Just a Band Featured in LA Times World Playlist
Just a Band, the Kenyan house/funk/disco band famous for their hit viral video Ha-He, are featured in the current issue of the LA Times Magazine. The magazine asked 15 critics the world over to pick one track by a homegrown artist that they think is worth crossing over to the United States. Wanjeri Gakuru, of UP Magazine, submitted Just a Band’s Forever People which made it to the final playlist. Just a Band are the only Africans on the playlist. Yay for Kenya!!!
This song’s steady 127 bpm jam begins as the pitter-patter of rain—definitely not the Benga of old or our new-age Genge. And yet their geeky Afro-electropop captures the zeitgeist of Nairobi’s twentysomethings and is still delicious everywhere.
I managed to visit their Kudishnyao! video art exhibition at the Goethe Institute this past Saturday and the energy was unlike anything I’ve ever seen in Kenya before. It was a full fledged rave and it made me feel 10 years younger. Of course the eye candy on display didn’t hurt. (more…)
Casting: Face of Africa Kenya
Calling all Kenyan models! The Kenyan Ford Supermodel competition is back! You too can be the next Ajuma Nasanyana from Turkana (sponsored by Surazuri) who won a contract with Ford following her entry into the competition in 2003/4. She is now one of the worlds top Supermodels. Gift Opar, pictured above, was last year’s Kenyan representative. Although she did not win, she was the only African representative!
Casting takes place on the 21st of May starting at 9:00 am and finishes at 2:00pm with the girls going through the following stages:
A. Heightometer – where they will be eliminated or progress to the next stage based on their height MIN 5’8”
B. Hips measurement – where they will be eliminated or progress to the next stage based on their hip size MAX OF 37” (more…)
Solange Knowles Sings For Africa In New Song “Kenya”
I love Solange Knowles. Not just because she cares for my lovely Africa, but also because she is a wonderful musician who uses her voice for the greater good. Solange is using her voice to raise awareness and funds for The Coca-Cola Africa Foundation’s Replenish Africa Initiative (RAIN). The organization’s focus is to give African schools and communities direct access to safe drinking water and sanitation. Half of Africa’s population suffers from diseases related to unsafe drinking water and poor sanitation, and is looking to increase to 47 million in three years if nothing changes. To this end, Solange has teamed up with Chris Taylor, Twin Shadow and director Natalie Johns to create “Kenya”, a donate to download track. (more…)
STL To Represent Norway At Eurovision Song Contest
Norwegian televoters have selected Stella Mwangi to represent them at the Eurovision Song Contest 2011 in Düsseldorf, Germany with her song “Haba Haba”. Stella won the final of “Melodi Grand Prix 2011″ with 280,217 votes against the closest rival “the Blacksheeps” song “Dance Tonight” garnering 155,059 votes!
“I am so grateful for all the votes, I’m so glad I get to represent Norway with what I burn for,” Mwangi told reporters after digesting the fact that she had won. “Music means everything to me,” she added. Her song centers heavily on what her grandmothers told her as a young girl, that she could be whatever she wants to be. Stella Mwangi and her family moved to Norway as political refugees when she was only five years old.
I hope she knocks them dead at Eurovision. Congrats to STL!!! Check out pics of her Melodi Grand Prix 2011 performance after the break. (more…)
Atlanta Post Says Ngugi wa Thiong’o Deserves Nobel Prize
The Atlanta Post has published a list of black people who they believe should have been awarded with a Nobel Prize. There are only 12 blacks out of 813 laureates? That’s less than 1.5% of all winners. Kenya’s own Ngugi wa Thiong’o is on the Post’s list for a Nobel Prize in Literature.
Like Nobel laureate Wole Soyinka, Ngugi lived through colonialism as a child and protested his disillusionment when the promise of decolonization did not pan out. He too has been imprisoned, exiled and attacked for his work as a novelist, playwright, critic and activist. What was different about Ngugi, however, was his brave decision in 1977 to renounce English. He chose to write instead in his native language, Gikuyu. He said he wished to write in a language his mother and ordinary people could understand. Limiting his audience to Gikuyu-speakers was groundbreaking but tantamount to commercial suicide. (more…)
Help Fund Education with Kikoy4Kenya
I’m always looking for a way to help improve my country, and the world, in my every day life. Now you can do it through fashion, and by being a fashion trendsetter at that! Inspired by the beauty of East Africa, Kikoy4Kenya is a line of 100% cotton, hand finished textiles that celebrates the rich heritage, craftsmanship and vibrancy of Kenya. Kikoy4Kenya combines the century-old dying and weaving skills of Kenyan artisans to produce the highest quality of indigenous cotton in a rich array of patterns and hues. More than a luxurious hand woven garment, the Kikoy is a jewel from the rich Kenyan culture. Traditionally worn as a sarong by East African men, the multi-tasking Kikoy also serves as a scarf, a dress, and a turban as well as a tapestry or a blanket.
Kikoy4Kenya began as a community project to raise money for the Koinonia Education Centre in Nairobi. Children of the Kibagare slum are given the opportunity to receive a high class education. The school is able to give the children an opportunity to learn and grow. K4K believes that education is the first step in eliminating poverty, and the education of the children is a step towards the education of the community. For every Kikoy4Kenya sold, K4K funds one day of education for one child. However you wear your Kikoy4Kenya, you are wearing it as part of a global community.
You can shop for K4K products on their website. You can also connect with K4K via Facebook and Twitter. You can check out pics of how you can incorporate kikoy in your life after the break. (more…)
Vainaina Is Back!!!
