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An Open Letter to Prof Makau Mutua, keep your predictions to yourself.

Dear Prof. Makau Mutua, “I keep picturing all these little kids playing some game in this big field of rye and all. Thousands of little kids, and nobody's around - nobody big, I mean - except me. And I'm standing on the edge of some crazy cliff. What I have to do, I have to catch everybody if they start to go over the cliff - I mean if they're running and they don't look where they're going I have to come out from somewhere and catch them. That's all I do all day. I'd just be the catcher in the rye and all. I know it's crazy, but that's the only thing I'd really like to be.” ― J.D. Salinger, The Catcher in the Rye Prof, you and J.D Salinger clearly share no beliefs. And maybe you shouldn’t. But I feel that you would be the man with an evil laugh pushing the thousands of little children off the cliff. Let me explain. Your tweet on the 23rd of Dec 2012,in Buffalo, New York "@makaumutua I predict a military coup in Kenya after t

Dear Diary...an entry from Mozambique

I've had a marathon of a day. These grueling hours are becoming the norm, yet strangely, I'm starting to really enjoy them. I just returned to my room after a delightful dinner with Sammy, my cameraman, at a charming spot called Mimmo's, a stone's throw away from our home away from home, Hotel Africa. The warm evening air wrapped around us like a warm embrace,  Despite the wind's antics, the night was undeniably beautiful. We are staying on the outskirts of the city and it's quite safe, at least in our neck of the woods. We stroll to and from the restaurant, each night, greeted now not with just Portuguese pleasantries but with genuine hellos. Tonight, I indulged in a gift to myself—a glass of Vinho de Tinto, dry and rich. Ah, the fruit of our labor paired with prego and chips, served with a side of conversation with our waitress. Remarkably, she mastered English all on her own. Oh, how I miss my daughter's endless tales of school and friends. I also miss my

My Samora Mâchél...

It feels like its been forever since I posted something. Well, now I have something to say. About places and people and what distance does to you. I'm in Mozambique, the country of Samora Mâchél, the man I fell in love with when I was a little girl. So, imagine how it feels to step on where he probably stepped and to listen to stories from those that adored him almost as much as I did and those that shook hands with him or even saw him on TV. Vivid memories that have now become mine too. I love Maputo, there's something about this city that I'm yet to put my finger on. It is an old city, several of the buildings were built in the hey days, there's a lot of renovation and new buildings coming up, there's some amazing food, and there's Laurentina, a local beer that I will have to taste. Or perhaps it is that person ...never mind. The days here have been laborious, I've been up at 6 am every morning and wrapping at One am, promptly. Editing and s

The 4 Capitals that entreprenuers must have.

I had to share this on my blog. Personal capital, Intellectual Capital, Social capital, Financial Capital and why you need them all. Can I be bold enough to add Erotic Capital? I have just got the book " Honey Money;The Power of Erotic Capital" and I can tell you a few reasons why it makes a lot of sense. I found a review on the Guardian about the very controversial book bySenior Economics lecturer at London Busines School Catherine Hakimm Check the  Book Review, Honey Money, The power of erotic capital I shall talk about that here this week, for now, head over to where all entreprenuers should be checking ever so often. The link is below The 4 Capitals That Matter for Entrepreneurs, Employees, & Interns

LAMU TAMU, A Love Story.

I'm typing this post from Lamu House. A place that is reminiscent of a film whose title i cannot remember, but it was in a little spanish village. Homely, intensely romantic, simply furnished in Safari and a variety of African decor and amazing food. Infront of me is the sea, waves crushing softly, I am barefoot because Steve Biko says it is like Zen to be barefoot in Lamu. I notice a few other barefoot people walking across the little street that separates the Lamu House patio restaurant. There's a plane taking off not too off in the visible Manda Island, perhaps the dash 8 belonging to Fly540 that takes us back home tomorrow. I hope I have managed to make you sufficiently jealous. But. I wasn't made for the sea. I just had a boat ride. It is a big deal because it was a rough ride. I hate deep waters. Deep means anything beyond 4 feet deep. Meaning my head must be above the water when i stand in it. I am 5ft 1. Finally, I understand what raging water

