Marriage comes with so much sacrifice and hard work. It takes a lot of patience and humility to be married. And that is a great, great challenge. Why would any man in their right mind want more than one wife? And why would any woman want to share their husband with another woman?

Some people argue that with polygamy comes a larger workforce and more income – relative if you ask me. Other people argue that the ratio of women to men is quite large, which makes it necessary for men to take more than one wife. Otherwise most of us women would die lonely old spinsters. For some, the fact that polygamy is part of our cultural heritage is a compelling argument.

Granted, polygamy has been a tradition in many cultures. And it may once have made a lot of sense to be polygamous. Men went off to war and were killed, a lot of field hands were required to cultivate the acres of land owned by families, widowed women and their children could be cared for in a period when women could not fend for themselves, wives from different communities gave men political mileage.

It seems that polygamy was more of a survival tactic back then because men and women had clearly defined roles and personalities. While men solved problems and protected the family, women nurtured children and kept the house clean. Today, women and men cannot be defined by these traditional roles. Today, most women believe in individual freedom and personal responsibility. Women are no longer passive or voiceless but rather assertive and confident and independent. Women’s social roles have expanded greatly. Women have been drawn out of the home and into the corporate world; into public life. Marriage has seized to become a means of survival for women; it is now an optional means to have companionship and legacy.

So what is the justification for polygamy today? Some people feel pride in having large nuclear families; others are seeking sexual gratification with a variety of mates. In other cases men live their wives in the rural area and travel to the city to look for jobs and while in the city, marry again. Are these valid reasons to practice polygamy? Is polygamy a deterrent to infidelity?

While some may argue that polygamy is better than unfaithfulness, serial marriage or divorce, nothing beats the core relationship of one woman to one man. It is impossible for a man to love each wife equally and to commit to each wife equally-unless of course each wife is cared for less than adequately.

Polygamy today is about ego and over sexuality. It is no longer obligatory for anyone to marry more than one wife. It is an archaic practice in this era of equal opportunity and a dwindling economy. It is a barbaric practice carried out by some in the name of tradition, and by some, in the name of religion. Female genital mutilation and ritual killings were cultures practiced (and are still being carried out) in some cultures but have been openly denounced as morbid and heartless acts. Polygamy should be denounced as baseless and immoral and psychologically abusive to women and children.

Polygamy has been said to conform to man’s natural instinct for more than one woman. This only serves to reduce the human race to that of wild animals where heinous behaviour is excusable. This argument is a poor and desperate excuse for people seeking to hold onto prehistoric ideals.

While different cultures continue to embrace polygamy, it is not enough to practice it just because one can. The fact of the matter is that, there is no single valid reason for the practice of polygamy today.

For love or money?

Let’s just say for the sake of argument that EABL’s sponsorship of the sevens tournament was philanthropic, then don’t you think we might have seen more of an effort on EABL’s part to develop the sport; to develop the RFUEA grounds; to support the local sevens circuit; something? And no, Tusker did not increase the popularity of the sevens version of the game in the country; the national sevens team did. The only thing that EABL and their Tusker brand succeeded in doing was increasing the popularity of the safari village with the endless flow of tuskers and late night parties.

So did KRFU benefit from this partnership? Of course they did. With the funding they were able to host what is most likely the highlight of the KRFU calendar each year for thirteen years. They made a healthy sum in gate collections and they managed to put Kenya on the world map in so far as world class tournaments are concerned. But take into account the money spent by KRFU to get ‘star teams’ here, where EABL didn’t pitch in, accommodation costs for teams, payment of service providers and so on, and may be you can begin to realise that the spoils weren’t as lucrative as we sometimes made them out to be. No doubt the tournament made a profit but I’m pretty sure it wasn’t much to speak of. They could have done a lot more with the opportunity they had.

Milking the ‘cash cow’

Who better to understand a rugby market and fraternity than a rugby governing body? I would like to think that the underscoring factor put into consideration when signing the initial deal with EABL was not how easy it would be to provide beer to the rugby fans. There must have been a grand plan in place to make the most of the opportunity; a plan that went well beyond hosting the safaris sevens tournament. You know, like a long term plan so that when KRFU looked back in ten years they could see tangible benefits of having hosted a great tournament successfully for several years? What was the goal and was it attained is what I’d like to know. If it was attained then well in and adios Tusker, you served your purpose! But if there was a plan that is not any closer to being achieved than it was ten years ago, then dear KRFU, EABL just screwed you.

