After my birthday, the begining of the week was laid back and Becca and I went to Sarakasi and then would go straight home. That Thursday (June 4th) we decided to go see Eric Wainaina perform at his usual Thursday night gig at Club Afrique. Last time I was here he performed on Sunday’s but now it’s moved to Thursday. I can’t even begin to say how excited I was to go and see him perform again. I got to know Eric’s company Rainmaker and its staff really well and it was like a homecoming seeing them again.
Eric’s shows are really up beat and I love all of his music and know it really well now. Becca and I went and met up with Eskil (previously mentioned as a Sarakasi co-worker, he’s here training the acrobats, he’s from Norway and is a professional balancer and performer. If you google Eskil Ronningsbakken you’ll see the crazy stunts that he’s done) and we were sitting and dancing and just having a good time. There’s one part where Eric calls people up on stage to share a dance move and since he spotted Becca and I and recognized us he pulled us up. As other Kenya people will know there is one move from Sarakasi that I always do when called up. It’s an African move and always cracks everyone up because here is this mzungu girl doing a clearly African move. It was so much fun.
After the show ended we decided that we wanted to go out somewhere and being that it was Thursday we decided to go to a club called Florida 2000 (or Madhouse) downtown. First off, I know its funny that the club is called Florida. Secondly, Florida is notorious in Nairobi especially in regards to the number of hookers there. Lastly, Florida is located in a Seattle Space Needle shaped building with a disco ball exterior located above a gas station. At least now you’re interested. Florida is mostly frequented by people that 1) know that whatever night or time it is someone will be there, or 2) are tourists (whether they admit it or not) looking for a hooker. Maybe I’m being a bit harsh, because we were going there ourselves but the best way to describe Florida is notorious. I had only been once before, last time for Kim’s birthday (It was a Monday night, where else could we go?).
So the three of us get to Florida and the first thing we see is a white man and a Kenyan girl arguing outside the club. Our cab driver says politely “that man and his girlfriend are having a disagreement” and we’re like ‘yes, his “girlfriend”’. We go inside and the first thing Becca says is that she doesn’t know why people think that Florida is so bad – this is even funnier in retrospect. We go, and wouldn’t you know Thursday is disco night, so we were just dancing ridiculously and having fun. Then around 1:00 everyone gets cleared off the dance floor because they have a nightly show. The show is a group of dancers from Mombasa. They started dancing some African, and salsa, and everything seemed fine – it was just a poor quality dance show. By the finale Becca understood why Florida had its reputation. The last dance number had the 6 girl dancers in short skirts which they were shaking in a way that you could clearly see that they were only wearing thongs. The hilarious part being the fact that in earlier dance numbers they had spankies on. They must have gotten lost somewhere during the show. So here come the girl’s butts out and you’re like okay it’ll end here – but oh my friend, it did not. What then proceeded to happen was that with the help of the three male dancers and a willing (or unwilling?) audience participant each girl more or less simulated having sex. Classy right? I won’t go into so many details but let’s just say that there was a lot of gyrating and a lot of things I think I could have died before really needing to see.
After their performance I was joking with Becca that I no longer felt comfortable being on the dance floor because I really don’t need anything they might have. We left shortly after because really there are only so many moves one can break out to bad disco music and it was late. I don’t really see myself going back to Florida anytime soon but who knows. It really is an experience though and despite the fact that I think it is impossible to feel clean while in that building, it is funny.
Friday, June 26, 2009
June 1st - My Birthday!!
The Monday right after the festival was my birthday!! One of the projects through Sarakasi is the Hospital Project where a group of about 7 goes everyday to Kenyatta National Hospital to entertain and amuse the kids. It is a truly fantastic program because life in the hospital for those kids is pretty dismal and giving them the chance to laugh, and draw, and be creative is something they really need. This program relates to my birthday because one of the women who use to work for the program was having her traditional Kikuyu wedding on my birthday and I was invited to go. Her name is Shiro and she was marrying a Dutch man. A traditional Kikuyu wedding is made up of four parts and usually takes place across a year’s time but because he was a foreigner and Shiro now lives in the Netherlands, they decided to combine everything in one day. Kikuyu is one of the largest ethnic groups in Kenya and while I had been to a Catholic wedding in Kenya last time I was here I was excited to see this traditional wedding.