Why Social Media is the Ultimate Ice Breaker

Yesterday I was reading a conversation on twitter (kenentrepreneur  and someone else I cant really remember now) and they talked about how Social media is too young to have experts. And in a sense I do agree. Social media, especially for brands, organisations and celebrities in our space (meaning in Africa) is still trying to find it's proper footing. While several people associate it with a twitter handle and a facebook page, it is way above that, it is in my opinion, what email was to secretaries in the mid 80's. Neither here nor there, butdefiantely cheaper, faster, and without the walk to post office, or to the next post office when they ran out of stamps. But there are a few people who seem to be getting it right. Last week I had breakfast with Mark Kaigwa , amazing young man who talked me through how things work, what to do, and what not to do. I also set up a coffee date with Marvin Tumbo , he who runs the TNA online strategy(Uhuru Kenyatta). They're both the

Leadership, Caroline Mutoko and why I'm happy about KTDC

I am fascinated by leadership. I constantly ask myself what it is about leaders that make them stand out, or how they manage to be the ones charting out the path for others to follow. How do they convince others that their plan, strategy and ideas are what others should believe in, and take them up as if it were their own, with such passion and infectious energy? When I heard that Caroline Mutoko had been appointed the chair of the Kenya Tourism Development Corporation , my leadership alert perked. Caroline Mutoko is a leader. No doubt. We have seen her in action, on the streets, on Radio, and when recently watched her on CNN's African voices , I wondered, how one person can garner so much leadership essentials, and how she manages to not only run a high level career, maintain a genuine patriotism for a country whose leaders she constantly contests, and still be a doting mother. Now, Tourism is topmost in the Kenyan agenda. Ms Mutoko displays through her steel hand a con

I celebrate Kenya

I started a discussion on twitter this afternoon, tagged #Icelebratekenya interesting what tweets came out of it. I think I should be part of the Brand Kenya team. I could do it for free (I lie) but you get me, right? No, I don't want to go to the Olympics, I don't even like crowded places. Thanks. I digress. Timing is everything.Given the Kenyan team's departure to London, there is this profound patriotic spirit that is now hovering around. Most other times, we are such a fragmented nation, torn apart by not only tribe, but also by economic disparity and a growing techonology gap, where the rate of urbanisation is leaving most of rural Kenya in the last century. But, today, and in the next few weeks, Brand Kenya should have maximized on this grand spirit, that may not be here for another few years. So, this afternoon, we tried to celebrate those things that make us Kenyan. Here are a few tweets.

Victory dance :-)

Ok Maybe you do :-) But thanking Bankelele for the mention in his 10 Business Blogs in East Africa. Mucho gracias my Brother!

Dear Ian, 10 years, but always in my heart.

Gal this is Ian, Wanjohi gave me your address jana and told me that i have to talk to you. Don’t know what but all in all how have you been? I am just from job hungry and worn out and the only thing that is ringing in my head is kitchen then bed. Hope to hear from you soon. Bye! Njoroge. This was a letter written to me on 6th March 2002, from a young man i was seriously growing a crush on. His name was Ian, and he had the most beautiful eyes. This was an email he wrote to me when a mutual friend (Wanjohi) made fun of how much he thought I liked Ian. I did, and after this email, were more emails and phone calls to his home in Sigona, or he to my aunt's house in Buruburu where I lived then; way back when landlines ruled the world. We were both students at the Alliance Francaise, but he was way ahead of me, and was already pretty fluent in French, he had even taken up a part time job teaching French in a school in Westlands. We would have several lunches together at a

Just to see you again

I want to see you again To feel my heart beating again quicken with latent, sensual response That a woman only feels for her man That smile, sneer, smirk... shimmering anticipation splintering excitement As your gaze burns into mine shadowy darkness silken warmth utterly, irrevocably male I'd love to see you again Then smile at the memory

