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Post by genius on Aug 1, 2012 10:53:45 GMT 3
And I too, have personally learned not to disparage people for their economic status or lack of it. We're all in a struggle to survive and improve our lot. Live and let live. Good. What you don't seem to understand is that taste and an eye for amenities have nothing to do with economic status. The people who live in the huge houses with high walls etc but no green spaces around them and with badly furnished interiors are in fact among the "big" and rich people of Kenya. Unfortunately money can't buy good taste. And who made you the judge of taste? If the big man thinks his furnishing is the most creative thing anyone ever did, let him be. I personally find the furnishing of most European homes very dull. But I don't spend hours complaining about it. I let them live their lives. Concerning green spaces, most rich Kenyans have houses in Nairobi's concrete jungle and palatial homes in the rural areas which are surrounded by greenery and if he's lucky to be from parts of Nyanza, Busia, Naivasha or the The Coast, a little beachfront to throw into the bargain. If he's from the Central or RIft Valley region of Kenya, some rolling landscapes and even a view of the mountains, if he's from Eastern or Southern Rift, acres and acres of wide open spaces, Believe me, the little crowded parks in your cold European city are nothing compared to the magnificent gardens these guys have at their disposal.
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Post by genius on Aug 1, 2012 9:41:53 GMT 3
Genius, You have been drinking with Jerry Okungu, and you have caught the diaspora blues? Personally I have learnt not to disparage what people do to make a living so long they aint thieves. You know a country like Kenya, practically bankrupt, living on handouts, whether from China or the West, and for the rest debt-ridden in order to live far above her real production earnings, may not be the place to be if you want to dress down a kokoto-crusher like otishotish, nor a street hash-hustler like yours truly! Really nauseating, is a population of 40 million with 60% below the age of 30, yet a productivity of merely $40bn GDP! that is less than Slovakia with barely the population of Nyanza! Jakaswanga, Slovakia produces GDP, we produce babies who have to be fed from our ever shrinking GDP. It's a catch 22, mate ;D I don't see any catch 22 situation there. You need to go over your English language phrases and phrasiology again. You could benefit from a study of A. J. Fitidicker's book, Common Mistakes in English Grammar. You might be interested to know too that Kenya's GDP is not shrinking. Do you get time to watch any business news or even read the newspaper in between your shifts at the local graveyard?
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Post by genius on Aug 1, 2012 9:36:59 GMT 3
Am holed up in the country side for a few days before returning to the other Dusty Concrete Jungle, Nairobi, before flying out again (and hoping that I don’t break out with a lung Infection) Yeah, flying out again to your assylum where you are nothing more than an economic refugee. Get off the high horse and quit that uppity behaviour. Ati getting a lung infection, did you study any biology in that shady high school you went to?
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Post by genius on Aug 1, 2012 9:34:04 GMT 3
Wow, fellas who live in the Ghettoes of Europe and America, who take the subway to work, who are stuck in entry-level jobs, who take orders from some middle-aged baas are all over this place talking as if they live in palaces. It would be funny if it weren't so nauseating. Personally I have learnt not to disparage what people do to make a living so long they aint thieves. And I too, have personally learned not to disparage people for their economic status or lack of it. We're all in a struggle to survive and improve our lot. Live and let live.
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Post by genius on Jul 31, 2012 17:14:59 GMT 3
podp, quite simply. We do not see the need to psychoanalyse Ngugi or Fanon because in none of the works you mention have they made themselves characters in their stories. In the case of Ngugi, after reading The River Between, we do not seek to psychoanalyse Ngugi, but we seek to psychoanalyse the protagonists, Waiyaki, Nyambura, Muthoni etc. However for the case of Barack Obama in Dreams from My Father, because he is a character in the book, we psychoanalyse Barack Obama and make will no apologies for that. You get the drift?
In summary, we psychoanalyse the characters in a story, not the author. However, for the case of an autobiography where the author is one of the characters, a psychoanalysis of the character who happens to be the author should not be misconstrued as killing the messenger. If the author didn't want his character to be psychoanalysed, then he should not have included himself in the story. In which case the story ceases ot be an autobiography and becomes merely a story, kinda like Sam Clemens's Tom Sawyer or Virginia Hamilton's Zeely.