No debate needed about whether or not EABL milked their cash cow. They sold beer. Period.

Generally, and perhaps more so with sports, sponsorships raise awareness among consumers. Consumers will see an association between the product and the sport. Rugby elevated the status of Tusker for rugby fans.

The danger for KRFU is that the rugby brand and Tusker became inextricably linked and this probably turned off other target markets for the sport. The challenge now would be to repackage rugby and disassociate the Safari Sevens with drunken weekends and underage bingeing.

End of the road?

There are many tales about what happened where that led to the termination of the contract; that someone somewhere is flexing muscles or that someone is ‘a woman scorned’. I personally, for diplomacy’s sake have chosen to go with the Elgon Cup-what’s-in-the-contract-and-what’s-not-in-the-contract-story.

This is the definitely the end of the road for EABL and rugby. But I think that it is just the beginning for KRFU. This is a much awaited chance to get serious and explore this tournament to its full potential. It is a chance to start a fresh, with experience gained and develop an equally beneficial relationship with safari sevens sponsors. And rebrand rugby in Kenya.

Musa Adam:Actor, Musician, Rapper and Song writer Photo by Jerry Riley

The curtain fell on the Jukwaani! festival for performance literature today with several great performances; notably; Mnazi:Vuta N’kuvute (Coconut tree: Pull and I pull you), a poem by Abdilatif Abdalla, and Talking drums of Africa.

Mnazi: Vuta N’kuvute is about a confrontation between two brothers and is related to the struggle between two Kenyan political parties.
Political parties are formed by people with similar political aims and opinions. They are intended to articulate the needs of members and supporters. They are meant to enable supporters to participate in political decisions. But in Kenya and several other African countries, political parties are sometimes formed on the basis of tribe, or on the promise of elevation into power based on affiliations rather than ability to lead.

As a result, our leaders squabble like little children fighting over a toy. They struggle to get into power but like a child and his toy, soon lose interest. There are no true underlying principles on which political parties are founded and so no collective vision and mission for their party. With nothing to hold on to, political parties are easily swayed by the wind and become self-seeking and suspicious of each other.
What a hopeless regime this is, built on mistrust amongst leaders and built on mistrust in our leaders. A regime in which political parties are more easily identifiable by the tribal affiliation than policy.

In Kenya, political parties are formed to drive individuals’ selfish needs. And members are recruited who have similar selfish goals to accomplish to as they perceive it, gain control of the country and have people in power whose main agenda will be to ensure that they take priority in so far as distribution of resources and funding for development is concerned.

There is so much talk of power sharing. But does it really work or does it just look good on paper? That infamous handshake after the 2007 elections still haunts me; plastic smiles and minds racing scheming even then thinking of how and when to deviously get their way, any way, and underrating the intelligence of Kenyans like we would really be bought by their tactless deception.

At the end of the fight in this shairi, Alii, oneof the characters, says:

Ijapokuwa nataka, kukustahamiliya
Iko siku nitachoka, zaidi kuvumiliya
Hapo nitalokufika,litakudhuru vibaya
Jilino nakuapiya

Although I am willing to bear with you,
One day i’ll take it no more
What will then happen to you
Will truly affect you adversely
And I swear on…

Ningenda zangu kumbuka. yote niliyoyanena
Siyatwa kidhihaka, kiketi yawaze sana
Iko siku itafika, haitakawiya tna
Kujulikane bayana

Although I am now leaving,
Reflect deeply my brother on what I said
Do not take it lightly
The day of reckoning will soon be there
Then the whole truth will be known.

Although first written in 1970, this shairi is still relevant to our circumstances in present day Kenya. We clearly have not learnt from our history. We still vow to one day stand up for ourselves; to face our oppressors; to reclaim our humanity.

As 2012 approaches, what is the big plan to reclaim power? What brilliant schemes have the usual suspects cooked up to ensure that they retain power and what are we going to do about it? On what basis will we vote?

Vuta n’kuvute is a well written piece that speaks a truth, which we often try to run away from only until we become directly affected. Until then we are content to hide in our little perfect cocoons with death and destruction all around us.

I like story telling. When it is done right, it involves and resonates with an entire audience no matter their race and origins.

My favourite memories from school, and they are few, were from my literature classes. We would read through different story books each semester and the process of relating stories to present day and personal experience was always extremely thought provoking though often tiring.