Just a Brand

I started listening to Radio! Yeah that’s big, I have never owned a radio, or an iPod, or any gadgets in that pool, but I’m driving a friend’s car and, unlike mine, which survives on original cd’s of my favorite musicians, his car can receive several radio channels. So I listen to Capital in the morning (Chris Foot) and in the evening (Maqbul and Cess), and occasionally, the weekend football show on Kiss and Classic. So, I have also been subjected to advertising. Subjected, because I feel like creative people have picked the lazy path and are dishing ( with great colorful presentations ) I think, thoughtless advertising that is nothing close to what I believe the basics of advertising are. I’m not a creative. I am not in advertising. But I know a bad advert when I see or hear one. I once worked as a client service assistant at Express Advertising, but even that does not make me an expert. Take the Toss advert for instance, a girl who sounds pretty excited talking about how th

Lost in translation?

This morning I saw a twitter update about a Korean Air Ad, promoting its new 3 times a week flight to Nairobi, which would otherwise be great news, as Kenya embraces the East as tourist and investor numbers from the traditional western markets begin to decline following not only the European financial crisis, but internal issues such as the post-election violence in 2007-2008, as well as continued tension between Alshabaab and the Kenyan government. But it wasn’t good news. I searched the website, and found this This advert became the object of banter among Kenyans most of today. Known on twitter as #KOT, or Kenyans on twitter; the response ranged from rage,analysis, to hilarious bits about everything Korean. These were some of my tweets 'However much we try to be analytical about the word primitive, if I referred to you as such you would be offended." My first thought was that it wasn’t meant to actually mean primitive.According to the oxford dictionary, when used a

The big fat Greek Wedding

I just got back from Thessaloniki, Greece, one of my closest friends, Lizz Njagah was getting married to the love of her life, Alexandros Konstantaras, I was their maid of honor, and my girl Imani was a flower girl. (that's us behind the couple) :-) It was one of the most beautiful weddings I have ever attended. Small, simple, full of love (and amazing Greek food, drinks and dancing) Our friendship has grown over the years, we have seen each other grow, in our careers and life in general. What I have always admired about Lizz is her energy about life, her passion about acting, She never stopped pursuing it, even when many people asked her to find a "real job". She is currently on MNET's Tinsel playing Tare and has acted in several theatre productions and is now firmly entering the world of film, having recently filmed The reun of Lazarus in Greece, with her husband Alex, as well as Pearl of Africa, whose preview was shown at Cannes this year. Time flies! It se

A few lessons I've picked along the way

In 1998, I packed my bags and left our home in Kitale to pursue a course in acting. I was 18, I thought I'd be back home to wait for university admission after my course. I didn’t return. I found my dream. I stayed in Nairobi, as an actress in a theatre travelling troupe. Our first play was The Government Inspector, and I played his daughter, Marya. I also had my first stage kiss then. I was 19, and ahem...legal. I stayed with relatives until I was 22, and when I completed my diploma in Broadcast Journalism, I trooped off to KBC to find work. I wasn’t turned away, I knew I wouldn’t be turned away, I had done my groundwork during several internships there, and my work ethic spoke for itself. Fast forward to today, 12 years later, and I like to think, eons wiser. I've worked in a few places, made and broken friends and relations, grown networks and learnt a few things about what opens doors. 1. Your work ethic will speak for you. I'm a hard worker. Years later

18 minutes for Africa

When I first listened to Chimamanda Adichie's talk 'The danger of a single story' I was a young business journalist working for CNBC Africa, and this new found patriotism for the continent had flooded my mind and all I wanted was a better Africa, in perception, and also in tangible terms. For 18 minutes I was engrossed in her thoughts of how Africa's perception has been shaped through time. Right then I knew that this is the space I wanted to be in. A place where Africans can passionately speak about their continent,what they are doing to make it a better place, despite the world seeing it as a dark and hopeless continent, as the Economist one called it. So when I bumped into my friend Suraj Sudhakar of the Acumen fund just a day before Ted Talk held its audition for African Speakers in Nairobi, I knew that I wanted to bed there. To be re-energized by other believers of a successful Africa. TEDtalks are Ideas worth sharing. In their own terms, they say, Rivetin

Dear Developed world, Africa is on twitter.

