Author: askciiku

Hard Truths I Believe In

Opinions don’t always have to be voiced.

Most of us do not know how, when and the why of communication and it causes a lot of the heart break we experience.

Supporting people doesn’t mean they cannot be criticised. Me included.

Not being impressed by rich people will set people free.

People will always sort themselves out. There is no need to be captain save a ho. You should be captain take a seat and mind your own business.

People do things in the name of love that aren’t really about love. They have romanticised their actions to mean love when really, it is something else . Yes I am saying that people give love a bad name.

Imagine at this point if you are still teaching people on issues such as sexism, racism with all this internet it is just what Toni Morrison said. Busy nonsense work. It is like how NGOs justify their time here by saying they are teaching us meanwhile it’s some basic shit.

Things are changing, slowly perhaps but they are.

Most of what is considered feminine/masculine is a performance.

No one is instinctively a carer. It is socialised. Still debating this annoys me to no end.

Anything can happen to anyone and to think that you are above things happening to you because you are self aware isn’t as self aware as you think.

Kenyan Albums That Stay On Rotation

Conversations with people has made me realise that people will listen to an album once, hype it and then NEVER listen to the album again.

To me, that is not a good album.

MY OPINION.

To me, albums that are considered classics are those with listening value over and over again, pushed boundaries, defines an era, had influence on the people among other things.

And I think we need to push Kenyan artists to move from dropping singles to actually releasing full length projects.

I asked on Instagram what albums people thought would be considered classics (without including compilation albums like Ogopa 1 etc) and got the following responses:

  • Ismarwa – Gidi Gidi Maji Maji
  • Siku Njema – Ukoo Flani
  • Necessary Noize I and II
  • Pulpit kwa Street – Juliani
  • Scratch to Reveal/82 – Just a Band
  • Baisikeli – Valerie Kimani
  • Jeshi ya Katululu – Sewer Sydaa
  • Mtaa Mentality – Juliani
  • Fenamenal – Fena Gitu
  • Twende Twende – Eric Wainaina

And in no particular order, Kenyan albums that I replay over and over.

Some new, some old, ALL VIBES.

  • Winyo – Benga Blues
  • Kevin Samuel Mbugua – Queen of Hearts (I have the actual CD since the music is not on streaming)
  • Jivu – Hayawi Hayawi
  • Kwame Rigii – Cama Wendo
  • Kato Change, SURAJ, Winyo – Sazile EP (Yes it is new. Yes it is 4 songs but I cannot get enough. So So Good)
  • Valerie Kimani – Baisikeli
  • Mutoriah – Dive In
  • Eric Wainaina – Sawa Sawa, Love and Protest
  • Ayrosh – Murasta, Fire EP

If I was to talk about compilations, I’d speak about Waithaka Ent, EA Wave etc

The Kenyan Dream: Satisfaction Not Guaranteed

Honestly, capitalism makes dreaming seem so unimaginative.

Dreams, something that is beautiful, awespiring, vivid, so colourful – reduced to such inane things.

We all know about the American dream: A house with a white picket fence, a job and a family with two kids.

Imagine dreaming about labour as something to aspire to?

So boring.

And yet, we do it and because of the insidious nature of American Imperialism – this has also become the Kenyan dream.

A piece of property, a job and all the other things that we must own because capitalism has made us believe that we are successful in life if we accumulate these things.

And honestly, it is sad.

Like, the rest of our lives just accumulating things? That’s the plan?

We must reimagine something better surely.

This Conversation Amuses Me Pt 2

READ this post first because I had to come back to this because I saw the FUNNIEST video ever.

There is a video on YouTube about why women these days arent “marriageable” and it reminded of some things I forgot to write in that post from Monday.

  1. WHAT IS A MAN BRINGING TO A WOMAN’S LIFE? Like why is that never discussed? Why shouldn’t that be the focus? WHAT ARE YOU BRINGING HERE KEVIN? And please remember the science that women partnered to men are the unhappiest and least content. So tell me LEWIS, what you bringing?
  2. These are not the times when marriage was what gave value to a woman’s life and I think men feel like they are owed labour and absolute devotion from women. And that’s a pipe dream.
  3. The thinking that they can shame women into submission and desperation and that ain’t gonna work.
  4. And there is something to be said about the FACT that men listen to OTHER men about what women want (or should want) and that is sus. SUSPICIOUS. But also have to keep reminding myself that men don’t like women as people but rather as sex objects and labourers.
  5. LET ME TELL YOU MAINA, when women stop doing things for and seeking validation from men, it is going to be glorious. Divesting and whatnot because even seeing women file for divorce isn’t something that used to happen and it is happening more. Whew. It will be so glorious. WOW.