatens should be liable to prosecution. Foreign governments and institutions wishing to operate on the country should be willing to be subject to thorough vetting by Parliament where it deems fit.

JUDICIARY

I wish to strongly state my objection to the proposal to retire the entire Judiciary as stated in the Harmonized Draft. This would be a grossly discriminative action and would be against the principles of justice and fair treatment. It is not possible that the entire Judiciary is incompetent and this is indeed an insult to the capable men and women serving diligently in the institution. Any reforms to the Judiciary should only target those members and areas where a problem has been identified but not to condemn all the members. As regards to the Constitutional Court this is an unnecessary and expensive new court which will be a taxpayer burden; its proposed functions can be adequately carried out by the existing courts.

MARRIAGE

It is my view that the Harmonized Draft’s position on marriage is vague and full of loopholes as to how a marriage is defined. I would like to object to a situation where marriage will go beyond the time-honoured principle of one-man, one-woman. Societies throughout human history have practiced male-female models of marriage. Kenya must stick to this natural human model to ensure the continuity and stability of the society. We must not give in to social changes in other countries that go against the morality and cohesion of Kenyan society.

RIGHT TO LIFE

It is my view that every Kenyan has the right to life whether born or unborn. There should be the sanctity of life enshrined in the constitution and life starts at the moment of conception. No person should have the right to terminate the life of the inborn except in extreme cases where a medical board determines that the life of the mother is at stake. Capital punishment for criminals shall however be implemented where a judge deems that an accused has caused the premeditated first degree murder of someone else.

KADHIS COURTS

It is my view that Kadhis Courts should remain as is and as reflected in the Harmonized Draft. Kadhis Courts have been there all this time and have not caused any problems for the country. We should not seek to expunge them because of unfounded fears being placed on us by powerful forces who want to influence the region and discriminate one community. Kadhis courts deal with marriage and divorce and only affect the Muslim Community and should remain as is, this will reflect Kenyans stance as a tolerant nation.

LANGUAGE

It is my view that English and Kiswahili should remain the national language and I support the elevation of Kiswahili to be used as an official language.

CULTURE

The Harmonized Draft mentions culture only once and this shows the lack of seriousness that’s accorded culture in Kenya. The government must recognize the arts and culture as an important component of Kenyan society; one that promotes maintains and sustains unity, continuity and cohesion in the country. The government should be obligated to support the arts though all means including monetarily, infrastructure, promotion and other areas.

LAND

The Draft should recognize the right of every Kenyan to own land in any part of the country. All Kenyans displaced since the 1991 clashes and indeed any illegally displaced Kenyan should also have the right of return to their land which should be reflected in the draft.

CONCLUSION

It is my hope that the Committee of Experts will take my proposals and the proposals of all other Kenyans into careful consideration. We all desire an equal, free, fair and cohesive nation for generations to come. I furthermore appeal to all Kenyans to present their views and participate in this historic process.

“May God Bless Kenya.”

Climate Change: Can Human Beings Save the Planet?

 Until a few years ago I wasn’t what some would term as a “tree hugger.” i.e. people who take care of the environment very seriously. Some of my reasons were I used to (and still do) find organizations like Green Peace  irritating; chasing around ships trying to save whales and polar bears. Also until a few years ago I wasn’t convinced that human activity was the main cause of climate change, after all world climate has changed throughout the planets history; wasn’t there like a mini-ice age a few hundred years ago? So what’s different now, what’s all this fuss about trying to save the planet? While it is true that climate does change over time, after reading more about the issue it became pretty clear to me that human activity has unnaturally sped up climate change. Ever since industrialization began in Europe around 150 years ago the temperatures have been shooting up. Admittedly there is still some debate on this; I heard the other day on BBC someone saying that temperatures are actually going down (I’m yet to research this), so this topic is not as black and white as some make it out to be.

One thing is elementary though, neglect and destruction of the environment is going to bring lots of problems for us and we will suffer, big time. I sometimes call Wangari Maathai a prophet (I truly think she is), she was so way ahead of her time in Kenya; look how long it has taken the general public to acknowledge the problem when she has been talking about it since the 70s. By the way I think her book Unbowed should be in every Kenyan library; her message is just so relevant to now and her life story is truly amazing, a truly bold and patriotic woman. At a time when most Kenyans would not even think bad thoughts about the KANU govt. she wrote letters to the AG & President and stood up against KANU goons to save Uhuru Park & Karura Forest. Many Kenyans are still caught up in the political arguments between Raila and Ruto over the Mau Forest, but I refuse to fall into their (politicians) trap. The Mau Forest has nothing to do with Raila Odinga or William Ruto, it is about preserving our forest cover and not about who is for conservation or not. If you think these politicians is doing it out of love for their country clearly you learnt nothing after 2007/08 violence.

