Culture, innit
on It began in Africa (Kenya), 01/Feb/2012 07:49, 34 days ago
We posted a little while ago aboutmusic in Kenyaand also about the daily auditory assault that isClassic FM(favourite advert of the moment: "It's pizza... in a pie! And remember, these pies are larger than normal pies"). However, I have good news: things have improved a lot recently, mainly because we discovered aquasi-posh barnot far from our 'hood with live music every Thursday. Who knew! True, the Kenyan friends who came with us were unimpressed and said you couldn't dance to the music so they didn't like it. I think they thought it was all a bit too Mzungu, which it is, but we are Mzungu so it appeals to us!First we saw Queen Mashie:Then the following week we saw Nina Ogot, sporting an awesome haircut:So it's taken us some time but we've finally found a way to hear live acts every week without spending a fortune. Good times! To complement our new-found cultural experiences I am also reading a good book at the moment by Kenyan writer Binyavanga Wainaina calledOne Day I Will Write About This Place. I've only just started it but thus far it seems to be about a normal middle class Kenyan family where the kids go to school, play football and live in a proper house. A complete relief to escape the wars, corruption and slums so much African literature seems to focus on and just read about the Kenya I see around me (admittedly alongside the corruption and slums). I should point out that we also enjoyed theStorymoja festivallast year, which is Nairobi's version of the Hay-on-Wye literary festival.Finally, there is one more song I wanted to share with you folks back home:Kigeugeuis the pop song that equals Kenya for me, and whenever I hear it, however many years from now, I know I will think of our time here. The buoyant, upbeat tune misled me for a while until we worked on translating the lyrics in our Swahili lessons: turns out they're kind of dark. That's Kenya all over: optimistic and sparkly on the surface, but sometimes disguising murky undercurrents that are easy to miss at first glance.The title,Kigeugeu, means 'chameleon', or literally someone who turns around on you, changing when you least expect it. You can view and listen below and theSwahili lyrics are available here. I won't give you the full English translation but in short the song talks about how doctors put your friend on a life support machine; the midwife switches your newborn baby for a dead baby so she can sell your baby on the black market (this activity even has a specific verb in Swahili); you vote for politicians and they come back with a big stomach (i.e. loaded); your pastor comes to 'pray' with your wife and you catch them up to no good; the world changes around on you and you can trust nothing. Cheery, huh?! I promise it's a great, catchy pop song: enjoy!