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NERVE CENTER Published by UNDER THE BAOBAB PRODUCTIONS letsmeet@underthebaobab.net
Management • Articles Ring Leader a.k.a Okwi Okoh Art Direction • Design & Layout Design Jockey a.k.a Vikki Keingati Photography by CLICK www.click.co.ke
Sharp Shooter a.k.a Mwangi Kirubi Marksman a.k.a Wagema Munyori Sniper a.k.a Ciku Mugwe
SPECIAL THANKS Our Dad in Heaven Ken Oloo, Filamujuani Jennie Ozumba, International Justice Mission All our friends and family
on the cover Chris Adwar, Musician, The Villagers snapped by SHARP SHOOTER performing in Nairobi.
KWELI Magazine
KWELIMedia
THE BLUEPRINT TALKING KILLS. It kills your dreams and can destroy your soul. People can talk and talk about all the things they want to do, could do, hope to do, plan to do… And then one day, you’re struggling to get in a few final words, from your death-bed, after living an unfulfilled life. Our dream was to be a vital part of a generation that’s going to use our passion for media and Africa, to influence perspectives, income levels and the status quo. But we had spent too many crucial years talking... Thank God for rattling our cages and kicking us out of our comfort zones that year. We bungiejumped and created the KWELI Media Network. Our forays into traditional forms of media influence have been at times frustrating but ultimately have served as appetizers - a glimpse into just how much is possible when you love to work with and around still and moving images, words and software. We try to never say never, but a return to print for us is highly unlikely. Not in the world of the iPAD, Android, Wi-Fi, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and who knows what new media-tech wave is about to sweep over us? Africa’s chunk of cyberspace is hungry for all the positive content
that it can get its hands on. Here at KWELI, we’re looking to meet as much of that demand as effectively as possible - for as long as we can and in as many ways as we can. There’s already a lot of stuff out there, but some of it is really scary. A lot of artists, directors, producers and personalities are saying a lot of things. But maybe they’re not aware that talking kills. We feel that people need to be more responsible or conscious of their lyrics, their scripts and their speeches. Rather than point fingers and play the blame game, we’ve decided we’ll just keep shining the spotlight on change agents and inspirational personalities and the creators of entertainment, trends and solutions that does us proud. We’re happy to say that we’ve got tons of material and people to follow. In this issue, we’ve roped in The Villagers, Juliani, Just A Band, Sauti Sol and the International Justice Mission to help us prove our point. Welcome to Kenya’s cultural renaissance. We didn’t start it, but we’re really excited to be along for the ride.
God Bless KWELI Nerve Center
KWELI is published and distributed by Under the Baobab Productions Limited. © ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. If you copy us or any of our ISSUE ideas we’ll come for you. 8 | APRIL 11 3
got WHAT WE’VE
8 B E I NSPI R E D
B E I N F O R M ED
B E EN T ER TAINED
18 EASY TARGET
6 MIC (REALITY) CHECK
8 DANCING IN THE STREET
Feature
We profile individuals or organizations that have shrugged off apathy to tackle the problems in our society and give them a platform to share their inspirational stories.
4 KWELI | ISSUE 8 | APRIL 11
Feature
The microphone is a powerful tool for social change and entertainment. But in the wrong hands it can be a weapon of mass distraction!
Feature
Just A Band chalks up another first by holding a street concert in order to launch ‘Kudishnyao!’ - their video art exhibition.
16
11 ISSUE 8 | APRIL 11 5
Reality
Dance the night away Grab somebody, drink a little more
Bottoms up bottoms up (up) Ay whats in ya cup Got a couple bottles But a couple aint enough – ‘On the Floor’ by Jennifer Lopez Bottoms up bottoms up (up) Pocket full of green Jump off that sofa Girl you know I love the way you Let’s get OFF shakin it them jeans Fill up my cup (Drink) – ‘Bottoms Up’ by Trey Songz ft. Nikki Minaj Mozolotov! Look at her dancing (Move it Move it) Just take it off Let’s paint the town – ‘I Gotta Feeling’ by Blacked Eyed Peas
6 KWELI | ISSUE 8 | APRIL 11
And we don’t let our worries inside, Until it gets bright outside, We’re breaking all the rules that we know! We outta control! We rock and we roll! And nothing gonna ever stop the party you know! – ‘Party All Night’ by Sean Kingston
So dance dance Like its the last last night of your life life Keep downing drinks like this, Not tomorrow not just right now now now now n-now now – ‘DJ Got Us Falling in Love’ Again by Usher
SHARP SHOOTER & SNIPER SNAPPED ‘EM
THESE ARE excerpts from some of the songs that have topped the international charts in recent weeks. Far be it from us to judge anyone, but we’re noticing a trend here.
Wise men tell us that “variety is the spice of life” and “that there’s a time for everything under the sun”. So why does it seem like popular culture has become fixated on perpetuating a lifestyle based almost exclusively on throwing caution to the wind? Please keep it in perspective. These guys (whose lyrics are above) are trying to sell records. One of the fastest ways to do that is to pen a “club banger” i.e. a party anthem that will keep the drinks flowing, booties shaking and the harshness of life far, far away. Random sexual encounters? Oceans of booze? Credit cards with no limits? A life with no consequences? That’s not our experience and that’s not our reality.
