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Post by Onyango Oloo on May 21, 2006 12:37:18 GMT 3
FIRST DRAFT UNEDITED
1.0. An Early Morning Dispatch On a Nocturnal Musical Revelry
Carousing.
That is what I spent the better part of Saturday night doing.
Accompanied by my comrade and socialist legal beagle pal Ng'ang'a Thiong'o we first paid yet another courtesy call on the Lagoon - a Kilimani area oasis (formerly the palatial digs of a senior civil servant) patronized largely by members of the Kalenjin community- where we had a decent dinner as we watched the televised crackdown on child prostitution at the Coast. Incidentally, it is worrisome to read (as I did earlier this morning on the back page of the Sunday Nation ) of yet another arbitrary raid led by yet another cabinet minister on a business establishment. Kwani hawa mawaziri do not respect the very laws they vowed to uphold when they were sworn is as ministers? Half of the time the Morris Dzoros and John Michukis behave no differently from colonial chiefs. Let me curb myself before I spin off on another tangent…
Feeling perfectly sated, we decided to check out Motherland on Ngong' Road. Upon arrival, we found the parking lot bursting at the seams with automobiles representing various income brackets. Stepping inside we found the place packed with people of our age and older- I mean the post 40, pre 70 set. Unsurprisingly, we found the main musical ingredient to be nostalgia for classic Congolese hits. These days when I listen to 105 FM I get their impression that their "classics" rarely venture past the late 1970s in terms of remembrance of things past. Now the late 1970s would not be considered "classical" by someone like me who was coming of age during those years. When I speak of classic Congolese hits I am referring to music saved in my organic flash disk aka my brain from the time when I recognized the songs but was way too young to go out to a club and dance to them- you are looking at pachanga songs from the sixties and kibushi songs from the early seventies. That is the kind of material that was on Orchestra Vundumuna’s repertoire a few hours ago. Ironically, Orchestra Vundumuna was a headlining act here in Nairobi in the 1980s and it is interesting to see them repackage themselves as a tribute band to revive wistful memories for graying fortysomethings like Onyango Oloo & Ng'ang’a Thiong'o.
For some reason that jab of nostalgia did very little for our adrenaline rush. Vundumuna are a decent outfit, but somehow every time they rolled out an old chart topper, I could not help but hanker for the original Rochereau, the vintage Luambo Makiadi and so on.
Truncating our sojourn off Ng'ong' Road, we decided to head to the Upper Hill area where former Greenhouse impresario and ex-parliamentarian K'Opiyo has relocated. Hill Breeze is yet another one of those mushrooming night spots featuring African architecture, Kenyan food and a 100% offering of traditional/contemporary Kenyan musical revival. Last night/early this morning it was Ohang'la starring the musician named Nyadundo.
Now this is NOT Tony, the proclaimed Ohang'la King that I am talking about but his older sibling prenomed Jack.
I understand that the two brothers were part of the same band, with the younger Tony starting off as a dancer before he branched out solo. Today Tony is probably one of the most popular Kenyan artistes in terms of how frequently you hear his music- I have heard his latest hit in places as diverse as Pirates (hived off the privately grabbed former Jomo Kenyatta Public Beach in Bamburi, Mombasa) and the Ofafa Memorial Hall in Kisumu.
Jack reminds me of the late Pepe Kalle not just in terms of girth- for he is rather substantially corpulent, both in width and height- but also in terms of his charismatic stage persona. Some argue that Tony is the better singer and composer, but I insist that in terms of lyrical complexity, Jack triumphs. For instance this morning I woke up with a line from his crowd pleasing Tsunami song reverberating in my head:
Tsunami biro Tuju wuod Asembo…
The song is a paean to Raphael Tuju’s nemesis, businessman and LDP politician Owiti "Malo Malo" who is a relatively affluent hotelier and tour operator and as many people believe, the true victor in the 2002 NARC nominations in Rarieda constituency. One of the reasons why the song keeps playing in my head is because it was played and replayed about 4,892 times between midnight when we got to the club and 3:34 when I finally took off from that rambunctious establishment. You see, part of the entertainment culture among the Luos (and I believe other communities as well) is for someone to "buy" a song that they want to be played by showering the artist/band with a jirong’o aka 500 shillings or a ngiri- local sheng argot for 1,000 shillings. So you may observe the phenomenon of the SAME SONG being played over and over and over and over again- as was the case with the Tsunami tune. Here is a clue about the repeat performances- the sartorial eloquence of "Malo Malo" himself was in the house and he must have dished out close to 10,000 shillings to Jack Nyadundo last night. Of course, it was obvious to most of us that Monsieur Malo Malo was blatantly campaigning for the Rarieda seat using Jack- who like many Kenyan musicians- have no qualms playing court poet to anyone who can afford to pay.
