Please add the peculiar Kenyan politician who does not get satisfied with spewing lies to the above list.

I will pull no punches, majority of us Kenyans are a gullible lot, we trust a lot (we even trust those reptilian politicians), we hope too much (this time he will deliver), we do not like history, we like our own and finally, we are easily distracted. We are currently in the spring of hope, but we are headed unknowingly right into the abyss of the winter of despair – disappointment. The politicians are dispensing and ingesting nonsense  Take for example the emotive land debate kicked off by Moses Masika Wetangula. He boldly told all those who cared to listen that Uhuru had no moral or legal authority, capacity, and didn’t deserve to lead Kenya to seek the presidency because he was using proceeds from his stolen land to campaign and bribe voters. Uhuru through his surrogates shot back, terming Wetangula’s assertion as hate speech. Land is a hot button topic across the whole world.

The Kenyatta’s landholding has for a long time been Kenya’s best kept secrets. We have accepted that because the former president was a “wise, organized and endowed with keen business acumen”, he bought all the land that he bequeathed his offspring, heirs and assigns. Those who disagree and put the size of the land to be similar to Nyanza province have always asked the Kenyatta family through Mama Ngina Kenyatta and her son Uhuru to come clean and settle this question once and for all. They have tried coming up with all manner of explanations as to how to the family came to posses vast swathes of land in the midst of squatters, but none which conclusively answers the question.

During the launch of Jubilee Coalition’s manifesto at the Moi International Sports Center Kasarani, Uhuru tried his hand at being an expert or rather a professor of land law. He was exercising his right of reply. He tried but he didn’t perform to what the country expected him to know about land in Kenya. His poor showing and skirting around the issue didn’t even help his cause. What he was describing is what we learnt in primary school, what we expected is what we would have heard the late law don Dr. Hastings Okoth-Ogendo Opinya Winston speak. I suggest that whoever is near Uhuru makes available Professor’s seminal paper, The last colonial question; an essay in the pathology of land administration systems in Africa. If he finds it unpalatable, he will even have to bring YouTube down because of what the likes of Simeon Nyachae and Stanley Githunguri had to say about how land was allocated while he was still an infant. The names of Jackson “Harvester” Angaine aka King of the Ameru former lands and settlement minister, Mr James Maina Wanjigi, former Director of Settlements and Land and Settlement former permanent secretary Peter Shiyukah will only bring out the lies being perpetuated in defence of how Kenyatta’s land was acquired.

It is a fact that nobody is allowed to question how Kenyatta acquired those islands of land across Kenya. In the year 2000 or thereabout, former Nyeri town legislator Wanyiri Kihoro called Kenyatta a land grabber not a land owner. He had touched raw nerves. Reaction was swift and threatening. Since then, silence has become the new normal. It thus comes as surprise to us that this question would pop up from the very people who have been hobnobbing with Uhuru and his family. Is the timing a matter of good faith or plain mischief? The timing is telling and suspect. Why now? Wetangula has been an errand boy for Kibaki and the outgoing establishment. He was one of Kibaki’s point men during the Serena Peace Talks alongside lands minister James Orengo. Let be known by all Kenyans that Kenyatta’s land will not be touched by the CORD administration. Perhaps if it was Jakom some redress would have been sought. At least for him, he occasionally has the courage and audacity to put his money where his mouth is. If CORD is serious about addressing the land question, let it employ the services of their lands minster James Aggrey Orengo to release the names of large land owners for Kenyans to decide on their own instead of using the mouth of Wetangula.

We are currently in a situation which demands attention, Mpesa, the mobile money transfer system which has been at the forefront of improving and changing lives of Kenyans has just seen its fees spiked up courtesy of Uhuru’s blue eyed boy Njeru Githae, nurses have been on strike for like eternity under the very nose of Jakom’s hatchet man Prof. Peter Anyang’ Nyong’o. All this are not getting attention but the shutting down of frequencies belonging to Royal Media Services has been noticed by the politicians.  Let these politicians know that we are suffering under their yoke, and we do not want to be distracted by their petty personal differences. Let all those young Kikuyu young men who may be tempted that Raila will go after Kenyatta’s land put their fears to rest. These are birds of a feather, they fly together. To my Kalenjin, Luo, Luhya, Mijikenda, Pokomo and any other community which seeks redress to historical land injustices, put not your trust in Raila, or CORD or any other collusion, because they will do nothing to march their lofty rhetoric.