Back in a big way. Towards the end of last year, news broke that Valerie Kimani was pregnant with Eric Wainaina’s child. Only problem was Eric is married to Sheba Hirst and has two kids!!! I know…perfect plot for a telenovela. Eric and Sheba had their issues, separated for a while, but eventually, Eric was forgiven and he even agreed to be a responsible dad.
Fast forward to this weekend, the Weekend Star had an exclusive that Eric was demanding for a DNA test on the child. That can only mean two things: either he’s not sure that he’s the father, or he’s not sure that he’s the father. Some of you may not know what a DNA test is. Basically, a DNA paternity test establishes genetic proof as to whether a man is the biological father of an individual. In a DNA parentage test, the result (called the ‘probability of parentage) is 0% when the alleged parent is not biologically related to the child and the probability of parentage typically greater than 99.9% when the alleged parent is biologically related to the child.
Enter Valerie Kimani. (more…)
David Rudisha: Athlete of the Year
Congratulations to Kenya’s own David Rudisha who won the IAAF World Athlete of the Year Awards. 21-year-old Rudisha became the youngest athlete to ever win the award Sunday, succeeding Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt after breaking Wilson Kipketer’s 13-year-old world record twice within eight days in August. Rudisha clocked 1 minute, 41.01 seconds in the two-lap race on Aug. 29 at the Rieti meeting, shaving 0.08 seconds off the mark he set in Berlin the week before. He will receive a $100,000 check. For all the sports fiends, here’s a treat for you: a list of a few things you may not know about Rudisha:
-
He shares the same agent, Australian James Templeton, as World Indoor 3000m champion Bernard Lagat.
-
His hero was two-time world 800m champion Billy Konchellah of Kenya. He said of Konchellah: “I have met Billy many times, and of course he is a huge inspiration to me.” Rudisha was born just 10km from Konchellah’s home. (more…)
The Prince William & Kate Engagement
So the big news around town is that Prince William has finally proposed to his long long long time girlfriend, Kate Middleton. This is big news primarily because the couple have had an on and off again relationship. I’m particularly excited because he proposed right here in Kenya, at the Lewa Wildlife Conservancy back in October. A visitor to the remote Lewa Wildlife Conservancy in central Kenya told AFP on condition of anonymity they had seen the 28-year-old prince, the second in line to the British throne, at the reserve on October 19. Lewa, 225 kilometres (140 miles) north of the capital Nairobi, has made headlines for its work with black rhinos, threatened by poachers, and allows visitors to track lions and view big cats, elephants and other animals.
Now for the juice. (more…)
Fashion Faux Pas Kenyan Women Love To Make
I don’t know about you, but I’m finding it harder each day to walk in the streets of Nairobi without wanting to stop a woman just to find out if she has a mirror at home that she uses before stepping out the door. Some women look shocking and atrocious! Not everything that’s in fashion will look good on you! Let me share with you a few things that throw me into cardiac shock, thus shortening my life expectancy. (more…)
Kenyan Woman Beheads Hubby In His Sleep!
So this married couple were planning on buying some land. The husband, of course, was charged with the task of taking the money to the owner of the land. We’re talking about Ksh 125,000 (roughly USD $1,580). As my boyfriend would say, on the way to clinch the deal, the devil derailed him. He went drinking with some pals and it is believed that these pals stole the money meant for the land *teeheehee*
Dude slept out, got home on Sunday evening, and could not explain why he had slept out. Meanwhile, the owner of the land had already told the wife about the incomplete deal. Like seriously, what was he thinking? Anyway, I’d be mad too, but not to the point of beheading lol. Men need to sleep with their eyes open these days. Full story after the break. (more…)
Elderly Women In Kenya Taking Self Defence Classes
Elderly women in Korogocho, Kenya are sick and tired of the numerous stories of rape against their peers. So these feisty mamas have decided to take matters into their own hands. To combat the violence, an elderly Kenyan woman has decided to teach willing women techniques of how to combat a rapist in case of an attack. A two-finger poke to the eyes, a punch to the solar plexus, a kick to the groin, then turn and run, the instructor commands. You go girl! Now this is what I’m talking about! Najivunia kuwa mkenya kweli 
Read on for more… (more…)
Nicholas Cage in Kenyan Prison!!!
Relax… He was here evading his bankruptcy issues on a goodwill mission to Shimo La Tewa Prison. Dude used to look way better than this… I guess age does catch up with you.
National Treasure star Nicholas Cage flies out of Kenya on Wednesday morning after a secretive two-day stay in Mombasa.
Mr Cage, who flew in on Monday night, visited the Shimo-La-Tewa GK Prison under a UN counter-piracy programme, but his itinerary after the courtesy call was closely guarded by his UN handlers. The UN Goodwill Ambassador, whose characteristic grooming style is combing his now thinning hair backwards, was quickly whisked away by his security detail after his mission at the prison, and was given little room to field questions from journalists.
But, in a harried interview with the Nation, Mr Cage said he had chosen the Shimo-la-Tewa prison because he wanted to hear the story from the horse’s mouth. “I wanted to see first-hand how the prisoners are being treated here,” he said. “The whole issue of piracy on the high seas has captured everyone’s imagination, and I needed to come and see the piracy suspects and understand why they do what they do.”The actor, who raked in a reported $20 million (approximately Sh1.6 billion) for his role in National Treasure, is reportedly facing financial problems, and there have been reports that he is attempting to dispose of some of his properties, including his estate in Rhode Island.
He described Shimo-la-Tewa as ‘the warmest prison in the world’, an accolade the prison boss, Ms Wanini Kireri, took in her stride. Under the counter-piracy programme, the UN has undertaken to renovate three major prisons in the country — Shimo-la-Tewa, Manyani and Malindi. Daily Nation
Did this dude just say ‘the warmest prison in the world’??? Is there even such a thing???