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Post by genius on Jul 31, 2012 16:47:31 GMT 3
Oloo probably did not take seriously the courses in High School that were called English Literature and Kiswahili Fasihi. Genius:Sorry to disabuse you of your delusions, but I actually got a distinction in BOTH. You can also get an independent assessment of my facility for Literature in English (as opposed to "English Literature", DO YOU get the DIFFERENCE, eh, Genius?) from among others, Prof. Micere Mugo, currently at Syracuse University in New York State who taught me at the University of Nairobi. We have since gone way beyond A Wreath for Udomo, Grapes of Wrath, The Plague, Petals of Blood, One Hundred Years of Solitude, Tess of the D'Urbervilles, the Imaginary Invalid, Pride and Prejudice, Look Back in Anger, Waiting for Godot, the Bald Prima Donna, Moby Dick and God's Bits of Wood. But I digress. What was your point again? Onyango OlooYeah, Le Bouts de Bois de Dieu was a great book by Sembene Ousmane. But don't you find it a little strange that one is expected to analyse such a book without going in to the background and psychology of Ibrahim Bakayoko? Or to analyse Moby Dick without seeking to understand the psychological issues leading to Ahab's obsession with the whale? It's great that we do share a few common interests in books. I have to admit though that Pride and Prejudice, I couldn't complete reading. Like most of Jane Austen's work, the plot is rather slow-moving and setting rather monotonous, not to mention taht it's too much on the soppy side of romances for my liking. But I too, do digress. My point is, if we are to engage in any serious analysis of a book, then we must naturally also conduct an analysis of the characters of the story, psychological analysis included. Since Miguna is the tragic hero of the badly done bildungsroman called 'Peeling Back the Mask', he cannot escape a little psychoanalysis.
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Post by genius on Jul 31, 2012 16:32:22 GMT 3
It might interest you to know that the Dutch prime minister stoops even lower - he has been known to cycle to his office. So does the mayor of London. And the Kenyan MPs who accompanied the Ocampo 6 to the Hague laughed at their Dutch counterparts who do the same. In Kenya, a "big" man has to show that he is "big". And "small" men must always remember that they are "small". genius, a true Kenyan, is being just being faithful to that backward mentality. Yeah bla bla. I hope you have a few coins left in your pockets after a hard day ferrying logs to purchase that ticket home on the underground railroad. You might get lucky today, the Mayor could pull a publicity stunt and ride along with you.
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Post by genius on Jul 31, 2012 16:30:15 GMT 3
Hehe, now Adongo needs to watch out because very soon all his email correspondences with Miguna will find their way into Dennis Itumbi's blog.
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Post by genius on Jul 31, 2012 14:05:10 GMT 3
Most important in the ruling is the fact that Neither Kibaki nor Raila can force an election which confirms my argument that the death of Nara would never precipitate a general election! You seem too obsessed with this death of NARA issue. You sound like a dog with a bone.
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Post by genius on Jul 31, 2012 14:03:10 GMT 3
Wow, fellas who live in the Ghettoes of Europe and America, who take the subway to work, who are stuck in entry-level jobs, who take orders from some middle-aged baas are all over this place talking as if they live in palaces. It would be funny if it weren't so nauseating. You talk as if subways are for ghetto-trash only. Well these bottom-feeders sometimes get a nice surprise when they meet Mayor Bloomberg of NY on his regular commute to work! It might interest you to know that the Dutch prime minister stoops even lower - he has been known to cycle to his office. You sound like one whose greatest achievement in life is getting to ride in the same train that Bloomberg once rode on. I think you need to set your ambitions a little higher. How about doing something constructive with your pathetic life for once.
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Post by genius on Jul 31, 2012 13:31:25 GMT 3
Oloo probably did not take seriously the courses in High School that were called English Literature and Kiswahili Fasihi. In reading any book, fictional or not, a psychological analysis of the characters is part of the study of the book. For my KCSE, we did this book called Mine Boy by Peter Abrahams. In order to understand the hero, Xuma's actions in the later parts of the book, we would reread all the things he did at the beginning starting with his trek from the North of South Africa beyond Zoutpansberg to Johannesberg to his sojourn in the household of the Shebeen queen Leah, to his unrequited affection for Leah’s beautiful niece Eliza to his platonic friendship with Maisy to his experiences in the mines with his colleague Johannes and two white bosses Paddy and Chris and finally his leading of a miners strike. A psychological analysis of this character was an integral part of the study. We cannot pretend to be analysing a book without analysing its chief characters.
Now Miguna has made himself the hero of his book. Any decent analysis of this book must of necessity include an analysis of the Miguna character and this too must include a psychological analysis.