Don’t just follow the crowd unless you know for sure that they’re headed out of slavery and bound for the Promised Land! For example, maybe you can “jump on the sofa, from off the bar, with the girl shakin’ it the way you like and get off every night”. But you’re on a continent where a certain little virus is more than likely to crash the party and turn five minutes of reckless abandon into a lifetime of popping a totally different kind of cocktail. Just saying. But while some lyrics are causing concern over here at the Nerve Centre, there are others, much closer to home, that are putting smiles on our faces and causing our toes to tap. Check these out… > ISSUE 8 | APRIL 11 7
MAISHA ya TV, tutaishi sisi, wengi WANAPOTEA wengi wakata tamaa, TWACHUNA RIBA vijana juu ya vile tutang’aa ajuaye rabana ndiye
atuongoza,
kijana masiku zazidi BADILIKA kijana soma soma soma badilika kijana – ‘Soma Kijana’ by Sauti Sol
8 KWELI | ISSUE 8 | APRIL 11
KIJANA masiku zazidi
Translation: We are living life based on what we see on the T.V., therefore as a result many of us young people get lost along the way or we simply give up... But then as all this goes on, some of us are still working hard with the goal of getting far in life and in the end it’s only God who knows how you’ll turn out because he is the giver and guider of life. So young people take your education seriously, because times are changing and in this case beautiful and more intelligent people are being born and as a result the world keeps changing so take your studies so that you’re not knocked out of the equation.
Click here
to watch the Soma Kijana music video ISSUE 8 | APRIL 11 9
I come
from a
small town not too far The
from here
villagers they know me
and they
HOLD ME DEAR
Every time
I’m leaving
know I’m headed to
They want to
where
Who shall I be MEETING? They
send me with their
greetings…
…See where I’m from when a It’s
baby is born
not only
mother’s or only the father’s RESPONSIBILITY
the
Everyone’s a brother
everyone’s Everyone’s a everyone’s a
a sister
son and
daughter
– ‘Obama’ by The Villagers
10 KWELI | ISSUE 8 | APRIL 11
There was a time we had totally lost the plot here in Nairobi and in many other African cultural and commercial capitals as well. Just like in The Matrix, the technology that was meant to make life easier and cheaper for creatives, had run away with us. Money-hungry opportunists jumped into the entertainment scene like a Swede who had been sitting in their sauna for much too long. Armed
with pirated software and a keen sense of the lazier and sleazier sides of our human consciousness, they pumped out hit - after embarrassing hit - glorifying “the lifestyles of the rich and shameless” and generally saying nothing about anything. But it seems that Kenya’s melody makers have caught on to the fact that selling CDs, or trying to, will not pay the bills – despite the efforts of the Music
Copyright Society of Kenya. And with that realization, we’re seeing the emergence – or return - of bands i.e. live music and conscious, relevant lyrics. Not all bands are equal. Some of them are clearly never heard of “Morpheus” and make you want to ask for your money back. But others make you want to actually buy their album after the gig. Some bands understand > ISSUE 8 | APRIL 11 11
Sina
rims... TIMS...
mabling-bling,
LAKINI na uhusiano na
king OF KINGS
– ‘Mtaa Mentality’ by Juliani
Translation: I don’t have rims, tims (timbalands), or bling but I hang out with the King of kings
Click here
to watch a live performance by Uju
12 KWELI | ISSUE 8 | APRIL 11
the importance of putting on a good show i.e. starting on time, having good sound but others…are…otherwise! We’re not asking Africa’s youth to become boring. We’re asking you to…think. We’re asking you to seek… balance. We’re asking you to find your own…identity. We’re reminded of an interview we watched a couple of months ago with Earl Joseph, a guitarist with South African band Uju. “To a large extent, our message is: ‘Use your Brain’. Unfortunately, dumb has become cool and it’s very difficult
to break through that in the current state of the country. I mean we are a very young democracy, people are enjoying the freedom to be silly and there’s nothing wrong with that but there has to be a balance and the balance has got be that at some point thinking has got to become cool again and being at the vanguard of trying to promote that makes you always swimming upstream; we are always swimming upstream against the mainstream.” Sauti Sol, The Villagers, Just A Band and Juliani are among the >
ISSUE 8 | APRIL 11 13
Daniel Muli
staki kuskiza story za CHARITY
charity nipe wings ni-defy-fy gravity, GRAVITY... – ‘Hahe’ by Just A Band
Translation: Don’t want to hear about charity, give me wings and let me defy gravity
‘Blinky’ Bill
Jim Chuchu
leaders of a growing number of Kenyan musicians that are also urging us to think. They’re fun, factual and focused on keeping it real. They’ve got songs about politics, love, police harassment and respect for our parents. And just when complaints started that they were being overplayed
and overexposed, they sidestep the stagnation facing many top Kenyan artists and release new songs or add something extra to their performances. The KWELI Media Network isn’t out to promote these groups. We aim to inform, inspire and entertain.