Live in peace with your brother as though Raila or Uhuru never existed, help and protect your neighbours because they are more important to you than either of the two politicians. They called each other names in 2007 but come 2008, they were hugging and cheering each other for a fight well fought, at our expense. They are stretching their imaginations by trying to outdo each other fooling us. All those promises being made are lies. How can CORD promise quality and affordable healthcare when it is a foregone conclusion that Anyang’ Nyongo will be in the next government even if the sky falls? And please tell me, isn’t it the height of utopia by Jubilee putting the cart before the horse by promising a laptop computer for all class one pupils when we do not even have enough teachers and chalks? How does a child run before crawling? Or was he only referring to kids in Banda, Brookhouse, Peponi, Braeburn and International School of Kenya? Good people, wake up! Do not have any legitimate expectation.  The only African president who has kept her promise is Joyce Hilda Banda of Malawi. Do not expect any of our politicians to keep their promise unless you are reffering to former Makadara legislator and bling boy Gidion Mbuvi Sonko, love him or hate him, he has despite his sideshows served the people of Makadara.

p/s. I would to know where I can get drugs to treat my stomach. It churns and I always feel as though my intestines are being pulled when I see or hear Kalonzo talking of reform, renewal and transformation! Pure katikati yao doublespeak.

Have you heard the instrumental version of it?

It’s one of my favorites – Peponi by The Piano Guys. Enjoy!

“ting…ting…ting… ngeekk…ngookk..ngeekk…” ceritanya ini suara piano sama chello tapi aslinya ga gini -_-

Kalian pada tau gak siapa itu The Piano Guys ? Mereka adalah seorang pemain piano dan seorang pemain chello yang mengcover lagu-lagu yang sudah populer. Kalo kalian tau, pasti di dalam video yang terlihat hanya dua orang, yaitu pianis dan cellist. Padahal, dibalik layar pun masih ada tiga orang. Jadi total mereka berjumlah lima orang.

Kelima orang itu adalah Jon Schmidt sebagai pianis (piano guy), Steven Sharp Nelson sebagai cellist (chello guy), Al Van Der Beek (musik/studio guy), Paul Anderson sebagai produser / videografer, dan Tel Stewart sebagai editor/videografer.

Mereka ini berasal dari Utah, mereka terkenal berkat video-video mereka yang diunggah ke situs youtube. Mereka menjadi fenomenal di dunia maya karena karya-karyanya. Mereka mengcover lagu yang sedang hits saat ini, misalnya saja lagu milik One Directions “What Makes You Beautiful”. Dan mereka memainkannya dengan sangat indah. Selain itu juga ada lagu milik Christina Perry yang dijadikan soundtrack dari film Twilight Saga “A Thousand Years” !!! Udah sedih makin sediiihhh deh lagunya kalo dimainin mereka. Tapi tetep yang paling aku suka itu cover lagu “Peponi” dari Coldplay.

Oktober kemarin, mereka akhirnya mengeluarkan album yang bekerjasama dengan Sony Masterworks. Nama “The Piano Guys” sendiri mereka ambil dari toko piano milik Anderson di St. George Utah yang bernama The Piano Guys.

Keren deh merekaa, I LOVE IT!!

The amount of emotion in his singing is great! I wish I had an ounce of his soul.

In our hearts, at one time or another, we all have wanted to run away and never come back. Sometimes it’s not the “getting lost” that we want but the “being found”. I want to be found.

I need to be found.

I won’t find paradise at a beach resort. I don’t think it matters where I am, my heart would still be wrestling with itself inside of my chest.

Afflicted city, lashed by storms and not comforted.

I choose joy above bitterness; to be brave instead cowering; praise and thanksgiving over fear and anger. I hope for new life in my body and renewed rigor in my spirit.

The greater the struggle the more glorious the triumph!

The Butterfly Circus – HD from The Butterfly Circus on Vimeo.

The event was themed Peponi, or paradise. UNB’s African Students Union and friends put this show together to show Fredericton a glimpse of their home continent on Sunday, March 2012.

Vice President of the African Students Union Luc Nkera shared his thoughts.

“Just an hour and a half or two hours and a half of paradise which is dancing, our culture which is, you know, the food. We wanted you to just experience that,” he said.

Around 400 people attended and enjoyed various traditional performances and food from Africa.

Ryan Scavella attended the event that night. He said he was glad to see another part of Africa.

“Talk about Africa being a paradise, it’s not all about the poverty and the famine and stuff we see in the media,” he said.