Becca and I went to the wedding with a friend a co-worker from Sarakasi named Tabby. Tabby is a good friend and is also Kikuyu so she got to act as our translator. The entire proceedings were in Kikuyu (not Kiswahili) and luckily mostly translated for the benefit of the groom and us. We arrived to the compound where the wedding was to take place and walked through the gates to find roughly 100 people inside sitting and waiting for things to begin (even though it was an hour after the time the wedding was set to start). When arrived they led us past everyone seated into the home to eat. On the way in we passed the groom and I was stopped to say hi to him. Tabby (Kenyan) and Becca (Bangladeshi-American) were not stopped but I was told I needed to greet my fellow tribe member; we were the only two mzungus, white people, in the compound. In the home we sat down and ate a variety of Kenyan foods that were all delicious. After eating we were led back outside and given prime seating to see the wedding.
The first ceremony was introducing the two families. I was told that this is traditional because it was a good way to make sure the two getting married weren’t related. The groom, named Michel, was introduced to all of Shiro’s family including her parents, siblings, aunts, uncles. Because none of his family was present he had a Kenyan man and woman acting as his parents and during the whole ceremony it was an on-going joke that he and his “parents” had just come from the Netherlands. After the introductions were complete they moved on to the second ceremony which was the dowry negotiations.
For the dowry negotiations Shiro was sent to one side of the compound and Michel, his men, and the male relatives of Shiro went inside to agree on a dowry price. I think negotiations took about 45min but I was told that it can sometimes last for significantly longer. Dowry negotiation is often an event in itself and relatives have refused to give women as wives until all dowry arrangements are agreed upon and paid. Essentially they hold the bride hostage or as ransom. I was told that in Luo weddings (another ethnic group) the dowry amount is announced but in Kikuyu weddings the dowry amount stays between the families.
The third part of the ceremony was my favorite part. Shiro went inside and changed her dress, shoes, everything. She then comes out of the house with five other women and their heads and faces are all covered with fabric. What the groom must do then is identify his bride amongst the covered ladies. He gets one guess and if he guesses wrong he is of course embarrassed, the butt of some jokes, and is fined one goat. This part of the wedding was so much fun because everyone was speculating about who it could be. Two were a little bit taller, one was a bit short, and three were the same height. I was trying to guess based on shoes which worked out horribly (I was way off). Tabby and Becca also were guessing but more based on height. Michel was a really good sport and walked up to three of the girls individually, quietly said “boo!” in their faces, then shook his head and walked away. Since I clearly had no idea which one she was I was nervous for him but eventually he said that he had chosen one. He pulled the fabric off her head, picked her up, and spun her around saying “I want this one” (he of course picked right). Shiro later told me that he had identified her by her earrings, go figure.
The fourth and final ceremony was the actual marriage ceremony. The first part was the cutting of the cake; and by cake I mean goat shoulder. The men had spent the entire three ceremonies over by a grill roasting goat meat and at this time they loaded about half a goat worth on a plate and brought it to the bride and groom. “Cutting the cake” is the legally binding act of the marriage proceedings. What happens is the man holds one side of the shoulder and the woman the other. The man then has to cut clean through the shoulder without lifting the knife from the meat. Once he does that then they’re officially married. Michel cut through the leg without a problem and everyone started cheering. They then had to feed each other and their family.
After everyone had some of the goat it was taken away. Next come other ceremony like activities but I was not told that they themselves were independent ceremonies. After the goat was taken away some porridge, in Kiswahili called ugi, (‘ooh-gi’) was put into a calabash dish. Michel sat down and Shiro was supposed to feed him the porridge to symbolize that she would take care of him during the marriage. The trick is that the groom is told that he must refuse the porridge the first couple times. The first time Shiro offered Michel just shook his head and Shiro picked up a comb and combed his hair for him. She then offered the porridge again and when he refused the second time (this time by sticking his nose up in a comical way) Shiro got a cloth and pretended to shine his shoes. The third time when Michel refused Shiro tied a small bib around his neck. He then agreed and drank some of the porridge. I think he was suppose to drink all of the porridge but he didn’t a frankly I don’t blame him. I tried some porridge at a school here and it is not a taste that I’m acquainted with at all. It’s made from millet that has been boiled, or fermented, or something. The only way I can describe the porridge is to say that it’s like a half-solid half-liquid, more sludge-like drink that tastes like corn but a little sweet. It’s like nothing I’ve tasted before and I don’t see mass porridge consumption in my future.
After the porridge there was singing and dancing where all of the women in the compound were doing a call and response song to one woman leading and Michel and Shiro were dancing. Once that finished we were swept back into the house where we had first eaten. Where the food once was there now were cases and cases of beer and soda and two jerry cans of “local brew”. There was some long winded speech about the beer being divided between the families, a case here, a case there, and after the people I was with had a soda we decided it might be best to leave before the drinking. We left around 7:30pm and Shiro later told me that after she left at 11:00pm she still received calls from those still drinking until 3:00am.
