This ain't Jomo's Kenyatta's Kenya - More Coverage of Kenya's Politics and Violence

Two Kenyan Cheetahs

On the ground with Kenya's bloggers~

AfroMusing Juliana (left), Kenyan Pundit Oyo Okolloh

Reviewing some of the photos of the TEDGlobal 2007 Conference that was held in Arusha Tanzania last year, I ran across this photo of two of Africa's bloggers --- beautiful young women that have sites rich in critical analysis, content and information on the nation of Kenya. They also have great links to other websites and blogs that cover their homeland.


Kenya is of course in the public's eye right now because of the images and stories of the people's violent reaction to their recent presidential elections. I find all of this quite note-worthy, especially as America is also in the beginning of what will be an intense period of campaigning for the job of America's next ----no not Top Model,---- but President.

And yes, all disrespect was intended.


Juliana, the young woman behind AfroMusing left Kenya last week. The link to her site is below. Be sure to surf her list of links to get even deeper coverage, photos, interviews, etc.

Ory Okolloh, who writes Kenyan Pundit, left Nairobi last Thursday, flying with her family to South Africa. Yet once she hit the ground, this young woman immediately set about creating a new website soley for the purpose of in real-time, tracking incidents of violence, and need in Kenya. Technology functioning at it's best. Check out Ushahidi.com.

My Kenya

I visited Kenya some 40 years ago. It was a particularly special visit as I had a cousin living there, who drove down to Mombasa where the ship I arrived on (World Campus Afloat) docked, and drove us back up to Nairobi where he lived. Mel McCaw had a wonderful personality, was very intelligent and gregarious and this made him very popular with native Kenyans, Black Americans and the white professional and social scene in the capital. Flowing easily and freely through all strata of Kenya's vibrant urban life, his presence allowed my best friend Shelley and I to have a much deeper exposure to the country and people, than the other students traveling on the ship with us.

Mel worked for IIE, and also served as the Cultural Affairs Officer for the American Embassy in Nairobi. The wonderful time he showed us he later extended to Malcolm X when he visited Kenya, during his historic trip second thru Africa. The parties that Mel gave in Malcolm's honor to introduce him to the local Black American community caused Mel trouble with his boss, William Attwood, who was the U. S. Ambassador to Kenya at the time. Click on this link, to read the fascinating story of what happened. http://books.google.com/books?id=0HvtoSjfJ74C&pg=PA213&dq=melvin+mccaw+nairobi+kenya&sig=x_UqxK1ZRVgFs-IMmKpFe8k6KHs#PPA215,M1

I will always remember this nation, because one of my most vivid impressions was that it was my first time being in a country where all the police and people of authority were Black. It was startling to see every police officer directing traffic a tall crisply uniformed dark skinned man. This was a profound phenomenon for a young person born of African and Native American descent in America, to experience. This was long before affirmative action and America's law enforcement agencies were forced to do more to increase the numbers of people of color within their ranks.

It became most evident when Mel announced we'd been invited to lunch with his friends, who were some of the countries' judges. I think it was my first or second day in Nairobi. Lunch was to be at their main High Court complex, where in a formal cosmopolitan dining environment, the judges and barristers dined al fresco on a lovely terrace. Can you image seeing very dark men, looking very professional, all wearing long black robes, and full barrister's wigs! You've got to picture this: Formal outdoor dining with men dressed like the gentleman in the center of this photo all around me.

This 1977 photo is of the Inaugaration of the Kenya Court of Appeal

I was still a teenager, so the sight of the contrast of tall, distinguished looking dark skinned barristers (attorneys) and judges, sporting these long lamb's bottom-looking white other century wigs, made it really difficult not to stare and frankly....giggle.

Allow me to digress a bit more as I'm going to borrow from another website I just found to give you a little more insight on why the gentlemen were dressed this way. It stems from Kenya's (East Africa's) evolution/development being interrupted, to function as a colony of Britain during the era of European imperialism.

"Courtroom lawyers in the English tradition don’t have to make these sartorial decisions. Barristers are required to present their cases while wearing a black robe. The most experienced barristers – those who have been granted the title “Queen’s Counsel” or “Senior Counsel” -- wear a robe made of black silk and are referred to as “silks.” Junior counsel – and all barristers, regardless of age, who are not silks are called “juniors” – wear a black robe made of more common material.Barristers wear wigs in court. Why? Because wigs were the height of fashion for upper-crust European gentlemen in the 1600s and also helped prevent the spread of lice in Jacobian England; ergo, barristers wear them in 2007. Once you have been trained to “think like a lawyer,” this explanation makes complete sense.The wigs are made from horsehair, often by the London boutique of Ede and Ravenscroft. There are three types of English barristers’ wigs: a “bar wig” worn by the advocates, a “bench wig” worn by judges and a “full-bottom wig” worn by the most senior members of the Bar on ceremonial occasions when they want to look like cocker spaniels. The wigs cost between US$800 to US$4,000, according to The Washington Post, but many barristers buy second-hand wigs, in part because an older, yellowed wig is a symbol of status and experience. "

There's a link with a photo for each wig mentioned above, so be sure to click it and see the example for each type.

The above excerpt came from the Knife Tricks Blog: Hunting the Wild Barrister, and the blogger was writing as an American lawyer, checking out his counterpart in Hong Kong! So if you think these photos have been humorous, wrap your mind around the idea of seeing a bunch of Asian gentlemen, their usual height and build, in the long black robes and white wigs!!! Yep.....this is a good visualization for today's Laughter Yoga session.

The first African Chief Justice (r) Kitili Mwendwa ----- ------ Current Hon. Mr. Chief Justice J. E. G icheru

Pardon me friends, ....I'm all over the place with this post. In fact, about the only thing I haven't included here is a photo of Mt. Kilimanjaro, the highest peak in Africa .

Mt. Kilimanjaro

Did you know they have snow and glaciers in Africa?

Kibo Glaciers

Lucky Traveler at Kilimanjaro's Summit

There she is East Africa's famous mountain. So I think I'll let this post rest by letting some of her magnificent wildlife roam across the plain.........

Buffalo




Elephant families tanking-up









Slinky stealthy leopards

Simba and Nala - The purrfect couple


Peace~

Kentke

http://www.kenyanpundit.com/

http://www.afromusing.com/blog/about/

http://blog.ted.com/ - Scroll down to Jan 8 post
Jan 6 post -a must read/ Features N.Y. Times Opinion piece by Binyavanga Wainaina- offering backstory on the conflicts and violence.

http://www.ushahidi.com/

http://www.kenya.go.ke/index.php?option=com_frontpage&Itemid=4

http://www.judiciary.go.ke/

http://jurist.law.pitt.edu/world/kenya.htm

http://knifetricks.blogspot.com/2007/03/hunting-wild-barrister-hong-kong-law.html