From Egyptian Tahteeb dance to Congolese Mountain Dance; from a skit about African marriage rites to traditional fashion show; from a presentation about the Egyptian revolution to rap songs about racism, the event was an eye opener to African culture and Africa’s issues.

Peponi – Swahili for paradise. A fantastic twist by The Piano Guys Steven Sharp Nelson, John Schmidt featuring Alex Boye to the song Paradise by Coldplay. I love how they tied in Swahili to the  African safari theme of the Coldplay original.

Check out other work by The Piano Guys. They are very talented musicians putting an acoustic twist on modern-day music. I’m a sucker for the piano. Boy do I wish I would have stuck with it as a kid. Mistake.

Here is the original by Coldplay.

“Don’t only practice your art, but force your way into its secrets, for it and knowledge can raise men to the divine.” – Ludwig van Beethoven

Now that is a quote to remember.

Peponi – Swahili for paradise.

The Piano Guys ft. Alex Boye

Paradise by Coldplay

Check out other work by The Piano Guys. They are very talented musicians putting an acoustic twist on modern-day music.

It’s not often that I will bypass an original song post in favor of a cover, but today I had to. Last night I was introduced to this video and it blew my mind.
I’m always a fan of African music … and cellos … and classical crossover … and, generally, crossover of any kind. This baby has it ALL, people!
Beautiful video, beautiful rendition of this Coldplay song. You’d better fullscreen this baby, and I hope you’re not listening on laptop speakers! Eek!

Coldplay – Paradise (Peponi) Cover – The Piano Guys ft. Alex Boye

 
Point of Inspiration:

From the top of the El Castillo, overlooking the ruins of Xunantunich, Belize.

________________
Imagine for a minute, what it would be like to have your very own kingdom. You have your own palace, your subjects, your cities–all under your care. Every blade of grass that bows to the wind, every song from the birds that graces your ears–all of it is yours. A single word or gesture from you can build or raze a city, and nobody else can say otherwise unless you let them.

Now to reality.

I don’t think any reader here is officially a “king” or “queen” of a nation. Even if for some reason a president or prime minister is reading this, the duties of such an office isn’t quite like what I’m talking about.

But, each one of us has indeed been given a kingdom. Each one of us has a LIFE.

Your life is your kingdom. Your body is your flagship and palace. The years in your lifespan you have are your land, and the possible imprints you may leave in that time are your subjects. Every memory you share with another, every piece of work you create–these are your rulings and your commands.

King Hammurabi consulting the god Shamash

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You will make alliances with other kingdoms, or maybe go to war with others. Perhaps you will enter a mutually-beneficial relationship, and become a suzerain or vassal to another kingdom’s ruler. You may come to the aid of other nations, or even merge kingdoms with another.

Or perhaps, you will isolate yourself from other nations. Perhaps you will squander the wealth of your land, ruin your palace, or accumulate far too much debt for your nation to pay off.
Perhaps you will find yourself one day begging other nations and other kings and queens for a share of their land, a share of their power–because your kingdom is in shambles.

If ever you feel that such a blight has come upon your kingdom, know this–you are still king. You are still queen. And your kingdom has not ended yet.

Ruins of the Crusader castle in Caesarea, Israel

———————
So think about that, and realize it applies to every single human being. That single mom working 4 jobs to support a child her husband abandoned? A queen. That beggar in the subways, addicted to drugs or alcohol? A king.

Every human being is royalty. Sure, some kingdoms are larger than others, some have more subjects than others or fancier palaces and ships–but a ruler is a ruler. Everyone carries that privelege and that responsibility to care for their days on earth–to make an imprint in the universe and to touch the lives of those around them.

This is your kingdom. There are none like it, and this one is yours.

What, then, shall your next command be?

I’m sure most of you have heard Coldplay’s newest hit Paradise. What I’m not so sure of, is whether you have heard of The Piano Guys, or seen their amazing cover of this spectacular song. If not, please enjoy. If you have, just watch it again, you know you want to.

So here is The Piano Guys’ rendition of Coldplay’s Paradise.

Now, how similar was your mind’s eye picture to the actual video? Impressive?

This is the perfect example of how music can make you go on a journey – whether that be in the literal sense or purely in your imagination…

This video, a classical African style of Coldplay’s Paradise (“Peponi” in Swahili) by the extraordinary talent known as The Piano Guys featuring a rather incredible Alex Boye, is probably one of the most amazing videos I have ever seen. I mean it. If anyone actually saw me while I was watching this video, they would just see this face staring at the laptop screen, completely enthralled.