I wonder if children in traditional cultures really had to sit by the fire every night and listen to their elders tell stories of war heroes and animals and naughty children. I wonder if the children looked forward to these stories or if they thought it was a drag having to subject themselves to clouds of smoke while listening to an old fart go on and on. And today, can I sit by the fireplace with my children, on a Friday evening and narrate stories about the big pigs in the castle on the hill, who ate the nation’s entire crop and watched all the other animals at the bottom of the hill die and kill each other for scraps? Or do I have to buy tickets to a storytelling festival and let someone else do it for me?

Stories can be for entertainment but also, they can mirror behaviours or situations in society which allow us to see ourselves more clearly, sometimes we even laugh at ourselves or at least pretend to as we break into cold sweats from guilt as we shift uncomfortably in our seats. I think being conscious of the stories makes it easier to rethink our behaviour and our place in society. We may not have story telling around bonfires anymore, but we do tell stories everyday on the evening news or in the newspapers and we do laugh at our politicians stoning wananchi and naked lovers being frog matched to the police station. Yes, we still listen to stories and laugh at ourselves.

rappers and hip hop

A light, entertaining an meaningful performances that takes a satirical look at the systems from the educational to the judicial to the political that continue to browbeat the Kenyan society.
Moderated by Mwafrika/ Mshai Mwangola/ Mikhail Gromov

Kazi kwa vijana, malipo kwa wazee…au sio?

The audience for this performance was made up of a younger generation. I was probably among the older people there. There was a lot of sheng; terms I couldn’t really understand, but I did recognize the key words; corruption, disillusionment, politicians, murder. And at the end of the day, that is what matters; that the message is communicated to the people who need to hear it.

I loved the message in the rhymes; what do you expect when the teachers charged with shaping us, disillusion us instead? What do you expect when the youth cannot get jobs because experience is measured in age? Our judicial system is murder. We listen to empty promises from politicians so whose fault is it when they do not deliver and what are we going to do in 2012? Will we ever get to that corruption free zone?

If this is the message being relayed to the youth, then maybe we are not so badly off after all.

Thursday began with a two hour session of Swahili poetry with Ahmed Nassir, Ahmed Sheikh Nabhany, Amira S. Msellem, Mahmoud Mau and Abdilatif Abdalla.

Abdilatif Abdalla- lecturer in Kiswahili Language and Literature at the Institute for African Studies, University of Leipzig, Germany. Photo by Jerry Riley

Abdilatif Abdalla was the last Swahili poet for the day and his is an interesting story. He was a member of the Kenya People’s Union which was an opposition party in the 1960s. In 1969 he was arrested and charged with sedition for his publication entitled “Kenya Twendapi?”, which loosely translated means, which way is Kenya headed? While in prison at Kamiti, he wrote on toilet paper to begin a collection of poetry, which would later be published as “Sauti ya Dhiki”.

Asked about the three years spent in solitary confinement, Abdilatif said that they only strengthened his resolve in what he believed in; that he needed to be a voice in the fight against corruption and dictatorship of African leaders. Unfortunately he says, this unacceptable style of leadership has haunted Africa for years as history continues to repeat itself.

I salute Abdilatif and other Swahili poets who use this art to teach and highlight our history and society. But as Abdilatif says, we need to learn our history and then learn from it. History he says, only repeats itself because we did not hear it the first time.

The unveiling

Uzinduzi or ‘Unveiling’ is a play by Vaclav Havel. The translation was done by Alena Retova and Abdilatif Abdalla. I take my hat off to Alena Retova who is a Czech national teaching Kiswahili at the University of London. Swahili is not an easy language to learn; I tried for close to twelve years and now I can barely put together a coherent sentence. My use of the language rarely goes beyond trying to get a loaf of bread at the kiosk. So much for the 8-4-4 system; but that’s another blog post.

The play was directed by Guy Lenoir assisted by Sammy Mwangi. It was performed in Kiswahili by Caroline Tharau, Victor Ber and Ken Waudo from Heartstrings Kenya.

The organisers paid attention to detail and included music by Juma Tutu and Rahab Said as well as costumes by John Kaveke. I remember Juma Tutu from that comedy show with that guy from the radio. John Kaveke is a leading clothes designer and watching Vera prancing around the Jukwaa in his design eventually won me over.

The play highlights how people deprived of their right to political expression and life in freedom, tend to cocoon themselves within a family environment and resort to gathering possessions, often resulting in erosion of human identity and values. Talk about effective use of irony and satire!