Actually it was not even that song that moved me. It was a brand new composition- homage to the late Daniel Owino Misiani, the Tanzanian who chose to make Kenya his home, a prolific, political, socially conscious and fearless musical guru whose productive and illustrious life was snuffed out by yet another act of unbelievable road carnage just a few days ago. Personally I still have not gotten over the fact that the soft-spoken Benga legend was greeting me warmly at the Oasis in Kondele, Kisumu on Saturday, April 29th, 2006 as he carped over the fact that most of the CDs and cassettes with his music in Canada and elsewhere were done without his consent and that it was only recently that he started seeing a trickle of dineros seeking his pocket from the sales and royalties of those purloined songs. With this vague melancholy for the founder of the famed Shirati Jazz Band floating in my subconscious, I was completely wowed and buoyed by Jack Nyadundo’s brilliant dirge for his fellow musician. One has to listen not only to the lyrics, but pay attention to the delivery done over an Ohangla beat to truly appreciate the beauty of Nyadundo’s latest hit. I will not be surprised if it too becomes a chart topper rivaling the ubiquity of Tony’s familiar songs on radio and in the night clubs…
CONTINUED>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
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Post by Onyango Oloo on May 21, 2006 12:38:38 GMT 3
2.0. Sharpening Contradictions Within the ODM Edifice
Waking up around seven thirty this Sunday morning I started perusing the weekend papers that I bought en route to Motherland at around a half past eleven last night. Both the Nation and the Standard had headlines preoccupied with ODM politics dominated by statements from Raila Odinga, Uhuru Kenyatta, Daniel arap Moi, Najib Balala, George Khaniri, David Murathe, William Ruto and others.
I have been meaning, for the last few days, to put down my thoughts regarding the latest flare up within the ODM.
To some, especially the overt and closeted NARC-Kenya foot soldiers- ODM’s days are actually numbered. To others, specifically some ODM Damu types, Uhuru Kenyatta’s recent pronouncements smack of cynical betrayal of shared ideals.
You know something?
I happen NOT to share either of the two perspectives and I will tell you why in a minute.
But before that, let me tell you something that was passed on to me by a very keen and intelligent Kenyan political observer who happens to come from a town in northern Kenya that happens to be in the sprawling Eastern province.
Of course we were talking about something completely different, yet somehow conversation naturally veered to events in Marsabit and the looming by-elections there. According to my source, the community (in the five northern constituencies) have decided that these elections are being held during a transitional time of peace and reconciliation and therefore a consensus has emerged that the best thing to do right now is to endorse the candidacy of the family members of the perished MPs. Mark you, this has nothing to do with KANU/LDP/NARC-Kenya partisan loyalties but rather local politics. The same analyst has informed me that these newly elected MPs will have a short shelf life- up to the 2007 elections when the "real" (my word, not his) MPs will be elected. He tells me that the local northern communities are bemused at the machinations of mainstream politicians from "Kenya" (you may be shocked to hear this but people in Marsabit and other outlying northern regions feel that they are NOT considered to be part of Kenya- to the extent that when someone is leaving for Nairobi they tell that person "Wasalimie hao watu wa Kenya"). Whoever gets elected will not be because of Moi, Kibaki, Raila, Kalonzo, Uhuru or anyone else. That is why KANU should not get giddy on by-election night.
Coming back to the main thrust of my analytical take on the so called “crisis” within the Orange Democratic Movement. Uhuru Kenyatta is perfectly justified to feel “trapped” within the ODM. After all, he has noticed on TWO occasions- the 2002 elections and the 2005 referendum- of the devastating effectiveness of Raila Odinga in dismantling a ruling clique’s agenda while working from within. He is right that ODM is an amorphous formation and that KANU has countrywide structures compared to some of the other parties.
Where he is disastrously wrong of course is on the premise that KANU can go it alone. He forgets that KANU still reeks of the corpses of the victims of political assassination over the years and blood of survivors of torture; Uhuru forgets that Kenyans can still smell the foul breath of the land grabbers and the chants of the war lords who organized the politically motivated so called ethnic clashes. Uhuru forgets too easily and regrettably I find.
Unlike those anguished supporters of the ODM who are fretfully wringing their [mikono [/i] fearing an implosion of the three party mainstream political alliance, I see nothing but positive outcomes in the sharpening contradictions within the Orange Democratic Movement. In fact, I think they should intensify those battles. I am actually HOPING (I am not a praying dude) that Kalonzo Musyoka ditches both LDP and the ODM before the end of June 2006. If Uhuru Kenyatta and Kalonzo plus their allies decamp from the ODM, the Orange Democratic Movement will emerge STRONGER.
