"Ohanglaman" introduces his musical contribution to the ongoing US presidential election campaign. In his addictive reggae song with the Jamaican proactive beat, the outstanding Western Kenyan musician calls upon Americans of all ethnic backgrounds to vote for Barack Obama. In his song, Makadem believes that Obama becoming the next president of the United States of America will bring change to the world.
The musicvideo for “Obama be thy name” was produced, directed and edited by German filmmaker Katrin Ender. Inspired by the musician’s international approach to the theme, the video artist worked out an intriguing concept bringing across the universal message of the song.
"Obama be thy name“ is an artistic Kenyan contribution regarding the US presidential elections, unique for its universal rather than local or tribal angle. A must hear and a must see.
Song title: Obama be thy name
Artist: Makadem
Composer: Makadem
Music Production: Roots Camp Kenya
Music Video Production: Katrin Ender
Music Video director & editor: Katrin Ender
Art Direction & Design: Katrin Ender
Contact: Katrin
DVD Movies delivered to your door to door anywhere in Nairobi. Order online.
«
Expand/Collapse
-
19:13
EsKia Mphahlele - Writer & Activist: 17-12-1919 - 27-10-2008
» Black Looks In 1957 EsKia Mphahele left his home in South Africa for what became 20 years in exile. First to Nigeria and then on to England, Kenya, Zambia and the US before finally returning home in 1977. He became the first Black man to to be offered a chair at the Wits [...]SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "EsKia Mphahlele - Writer & Activist: 17-12-1919 - 27-10-2008", url: "http://www.blacklooks.org/2008/11/eskia_mphahlele_-_writer_activist_17-12-1919_-_27-10-2008.html" });
-
18:15
Africa and global finance: potential resistance?
» Kenya Imagine Far-reaching strategic debate is underway about how to respond to the global financial crisis, and indeed how the North's problems can be tied into a broader critique of capitalism. At minimum, the ongoing chaos offers new ideological space and material justifications for African finance ministries to re-impose exchange controls and re-regulate finance, and to find sources of hard currency not connected to the Bretton Woods Institutions or Western donors.
Want more? -
China’s mythical military menace
» Kenya Imagine For some time now the press in the global ‘North' has enjoyed itself making its readers' blood freeze with scare stories about the impending takeover of poor defenceless Africa by the Chinese;Yellow Peril'.China's growing African involvement does indeed raise serious issues for Africa's policymakers and African civil society. But most of the ‘yellow peril' coverage is so one-sided as to discredit itself. One recent offering however managed to summarise so many misconceptions as to merit special attention, especially as it concentrates on the one area where it is hardest to conjure up a ‘Chinese threat'.
Want more?
-
16:12 Togolese Bottle Opener Simplicity
» AfriGadget 
Togolese inebriation innovationI love African beer. I really do. Even when bad Nigerian beer knocks me down for a week, I am always back for more.
Maybe it’s the efficiency of drinking from 1/2 liter bottles or the romance of relaxing beer-in-hand while watching Simba sex. Either way, a cold Club, Tusker, or White Cap is the only way to end a day.
That’s why I’ve always noticed how beers are opened in Africa. My preference is for the minimalist method of using one bottle to open another, a trick I use to constant amazement in the lower 48.
However, most African restaurants and bars employ boring commercial bottle openers, plain and unassuming in form and function. You have to really be on the lookout to find creative beer release mechanisms - and recently I was rewarded for my vigilance.
Having a cold beer after Togo’s National Run to the Border Day sprint to the Ghanaian border, I noticed that my server was using a non-standard bottle opener.
A first in my observance, she employed two screws in a wooden peg to pop the bottle cap on my Guinness. What simplicity, ingenuity, practicality!
I was in awe until I had a thought: What if she could use only one screw?
[See more images like this on the AfriGadget Flickr group.]
Wayan Vota is part of Inveneo, a non-profit social enterprise whose mission is to get the tools of ICT into the hands of organizations and people who need them most: those in remote and rural communities in the developing world.
-
15:48
HSDPA via PCMCIA
» Kikuyumoja's realm As already mentioned some days ago, I’d recently lost my normal (DSL) internet broadband connectivity the other day and urgently needed to get back online. So I quickly went for a Fonic SIM card (operating within Germany’s O2 network) which offers the cheapest (not cheap, but still cheapest) surf & go flatrate for UMTS / GPRS connectivity up to HSDPA (3.5G) (2,50 EUR / day). All other flatrates currently on offer either come with a 24-month subscription, or do not offer HSDPA (3.5G) speed.
