Kenya: News, Stories and Analysis.
On Meeting Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o
Sarah Ladipo Manyika reflects on her relationship with Kenyan literary giant, Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o, and coming to terms with the complexities of his life. Read More...
Kenya
‘Translation Is Where All Languages Meet’ Mũkoma wa Ngũgĩ’s First Draft
Kenyan writer and author of Unbury Our Dead with Song, Mũkoma wa Ngũgĩ, does not believe in the idea of a ‘great African novel’: ‘I do not think there is such a thing as the “great African novel”—or the “great Russian” or “European” novel—nor do I believe in the idea of major and minor literatures. We simply do not know enough and have not read widely enough to make such judgements. The idea of major and minor literatures is manufactured for us.’ Read More...
The Timeless Solutions of the Gadaa System
The Gadaa system of the Oromo people of Kenya and Ethiopia offers an indigenous method of governance in Africa, as the adopted Western democracy seems to be failing the continent. Read More...
Is President William Ruto Facing a Global Publicity Crisis?
As domestic unrest in Kenya grows, President William Ruto’s carefully crafted global image is unravelling. Internal discontent is eroding Ruto’s international standing, which can potentially damage Kenya’s position as a regional sanctuary. Read More...
Right-Wing Misinformation Is Invading Kenya, Here’s Why We Need to Stop It
Right-wing disinformation tactics have crossed borders into Kenya, fuelling a dangerous intersection of digital misogyny and real-world violence that is driving record numbers of femicide. Read More...
Reading Gabriel García Márquez in Nairobi
With the recent Netflix adaptation of Gabriel García Márquez’s One Hundred Years of Solitude, I recount what it meant to read his work as a young writer living in Nairobi. Read More...
Odanga Is Still Fighting
My maternal great-grandfathers were both directly affected by the First World War. Only one of them lived to tell his story. Read More...
Kenya’s Season of Protests
Earlier this year, a new young generation of Kenyans went out to protest a crippling finance bill and a government that is undermining their future. The protests, though met by brutal state violence, have fundamentally shifted the Kenyan political landscape. Read More...
‘I Hope That My Work Will Never Side with the Oppressor’ Dennis Mugaa’s First Draft
Kenyan writer and author of Half Portraits Under Water, Dennis Mugaa, believes that President William Ruto’s administration is authoritarian: ‘Young people genuinely want a better country, but we are living in a country that has been slowly sliding into authoritarianism over the past two years, since President Ruto’s government took over. Beyond that, his leadership has been very poor.’ Read More...
A Conceptual Show Bringing Back the Originality of African Art
At a time when art is becoming more detached and exhibitionist, ‘Whispers of Power’, a live performance by Kenya-based musician, Liboi, staged at Nairobi’s Sarakasi Dome, counters this trend by creating an environment where the audience is an integral part of the performance. Read More...