Sounds like a paradox?
Let me explain myself.
You see, from 1969 to December 1991 there was only one official and legal mainstream party- the Kenya African National Union.
Many, if not all the MAINSTREAM parties that were formed in 1992 were offshoots of the original KANU. This fissure influenced the break up of the original FORD and the emergence of another KANU clone party, DP.
What has been happening since 1992 is the further disintegration of KANU. In 2002 for instance a faction led by Raila, Kalonzo etc broke off to form the Rainbow Alliance which was the precursor to both the LDP and later one of the constituents of the National Rainbow Coalition headed by DP’s Mwai Kibaki. After the last KANU elections, the Biwott faction registered New KANU. In the post referendum period the Ruto faction stood up against the Uhuru leadership.
If there is any formation that is being splintered and splattered, it is KANU, followed closely by the DP which is trying desperately to repackage itself as NARC-Kenya, with the inconsequential lame ducks FORD-K, FORD-P and NPK wallowing in sad irrelevance.
In this context, Uhuru and KANU need the ODM more than the ODM needs them.
There is a reason why the Liberal Democratic Party has emerged (at least according to the always controversial polls) to be the MOST POPULAR party in Kenya at the moment.
It is certainly NOT because the LDP has the most progressive and lucid party manifesto.
It is simply because of the Raila Odinga factor and the fact that the Lang’ata MP is seen across Kenya as representing the spearhead of an emerging national backlash, first against the repressive outrages of KANU pre 2002 and secondly against the post 2003 corrupt, unreliable and tribal rule of the NAK cabal.
Kenyan politics will take some time before it is infused with the clear-cut ideological driven imperatives that some of us hanker for.
Right now it is more personality than issues driven.
I think notions of ethnicity are blown out of proportion- how can one use tribe to explain Raila's rising popularity in North Eastern and Coast Provinces for instance?
The Lang’ata MP seems to be very adept at sharpening contradictions within the Kenyan ruling elite. We all remember, mere months after ascending to be KANU Secretary General how he basically threw a hand grenade right into the centre of KANU political power that led to the landslide of 2002. During last year’s referendum campaign, his mobilizing, strategizing and tactical fighting powers were glimpsed.
It is not often appreciated that the referendum campaign left Kibaki and his folks WEAKER not stronger. The mere fact that a section of DP is trying to repackage itself as NARC-Kenya speaks volumes of the popular disconnect with the Kibaki so called “Government of National Unity”.
Why am I optimistic about the fights within the ODM?
First of all I think it is about time the wheat was separated from the chaff.
Secondly, these internal fights bring out the fundamental problem in the ODM- it was alliance building from the top rather than the bottom. You see the ODM top brass fighting each other to death while the grassroots- the ordinary wananchi remain very united about the common agenda of what the ODM is all about. Now is a golden opportunity to go back mashinani and galvanize the ultimate ODM VOTERS to struggle for serious and fundamental changes.
Thirdly, the political suicide being contemplated by Uhuru and Kalonzo will simplify the process of identifying the eventual ODM presidential candidate.
More importantly for non-ODM players like Onyango Oloo, these developments provide an opportunity for “structured conversations” between the mainstream liberals and social democrats in the ODM on the one hand, and the coterie of radical, socialist and anti-imperialist forces on the other towards forming a brand new entity:
The Kenya United Democratic Front which would be a broad-based, multiparty, cross sectoral national democratic movement bringing together NGOs, CSOs and centre-left political formations tasked with the responsibility of forming the next government, completing the constitutional review process and embarking on democratic national renewal and reconstructed for the benefit of the Kenyan people.
In my opinion the gravest headache facing Raila, LDP and by extension the ODM lies elsewhere:
In ensuring that the grass roots elections and subsequent nominations for parliamentary and presidential contests are democratic, transparent, free and fair. Across Kenya there is MASSIVE DISCONTENT with the sitting MPs who may want to go back to parliament. This time around, Raila must ensure that people like Gor Sunguh, Jakoyo Midiwo, or even Raila’s older sibling Dr. Oburu Oginga’s fate is determined by actual voters rather than the power barons at LDP headquarters. No one in the LDP can afford the backlash that will flare up if another George Onyango Oloo in Kisumu East or an Owiti "Malo Malo" perceives that they have been "rigged out" once again.