When I first watched the Kony 2012 video, I remember tweeting about it saying ; “I once thought I could save the world too". And I did. There's countless blogs I've done before about a better Africa, and what I can do about making it better. Here and Here are some of those that display what I sometimes think is a passionate naivety. But I believe in that. And after this week, I know that I am not alone. Regular African's care a lot about Africa; passionately. Kony 2012 is a great attempt at making the world stop and listen. Such is the stuff award winning campaigns carry. Much like the Obama campaign which made the world respond as if we were electing a Global president. Kenyans and several African countries displayed "Obama, yes we can" merchandise in very bold spaces, on their cars, homes, and they wore T-shirts that supported Mr Obama's candidature. We, Kenyans, also got a public holiday the day after he was decaled the president of the United

KONY 2012

Way to Go Mariga, yours is a move all players should emulate.

I know nothing about football. That's not entirely true: Ok,I know two things: That he likes Manchester United, and so I was informed i'm on that side too, and that I like to guess scores of matches based on absolutely nothing. But, I've got a rant, that's got everything to do with football, and also nothing to do with football, depending on how you want to look at it. I'll make it short. Last week, Kenya played Togo, we won. 2-1. One of our international players, Macdonald Mariga (Midfielder, Parma, Italy) refused to play in the match because the Football Kenya Federation owed him 1.5 million shillings in airfare dues. But Kenyans have now gone all out, cursing at Mariga for his "lack of patriotism". Patriotism? Here's my rant. I'm with Mariga all the way. How do we expect Kenyan football to ever mature into international standards if we keep playing footsie with the management. We've mastered the art of Double standards! FKF

An open letter to college students ....Polish up.

A few weeks ago I ranted on twitter about how young Kenyans just out of college seeking jobs, or those still in college seeking internships have no clue how to relate professionally. Some responses were angry ones from possible campus students, or just people who have a strong opinion about everything, without critically looking at the issue at hand. (and they're many of these types on twitter) Anyway, last week, I set up a meeting between a young person that's very close to my heart and a friend of mine who runs a top ICT company. It wasn't a job interview, but just a sit down chat so my young friend would get to know what happens in the business, as well as to network and hopefully make a good impression to a possible employer. He had all his papers in order, and dressed well for the meeting, but against my advise, went along with a friend. (who proceeded to ask the secretary if they have openings in another department.) After his meeting, I asked him to write a le

Dear Sasha

As i was dropping Imani off to school this morning, moments after we've discussed why she can only wear lip gloss when she's over 16, she reaches her school bag and pulls out an envelope. I can see it is sealed with a brown masking tape. It a re-used envelope from a bank statement or one of those formal letters, but now it had her beautiful handwriting, with a few flower drawings on it, well coloured and addressed to Sasha. So I asked about Sasha, who is now her new best friend. I asked her about the contents of the letter, and how she started the letter. She said she started with "Dear Sasha, Thank you for being my best friend". I turned away to blink a tear drop, and I asked her why she was writing to Sasha. She said she was inviting her for her birthday, but was also telling her that this year, her birthday will be held in Kisumu, with her aunt(my sister) and her family. I don't know exactly what it is about that whole experience talking about lett

Lost for words.....Happy New year..its not that late is it?

The new year started with quite a bang for me. I changed stations, and Im now working with CCTV Africa. It's been an amazing few weeks telling Africa's positive stories. CCTV International broadcasts throughout the world, and I work from the Nairobi studio's which is the headquarters for Africa. We have a one hour News Bulletin, Africa Live , within which I host ' Bizz Africa . every Monday to Friday'. Here's a sneak peak of what we do The new experience has been amazing, you know what they say about fresh starts! Imani is now in Standard One, primary school, and she makes me proud!This morning she was explaining to me the difference between a turtle and a crocodile, and this year, her wishes are that we go to Mombasa and America in December, and she hopes she can finally be able to play her guitar, the lessons have been tough lately, but we're pushing on. My plans for this year? Going Big! Thanks for staying with me through this journey!