Alien in my own country

This morning I was listening to a radio link. My first thoughts were of the American accented girl, whose voice was eloquent and hyped up. I smiled wryly to myself as I thought about how western culture has been so engrained into Kenyan culture even when it comes to the dialect we use when we speak English. Having an American accent is not only a cool thing but nowadays it is associated with the bourgeois class, the upper echelons of Kenyan society apparently should be speaking like a yank. With this in mind then those who speak English with a Kenyan accent are regarded as either strange or from an inferior background. Of course it is not said but it is felt.

I remember about two decades ago when I was a kid and I could watch people practice the American accent either by cramming lines from a movie or a popular rap. I must say even I am guilty of this in the past and man, could I pull it off! Little did I know that years later the urban culture and indeed that of the whole East African region will be determined by old movies, cd’s and magazines cheaply dumped or pirated into our country from the west.

These media products penetrate individual and collective domains of African lives, impregnate their tastes, their reflexes, their modes of thought and even everyday decision making, manipulating people to conform to capitalist requirements and to superfluous or illusory needs.

The Rugged Priest Premiere

Last night was the opening of the 5th Annual Kenya International Film Festival. The film shown was The Rugged Priest, the story of Father John Kaizer an inspirational Catholic Priest who stood up for human rights in Kenya.

The film was a refreshing advance in the Kenyan Film Industry. The actors and storyline were sensational. The picture looks good (including stunts and action). Well done to the cast and crew.

Make sure you attend the Kenya Film Festival. There is going to be something for everyone so click on the link to the KIFF website for the schedule.

Informal interview...nice overview

As far as interviews go, this one had to be the most informal but probably the most comfortable.

Ugandan-based-Australian journalist Laurie May and I met for a chat a few months back for Studio Edirisa.

It's a pretty good interview about My Moving Home, worth having a read of. Click here to check it out!