I’d used the Fonic SIM card on the Nokia N95 - my mobile phone I normally use for another line. Fonic also offers USB UMTS modems made by Huawei - however, these external modems often sell for 60,- EUR and above (Fonic sells them for ~ 100,- EUR with a new SIM card). USB modems are nice, also because they connect to any USB device (desktop pc, notebook, netbook) - but they are still too expensive for me. Also, I do have a PCMCIA II slot on my notebook I’ve never really used so far (except for my Harry’s TV card which is still with Harry - ati bwana, diese Lösung hier ist auch für Dich interessant).
So I checked out eBay and found this really great offer where someone had this “Vodafone Mobile Connect HSDPA / UMTS / EDGE datacard” PCMCIA II card in an auction..
…which I managed to secure for just 2,- EUR! :-)
It’s a “Qualcomm 3G CDMA” PCMCIA II card, also known as “Option GT 3G+ EMEA”. Oh, and it also has an extra port for an external antenna, so this may be of particular interest to those who are living far away from the next base station.
Well…don’t be fooled by the Vodafone branding - this card isn’t SIM- or netlocked, and it will just work. Took me about 20 minutes to search for a valid driver package and programme to run it, and 3 minutes to install it.
The problem I had was that these Vodafone (T-Mobile, OEM, etc.) cards aren’t officially supported by Option, which is why I had to find a driver package for this card in the first place.
Option Globetrotter ConnectI’d previously used Vodafone’s 86mb package (Vodafone connect) to get the driver, but even after deinstalling it later on, I think the drivers are still on the system, so I can’t really tell right now if I am currently using the Vodafone drivers or the ones from this hidden Option Globetrotter Connect suite which is much smaller (2,6 mb vs. 86 mb). On the other hand, both software packages have drivers made by Option, so I guess they are all the same (except for Vodafone providing bloatware along with the plain driver package). [Update]: The above mentioned Option Globetrotter Connect suite is all you need. Install it, plug in this card, it will automatically select the drivers and you’re ready to go. Simple as that.
Another interesting alternative, and my initial reason for this blog post, is MWCONN - a really perfect little freeware (WinXP) access tool for mobile internet connections. Perfect, as it provides lot’s of interesting details to the running connection:
The whole setup still needs to be optimized and the speed improved (the network here currently only supports up to 1,8 Mbit/s, not 3,6 or even 7,2 Mbit/s). Also, since it’s based on a PCMCIA card, it will only work via PCMCIA slots (which is one of the reasons I’d thought about going for a used 12″ subnotebook instead of a 10″ netbook). But still - this internet connectivity is better than nothing + it is a dedicated solution that doesn’t require any swapping of SIM cards + carrying an extra cable for the phone as Bluetooth alone is too slow. Also, MWCONN on the other hand also has this *100# prepaid credit balance check built in - which makes sense because there’s no keypad as on a phone to type in such a basic command.
The only downside to MWCONN is the missing driver package, so if you’re cheap like me and into buying hardware only via eBay, just go for the Option package above. It really is all you need for WinXP.
Vodafone sucks big times - and so does their branding :-)Now let me see how it performs with Ubuntu 8.10…read somewhere that it is natively supported there. Which means: plug & play!
[UPDATE]
It just took me 2 minutes to get this thing online via Ubuntu 8.10 - out-of-the-box, that is. Plugged it in, chose the new network management tool, selected mobile broadband and entered the following data for Fonic:
APN: pinternet.interkom.de
primary DNS: 195.182.96.28
secondary DNS: 195.182.96.61Compared to all the stress I used to have with such toys back in the days, this setup just works.
Verdict: if you own a mobile device with a PCMCIA II slot and want to get online, don’t spend a lot of money on USB devices if you can also have it this way. Works with WinXP SP2 & Ubuntu 8.10.
-
15:28
I am wary of National Oil Corporation ...
» Rants, Raves & Reviews I am wary of National Oil Corporation of Kenya.
1) Does it receive subsidies from GoK? If yes, how much?