I was at first skeptical about the Copenhagen Summit but my interest has been piqued as the event has gone on.  Here you have rich nations who are supposed to be leading the way for the rest of the world, being the worst polluters on the planet. The USA for one looks like a joke right now; here is the so-called world leader being the biggest culprit in terms of spewing muck into the atmosphere. Now China and U.S are playing a game of “you first” as to who will be first to agree to significant emissions cuts. Obama on his part is trying to hoodwink the world by saying the U.S will implement emissions cuts of 17% by 2020, but what he doesn’t mention is U.S carbon emissions will go up by another in the same period by about 15%(24-40% is needed) so the real cut will actually be 4%! nice try guys. China on the other hand is racing to catch up and overtake the U.S economy and you know they “ain’t tryna” slow down their booming industries and factories any time soon. Climate Change just demonstrates the weaknesses in this so-called “best of bad systems” called capitalism; it can truly be a sick system. As in, humans are willing to take their planet to hell just to make a profit; it’s mind-boggling how short-sighted our species can be.

So now developing nations walked out of the Copenhagen meeting in protest of rich nations trying to do away with the Kyoto Protocol (which the U.S refused to sign) and implement a new one. Environment Minister John Michuki (this guy should have been President)i said the rich nations are practicing “dictatorship” on this issue.  He used the analogy of a country trying to join the U.N; that country wouldn’t throw out the U.N constitution so they can be allowed to join which is basically what the USA is trying to do.  The USA wants to control any agreement being signed in their usual imperialist manner, but I think the developing world should unite and veto (can they do that) any agreement trying to overturn Kyoto. If the USA is refusing to sign Kyoto because they want to wiggle away from significant emissions cuts, then they should be left out in the cold so the world knows who the real guilty party is. They shouldn’t be allowed to change the rules just to suit their country while the world suffers from the effects of their industries.

So what is the result of all these talks and summits, will anything concrete change on the ground? I doubt it, the U.S is not trying to give up the No.1 spot to anyone and thus their carbon emission will go up even more. China could care less about going green; they have only been doing token measures like building a “green” building here and there.

Sadly I don’t think humans will do much to stop and/or reverse adverse climate change. In my opinion its human nature to wait until there is real disaster until we finally wake up. This disaster would probably mean the freezing over of Europe and U.S (I don’t think even millions dying in Africa will change anything, it has to affect *sigh* white people before action is taken.) So get used to hotter and hotter decades to come, and think about how your children and grand-children will survive in an unpredictable new world. People in the Maldives will soon have to look for a whole new country as their island goes under the sea; this might be another major humanitarian crisis to come.

All that said, do what you can as an individual to preserve the environment:

·         Do not burn plastics and other pollutants, recycle.

·         Plant trees in your compound and water and take care of them. Urge friends, neighbors to do the same.

·          Collect rain water in storage tanks in your home.

-      use methods like drip irrigation on your farm(s) to use water efficiently. 

·         Install solar panels and wind generators in your home if possible.

·         Switch off lights, turn off taps when not in use.

·         If you live near work and don’t travel much, sell your car and use a bicycle. Or use public transport.

·         Do not litter the streets, there are dustbins all over Nairobi use them.

·         When you’re at Coast don’t throw litter on the beach or into the ocean.

·         Demand to know what environmental policies your MP is implementing in your constituency; make it an issue that your MP can’t ignore.

·         Urge the Kenyan government to implement green(er) technologies & infrastructure like electric transport systems, wind turbines, solar, geo-thermal, nuclear etc. Visit the relevant ministries and ask to see what policies are in place. (You can also write letters, articles to newspapers/magazines.)

This as I realized some years ago has nothing to do with being a “tree-hugger” or some environmental freak. God instructed us in Genesis to take care of Creation. Don’t be a short-sighted person, take conservation seriously and play your part as a citizen of the world, let your descendants think of you well for what you did for the planet.

Video: Wyre - "The Love Child"(Medley)

Chris Adwar on the piano.