That’s why we pay attention to his childhood in Magina, early school days, altercations with his cousins and uncles, close relationship with his mother and sisters, days in Onjiko and Njiiris, UoN etc and use these to understand his later actions e.g. his time at the PM’s office, relationship with his boss and colleagues, flamboyant media appearances, etc.
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Post by genius on Jul 31, 2012 10:16:59 GMT 3
Wow, fellas who live in the Ghettoes of Europe and America, who take the subway to work, who are stuck in entry-level jobs, who take orders from some middle-aged baas are all over this place talking as if they live in palaces. It would be funny if it weren't so nauseating.
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Post by genius on Jul 30, 2012 11:30:22 GMT 3
At 6 ft 4'' Miguna is tall, but he should stop referring to himself as towering. In Nyando alone there are a lot of taller people who make no big deal about their height. If he tried playing in the NBA, he would be dismissed for being too short. If he trialed for a rugby team, he would among the smaller forwards. Even in Parliament there are a lot of taller MPs like Dalmas Otieno and the late Ojode.
He may have been the target of jokes in his youth for being tall and skinny, but he should get over it. Tall people come a dime a dozen.
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Post by genius on Jul 30, 2012 9:42:44 GMT 3
It is hard to obey the traffic lights when underneath every traffic light there is a policeman telling you to stop when the lights are green and to go when the lights are red. I see that every morning at the roundabout on Haile Sellassie and Uhuru Highway juntion. Either we get rid of the traffic lights or we get rid of the cops. Incidentally, even Kinshasa has better traffic lights than Nairobi and people actually obey.
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Post by genius on Jul 25, 2012 21:46:20 GMT 3
Has it ever occured to you that the matatu passengers do not actually mind the matatu using the sidewalks? Why because when the matatu uses the sidewalk it avoids the traffic jam on the road. for the sake of argument and maybe its just out of curiosity, what happens when buses, private cars, lorries/trucks, motor bikes, and generally everyone else starts using the sidewalks "to avoid the jam on the road" Tnk, there is a gentleman's agreement on Kenyan roads. Matatus, buses and other public transport are generally alloowed to overlap. If you're driving in a jam and a matatu or bus is trying to get in from the sidewalk beside you, you give them way and help them avoid arrest by the policemen. But if it's a private car trying to overlap, you try your best to block him and catch the traffic policeman's attention so as to arrest the buggers. At least that is how I have observed it.
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Post by genius on Jul 25, 2012 19:49:50 GMT 3
How Cliche. You don't have much of a brain left do you? No, not much. But I comfort myself with the knowledge that I have more than you do. ;D hehe... good comeback
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Post by genius on Jul 25, 2012 19:32:47 GMT 3
Adongo Locals Vs DiasporaThere is a saying when you are inside a frame, you are like a picture, you cant see what is outside (locals). The "diaspora's" do see the inefficiencies since they are outside the frame. That is why you have two fella's here who cant comprehend. You're talking about yourself fella. You are so inside the frame of whatever country is offering you economic assylum you are unable to reason objectively. True there are inefficiencies in Kenya. But it doesn't mean Europe or America is Heaven compared to Kenya. There are other disadvantages too in those places. It's a question of averages and choosing what is more important to you. Please get a job.
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Post by genius on Jul 25, 2012 19:04:37 GMT 3
Lincoln, Sawa bro. Keep on demanding. We on the other hand shall keep on living. Life is too short to spend fighting post office workers. On another note, kwani you scratch your buttocks every time you disapprove of something? Your haemorrhoids must be very severe by now. Genius, Life is not too short to fight for your rights. No where else in the world, except maybe Haiti, will you find matatus on sidewalks. Sanity my friend, sanity. The post office is a joke. I will not waste energy fighting those clowns or using their services when there are other alternatives. Same with the Coop Bank. Soon enough they learn their lesson and reform. Incidentally, even British Telecom, Orange etc reformed because of customer walkouts, not picketting and noisemaking. Has it ever occured to you that the matatu passengers do not actually mind the matatu using the sidewalks? Why because when the matatu uses the sidewalk it avoids the traffic jam on the road. You have a similar practice in Europe, only there they call it the bus lane. Sooner or later the government will have to recognise this and introduce bus lanes.
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Post by genius on Jul 25, 2012 18:40:39 GMT 3
Lincoln,
Sawa bro. Keep on demanding. We on the other hand shall keep on living. Life is too short to spend fighting post office workers. On another note, kwani you scratch your buttocks every time you disapprove of something? Your haemorrhoids must be very severe by now.