2) Does it receive favourable treatment from KRA?
3) How are its activities funded?
The problem is that any government 'support' costs taxpayers even more.- Subsidies means higher taxes on those who pay taxes (MPs excluded).
- Favored tax status means the other taxpayers are disadvantaged.
- Capital put into NOCK means other areas are starved OR the funds are borrowed from the money markets.
Strenghten regulation and quality controls. Which firm imported the low-quality LPG?
Various taxes on petroleum products should be reduced or eliminated. Or encourage public transport by offering 'free market' incentives e.g. lower taxes on buses & mini-vans.
Government 'support' will encourage cronyism, corruption & inefficiencies!
** Good news: Political clout on the decline. KCB sold off a farm that kenyatta had stolen. They had borrowed money using the farm as collateral & KCB foreclosed on it. Considering (not yet) uhuru is Deputy PM, this is great since other politicians will be running scared!
-
13:55
Web and Mobile Tech Used in Election Monitoring
» White African With the big US election cycle culminating in tomorrow’s election day there has been a lot of talk about monitoring of elections. Usually I see this type of debate taking place in other parts of the world - like Zimbabwe, Kenya and Nigeria. However, this time it’s at home, and while all the focus of the world is here, it makes an interesting time and case-study for the use of technology in monitoring of everything from election fraud, to fairness and accessibility.
This new generation of read/write technology using the web and mobile phones creates a situation where ordinary citizen have both awareness and opportunity to take part in an way that wasn’t possible in such great numbers only a few decades ago.
There are really two components; gathering information and then distributing that information in a way that is useful for two types of users. First, the general public. Second, the officials and/or media who can cause something to happen when a bad situation arises.
A list of web and mobile tools to monitor the US elections:
- MyFairElection - Report your polling station’s
condition on Election Day. (in partnership with ABC News) - TwitterVoteReport - Use twitter, SMS, audio call or an iPhone and Android applications to send in reports on Election Day. (in partnership with NPR)
- Video Your Vote - Encourages people to video themselves voting and to upload those to YouTube. (in partnership with PBS)
- VoterSuppression.net - A wiki where users can learn about and enter in reports of voter suppression.
- Our Vote Live - A site documenting the voter assistance work of the Election Protection Coalition that uses a phone call-in system (866-OUR-VOTE).
(if you have more that I haven’t heard of, add the link to the comments below)
Cultural shifts and technology norms aren’t global
Ethan Zuckerman is wondering whether Twitter, or even mobile phones and the web, are the right tools for monitoring an election. He brings up the fact that using old-school technology like radio and TV can be even more useful in places like Ghana, and how that differs with the experience in the USA.
I think there are two things going on here.
First, the cultural use of technology is changing. We’re in that strange twilight zone between mediums where the population is split between overlapping islands of web usage, mobile phones, radio, TV and print.
Second, this cultural usage shift is compounded by having a two-tiered pattern of usage in different parts of the world. Ethan is absolutely right that one of the best tools in Africa is still the radio. However, that doesn’t translate to the US, where the country is too large for any one radio station to really hold sway. Many in the US tune into “national” radio personalities and shows, who have no “local” footprint. Calling in with your voting precinct’s flaws from Kooskia, Idaho wouldn’t make sense.
Thus the use of the internet, and mobile phone. We’re at a point where we’re trying to raise awareness, interactivity and reach. What happens when we get mass public awareness of a tool, married with an efficient and useful way to get aggregate data in local communities?
Final ThoughtsOne item that isn’t up for debate is this. At this time you need to marry up the coverage and awareness power of traditional media (radio, TV and print) with the simple tools and platforms that use the web and mobile phones correctly to gather and disseminate information. What I find most encouraging is that most of the initiatives listed above are using the new tools and they are partnered with major media organizations that can muscle this out to a national audience.
(Side note: We were asked by a number of people if Ushahidi could be used for this. In short, yes - but the new alpha release of the software wasn’t ready until last week. Too late to play with here.)
Also read the PBS Mediashift article covering these services in greater depth.
- MyFairElection - Report your polling station’s
-
13:28
Can't Vote, Have to Work?
» What An African Woman Thinks I’ve just realised that election day in the US is not a public holiday.
That strikes me as very odd.