Music Seen! Andy Allo - "Unfresh"

  Unfresh is the debut album from new artist Andy Allo and is her attempt to get noticed among the crowded R&B/Neo-Soul genre. With so much talent in this genre it is sometimes hard to find the artists who are trying something different. With Unfresh Andy Allo manages to craft an album that will get repeated listens.  Andy sets out to make an album that mostly deals with love & relationships which she does in an honest way. This is a woman, who has seen the different sides of love and you sort of feel like she is reading words straight from her diary.

On the first song “Fly Away” however Andy raps, yes raps about hope amidst depression and loss what with the economy just barely recovering from a depression. The song doesn’t really feel like a triumphant anthem but sort of a “just hold-on” even with everything that’s going on.  “Come Home To Me” is the next song on the album and is a beautiful, smooth R&B track and is a song about trust with Andy telling her love interest she is not worried about what he’s up to in the daytime as long as he goes home to her at the end of it. On “I Want Love” a song that features some smoothed-put drum and piano Andy is talking about how love is the most important thing and all else are just formalities.

  “Hooked” is the first single from Unfresh and is how I first heard of Andy Allo. It is has a track that would not be out of place with India Arie on it, but fits perfectly for Andy’s sweet vocals. The song itself is self-explanatory with her talking about the person she can’t get out of her mind; cupid has definitely struck. “Unfresh” though a cool party track was not an absolute necessity for this album as I think Andy could have gone all the way mid to slow tempo with the disc. Andy shows her sweet, innocent vocals on the chorus of “Dreamland” a song featuring Californian underground rap star Blu. “Knew You At All” is one of the highlights of the album and is a straight acoustic guitar with Andy’s calm vocals. On the song Andy tries to figure out where the love that seemed from heaven went; she can’t figure out who this new person is who she was once in love with.

  “Conclusions” is my favourite song on the album and is a well-written song about suspicions that your love is not telling the full truth about his activities. She can’t communicate with him “this is how its gonna be/you talking on your phone, married to technology.” She is trying not to jump to conclusions but she is tired of the guessing-game and wants out, “falling to a deeper confusion/illusions of grandeur/my image of you is shattered.” The album closes with Stalker anotherup-tempo song that definitely need not have made the cut. Unfresh is a good debut from Andy Allo and is worth checking out if you are still yearning for new talent on the R&B/neo-soul scene.

::KC Rating:: 4 out of 5 stars

Andy Allo seems to be reading straight out of her diary on her debut album. A good gift for your significant other. 

Listen: Andy Allo - "Hooked"

Video: Abdullahi Ahmed on Kuweni Serious!

Following reports of the illegal sale of Kenyan identification papers to foreigners, the government issued a directive to restrict issuance of identification papers to ethnically Somali individuals (whether from Somalia or Kenyan-born). We met Abdullahi Ahmed, a Kenyan journalist, who explained how directives such as these are affecting Kenyan citizens of Somali origin. “You can’t go to college without an ID.”, he reminded us.

Any Somalian reading this please contact me- kenyachristian@live.com. There is some writing I'm working on and would like to translate it from English to Somali.

Video: Jimmie Gait - "Huratiti"

Video: Mavuno Worship - "I Believe" (Christmas Edition)

Harry Kimani - "Away in a Manger"

Here is some new music to get you in the festive mood.

Listen: Harry Kimani - "Away in a Manger"

Some Chris Bitok as a bonus.

Listen: Chris Bitok - "Joy to the World"

Video: Mr.T - "Finje Finje"(Remix)

featuring Kevohyout,Holydave,Othole,Jah ,Xpo and Mr Googs



Video: Mr.T - "Finje Finje"

Sade - "Soldier of Love"

Some new Sade from her upcoming album Soldier of Love.

Listen: Sade - "Soldier Of Love"

Video: Jose Palos - "Music"

Previously: Pastor Cox about Jay-Z's lyrics

TV Seen! Shuga: A Sweet Solution?

As a part of their Staying Alive initiative, MTV now bring the drama series Shuga which is under MTV Ignite. MTV Ignite is a campaign in Kenya, Ukraine & Trinidad & Tobago which aims at creating awareness amongst youth on HIV/AIDS and changing their sexual behavior. The Shuga series is one of the TV programmes to launch the campaign and is aimed at the Kenyan youth market.

