A Moment of Silence

Yetanatha by Arno Kopecky (may you be blessed with endless waves through your travels)…

A moment of silence, please, for Alexander Solzhenitsyn, dead on Saturday, August 2 at 89 years of age – several decades more than the Russian lit-giant must have expected in his firing-squad-facing, gulag-archipelagoing youth. It was Philo Ikonya who reminded me; last seen heckling the readers at Sunday Salon, Ikonya was on the Open Mic stage at Club Sound by the time I walked in on Tuesday night, telling the audience about all the times she’d met the late Mr. S – first in a Nairobi slum, then again on Robbin Island, and yet again…

Maybe one day we’ll be telling kids about the people we met at Litfest. It was a special session of Kwani’s monthly Open Mic poetry night, maybe because this time the mic was only half open. Elitist, I know. But praise Allah for vets like Ikonya, David Ofiano, Nuru Bahati, and Imani Woomera, the Hawaiian Kenyan (how many of those do you know?) who cameo’d briefly on Ikonya’s heels with a trademark oceanic rhapsody that almost got me sprinting for Lamu.

Next up was the night’s main feature, Neema Mawiyoo, whose middle names I don’t have time to type. Neema’s one of the risin’est stars in Nairobi’s poetry circles. She started out with a series on memory, “something that’s been obsessing me lately,” which must mean she’s finally old enough to find it unreliable. I don’t know if the ‘goat meat’ song and chant she broke into halfway through her performance was related to childhood recollections, or if she’d switched themes by then, because at that exact moment I was accosted by the foulest-breathed man in east Africa; it smelt as though the man had eaten half a goat two weeks ago and left a quarter pound rotting in his teeth. I gagged my way through the introduction, exhaled in relief when he moved on, and spent the rest of Neema’s performance hyperventilating.

The mic opened up to the public after that, with predictable results: sooner or later, someone always starts to rhyme. I did enjoy the dramatic element of revenge that crept into the less inspired performances, though, however unintentional. All that romance, alliteration and rhyming caused an entire line of heads seated at the bar to look over their shoulders for the first time all night – having spent the night interrupting the poetry with loud drinking, their situation was finally reversed.

A distressing mass exodus followed the final intonations, with Binyavanga Wainaina, Wambui Mwangi, Angela Wachuka et al leading the charge to quieter environs. Left to wallow in the poetic aftershocks were myself, Tony Mochama and his girl Sharon, an enthusiastic Advanced Fiction workshopper named Betty-from-Meru (not sure about her writing, but she knew how to dance), and one Scisa Rumenge, a young filmmaker from Kakuma refugee camp. Rumenge was here on a special Litfest scholarship, having attracted the attention of Litfest co-organizer Dipesh Pabari through a number of award-winning films at last year’s Kenya International Film Festival.

“Every second here is like a year’s worth of learning for me,” Scisa told me, jolting me back to the greater realities that the Litfest was meant to address. “I’ve been living in that refugee camp for seven years now, ever since I escaped genocide in northeastern Congo.”
Not everyone, it suddenly occurred to me, ought to die before earning a moment of silence.

Click HERE to view more photos from Mentalacrobatics

Litfest Launch - ed!

By Arno Kopecky (the surfer dude!)