In Kenya, not only is it a public holiday, but the day is timed so that people can have ample time to travel significant distances just in case they need to do so in order to cast their vote. That is why it’s usually at the end of the year, after Christmas.
Frankly, it never occurred to me that election day anywhere in the world would not be a public holiday.
Doesn’t that make it harder for some people to vote than others? What if you’re a student and you have an exam on election day and you’re in one of those states where voting only takes place on election day? Or what if you’re working a twelve hour shift that day?
I mean, I know about essential services.
But.It's my window, but I don't own the view. -
The Mobile Phone Revolution
» What An African Woman Thinks Someone shared an interesting anecdote with us the other day.
A researcher, in way of experiment, gave some University of Nairobi students Ksh 1000 to spend however they chose to. All they needed to do was keep track of how they spent their money and report this information to the researcher.
To a (wo)man, the first thing every single one of them did was to buy prepaid mobile phone airtime worth Ksh 250. To put it another way, all of them spent 25% of their allocated spending funds on prepaid mobile airtime. That’s equivalent to anywhere between 20 and 30 minutes of talking time in the Kenyan dialect of mobilese. Or,because these are university students, and are presumably young, this is the equivalent of 125 text messages.
Definitely a point to ponder.
It's been interesting to watch the meteoric rise of prepaid credit to become one of the most highly valued commodities in Kenya today. Safaricom really hit the rock where the water gushes with the introduction of the Sambaza service way back when. For those of you reading this from otherlands, Sambaza is a service that allows one person to load their own phone with prepaid credit and then send a portion or all of it to another person. The Sambaza service has in general received less attention than M-Pesa, which is a service that facilitates the transfer of funds via mobile telephony, but it is no less ingenious, perhaps even more so.
I heard the story, some time ago, about the politician who went to visit his people upcountry and wanted to buy 'his people' soft drinks and they declined and said they preferred that he give them prepaid credit. I still haven't been able to establish whether this actually took place or is merely urban legend. Still, the fact that it's out there says something, no?
No wonder Safaricom, Kenya’s largest mobile services provider, paid taxes in the region of 300 million dollars last year, more than any other company in the country.
I can’t wait to see how this industry evolves and matures.It's my window, but I don't own the view.
-
13-yr old girl rape victim stoned to death
» Kenya Imagine It's been a long time since something in the news made me cry-- I am not the weepy kind. But this story broke my heart in ways I cannot begin to describe.
Read more.
-
10:57
Rooting for Obama: Reservations a-plenty
» You Missed This My heart is beating hard even as I type this. With only one day to go to the US polls, I can’t help but fantasize an Obama presidency.
Fantasize, yes. You never know with politics. You might be leading in opinion polls but when the election results are out, you find yourself under the feet of your rival. That’s politics for you.
I know Obama is leading in opinion polls and everyone is exhilarated and some people have started celebrating ‘an Obama win’. But I know better than to get overly excited especially in matters political.
The proverb “Don’t count your chicks before they are hatched” couldn’t be more apt. The eggs in the basket may be big, rich in colour and grace fully oval but this does not necessarily mean that the chicks hatched will do justice to their shells.
The eggs might go bad and produce the most awful of smell. So in politics, if the analogy of the eggs and chicks is anything to go by, it is very important to be ready for anything.
And, more so, as a Kenyan, I have learnt it the hard way not to depend on the opinion polls to gauge who will ultimately win the polls. Of course Kenyans the world over remember what happened eleven short months ago on our beloved soil.
Even as I support Obama (and pray my most fervent prayers for his sail to the White House), at the back of my mind I know he may lose. Do you guys remember what happened to Al Gore?
This guy was running for the presidency on a Democratic ticket in the year 2000 against George Bush on a Republican ticket. Al Gore was also leading in the opinion polls but George Bush won the ultimate prize.
Though he (Obama) may lose, his opinion-poll-standing notwithstanding, I know he has the potential to make the president that America needs at this time when it is teetering on the brink of recession.
Another thing, Obama – my guy – is a young man. Just the kind of president we need in countries around the world. Africa should learn from this.
Young people should be given the chance to take the mantle in their countries and run with it to the finish line. Young people are you there. Go for the challenge.
My eyes, and those of the whole wide world, are closely trained on the United States of America as they go to the polls tomorrow.