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Post by genius on Jul 25, 2012 18:28:44 GMT 3
Adongo, there is no big picture you are looking at. You're just complaining about being stuck in traffic and failing to find parking for hours. Don't worry, that's a favourite hobby of a number of people too. Others like to complain about the weather, etc. You're in good company mate. genius,Now I have to go out with the crew. Obviously you have issues which I am not interested in. Find a literature teacher to help you understand what I am talking about. My 18 year old nephew here called Steve who wants to study law may be of some help but you might have to pay him. He does nothing for free. Laters. It is 6.20 pm now and we are headed for a feast at my sister's joint. I hope Steve scored enough marks in his KCSE to enable him study Law. It's quite competitive you know. Or is he one of the students hopping to do it via 'parallel'? If he changes his mind and considers getting into the science side of things, I can introduce him to the staff at the Physics Department of UoN and the Engineering School at KU. I do it pro bono, no need to pay. Enjoy the feast pal. There's nothing better than spending a cool evening with family and lots of food, I envy you.
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Post by genius on Jul 25, 2012 18:16:17 GMT 3
[ You know what I really find boring and childish. It is a bunch of people who think just because they can roam around the streets of Nairobi or drive around from A to B they actually own Nairobi or Kenya. It is just foolishness. Just running around to buy stuff in Nairobi means very little to me. There is a bigger picture I am trying to look at which obviously you folks cannot comprehend. So I will not engage you in some silly pissing contest. If you can't get it that is your problem. Adongo: Some of the reactions you are geting should explain to you why nothing ever changes in Kenya, where laziness and inefficiency are the order of the day, especially in government offices. And the sheer amount of filth in a country where many children die very young from easily preventable diseases caused by filth! And the crime and always taking your life into your hands whenever you venture out at night! I no longer spend much time in places like Nairobi or other cities and towns. Direct to home-home, and then perhaps a few days in Mombasa. The other thing you should be prepared for if you suggest that some things might be done better is a sneering "From Canada, eh? So now you think you are a mzungu?" How Cliche. You don't have much of a brain left do you?
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Post by genius on Jul 25, 2012 18:13:57 GMT 3
Adongo, there is no big picture you are looking at. You're just complaining about being stuck in traffic and failing to find parking for hours. Don't worry, that's a favourite hobby of a number of people too. Others like to complain about the weather, etc. You're in good company mate.
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Post by genius on Jul 25, 2012 17:57:43 GMT 3
Emali, Whenever I'm in town and have to rush to Westlands or Ngong Road, I always take a matatu. Despite the traffic, these drivers know all sorts of panya routes and will get there faster than even a taxi or even personal vehicle. Occasionally they will drive through petrol stations or pavements at a break neck speed sending pedestrians fleeing helter skelter for dear lives. But the congestion is simply not on the roads only, walk into any bank- the queues never seem to move. They snake for miles it's like customers are being punished for God knows why. Same applies to any clinic, restaurant, MPesa joint, ATM etc. Yesterday I was at Anniversary Towers and the lifts just climb up there to the 17th flooor and never seem to want to come back. And when they did, there's was stampede, no one wants to be left behind. Even pregnant mamas don't count! There's a lot of inefficiency and lethargy in these public institutions- systems always down- you need a very patient soul to survive in this city. No one smiles or welcomes you warmly, it's like you are a bother to some of these attendants unless you are white. The worst experience in my life was when a friend from abroad sent me some personal items (few gifts really) and I had to go to collect and clear with customs at City Square. You line up for two hours to verify your package and customs tell you what you owe ( mine was just 1200/). You go outside to pay at Cooperative Bank Aga Khan Walk where you queue for 2 more hours (it was raining as hell on that day so you can imagine that) You return with receipt at City Square and line up again to hand over the bank slip and get clearance. You walk to another floor- now to pick your item where the queue was as long as River Nile. By the time I was leaving there, my whole body was hurting, didn't return to work and went straight to bed! (I won't even mention the number of times I was turned back at various counters for being in the 'wrong line' although same staff had advised me. Some of these bottle necks just require common sense to deal away with. Not to turn this into a 'local' vs. 'diaspora' bash, but the fact of the matter is that the inefficient service delivery/ inefficiencies witnessed in the good country must solely be blamed on the 'locals'. It is they who accept such mediocre treatment allowing it to manifest into what has become acceptable daily life. Destiny, Your experience is 100% unacceptable. Suppose every local who waited for six hours to receive a package fought the system on a daily basis until the mess is resolved? If you have energy to fight the system, do so. But I doubt the necessary thousands of other Kenyans struggling to feed their families do. In Kenya we vote with our feet. If we hate the service, we simply do not patronise your establishment again. In case you haven't noticed, people in Kenya hate tantrum-throwers. In the case of Destiny, the lesson here is simply to not receive your packages via the post office. Try DHL or Fedex next time. The difference in price is actually not that big. When the post office realise they are losing customers they will reform.