People always say that music can whisk you away to a some other place. In this case, it really did. The Piano Guys took their talent and decided to mix it with an African approach. The music arrangement itself is completely enchanting, I would say it was one of those pieces that doesn’t even need a video – you can visualise your ‘other world’ perfectly in your mind just by listening to it.

However, in true ThePianoGuys style, this magical arrangement is accompanied by nothing less than a spectacular video. And these guys never seem to hold back on anything. The video features the artists performing at dizzying heights atop the beautiful landscape of Sand Mountain… and with some unbelievably stunning results. The video is impressive, to say the least.

Now how’s that for your music taking you far away?

Additionally, as someone who loves seeing cultures and musical genres mixed together, I absolutely love this blend of classical meets mainstream (Coldplay) meets Africa!

There’s not much else left to say other than: Well Done! To the team behind The Piano Guys, to the magical pianist Jon Schmidt, the impressively fabulous celloist Steven Sharp Nelson, and finally to the energetic and pure voiced Alex Boye – a new talent to me and one I shall be following from now one! To all of you: You Are Pure Explosive Talent.

Every day, a new discovery!

P.S. You should really read the YouTube description for this video. It paints a very pretty (and interesting!) story of how the arrangement was written + how the video was filmed

Khoja Ithnasheri Mosque; Charlie's flowers; dhow at sunset.

The first sound of Lamu Island was not the gentle waves or ocean breeze, but the full-throated bray of a displeased donkey. Hooves splayed and ears back, he’d probably been asked to do something reasonable like carry the bright red crates of Coke motored over every morning from the mainland… but he didn’t feel like it and wanted everyone to know.

Not that anyone paid the slightest attention – he and the rest of the four-legged delivery fleet were piled high with bottles and dispatched to the oceanfront eateries. The donkeys are the tiny island’s primary form of transport, about as remarkable to locals as cabs are to New Yorkers. Lamu has over 4,000 donkeys – parked outside storefronts, idling on the side of the road, or clacking stolidly uphill, trailing lumber and heavy coils of cable.

The island’s only evident vehicle is its “ambulance,” a canvas-covered pickup that looks like something off the set of M.A.S.H and starts with a good shove from helpful bystanders. So when you ask the distance to anywhere on Lamu, you’re answered in minutes – time by foot, by boat, or by donkey.

Town square; frangapani blossoms; students at Riyadha Mosque; Khoja Ithnasheri Mosque after dark.

We’d come to photograph two of the nearly four dozen mosques built over Lamu’s centuries as an Indian Ocean trading hub and center of Swahili culture. The buildings nestled among the twisting stone streets of Old Town, lined with intricately carved Swahili wood doors and locals passing the time in the tropical sunshine.

As in any tiny town, we quickly met the local personalities: Charlie, the eccentric flower seller; Ali, the hotel manager who offered us his boat for a seafront shot of his favorite mosque; and Bakor, photo studio owner and self-proclaimed “Master of the Impossible,” who lamented the decline of darkroom printing and showed us old sepia portraits of the island’s residents.

Though the pictures’ stiff poses and elaborately painted backdrops hark back to an earlier era, not a whole lot has changed on Lamu since Bakor Studio first photographed the founders of Riyadha Mosque at the turn of the 20th century. One of the highlights of Kenya’s coast, Lamu attracts its share of tourists, of course, but most visitors jet straight to nearby Shela Beach to enjoy idyllic resorts and the posh palaces of Europe’s minor royalty.

Lamu Market; sauces at the beautiful Peponi hotel

But Lamu town itself, a UNESCO world heritage site, has an ageless appeal, both totally foreign and entirely welcoming. Everywhere we were greeted with a relaxed friendliness unique to residents of perfect climates, and open amusement that we would turn our fancy cameras on such pedestrian details of island life – the trees heavy with frangapani blossoms, the piles of coconuts cracked open with machetes and, of course, the donkeys.

Come sunset, after we had wrung the last light from the day and settled back on the waterfront patio with a cold Tusker beer and some fantastically fresh seafood, unattended donkeys would clop calmly past our table. I never tired of seeing them stroll by, wondering where they were going and why. Maybe they were headed to some predestined point, as the island’s donkeys had done for generations. Or maybe, like us, they simply wanted to enjoy the evening and soak in the elegant outlines of dhows against the sherbet sky.

Riyadha Mosque; town square; barber shop; moonrise.