Onyango Oloo
Nairobi, Kenya
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Post by dubois on May 21, 2006 17:52:12 GMT 3
More importantly for non-ODM players like Onyango Oloo, these developments provide an opportunity for “structured conversations” between the mainstream liberals and social democrats in the ODM on the one hand, and the coterie of radical, socialist and anti-imperialist forces on the other towards forming a brand new entity:
The Kenya United Democratic Front which would be a broad-based, multiparty, cross sectoral national democratic movement bringing together NGOs, CSOs and centre-left political formations tasked with the responsibility of forming the next government, completing the constitutional review process and embarking on democratic national renewal and reconstructed for the benefit of the Kenyan people.
Is this another prediction of ODM taking over in 2008? What makes you think that there exists a chance of ODM making genuine “structured conversations” with the coterie of radical, socialist and anti-imperialist forces? Arent these the same politicians from yesteryears? I will wait and see.
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Post by museveni on May 21, 2006 22:56:37 GMT 3
Oloo,
I am with you on the need to form another force in the kenyan political arena, one that is dominated by younger politicians.
Nonetheless, I am of the opinion that we need to wait untill after the 2007 elections. At the moment we need to work to make sure that ODM carries the day and in that, we will have acted as midwives for a new kenya to be born.
The Kibaki Gvt has nothing to offer past 2007. Its purpose was to get Moi out of office, but today Moi seems more active than Kibaki. We must have gone wrong somewhere.
To correct it, we need ODM, and then the journey to a new kenya will begin.
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Post by maina on May 22, 2006 2:54:45 GMT 3
Museveni,
Hear you:
Uhuru is considered and buttoned down with the Young Turks of Kenya, any given day. Raila is not! And by the way, and to be surpassingly frank with you, nobody today (I am talking about Uhuru, Moi, Kibaki et al) really cares about Raila - fact! He is merely a "non-issue", like we say in rating!
I tell you this, when Uhuru Kenyatta is "officially" launched, nobody (and yes, I mean no one) will be able to stop him - not even himself! I am for the idea, not because I am a gorgeous Kikuyu and will vote the emblematic Kenyan way where tribe dominates everything else, but because Uhuru is the only unidealistic solution for Kenya in this age of pluralism! I know Uhuru personally, and besides Moi's (yes the one Moi who will singlehandedly undo your hallowed ODM/LDP) backing him, at least I know and can confirm that he indeed stands and believes in self-preservation! I can assure you that none of the other grandstanders comprehend the nuance of self-preservation! If you know of any, please kindly let me know; I'll be more than obliged to reconsider my position and willingly vote for him/her - I mean it!
Finally, instead of mewling Uhuru this and that, why not focuss your vehemence on the seemingly lazy ODM/LDP? I have been known and can be quoted right here in Jukwaa (and elsewhere) that the ODM/LDP are overtly lazy and awfully overindulgent. Again if you doubt me, then please kindly tell me what they stand for! What is their party line, besides lusting to habitually govern Kenya? And by supporting them, then what do you, yourself implicitly stand for? Wacha tu!
Besides, what is it about Uhuru (besides tribe and corruption/bribery) that is different from one Raila Odinga? Aren't they both riding on their fathers' distinctions? Or are you going to reckon like my friend Miguna that Raila spent so many years in prison, headed the tribal NDP, et cetera, and that by these selective definitions he should be president? Ugh!
GO UHURU GO!
Maina
-unedited-
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Post by politicalmaniac on May 22, 2006 4:43:36 GMT 3
Uhuru STRENGHS!
1) Never held a job a la GW Bush, has the biggest silver spoon in any mouth this side of the Sahara
2) Election record thus far, Loss 2 - Wins 1
3) Lack of gravitas a big huge lack of stature, the question in many of my fellow Westerners is huyu ametufanyia nini? What political tract records does he have to draw on? Why him?
What does he have to contend with?
1) The schism a smoldering fires in KANU that his GODFATHER seemingly can’t put out.
2) The kickback1 factor; will he (kickback1) run? I doubt it, and that’s uhuru's dream scenario, that this fat assed sloth not run, allow the GEMA votes to coalesce around uhuru.
3) So uhuru's support will be from his people and who else? I see referendum redux again. This time around Kombo is reeling and discombobulated and Western isn’t enthusiastic about him. I spend a lot of time in western and KANU is almost dead here. Worse still uhuru is a big joke here.
If KM runs with uhuru (and why should he kowtow and acquiesce to a man so jr. to him anyway?) how will that play in Eastern? I think terribly. Wanainchi will say “Ati KM anambebea maji uhuru”. Damn!. KM better not play second fiddle to uhuru. He would rather do that in LDP. (KM has his own conundrums!)