All in all it was a wonderful day. My birthday finished with Becca, our housemate Patrick, and two Sarakasi co-workers Eskil and Tabby joining me at Trattioria a really nice Italian restaurant down town. It was a great birthday.
Becca and I went to the wedding with a friend a co-worker from Sarakasi named Tabby. Tabby is a good friend and is also Kikuyu so she got to act as our translator. The entire proceedings were in Kikuyu (not Kiswahili) and luckily mostly translated for the benefit of the groom and us. We arrived to the compound where the wedding was to take place and walked through the gates to find roughly 100 people inside sitting and waiting for things to begin (even though it was an hour after the time the wedding was set to start). When arrived they led us past everyone seated into the home to eat. On the way in we passed the groom and I was stopped to say hi to him. Tabby (Kenyan) and Becca (Bangladeshi-American) were not stopped but I was told I needed to greet my fellow tribe member; we were the only two mzungus, white people, in the compound. In the home we sat down and ate a variety of Kenyan foods that were all delicious. After eating we were led back outside and given prime seating to see the wedding.
The first ceremony was introducing the two families. I was told that this is traditional because it was a good way to make sure the two getting married weren’t related. The groom, named Michel, was introduced to all of Shiro’s family including her parents, siblings, aunts, uncles. Because none of his family was present he had a Kenyan man and woman acting as his parents and during the whole ceremony it was an on-going joke that he and his “parents” had just come from the Netherlands. After the introductions were complete they moved on to the second ceremony which was the dowry negotiations.
For the dowry negotiations Shiro was sent to one side of the compound and Michel, his men, and the male relatives of Shiro went inside to agree on a dowry price. I think negotiations took about 45min but I was told that it can sometimes last for significantly longer. Dowry negotiation is often an event in itself and relatives have refused to give women as wives until all dowry arrangements are agreed upon and paid. Essentially they hold the bride hostage or as ransom. I was told that in Luo weddings (another ethnic group) the dowry amount is announced but in Kikuyu weddings the dowry amount stays between the families.
The third part of the ceremony was my favorite part. Shiro went inside and changed her dress, shoes, everything. She then comes out of the house with five other women and their heads and faces are all covered with fabric. What the groom must do then is identify his bride amongst the covered ladies. He gets one guess and if he guesses wrong he is of course embarrassed, the butt of some jokes, and is fined one goat. This part of the wedding was so much fun because everyone was speculating about who it could be. Two were a little bit taller, one was a bit short, and three were the same height. I was trying to guess based on shoes which worked out horribly (I was way off). Tabby and Becca also were guessing but more based on height. Michel was a really good sport and walked up to three of the girls individually, quietly said “boo!” in their faces, then shook his head and walked away. Since I clearly had no idea which one she was I was nervous for him but eventually he said that he had chosen one. He pulled the fabric off her head, picked her up, and spun her around saying “I want this one” (he of course picked right). Shiro later told me that he had identified her by her earrings, go figure.
The fourth and final ceremony was the actual marriage ceremony. The first part was the cutting of the cake; and by cake I mean goat shoulder. The men had spent the entire three ceremonies over by a grill roasting goat meat and at this time they loaded about half a goat worth on a plate and brought it to the bride and groom. “Cutting the cake” is the legally binding act of the marriage proceedings. What happens is the man holds one side of the shoulder and the woman the other. The man then has to cut clean through the shoulder without lifting the knife from the meat. Once he does that then they’re officially married. Michel cut through the leg without a problem and everyone started cheering. They then had to feed each other and their family.
After everyone had some of the goat it was taken away. Next come other ceremony like activities but I was not told that they themselves were independent ceremonies. After the goat was taken away some porridge, in Kiswahili called ugi, (‘ooh-gi’) was put into a calabash dish. Michel sat down and Shiro was supposed to feed him the porridge to symbolize that she would take care of him during the marriage. The trick is that the groom is told that he must refuse the porridge the first couple times. The first time Shiro offered Michel just shook his head and Shiro picked up a comb and combed his hair for him. She then offered the porridge again and when he refused the second time (this time by sticking his nose up in a comical way) Shiro got a cloth and pretended to shine his shoes. The third time when Michel refused Shiro tied a small bib around his neck. He then agreed and drank some of the porridge. I think he was suppose to drink all of the porridge but he didn’t a frankly I don’t blame him. I tried some porridge at a school here and it is not a taste that I’m acquainted with at all. It’s made from millet that has been boiled, or fermented, or something. The only way I can describe the porridge is to say that it’s like a half-solid half-liquid, more sludge-like drink that tastes like corn but a little sweet. It’s like nothing I’ve tasted before and I don’t see mass porridge consumption in my future.