Tonight Kisumu is a-fire, as chants of “Obama, Obama” rent the air. Almost each and everything in Kisumu has been named “obama-this” or “Obama-that”.
Sorry for asking this, Kumekuchans whom do you root for between Mc Cain and Obama?
Elsewhere:
Can You Be Trusted?
The Decline of US Superpower Status?
Overview of Global Financial Crisis - 1
Overview of Global Financial Crisis - 2
Overview of Global Financial Crisis - 3
Does Barack Obama’s Skin Colour Really Matter?
-
9:53
Time for THAT ONE! and other stuff
» Mount Kirima One more night before we know whether That One! will win the US presidential election, I don’t know whether it will be possible to sleep on that night as the results start trickling since I’m sure that the results will be known by 10 am Wednesday. I have avoided making too much noise about the US [...]
-
It is a privilege not a right to vote in the US election
» Kenya Imagine The fact of the matter is that it is not a US Constitutional "right to vote."
Let me say that again. According to the US Constitution, You Do Not Have a Right to Vote!!
Judicial bodies have affirmed this.
Sep. 21, 2006 | Last week, a Missouri judge reminded the state Legislature that citizens of the state have a right to vote. And because it is a right, not a privilege granted by the powerful, Missourians can cast their ballots this November without having to meet identification requirements that seemed designed to make it harder for certain people -- the poor, the elderly, minorities and women -- to exercise that right.
-
A changing morality: Obama and Kenya
» Kenya Imagine The Kenyan papers are filled with reports on the US election; the country is in a proper frenzy. The Prime Minister has declared that we do not expect Obama to win, we know he will. It is all very exciting. I had a meeting down for Wednesday, but it was cancelled last night as the other party was unsure how safe town would be on that day, the day after the US election. Things have come to that.
Want more? -
Lessons unlearned
» Kenya Imagine The truth is, we never learn. There are still adverts in the media telling people who cannot afford shares e.g. Co-Op to take loans to this end. Really!! Kenyans are obviously not listening to the news.
Want more?
-
2:19
Play: A trap for a lonely man @ Karen Blixen, 14th & 15th Nov
» Kenyanpoet Play: A trap for a lonely man will be staged at the Karen Blixen from 14th-5th Nov, 7pm. It is a thriller by Robert Thomas. Charges are Ksh.500 without dinner and Ksh.1700 inclusive of dinner.
-
Obama -The Musical at the Kenya National Theatre, 3rd - 5th Nov.
» Kenyanpoet Obama -The Musical is a musical narration told in dance and song under the direction of George Orido. The shows which started yesterday 2nd will be on till the 5th Nov at the Kenya National Theatre from 3, 5 and 8pm. charges are Ksh. 500 for adults, ksh. 400 for Students and Advance and Ksh. 1000 for the VIP section.
-
Album Launch: 'Kenyadebut' by Stan, 15th Nov, 7pm @ Sohos
» Kenyanpoet Album Launch: Stan will be launching his debut album, 'Kenyadebut' on 15th Nov at Soho's restaurant. The Album production has been done under the label, Penya Kenya.
Multi-gifted performer. Born Stan M. Nganga on November 12th, 1979 at the Pumwani maternity hospital in Nairobi. Raised by a single hardworking mother the late Irene Wambui, spending the first early years together with younger brother Chris in the care of the grandmother whom would play the children her favourite music. Another source inspiration came from his auntie whom loved singing and who would have the boys singing along. To Stan music was instant and despite his tender years he came to grow fond of its creative genres especially Jazz & RnB. It wasn’t until high school that he made a serious attempt in arts as he tried out for the school choir though getting a negative feedback.
Stan would keep the faith that in one day finding a way and room for expressing his musical ideas. In 2000 he enrolled in a French class at the French cultural centre of Nairobi, a location that would prove to be life changing as he was both introduced to salsa dancing and musicianship as he would spend many hours rehearsing in their compound garden. One thing led to another and soon he found himself at the United States International University (USIU) teaching salsa to the students and one of them being Benjamin Wanjohi, with whom he later formed a musical duo (song/guitar) simply called Stan & Benji. The duo would also team up and offer salsa classes to the public, a service that up to now is still growing and on demand. Always having the time to retreat to the garden of Alliance France he would further sharpen his skills and eventually also started playing the guitar.