I loved the play. It is a true representation of our society and the pressure to keep up with societal standards. We lose sight of our own individuality in a fight to keep up with acceptable values. We are afraid to break out of the mould and shape our individualities because it is unacceptable and will likely cause ripples, which we feel ill-equipped to deal with.

The acting was awesome. It was definitely better than what I have seen before. I thought Kenyan theatre was dead but turns out I was hanging out in the graveyard. There is hope for us yet! Amen!

So this play written by a playwright from the Czech Republic is translated into Swahili and suddenly becomes very relevant to us in our society. Amazing. The crowd was in stitches from start to finish but we laughed at ourselves. We saw ourselves in Vera and Michael’s characters; needy and pretentious. We are Ferdinand bound by societal standards; insecure; unwilling to break barriers. And when all is said and done, we all just get caught up in a rat race, shuffling along with the lost in a complacent, unforgiving world; idolising material wealth and obsessed with public perception of our lives.

Slam dunk
What a way to cap off the night! Vina na Misamiati. Slam poetry battles and free-style battles. The energy was amazing. Even though I had no idea what Dalibor Markovic was going on about, I just wanted him to keep going. The ambience created was intense; almost trance like.
The battles were battles to the death. Only the strong survived.

I have to say, I was impressed and I am excited about what the rest of this festival has to offer. Storytelling, poetry and free verse tomorrow.

See some of the free style clips i took here.

Read more about Jukwaani! here, here and here.

geothe-institut by Jerry Riley

Jukwaani! Is a project by Goethe-Institut and Alliance Française in association with the Kenya Cultural Center. It is a joint initiative supported by the special fund for cultural projects established by the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of both France and Germany created on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the Elysée Treaty sealing reconciliation and friendship between the two countries. The festival is held in conjunction with the conference “Swahili poetry in performance” organized by Bordeaux and Bayreuth universities and IFRA at IFRA-BIEA.

Some of the hottest poets, story tellers, dancers, actors and hip hop acts.

There is something contagious about the words and actions used to express the wisdom in presentations. They radiate vibrancy and honesty and courage. And when you immerse yourself in the glow of the truth to be had you have to change the way you think, act and even speak.

Give me my machine gun
Feel my passion burn
When will you learn??
There’s a war out there,
Still debating if you should load your gun?
Are you for real son?
I’m ready
No need to call steady.
Let’s go.

There is a name to defend
History to amend
League tables to ascend
It’s time to reset the trend
Let’s not pretend
And watch a good thing end!

Our leaders are stealing from us. Innocent people have lost their lives. Human rights activists have been murdered. Women and children have been raped. We have pathetic infrastructure. People are dying from hunger. Our police force has been compromised and we no longer feel safe in our own homes.

We blame our leaders because, we say, they are not fulfilling the purposes for which we put them in office. They are not giving us the Kenya that we want. They have turned their backs on us and are now working to satisfy their own greed. And we as Kenyans are disillusioned once again by people we had put our faith and trust in. And now, come next elections we vow to vote them all out and infuse some sanity into our leadership. Kura kwa vijana! Simama Kenya!

But we fail to realize that our leaders are a manifestation of ourselves. We promote into power, people who have the same ideals as we do; people who have the same vision as we do. Our candidates are a mirror of ourselves. If we were artists, then politicians would be our expressions of self.

We elect corrupt leaders because we are corrupt. In our day to day dealings we bribe or are bribed without a second thought; and it is acceptable. Why then do we blame the politician who has only perfected the art? Why do we blame the civil servant who has only mimicked what he saw us do?

If tribe was the real reason why you voted for your counselor, or hired your maid or objected to a marriage, or chose a church, who are you to protest when your leader hires his village? We elect leaders who promote tribalism because we intend to benefit from their nepotism.

We entertain lies from our leaders because we lie every day. We lie to our husbands and wives. We lie to our employers. We lie to our children. We lie to get our way. Why shouldn’t our politicians get their way?

We entertain murderers in power because we can justify murder amongst ourselves. Mob justice, death penalty, abortions, genocide…

We detest and disrespect our passive leaders yet we are as passive as they are as we watch the country fall to its knees. We buy prados to avoid pot holes. We buy jerricans to beat the water rationing. We bugler-proof our houses to beat rising cases of crime. We take our children to private schools because of an ‘inadequate’ education system.

So this is the Kenya we deserve. This is our land and nation. Our heritage of splendour. The fruit of our labour. And we stand firmly to defend it.