After the porridge there was singing and dancing where all of the women in the compound were doing a call and response song to one woman leading and Michel and Shiro were dancing. Once that finished we were swept back into the house where we had first eaten. Where the food once was there now were cases and cases of beer and soda and two jerry cans of “local brew”. There was some long winded speech about the beer being divided between the families, a case here, a case there, and after the people I was with had a soda we decided it might be best to leave before the drinking. We left around 7:30pm and Shiro later told me that after she left at 11:00pm she still received calls from those still drinking until 3:00am.
All in all it was a wonderful day. My birthday finished with Becca, our housemate Patrick, and two Sarakasi co-workers Eskil and Tabby joining me at Trattioria a really nice Italian restaurant down town. It was a great birthday.
Monday, June 15, 2009
I'm back! May 16th - May 31st 2009
I’m back!
I’m back in Nairobi, Kenya as of May 18th and will be here until August 25th. This time I haven’t come as a student but (according to my visa) as a tourist. Of course I don’t feel like a tourist but regardless, it is good to be back.
The first week that I was back was exciting in the sense that I got a chance to see some people I hadn’t got to see in a while. The flight here was good and it was really nice having my friend Courtney in London and willing to show Becca and I around for the day. (It’s worth noting that this trip is me and my friend Becca, I’m sure she’ll come up a lot).
The goal of our time in London was to pack as much possible into our 12 hour lay over and I think we were successful. It was raining for most of our time but I thought it was fitting that it was raining in London while we were there, like a more authentic experience. That feeling passed after the first 20 minutes of rain and two hours later when it was still raining I was completely disenchanted (with the rain, not London) First we went to the Tower of London which was fun and we got to see the crown jewels. We got to see lots of places where people were beheaded, tortured, etc. All in all an uplifting time. Then we hopped on a bus (a double-decker red bus of course) and headed over to Buckingham Palace. From there we walked to see the Parliament building and Big Ben. It was all in all lovely and Courtney was a great sport showing us everywhere. She even came to the airport in the morning to meet us, keep in mind it was 7:00am, and I got to have a Love Actually moment. You know when everyone walks down the receiving line exiting the airport while the Beatles “Love Love Love” plays in the background (or in this case my head). The moral of this story: Courtney is amazing. The pictures that I took in London are nice too although Becca has a pretty heinous one where the mixture of my hair having undergone a 7 hour flight, my internal clock being at 1:00am although in London it was 7:00am, and a swift wind combined in a way that makes me look like I had been electrocuted shortly before the picture was taken.
The first week back in Kenya was nice. We arrived on Monday the 18th and our friend Patrick picked us up from the airport. Becca and I are staying in an apartment with Patrick, his aunt, and his cousin. It’s nice living in a home with a Kenyan family. When we finally arrived in Kenya after our flight we spent Monday just hanging out in the house (and showering of course we had spent 28 hours traveling). Tuesday I went to Sarakasi Trust which is the NGO (Non-governmental Organization) that I had interned at last time I was in Kenya. When I left Sarakasi had just moved into a new building they bought and had just finished renovating. This time I got to see the Sarakasi Dome completed; it looks amazing. Additionally, Sarakasi had bought the building next door and they opened the new Sawa Sawa Bar. Now between Sarakasi’s two buildings they have a huge performance space, a dance studio, a radio station studio, an apartment for visiting artists, and the bar. It’s remarkable how far they’ve come and how great the space is.
The first weekend back in Nairobi a friend invited Becca and I to Lake Naivasha. I’ve been to Lake Naivasha twice before the last time I was here but it’s very peaceful and a nice chance to get out of the city. Also to get to Naivasha, which is slightly north and west of Nairobi, you have to drive past the Rift Valley which is one of the most amazing views in Kenya. The Rift Valley is literally the cradle of life (the oldest human fossils were found there I believe). We went to Naivasha on Friday and stayed overnight. On Saturday we decided to come back to Nairobi and although we didn’t get a chance to go out on the lake or see any animals (they have giraffes, zebras, antelope etc.) it was still a really nice trip.