Kwani Litfest is on, people. We turned the switch Friday night at Acapulco (the one in Nairobi, not the Mexico) with the help of Just A Band, who are not just a band but practically a football team of dj’s, instrumentalists, and Eryka Badu-esque sirens. A steady drizzle throughout the day didn’t stop the crowd from filling the garden to capacity, and then some – by nine o’clock people had to park further away than their apartments.
Acapulco is an unbeatable spot for a party, unless you happen to be the one trying to finish your dinner date in peace. You feel like you’re at your wealthy god-father’s estate, wandering through the thick arches separating the various dining rooms, admiring the surf photos on the walls and the wine collection stocked above the bar at the entrance, then skipping the line (horrendous) and getting your drink at the bar set up outside instead – sadly, they neglected to stock it with tequila, one of the evening’s only disappointments.
You could find Mr. Cuervo inside if you had the patience, which may have explained the lingering presence there of writers like Andia Kisia and Jackie Lebo; it certainly explained mine. Other familiar faces were prowling around too: Judy Kibinge, the multi-talented filmmaker; Wambui Mwangi, the most literary academic in town and a person who usually likes to throw these kinds of events in her own garden down the street; Muthoni Garland, nominated Caine Prizee (‘nuff said), Doreen Baingana, the Ugandan writer fresh in from Kampala, and Martin Kimani, the Kenyan journalist you are least likely to actually see in Kenya – to name a few. Notably absent were Chimamanda Adichie and Ishmael Beah, whose globe-trotting schedules won’t deposit them here till later in the week, and our very own Binyavanga Wainaina, whose recent trip to the Ghana Litfest resulted in blink and you miss it appearance early on. A spell of malaria that dampened his usually festive mood and ebullience. (But not for long, he assures us – he might even be up for his reading tonight at Sunday Salon.)
The band went strong until, well, who was checking the time anymore? Whenever it was, their stopping didn’t slow us down much; that was the moment Tony ‘Smitta’ Mochama entered the fray, and things got truly vodka-riffic from there on in. The dj’s inside cranked it up a notch or two to get the dance floor moving, the ladies took over the men’s washroom outside (‘you can use the bushes, boys’) and the writers took over the garden bar. For the next several hours (or was that days?) we left no drink unturned.
‘Funny,’ said miss Lebo at one point during the night, ‘we used to throw Litfest parties and you’d know every single person. Tonight I don’t recognize half the people here.’
Sounded good to us – a sure sign that this year’s Litfest has already outpaced the previous years. Friday night proved that more is indeed merrier; here’s to more of the same in the two weeks to come.

Pambazuka Special: The Writer in a time of crises

With over 1000 contributors and an estimated 500,000 readers Pambazuka News is the authoritative pan African electronic weekly newsletter and platform for social justice in Africa providing cutting edge commentary and in-depth analysis on politics and current affairs, development, human rights, refugees, gender issues and culture in Africa.

“Pambazuka News has been featuring more and more African writing. We are therefore especially pleased to bring you this special issue on KLF and some of the broader issues surrounding the political and aesthetic concerns of the younger generation of African writers.”

Special Features this week include:
Mukoma Wa Ngugi - African writing in our time

Binyavanga Wainaina: The writer in a time of crisis

Is the pen mightier than a machete? - Arno Kopecky

Putting on the Kwani Lit Fest - Shalini Gidoomal

Special thanks to the Pambazuka team and especially Firoze Manji.

The in-between world of a hornbill

Sipping over a cup of coffee and smoking far too many cigarettes, Binyavanga said to me, “Now more than any other moment in time, this makes sense.” I desperately needed the reassurance about helping to keep Wajibu going despite the magazine being completely broke. Like everyone else, it was almost impossible at the time to get on with life given the nation’s landscape was continuously being trodden upon by that ubiquitous monster: the post-election crises.

A couple of months and countless cigarettes later, I was running around town like a child wanting to share his new new toy with everyone. We had not only managed to publish Wajibu - we had undertaken the desperate rebranding the magazine needed after twenty odd years of wearing the same clothes. Despite a cover page of cliches, the magazine, filled with refreshing analysis generated by a load of concerned Kenya writers, was embraced by the post-election paradigm.

And whilst most of us were still obsessing about Kenya’s crises status quo, a handful of beautiful minds were busy reclaiming the right to live and express life beyond the grasp of the elections. The Kwani Literary Festival was scheduled for August 2008 but like so many other events had taken a severe beating. Of course there was no intention to ignore the stupidity of our politicians but it was quickly becoming obvious that regardless of the fact that there was a nationwide consensus that writers played a critical role in Revisioning Kenya, nobody was willing to put any money to it. As Shalini was busy picking up the rusted nuts and bolts of the hugely successful 2006 Literary Festival, I could not help but keep reminding her of what she was also thinking: can we do this?