What Ngilu does I don’t know. Has she recovered from her erratic peri-menoupausal symptoms? If KM jumps ship to uhuru MV, I don’t see her craning her neck out for what would be a vehicle careening inexorably out of control heading for the political abyss.
Nyanza is out of bounds for uhuru, and I don’t know how he plays at the coast. Coast likely will go LDP. In coast the people are wary of this MOI-KENYATTA political dynasty thing especially with the Kenyatta family and its land grabbing history here. In NE as O.O indicated is very competitive and Raila can compete there..
Rift Valley depends on how Moi manages to quell the incipient Ruto rebellion, and bring back the Total man back to the fold kabisa. But the big question is will the Kalenjin join a loosing proposition again? I doubt it.
I know I have rehashed stuff but so what? Who will run with uhuru? Madoka? A guy from NE? Coast? A fellow Geman? Who?
Uhuru invites just too many questions. Uhuru has one big problem, lack of gravitas.
He is once again acquiring that aura of “Project Moi” which I think is a fatal political ambience. He is going to be reviled, caricatured and laughed of the stage a la 2002.
.
. He pales when put up against the other better known personalities.
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Post by kipsang on May 22, 2006 5:23:23 GMT 3
We cannot underestimate Uhurus chances in the next election. Right now Kibaki's chances diminishing and there is an obvious shift of the Agikuyu alligence to Uhuru since many see this as safeguarding what they term as "their seat"; Moi's spoon feeding is a + factor and with the talk of Kalonzo being wooed to join him things can get tricky.
The problem with ODM right now is the mistrust of Raila, who is seen as the noisemaker and a spoiler, for Ruto's part he lacks a solid home base. if no credible opposition emerges my fear is come 2008, we might see the old Kanu in power, with a new face in the form of Uhuru.
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Post by Onyango Oloo on May 22, 2006 8:05:54 GMT 3
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Wunderbar? tf?
Posted 1148259576 by
Ahhh, now it all makes sense. Mr Oloo, you have me down on my hands and knees. I was always quite puzzled with these subtle mentions here and there but now you have just said it. Wheat, chaff coming from a man who doesn't pray lol. I do agree with you in saying if Kalonzo left ODM, it would be stronger. KUDF would make a great support for now and could be even more, I just hope KANU is finally history come 2014 ..the left-y foot showcase lol .. brilliant, now that could be a cause worth supporting, I love it. But, the focus should be on ousting Kibaki at the moment because he is concerning.
I don't think he is looking towards Eurasia just economically. He may have beaten you to it, but for the wrong kind. I always said Kibaki come to think of it now- that elite socialist, was a radical, a twisted radical. The other version of Kenya I have in my mind is one under tyranny even a decade later. Maybe he will not have enough time to strategise this notion, you realise he can utilise any Kenyan citizen, arms, institutions etc. that includes ex-presidents to his advantage at the moment. Moi may just be bogged up with returning some favor to Kenyatta and I don't mean Uhuru, but I'd be cautious of that Mwai.
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Post by roughrider on May 22, 2006 9:32:40 GMT 3
An important agenda should be how to implement devolution in kenya today.
This intervention reminds us that Nothern kenya has been ignored these many years. It also, very correctly, suggests that tribal posturing and personality politics are still the heart and soul of our politics.
My contribution is to encourage well meaning Kenyans to focus 'structured conversations' on how we can implement devolution in the form of a federal government in Kenya. The CDF experiment has been a particularly interesting experiment that we could build on. But also some examples like the work with water boards: recently, for instance, Kisumu got a 2 Billion loan to re-do their water system. Such initiatives should be implemented without the encumbrances, the corruption and the tribal inteference of a central government.
In a properly structured economic majimbo system we can stop caring who is president, or who is not. We can stop wondering why it is tribalism for Ruto to declare his interest in the presidency. We will be less bothered with Mois strange obsession with Uhuru or even why Uhuru and kalonzo must shy away from competitive politics. The phenomenon of railamania (or railaphobia) will cease to be a national passtime. Most importantly we can even let the Moi, Kenyatta and Kibaki families rotate the presidency forever - for true control of resource allocation can be taken to the people; to the mashinani.
This, my friends is the real reason the ODM was formed and it is the reason we rejected the Wako draft resoundingly.