Set in modern-day Nairobi, Shuga follows the lives of a group of young Kenyans Skola (David Omwange), Ty (Pepe Haze), Ayira (Luipta Nyong’o), Sindi (Valerie Kimani), Violet (Sharon Olago), Virginia (Eva Kanyang’onda), Leo (Nicholas Mutuma) & Kennedy (Anthony Mwangi.) As it is a show specifically aimed at HIV/AIDs awareness, it mainly focuses on these young Kenyans’ sexual lives as they interact with each other.

Ayira is a beautiful and ambitious lady who wants to make it in the world give take her struggling mum and sister a good life. To achieve this she ends up getting intimately involved with Felix (Tumisho Masha) and she gets hired to his Maverick ad agency. The irresistible screen presence of Ayira and convincing acting from Felix make the pair the standouts of Shuga. There is an intense scene between them in Felix’s office after Ayira suspects he hasn’t told her everything about his past.  As Ayira threatens to quit Felix arrogantly declares “No one quits Maverick!” and Ayira’s reply “I’ll take my chances.” That’s not to say they are the only good actors, most of the actors deliver strong performances and Shuga has discovered new acting talents. Valerie Kimani who has been in Tusker Project Fame 1 and is currently impressing crowds with the Mo Faya musical is on her way to becoming a household name. In Shuga she plays a Sindo, a virgin who disapproves of her friends’ careless lifestyles. Due to her auntie’s death from AIDS she carries around condoms in her handbag to distribute to people.

Shuga although targeted to Kenyan youth, mostly features the lives of middle to upper class Nairobi youth. Take Ty who drives around in a 6-4(American 60s car) and Skola who owns the latest BMW, average Kenyan youth I don’t think so.  Due to the fact that it is about youth sexuality and HIV/AIDs Shuga features quite a number of intimate scenes, some quite heavy with a lot of lip-locking. This sometimes goes overboard though with Leo and Virginia who have just come from a worship session getting real frisky on the church steps. Though times are changing and there is more of this kind of stuff and Kenyan screens I wonder if it is really necessary. There is a lot of excitement and talk surrounding Shuga, but I am concerned many young Kenyans will receive this new drama series unquestioningly. It is bad enough statistics are showing Kenyans are sexually active and younger ages, now they will watch Shuga and think that, that is how Kenyan youth are all living. Of course risky behavior and sexual activity is a reality for many young Kenyans, but does that mean TV shows should be encouraging this lifestyle.

Shuga although it features Sindi as the virgin(I guess to balance it out) still leaves one with the feeling that casual, irresponsible sex is just fine as long as you have a condom in your back pocket.  This is just more Western ideas being imported to Kenyan audiences who are expected and encouraged to adopt them. After all Shuga is an MTV product, the media giant that has been instrumental in brainwashing at least two generations of kids as to what’s hip. Yes Shuga has all the glamour and high production values (and might I add a good soundtrack-Wahu & Nonini’s sound great in it ) but I really doubt this is the stuff Kenyan youth should be consuming right now. I would rather we got more shows like Tahidi High which though don’t have the big budgets are more responsible and want Kenyan solutions to Kenyan questions, not just cut and paste from American(or even South African) life.


Shuga Trailer from mtv staying alive on Vimeo.

Shuga just says to me that the government and Kenyan corporate need to invest more in film and TV shows so that we nurture talent and can have content is originally Kenyan.  Shuga will surely become a popular watch, but this will mostly because it will wow audiences with its Westernized style of presentation (check out the twitter/facebook-like bubbles that pop up during scenes.)  shuga should be the que for Kenyan TV show producers and directors to say, no we are not going to just import foreign ideas for mass consumption . We are Kenyans we know better how to present our issues and connect with youth, it can be done. I’ll be drinking my tea strungi on this one.

Writing With Light: The Art of Picture Taking

I recently made my way over to Kuona Trust in Hurlingham to check out the Writing With Light launch. This is an exhibition by 12 upcoming photographers who just finished a 14 week photography workshop facilitated by pro photographer Sylvia Gichia. This was workshop intended to improve the skills of upcoming photographers, and help them improve their individual styles.

I arrived about half an hour into the start of the exhibition and there were already quite a number of people there. After greeting a few people I immediately went to check out the gallery of pictures. As you enter the exhibition there is a small room with a TV set up in one corner which was playing slides of photos of the photographers during the workshop. This made the photographers stories and journeys come alive as you see the different activities they took part in to get to their debut exhibition. Hanging from the ceiling on rolls of film were pictures of the photographers; each picture with accompanying brief story of the photographer, what the workshop meant to them and why they did it. This gave the exhibition an effective personal touch and made me understand where each photographer was at in their journey.