As I sat on our balcony sipping on coffee inhaling toxic fumes from my cigarette and the back end of a 1001 cars, my sister came rushing out to point at the hornbills feasting on the ficus fruits in front of me. Here was a tree sandwiched between a block of apartments, a construction site, and a tarmac road dripping with fruit in a bid to keep reinventing itself. Just beyond the reach of its roots, I pictured the handful of politicians marching over to the Grand Regency in a desperate attempt to convince a few stoned street dwellers that they were in fact, human and they did in fact, care.

Meanwhile, these remarkably clumsy looking top heavy birds filled their bellies with fruit oblivious to the construction men banging away on top of the roofs and my smoke filled presence. They paused for a second when my phone rang but obviously they recognised the ringtone and were not in the least disturbed. There was a feast to be had.

You are right Binyavanga: “Now more than any other moment in time, this makes sense.“

Kwani Litfest 2008: Aug 1 - 15 2008

Kwani Litfest (KLF) is a fortnight of writerly events, culture, mingling, discussion and inspiration. More than 40 African and international poets and writers will appear in fifteen days of panel discussions, readings, book launches, conversations, literary lunches, cultural tours and performances.

Join us for this dynamic 15-day writers festival which not only showcases the best of contemporary African writing, but also utilises established authors to provide inspiring writing tuition and manuscript assessments. KLF, now in its 4th successful year, brings together thinkers and writers from different continents and experiences to explore ideas relevant to the burgeoning African literary scene. This year, as well as creative endeavour, we will focus on the role of the writer in fast-changing conflict and post-conflict situations.

As a special theme following Kenya’s post election violence, KLF will explore the need for new definitions, solutions and ideas. Join us in writing, speaking, networking and devising ways to actively re-invent our society for the good of all.

Through a series of workshops, symposiums, book launches, discussions, retreats, travelling and networking, KLF will develop participants’ creative writing skills, with an emphasis on how stories can help society to see itself more coherently.

The 2008 Kwani Litfest consists of:

• A one day symposium - Revisioning Kenya will take place on 8th August
• A series of one day workshops which begin on Saturday 2nd August
• Week long writing workshops geared towards the craft of writing, which begin Monday August 4th at Club Undecided, Westlands, opp. the Triangle Curio Market
• KLF moves to the Unesco World Heritage town of Lamu on Sunday August 10th

Revisioning Kenya: 8th August

A symposium featuring 12 visionaries drawn from Kenya and abroad, these thinkers will impart their ideas on how to address and repair the issues thrown up by the post-election violence. We firmly believe that Kenyans have the ability to repair the recent damage and aim to feed into the groundswell of effort already growing nationwide. To this end Slum TV will film the speeches of the symposium, which will be available on internet and through established DVD distributors. A Kwanini short story book will also be produced and circulated countrywide. The symposium will close with a sumptuous event where speakers and attendees mingle and network.

Invited Speakers

Ambassador Bethuel Kiplagat (Kenya): of the Africa Peace Forum and a co-convenor of Concerned Citizens for Peace

Kevit Desai (Kenya):- Director of Engineering for Centurion Systems, Head of IEEE, member of Kepsa who organizes a large competion for university inventors each year and tries to find companies to produce the items commercially. His current focus is uses of ICT in rural areas

Farming Systems Kenya - They work with 20,000 farmers including the Kesses Farmers Marketing Federation, and have revolutionalized small-scale farming by harnessing the power of collective bargaining. By organizing farmers into marketing federations the federations have doubled produce prices for members while dropping input prices (esp. fertilizer and seed) considerably.

Irwin Chen - Expert on new media publishing

Reginald Ihejiahi (Nigeria) - Managing director and CEO of Fidelity Bank, and a serious financial operator, he will speak of the importance of merging and supporting art and literature and how words can affect a nation’s thinking.