The next week Becca and I went to Sarakasi everyday as the Sawa Sawa Music Festival was that coming weekend. To help out we called the artists a lot giving them information and getting things from them, made a press packet, organized the artists’ packets, labeled and sorted all meal vouchers, and handed out meal vouchers and wrist bands for each day. I don’t know if that sounds like a lot of work but it was J. The festival itself was May 29th, 30th, and 31st. On Friday, the 29th there was a VIP event with 1,000ksh entry (about $13). Saturday and Sunday were free and open to the public. There was a stage in the Dome, in the Bar, and outside in the Parking lot. Saturday was more of a hip-hop day and Sunday was more African contemporary. Both days I was at Sarakasi for at least 10 hours most of which I spent literally running up and down stairs getting things from the office for people and doing other such tasks. All in all it was a great experience though when it ended on Sunday night I was dead tired.
I’m back in Nairobi, Kenya as of May 18th and will be here until August 25th. This time I haven’t come as a student but (according to my visa) as a tourist. Of course I don’t feel like a tourist but regardless, it is good to be back.
The first week that I was back was exciting in the sense that I got a chance to see some people I hadn’t got to see in a while. The flight here was good and it was really nice having my friend Courtney in London and willing to show Becca and I around for the day. (It’s worth noting that this trip is me and my friend Becca, I’m sure she’ll come up a lot).
The goal of our time in London was to pack as much possible into our 12 hour lay over and I think we were successful. It was raining for most of our time but I thought it was fitting that it was raining in London while we were there, like a more authentic experience. That feeling passed after the first 20 minutes of rain and two hours later when it was still raining I was completely disenchanted (with the rain, not London) First we went to the Tower of London which was fun and we got to see the crown jewels. We got to see lots of places where people were beheaded, tortured, etc. All in all an uplifting time. Then we hopped on a bus (a double-decker red bus of course) and headed over to Buckingham Palace. From there we walked to see the Parliament building and Big Ben. It was all in all lovely and Courtney was a great sport showing us everywhere. She even came to the airport in the morning to meet us, keep in mind it was 7:00am, and I got to have a Love Actually moment. You know when everyone walks down the receiving line exiting the airport while the Beatles “Love Love Love” plays in the background (or in this case my head). The moral of this story: Courtney is amazing. The pictures that I took in London are nice too although Becca has a pretty heinous one where the mixture of my hair having undergone a 7 hour flight, my internal clock being at 1:00am although in London it was 7:00am, and a swift wind combined in a way that makes me look like I had been electrocuted shortly before the picture was taken.
The first week back in Kenya was nice. We arrived on Monday the 18th and our friend Patrick picked us up from the airport. Becca and I are staying in an apartment with Patrick, his aunt, and his cousin. It’s nice living in a home with a Kenyan family. When we finally arrived in Kenya after our flight we spent Monday just hanging out in the house (and showering of course we had spent 28 hours traveling). Tuesday I went to Sarakasi Trust which is the NGO (Non-governmental Organization) that I had interned at last time I was in Kenya. When I left Sarakasi had just moved into a new building they bought and had just finished renovating. This time I got to see the Sarakasi Dome completed; it looks amazing. Additionally, Sarakasi had bought the building next door and they opened the new Sawa Sawa Bar. Now between Sarakasi’s two buildings they have a huge performance space, a dance studio, a radio station studio, an apartment for visiting artists, and the bar. It’s remarkable how far they’ve come and how great the space is.
The first weekend back in Nairobi a friend invited Becca and I to Lake Naivasha. I’ve been to Lake Naivasha twice before the last time I was here but it’s very peaceful and a nice chance to get out of the city. Also to get to Naivasha, which is slightly north and west of Nairobi, you have to drive past the Rift Valley which is one of the most amazing views in Kenya. The Rift Valley is literally the cradle of life (the oldest human fossils were found there I believe). We went to Naivasha on Friday and stayed overnight. On Saturday we decided to come back to Nairobi and although we didn’t get a chance to go out on the lake or see any animals (they have giraffes, zebras, antelope etc.) it was still a really nice trip.
The next week Becca and I went to Sarakasi everyday as the Sawa Sawa Music Festival was that coming weekend. To help out we called the artists a lot giving them information and getting things from them, made a press packet, organized the artists’ packets, labeled and sorted all meal vouchers, and handed out meal vouchers and wrist bands for each day. I don’t know if that sounds like a lot of work but it was J. The festival itself was May 29th, 30th, and 31st. On Friday, the 29th there was a VIP event with 1,000ksh entry (about $13). Saturday and Sunday were free and open to the public. There was a stage in the Dome, in the Bar, and outside in the Parking lot. Saturday was more of a hip-hop day and Sunday was more African contemporary. Both days I was at Sarakasi for at least 10 hours most of which I spent literally running up and down stairs getting things from the office for people and doing other such tasks. All in all it was a great experience though when it ended on Sunday night I was dead tired.
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