In the main exhibition area the pictures had been arranged along the walls, and featured an assortment of different styles of photography. On the walls was also a sketch of a roll of film which flowed from one side of the room to the other, showing that like rollercoaster tracks the journey for these photographers was an exciting one. The first picture was a particularly striking one by Juan Morales. It eerily resembled a picture of the World Trade Center on fire, but in the description Juan made it clear “NOT a recreation of 9/11.” Obviously I don’t believe him, but the photo as it says on the description is of the “Senate & Chamber office building as seen Behind the Pantheon flame.” From the spooky pictures, to ones of calm like “Beautiful Sunset” by Clifford Agumbi there was a lot of yellow and sort of sets of the exhibition on a fiery note. Something refreshing about this exhibition was that although the photographers were mostly Kenyan there weren’t only scenes of landscape and wildlife, but of ordinary everyday scenes. This begs the question, why do Westerners think pictures of wildlife, sunsets and Maasai represent all there is to Africa and can African photographers work to change this image? Wedding photography has been a popular genre in Kenya for a long time, and people usually just bought ordinary church and reception pictures from roving wedding paparazzi. Now though is seems Kenyans are tired of the same old group shots but want professional photographers who will capture unique images. “Wambui” by Peninah Njuguna captures this changing trend towards natural, exciting but beautiful wedding photography. This exhibition also explores themes of light and shadow as seen in “Solitude in Laikipia” and pattern and colour in the striking “Tomatoes in Kibera,” both by Wangari Muikia. In her piece “Inner Matatu. Wangari explained how she saw these mikokoteni(hand carts) with matatu wheels that had been converted into beds. Julian Njoroge is a young upcoming photographer whose work explores everyday street scenes using black and white, and sometimes adding a dash of neon light like in “Pop A Cold One.”

This exhibition offered an opportunity for the photographers to work with other pro’s like Boniface Mwangi of “Kenya Burning” who workshopped on photojournalism, and Kobi Kihara of Citizen TV’s Breakfast Show who workshopped on Photography for TV. Photography is slowly becoming more popular among young creative Kenyans and writing With Light showed that photography is in fact an art form just like any other. Check out “Ndizi” by Wachira Mwangi which could rival a good abstract painting.

Writing With light demonstrated that there are so many paths yet to be explored by Kenyan photographers and the possibilities are endless. With workshops like these Kenyan photographers can nurture their talent and new forms of photography can be explored and brought to the public. The Kenyan photography scene is in dire lack of creativity, boldness and originality. As an art form it is also not yet respected yet there is a lot of skill, patience and knowledge that goes into becoming a good photographer. I hope Writing With Light will inspire other photographers to explore the art of taking pictures more, and use their cameras just like a brush to inspire, shock, provoke and change.

Writing With Light exhibition runs until December 11th at Kuona Trust, Likoni, Lane off Dennis Pritt Road 

Imagine Co. presents Next Level Performance & Exhibition

The Imagine Company invites you to an evening of performance and exhibition, showcasing the outcome of a two month mentorship programme. Presenting Theatre: Christine Kimani mentored by Cajetan Boy, Music: Wafalme mentored by Calif Records, Performance Poetry: Rhoda Jura mentored by Njeri Wangari & Steve Partington and more.

Date: Sunday 13th December, 2009

Time: 6:00 pm

Venue: Louis Leakey Auditorium,Kenya National Museum, Museum Hill

Tickets: Ksh500(Advance) Ksh600(At Gate)

Mpesa 0725-246983,  ZAP 0734-024295

Video: Kinanda Arts Festival promo

The band playing in the video is Ma3

Video: What is Ushahidi?

Ushahidi, which means ”testimony” in Swahili, is a website that was developed to map reports of violence in Kenya after the post-election fallout at the beginning of 2008. We’re working to build a new platform that can be used anywhere in the world, and this blog tells some of that story.
Ushahidi’s roots are in the collaboration of Kenyan citizen journalists during a time of crisis.
read more here

Picha Mtaani Exhibition

Date: 6th - 8th December 2009

Venue: outside The Hilton, Moi avenue

Entry: Free

Video: DNA - "Mtoto wa Sonko"

featuring Kambua & Isaac Kahurah

Video: Kwame - "Mola"

featuring Astar