Sarah Simons

Professor MK Musaazi (Uganda): An inventor with real practical solutions to African problems. Professor Musaazi was recently advisor to the TV programme Schools Shape Up, where a number of his workable solutions to homegrown issues are viewed in action. He will discuss inventions and their practical applications

Onesmo Ole Moi Yoi (Kenya): World famous bio geneticist and scientist with a simple, but radical way of thinking different

Rafique Keshavjee: Visionary entrusted with creating the Aga Khan University in Arusha and Nairobi on the creation of entrepreneurial spirit and the way to move Kenya towards self sufficient income generation.

Lamu Retreat: 10-15 August

Background

Lamu Town – our destination – is an ancient outpost of Swahili culture, a charming Islamic town of narrow streets and old traditions. It is part of the large and diverse Lamu archipelago, a series of beautiful islands. It is this combination of contradictions - its remote location, other worldly atmosphere, varied inhabitants and attractions, that makes Lamu so fascinating. It’s an easy place to explore – foot, dhow and donkey being the main modes of transport. We have arranged some trips to help you see the area:

Excursions

Boat trip to Kipungani
Our journey will take us around Lamu island, through the mangrove channels, past small coastal villages to a private and picturesque spot near Kupungani village. There, we will stop under the shade of a huge mango tree. There will be plenty of time to swim, explore the mangroves, fish from the dhow, climb the large sand dunes and visit the village. Meanwhile Doctor, a fantastic cook will prepare a traditional Swahili dinner, and local Giriama dancers will kick off the dancing. We’ll make our way back to Lamu around 10pm by moonlight.
Price: $35 pp for dhow, food and entertainment. Drinks not included.

Sunset Cruise
Gliding through the channel between Manda and Lamu in a sailing dhow, and weather permitting, into open sea. There’s time for a swim off Manda, and a warming cup of Arabic coffee and some halva (a local sweet) on board,
Price: $9 including coffee and halva

Flying Packages
All flights depart on 10th and return to Nairobi on 15th August on the Kwani special charter. We have secured a series of rooms in historic Lamu houses and guest houses at a very friendly rates for our literature lovers.

Please note that rooms will be allocated on a first come first serve basis. As these prices are exceedingly reasonable for peak season period you are strongly advised to book your space early.

Package	Price for flight and 5 nights accommodation
Flight and ensuite bathroom	Flight and shared bathroom	Flight and luxe room with A/C and access to pool	Flight and ensuite room with sea view	Flight and budget room shared bathroom
USD 560	USD 520	USD 650	USD 550	USD 465

Useful info

• As Lamu electricity is sporadic, it is worth investing in a torch for the week. Please sign the sheet and we will purchase one for you in Nairobi. Alternatively you can get one yourself from most supermarkets.
• Women, please take note that Lamu is a conservative society. Exposing too much flesh will result in someone asking you to cover up. Wear trousers/long skirts, and long sleeved shirts as much as possible.
• Lamu is essentially in which alcohol is frowned upon. There are some bars on the island and we too will be taking alcohol with us for consumption. Please be discreet and make sure you don’t offend the local population with drunken exploits.
• It is advisable to drink bottled water. Please also be sparing with washing water, as it is a scarce commodity in Lamu.
• Bargaining is an essential part of Lamu transactions, and a part of social convention. So practise those skills when purchasing items, or negotiating for transport of the boat or donkey variety.
• Please ensure you take cash to Lamu. There is one semi functioning cashpoint, credit cards are rarely accepted and cash is the only way to pay. Forget that at your peril!
• Mosquito repellent is advised in Lamu. Please bring some with you, or cover up to limit bites.
• The henna paint used to do tattoos is very strong and often results in indelible stains on bedroom sheets. Please be careful to wash off the henna to avoid having to purchase your newly dyed sheets.
• Don’t be afraid to ask directions. Often someone will offer to accompany you to your destination if you are wondering the streets looking lost. This is normal.

Bookings: litfest@kwani.org or call 0735 564 377