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Post by wanyee on May 22, 2006 22:44:05 GMT 3
The route ODM must avoid in Law Review, by Jerry Okungu:
www.timesnews.co.ke/26apr06/nwsstory/opinion2.html --- roughrider wrote: Allow me to respond by reposting the following: Onyango Oloo wrote: What are these changes? Have they been defined? Who defined them? Are Kalonzo and Uhuru the only looters in ODM? How about the KANU wing of LDP like Kamotho, Gumo etc? How about the KANU wing of NDP wing of LDP? How visionary are these people, when people like Orwa Ojode do not know even the definition of the word environment? What about the selling off of Yala swamp to Americans for a pittance? Why should we even waste time on these goons, while Kenya reels under horrific dictatorship, and all these "leaders" want to take us to elections again without reforms?! Reforms after or before elections? This is the litmus test. --- Kenyans want new constitution by 2007 - Sunday Times, 7th April 2006. www.timesnews.co.ke/07may06/nwsstory/news1.html--- In my humble opinion... NO REFORMS, NO ELECTIONS!!! (Though, I admit, the above proclamation doesn't sound too humble).
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Post by Onyango Oloo on May 23, 2006 5:06:07 GMT 3
Wanyee:
Greetings from Nairobi. How are folks in Ottawa? Say hi to the Kenyans in Canada.
You will notice that I have used my administrative privileges to modify your posting above.
Please go easy on the cut and paste thing. Above all, try and avoid, if you can, reposting entire articles. A hyperlink pointing to the source will suffice. Also use the quote function in the editing toolbar on JUKWAA- it is the second last icon on the second row.
Otherwise, keep on keeping on.
One factoid that may interest you since I know you have been following the Tiomin saga quite a bit. Perhaps you recall the name Ted Kombo Majaliwa. He was one of the most active opponents of the titanium project in Kwale. I remember meeting him at the airport and literally hosting him in Montreal when he came on a speaking tour to Canada in May 2002. We arranged for him to speak at the University of McGill under the auspices of Quebec Public Interest Research Group where I was working at the time as the Programme Coordinator. He was incisive and unrelenting in his criticism of Monsieur Potvin and other key players in the Toronto-based junior mining company. Later on we also helped arrange his stop over in Toronto- an event organized by the KCA and held at the offices of another former employer of mine- CUSO- where again he enthralled all and sundry with his expose of Tiomin. Ted Kombo Majaliwa is also featured in the 20 minute Dongo Kundu video documentary that denounces the threats to the ecosystem, displacement of local community, dangers of strip mining, economic exploitation and shoddiness of the so called environmental impact assessment that the Tiomin titanium project is associated with. In my one to one, face to face discussions with Ted Kombo Majaliwa, he came across as a resolute, highly intelligent community organizer who would keep Tiomin on their toes for a long time.
Well, guess what?
He is working these days at Tiomin as a MANAGER!
Onyango Oloo
Nairobi, Kenya
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Post by wanyee on May 23, 2006 6:42:26 GMT 3
Oloo,
It is nice to hear from you. Niko mzima hapa Ottawa. Paying the balozi occasional unfriendly 'visits' - although I am presently restricted to the sidewalk across the street. (You know how it goes...)
---
I don't mind the adjustments you have made. Indeed, I could use some 'skillz'.
About Ted Majaliwa Kombo: Yes, I am aware of all the above. It was a disappointment indeed, particularly after seeing him in Dongo Kundu. Mr. Eugene Bernofsky, the producer of the documentary, recently sent me a copy of the following letter:
Dear Editor, Hello and greetings from a loyal reader in Montana. Would you please consider publishing the following Open Letter to Wangari Maathai of Kenya? She is the Nobel Peace Prize winner for 2004 and the founder of The Green Belt Movement in Kenya. The issue in the letter is at flashpoint. Thank you, most kindly, for your consideration. Gene Bernofsky.
April 26, 2006
Open Letter to Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Wangari Maathai of Kenya:
Dear Wangari Maathai, Green Belt Movement Activists, and Friends,
JAMBO!
Tiomin Mining of Toronto Canada, in conjunction with the Goverments of Canada and Kenya, is about to remove Kenyan citizens from their ancestral lands in Kwale District in order to have free and open access to mine for titanium. Eighty-six percent of this mineral is used as a white pigment in paper, plastics and paint.
This action by Tiomin of Canada is a prime example of the neo-colonial slave mentality of Western corporate exploitation.
The Eastern Province of Canada, Quebec, is rich with titanium deposits. However, because of the white skins populating this region, Tiomin cannot mine there or ever consider removing the population to access the ore. But Tiomin will remove the black skins in Kwale. This activity defines the racist slave mentality of Tiomin of Canada and is another example of the Western exploitation of African wealth which keeps Africa in perpetual poverty. That exploitation is evidenced by the planned 90% of profit from the mining in Kwale going to Tiomin of Canada.