Mbithi Masya
We seek out and profile those who are striving to strike the balance between those three pillars. We’re all about putting Africa’s heroes, issues and life out there in a positive and constructive way, and we’re happy to join up with anyone out there who is out to do the same. ☐
ISSUE 8 | APRIL 11 15
DANCING IN THE STREET WE DON’T get out as much as we would like. So when we do have that rare evening out, we like to make it count. ‘Kudishnyao!’ was a great junction of all the things that make a great night for us: sometimes we just want to express our genetic predisposition to start dancing whenever a good beat presents itself: Forever People (Do It So Delicious). Sometimes we want to lift our fists and articulate our issues with “the system” or even just to encourage people who 16 KWELI | ISSUE 8 | APRIL 11
are using the mic to offer solutions: Migingo Express, Ha-He, Usinbore or maybe we just want to be around conscious creatives in the hopes that some of it will rub off! Opening night was not the best time to take in the video installations. The chorus of chatter coming from the crowd maid to hard to absorb the six simultaneous stories being told on the screens. We’re headed back before the exhibition closes on April
29 to get the full gist. We recommend you do the same. It’s always best to hear it from the horse’s mouth so click here to find out JAB had to say about their latest offering, their origins and the dudes behind one of the most exciting acts to emerge from Nairobi in recent years… ☐
Just because I’m an AFRICAN with black skin, It doesn’t mean that I can’t win if I TRY… It doesn’t matter where you’ve been, what you SEEN, what you know I know I’m going to win I’ve got the HEART of a
champion
So don’t tell me what I can or can’t do I can change THE WORLD... – ‘Usinibore’ by Just A Band
Click here
to watch Sarah Mitaru perform live with Just A Band
Click here
to watch the Kudishnyao! street concert
Click here
to find out more about Kudishnyao! ISSUE 8 | APRIL 11 17
In this section we profile individuals or organizations that have shrugged off apathy to tackle the problems in our society.
issue THE REAL
EASY
T E G R A T AFTER FIVE long months spent languishing in jail, 26-year-old Aggrey is now a free man. In late January 2011, through the help of International Justice Mission, Aggrey was acquitted of false charges of theft that would have kept him in prison for up to seven years. Two years ago Aggrey moved from his village up-country to Nairobi. He gained employment as a night watchman, guarding the offices of a telecommunications company. In the early hours of February 5, 2010, Aggrey noticed suspicious activity around the guard post. Before he could react, Aggrey was viciously overpowered at gun-point. Armed men entered the offices and stole close to Ksh 500,000 worth of goods and cash. Aggrey was
18 KWELI | ISSUE 8 | APRIL 11
L to R: Stephen Olang (Director of Church & Community Relations, IJM), Aggrey Angenga, Beatrice Aduda (Aggrey’s sister) and Ronald Rogo (IJM Advocate)
defenseless. The employer had not provided him with either a whistle or a torch. There wasn’t even an alarm installed in the building, so there was no way for him to summon help. Badly shaken, Aggrey managed to run to the headquarters 10 minutes away. Returning with his manager to the compound, they were met by security guards from a neighboring facility who had heard the commotion. Local police and the owner of the business had also been alerted. The owner was anxious to make a successful insurance claim for his loss, and his policy required evidence of arrest. Apparently, feeling
at Industrial Remand Prison pending his trial – despite the complete lack of any evidence against him. The situation seemed hopeless. He has a serious health condition and during that time was unable to access his vital medications. Also, his wife back in the village gave birth to their first child. Fortunately, Aggrey was referred to International Justice Mission (IJM) and they quickly began working to defend Aggrey. “What strikes me the most about this case and other illegal detention cases, is how poverty contributes to someone’s vulnerability,” remarks
no one to STAND UP for him refuting the baseless charges. His vocation LEFT him particularly VULNERABLE. Aggrey would have had
pressure to move on the case, the police arrested Aggrey, charged him with stealing and he was remanded
George Obiero, IJM Aftercare Specialist. Unable to afford a lawyer, Aggrey would have had no one
to stand up for him refuting the baseless charges. His vocation left him particularly vulnerable. IJM has represented 13 more security guards that have been wrongfully charged with robbery with violence. Fortunately for Aggrey,help came quickly. He was released on free bond by July. In IJM, he would have someone to help him tell the truth in court. In January 2011, Aggrey was acquitted of all charges. Rather than become bitter about his treatment, Aggrey is now appreciative of the court system and how easily people can be oppressed. For now, Aggrey has moved back to his village to be with his young family and take up farming. Instead of wasting away in prison, Aggrey will be present for his daughter’s childhood. Meanwhile IJM’s work continues as many more innocent persons, not as fortunate as Aggrey to get a lawyer to defend them, are suffering in remand prisons subjecting them and their families to unwarranted suffering. ☐
If you come across anyone that you feel is being detained illegally please contact us at: International Justice Mission Email: Kenya@ijm.org Phone: +254 (0)20 201 4628
For more information about the work of International Justice Mission in Kenya or to get involved, please visit www.IJM.org
ISSUE 8 | APRIL 11 19
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