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Post by genius on Jul 25, 2012 17:39:26 GMT 3
In addition to the psychoanalysis by Job, Nereah and Mzee above, the passages below from Miguna's book strengthen my hypothesis of what led to Miguna's character turning out the way it did.
Obviously If he had been a little more creative, he would have found a good alternative to belts and sisal strings in a creeping grass called 'mothno'. A lot of young boys I know were only able to play a game of football or running after securing their shorts with some 'mothno'. Surely this is a common grass around Nyando and young Miguna should have made use of it.
Nevertheless, this failure to get an introduction to sports was very detrimental to the development of his psychomotor skills. You can observe this in the way he violently gesticulates when he speaks. Also this excellent avenue for a child's energy and emotional release was blocked meaning he was left with a lot of pent up energy and emotions inside of him. It is easy to see why his bitterness towards his uncle lasted for all those years. I have seen children mistreated, but they rarely hold the bitterness for that many years. In fact they usually push it away from their minds as soon as they transfer to a better environment.
There is no mention of his involvement in sports during his time at Onjiko yet there are lots of stories about his involvement in debates, etc. Fast forward to Njiiris school:
Here Miguna clearly misunderstood his headmaster Mr. Ndung'u who wanted the best for him. He thought Mr. Ndung'u was asking him to join the basketball team so that he could stop his lectures. On what basis does he come to that conclusion. Look at the transcript, it is clear this accusation on Ndung'u is without basis. The threat was, "join the basketball team or be sacked as prefect," and not, "Stop your lectures or be sacked!" Most likely Ndung'u had observed that his height was suitable for basketball and wanted him to join the team in order to strengthen the team, not to stiffle his public speaking skills. According to Miguna, being in the basketball team and giving lectures were mutually exclusive events. An obvious misunderstanding because after all he himself says clearly that prefects were encouraged by the same Ndung'u to give those public lectures and in addition that most of the senior prefects were also sportsmen.
During my time in high school, we had a teacher called Mr. Otula who would round up all the tall boys and command them to report for basketball training. Most of them did. Similarly all the burly boys would be rounded up by the senior boys and taken to the rugby pitch where we got our introduction to rugby. For many of us, this introduction to sports is what changed our lives. Many of the boys you would see reluctantly walking to the basketball court are the same ones whose exploits you would read about in the newspaper in four years time. I myself am proud of having frogmarched two boys to the rugby pitch who are now proudly members of the national rugby team.
If Miguna had just taken Mr. Ndung'u's advice, I believe his life would have turned out differently. For sure he would not have all that pent up aggression inside him and the readiness to lash out at anybody he percieves to be against him. He would have learned too that in life, like in sports, we win some and lose some yet still regard our opponents as our friends. Some of my best friend are boys I played with and against during those high school and college sports.
He finally validates my theory with his writings later in the book.
Now this lack involvement in sports hence missing out on the physical and emotional development that sports offers is not the only explanation for Miguna's behaviour. There are many other factors, like Job alludes to self esteem issues and the lack of a strong father figure in his life, Mzee's mention of his mental instability and the hubris that Nereah writes above too. I believe though that a significant part of his actions can be explained by the sports angle.
That's all for now folks.
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Post by genius on Jul 25, 2012 15:57:15 GMT 3
Now that's what's up. Hope he succeeded in getting financing for his project. I would be willing to work with him depending on the cost of the machine he's talkng about. Bottom line though is, while someone else would have spent the whole time complaining abput how Lake Victoria is full of hyacinth and how clean Lake Michigan and Lake Superior are, this young man saw an opportunity to make money hyacinth. If making paper is a simple as that guy makes it look, how come there aren't more paper manufatcturing comepanies in Kenya? It would be interesting to know what could be the quality of the hyacinth paper compared to the conventional paper?
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