What is necessary to break the cycle of slave mentality and bring prosperity to Kwale is for the farmers themselves of Kwale to mine, process and sell the precious mineral as they see fit. We call for the Govt. of Kenya to contract with Tiomin of Canada to empower the Farmers and Squatters of Kwale with the knowledge and infrastructure to mine their precious resources as they see fit. And we call upon the worldwide prestige of Wangari Maathai and The Green Belt Movement of Kenya, and the world, to demonstrate and campaign in Kwale against the removal and for the empowerment of Kwale farmers and squatters to remain upon their ancestral lands and to mine their precious resources if they so wish. Thus will the cycle of African poverty be ended and African prosperity advance.
Submitted to you by a friend of Kenya,
*Gene Bernofsky
President, World Wide Film Expedition
Missoula, Montana USA
wwfe@bresnan.net <mailto:wwfe@bresnan.net>>
Kenyan contact: Wanyee Kinuthia, wanyeekinuthia@gmail.com
*Director and producer of the film, Dongo Kundu, about the titanium-mining in Kenya.
N.B: My research (half of which we discussed in Montreal), indicates that there are MUCH MORE significant uses of the ores present. Even Mr. Bernofsky was unaware of this. For instance, Tiomin has said virtually NOTHING about the critical applications of zirconium, which is obtained as a by-product of titanium refinement. Then there are the ten other ores that Monsieur Potvin and Co. has told us nothing about...
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Meanwhile, I lost contact with Ted after we had our first and last conversation (over the phone), long ago. I had called him from here, before you chomokaad.
Anyway, I'd rather we identify those standing A.S.A.P. Even NGO's should not think that this is just a project with which to further their personal agendas. Wasee wamechoka na upuzi, and by God's grace, we shall march through every smoke-screen...
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In your opinion, what do you think would be the best way forward on this particular issue?
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Post by ndauosa on May 23, 2006 13:27:15 GMT 3
Wanyee, O.O asanteni for your informative input on the tiomin. Here is a similar case in Chile and note who are behinf the project. should kenyans just stay put and be taken advantage of. Hati sisi masikini, natuna play to their game which gives them an advantage. We should redifine our own meaning of poverty, sio hati lazima tushindane kwa chapaa, tuna mali. Tusi fumbwe macho halafu tuchezwe. Hawa sio wase wapoa, they've never been interested in a fair deal with Africa. Siku hizi ni biashara aliye shinda. Can't we have a win win deal.
Check this petition by pascualama.
and Judge for yourself.
if you want to take action.In the
Valle de San Felix, the purest water in Chile runs
from 2 rivers, fed by 2 glaciers.Water is a most
precious resource, and wars will be fought for it. Indigenous
farmers use the water, there is no
unemployment, and they provide the second largest
source of income for the area.Under the glaciers has
been found a huge deposit of gold, silver and other
minerals. To get at these, it would be necessary to
break, to destroy the glaciers - something never
conceived of in the history of the world - and to make
2 huge holes, each as big as a whole mountain, one for
extraction and one for the mine's rubbish tip.
The project is called PASCUA LAMA. The company is
called Barrick Gold.The operation is planned by a
multi-nationalcompany, one of whose members is
George Bush Senior (what a surprise eh?).The Chilean
Government has approved the project to start this
year, 2006.The only reason it hasn't started yet is
because the farmers have got a temporary stay of
execution.If they destroy the glaciers, they will
not just destroy the source of specially pure water,
but they will permanently contaminate the 2 rivers so
they will never again be fit for human or animal
consumption because of the use of cyanide and sulfuric
acid in the extraction process.Every last gram of
gold will go abroad to the multinational company and
not one will be left with the people whose land it is.
They will only be left with the poisoned water and the
resulting illnesses.
The farmers have been fighting a long time for their
land, but have been forbidden to make a TV appeal by a
ban from the Ministry of the Interior.Their only
hope now of putting brakes on this project is to get
help from international justice.The world must know
what is happening in Chile.