Gradually visitors grew in numbers and the spot became a creative oasis for aspiring artists, of which today some belonging to the “Imekubaliwa” network featuring Dela, Sauti Soul & Tiffany Muthoni. For almost a decade Stan would jump in and out of recording studios but without any major breakthroughs. There were always issues of creative freedom and the fact that it required resources not available at the time. As a matter of fact he even came across insulting advice yet again suggesting a change of career and lack of support. This was until he came across the Eastlands based Penya label/studios in Buru Buru. Together with producer Wawesh they were able to complete the debut album in less than 3 months.
The new environment allowed Stan to capture and express the ideas that he had carried along the way for what seemed as forever. 15 songs presented in 15 different ways and showcasing a creative & unique voice from Kenya, telling stories of love, pain & joy, all in a package everyday people can relate to, Its Ethno, Soul, Jazz, Latin, Reggae, Funk & Urban, magical local music with an international appeal!
Sample more of his music here.
-
Photo Exhibition: Sokoni Toi, Sat 8th, 2pm @ The Godown Arts Center
» Kenyanpoet Sokoni Toi will be holding an exhibition of his painting and sculpture works by Kota on Sat 8th Nov at 2pm at the Godown Art Centre.
-
2:08
Mark Mobius on Emerging Markets
» bankelele Dr. Mark Mobius, the executive Chairman of Franklin Templeton Investments,is in Nairobi this week. He gave a talk this morning on his investment perspectives. It is especially timely considering the bear market being experience the world over and at the Nairobi Stock Exchange this year.
Some notes
- They are bargain hunters, they love cheap stocks and thus love bear markets
- Emerging markets look good for long term investors for several reasons: they are growing faster than developed countries, they have less debt, they have more reserves, inflation is coming down, they are taking up a lager share of world trade and also trading more with each other
- Bull markets are followed by bear markets which are followed by bull markets then bear......
- Bull markets last longer than bear markets, and values appreciate more during bear markets than they depreciate during bear markets. he said by their measures over the last 20 years bull markets last on average 22 months and values appreciate by 113% while bear markets on average last 6 months and values depreciate 32%
- Various FT funds are concentrated in mainly energy stocks, then banks, raw materials, communications etc.
My take: This is a time to buy Nairobi Stock Exchange Shares (NSE) , if you have the money and a long term investment perspective
-
Workshops & Performances: Dance Montage @ The GoDown, 3rd-5th Nov
» Kenyanpoet Dance Montage, a project by Dance Forum Nairobi will be holding workshops at the Godown Arts Centre starting today 3rd to 15th Nov. The workshops are from 10am - 5pm at their Industrial Area space. There will be solo and group performances on 6th November at the Goethe Institute.
Originating in 1969, Dance Montage has grown from a showcase of students’ work into an annual community dance event not to be missed. Dance Montage integrates the fresh energy of beginner dancers and choreographers with the polished experience of accomplished professionals to create explosive performances. The show incorporates over 10 dance styles including Contemporary, Lyrical, Hip Hop, Ballet, Tap, Afro-Brazilian, Jazz, Physical Comedy, House, Middle Eastern fusion and Latin.
For more info: danceforumnbi@gmail.com
-
Play: Perfect Wedding@Alliance Francaise, 8th & 9th Nov
» Kenyanpoet Perfect Wedding, a play written by Robin Hawdon will be showing at the Alliance Francaise on the 8th and 9th Nov. The play will be staged under the direction of Festival of Creative Arts. Charges are Ksh. 400 Adults, Ksh. 300 students & advance tickets.The play will be staged at 3,6 and 8pm
-
Album Launch: GOGOSIMO - Heshimu @ Alliance, 7th Nov
» Kenyanpoet The GOGOSIMO music group will be launching their album 'Heshimu' on 7th,Nov at the Alliance francaise from 7pm.
-
1:46
While I Was Away …
» tHiNkEr'S rOoM 
That is me flying through the air with the greatest of ease.
Reading from Left to Right: Myself and My Better Half
Hopefully the above will explain my absence for the past few weeks ….
Here’s to you missus … WORLD DOMINATION CONTINUES!
© M for tHiNkEr'S rOoM, 2008. | Permalink | 48 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags:
Copyright © 1999 - 2009 Mashada - All Rights Reserved | Privacy Policy | Terms and Conditions