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Post by wanyee on May 23, 2006 17:17:08 GMT 3
Ahsante sana ndauosa, this is precisely why we have to fight these people, together, instead of fighting amongst ourselves. I personally considered the Tiomin issue to be the litmus-test, where the Kibaki administration is concerned. Whether is was comprised of "leaders" who cannot be bought by ANY amount of money. True patriots, putting the nation's best interests first, even if threatened. That is why I have been keen on this, since the pre-election days, when NARC (specifically then presidential candidate Kibaki), began using it as a campaign platform. I have quoted him on 'The Titanium-Mining Scandal' thread. If the rest of us had been informed about what lies beneath the sands at Kwale, there might have been more pressure for transparency. Indeed, where there is smoke, there must be fire. That rogue mutlinational that you have mentioned, Barrick Gold... Barrick Gold Corp. Announces Tiomin Resources Inc. Buys Back Pangea's NPI On Kenyan Mineral Sands Properties, 2006 Apr 5 12:33 PM - today.reuters.com/stocks/KeyDevelopments.aspx?ticker=ABX.NBarrick Gold is presently in cahoots with another bunch of 21st Century slave dealers, whom we are supposed to be forming a federation with: What Really Happened at the Barrick Gold Mine in Tanzania? Tuesday April 16, 2002 12:07 PM - www.miningwatch.ca/index.php?/Barrick/What_Really_Happened--- Regarding Chile, there is a wealth of information on the following site: www.miningwatch.ca/search.php?query=pascua+lamaIn particular: Water Is More Precious Than Gold: The Pascua Lama Binational (Chile-Argentina) Mining Project www.miningwatch.ca/updir/Pascua_Lama_en_web.pdfand Open Letter to Chilean President Ricardo Lagos Opposing Approval of Pascua Lama Project Tuesday February 7, 2006 12:07 PM - www.miningwatch.ca/index.php?/Chile_en/Letter_to_Lagos--- Perhaps we should direct further discussion on this particular subject, to 'the titanium-mining scandal' thread. Meanwhile, I trust that others will begin to see why the issue of having a new constitution before another election is so vital. Particularly one that will protect us from nonesense like this. Otherwise, we should stop complaining about our problems and shut up. In fact, I believe that anyone, after having sufficiently studied the issues surrounding Kenya, and are still opposed to reforming our governing structures before another election, are against the best / long-term interests of the nation. This is such an obvious issue, and it irritates me to no end when I have to argue about it with informed people, even after they have read reports like this one; Top 10 per cent who control Kenya's riches - Daily Nation, 23rd May 2006. This is what it all boils down to: “The real ‘domino effect’ that terrified Western planners during the Cold War, was not the threat of Communist expansion, but the threat of nationalism. Were the poor to throw off the dictatorship of the West and better themselves in one part of the world, then people might be inspired to follow this ‘threat of a good example’” [David Cromwell, 2002; Private Planet: Corporate Plunder and the Fight Back, Jon Carpenter Publishing (Charlbury)]. --- My brothers and sisters, it is time to stand up for our rights. |
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Post by ndauosa on May 23, 2006 17:39:11 GMT 3
Wanyee,
Hapa kwakweli nitakuunga mkono,hata wakinibandika jina la side kick, i'll do that with pleasure. gong to elections with katiba ilioko, ni suicide Jamaa. We can't learn from the latest Kibaki. This must be very irritating. Yani we are happy to be slaves of a minority thinking.Hati hatuwezi kubadili. What i ask myself kwanini? We have the numbers and unlike the ODM, we should not be scared to be exposed, hatuna deni and have nothing to loose. But we loose so much when we do not amka.
Sa kuanza na Jukwaa members karibu mia tatu, kilamtu who cares about a change in Kenya, ana weza kuwaleta watu kumi in the thought of implimenting changes.Na kuwa tia moral yaku wapata nao wakumi,kila mmja. Na hapo tutakuwa tuna gongaa mulango wa mbele, kwani mlango wa nyuma tumeuzoea, and it's costed us so much. Lazima kuna solution, both doors can't be closed and if so, then there is a solution.
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Post by wanyee on May 23, 2006 20:25:42 GMT 3
ndauosa,
Hakuna jina watakuita. Unazungumza haki tu. Wewe ni mmoja wa wale wasioamini eti mambo hayawezi kubadilika. Hongera! I congratulate you on having the courage to stand for the truth, and to say it boldly. Nani anasema tuamini hawa watu tena? Nani anadai ata fulani anaaminika? NANI?!
Like I said, and as you say, the people must now take matters to the next level - into their hands. When will we realize our potential? Why do we keep tolerating 21st Century slave dealers? What is this ODM? What is its place after all we have considered here? Do they even care about reforming the constitution? What are they saying now? Are they not simply fighting each other for power, while Wanjiku eats the crumbs?
At this point in time, I personally don't care for anyone who is not talking about a new constitution. For I believe that THIS IS THE FIRST STEP IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION.
Asemaye kesho ni mwongo.
---
I cannot stress enough, how much I agree with your suggestion. Tunaeza amsha wasee kutoka hapa Jukwaa. THERE IS A SOLUTION! The truth is on our side.
Ama niaje Oloo?
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