If there is anything that Heartstrings Kenya has a flair for, then it is for expertly playing on Kenyan stereotypes as is evident in the most recent show that promised to “shutter our guts”. If the reaction from the audience is anything to go by, then the production lived up to its promise.

In characteristic style, the play begins with a narrator, this time the able Allan Weku, who regales the audience with hilarious

Allan Weku, the narrator

anecdotes of being Kenyan. Of particular note is his narration of his internet dating experience, a story delivered so expertly to an appreciative audience that one cannot help but conclude that this man has carved a style that works for him  despite having to fill the role previously played by the larger than life Larry Asego and the seasoned thespian Obilo ‘Mkame’ Ng’ongo .

In the first scene, we see Kenyans at a funeral where women and men alike come to show off (cars, clothes) and eat. One after the other, the actors recount funerals they have been to where there was good food…or where there was not and even go on to discuss what people would eat at their own funerals! Paul Ogola (who also plays the role of a father, teacher and a husband) carries this scene and impeccably delivers punch line after punch line, constantly leaving the audience in stitches.

The funeral scene with Paul Ogola(Far Right) working his magic

As the different scenes unfold and the style of using Kenyan stereotypes gains currency, it becomes evident that the play is not just about stereotypes. The directors of the play offer the audience an opportunity to laugh at themselves while reflecting on the deeper meanings of the ridiculous scenes borrowing heavily from contemporary Kenyan societal ills: From rotten politics, to the increasing suicide rates, unscrupulous preachers , corruption among Kenyan policemen, strikes  and youth unemployment.

The set of the play, in true improvisation theatre style that Heartstrings subscribe to, is devoid of any elaborate props, with the most being a table and chair one corner, which the narrator uses from time to time. The set also benefits from an eager cartoonist who uses chalk to draw freakish cartoon characters on the walls of the stage. Different catch phrases on the cartoons in keeping with  the ‘Kenyanness’ theme.

Students on strike!Paul Ogutu(far right) in his role as a school boy

Other noteworthy performances in the play come from Humphrey Maina (who also acts in a local TV production ‘Papa Shirandula’ and Paul Ogutu. Humphrey plays the roles of a father, a hustler and a preacher effortlessly and Paul Ogutu puts on convincingly hilarious Luo and Kisii accents first as a ‘hustler’ and then as a school boy.

If you are looking to unwind and laugh your head off or ‘shutter your guts’ this weekend, then this is the play for you.

Directed by : Sammy Mwangi and Victor Ber

Conceptualized by :Dan Ndambuki aka Churchill

Venue: Alliance Francaise
Times: Weekdays 630pm. Weekends 3pm & 630pm
Charges; 500/
TICKET SUPER HOTLINE:  call 0721608656

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• Theater in Kenya, DEAD? Prt 1 (stevenvala.wordpress.com)

I made the mistake of looking at MSN today. My pessimism in the trifling nature of humans was not disappointed. My reward: “bleach fight at Walmart.” Google it. You will get back pages of articles. It made the morning shows on the major TV networks (probably the minor ones, too). A woman threw ammonia and bleach on another Walmart shopper, with whom she had a long-standing feud. Ammonia and bleach; who needs the refresher chemistry lesson on the effects of combining these two handy cleaning solutions? One word: toxic. And thus, 19 people had to go tho the hospital. 19 people injured because one woman couldn’t mind her manners in public. There are all sorts of holes in this story and I have to ask a few glaring clarifying questions:

• How did the woman have time to open both bleach and ammonia and throw it on the other woman before someone stopped her or the other woman got out of the way?
• Were the other people who were injured just casually observing this showdown or were they quietly minding their business, trying to finish their shopping while these women turned the cleaning supplies aisle into their own Smackdown?
• Why do we continue to shop at Walmart? Bad stuff happens there. I believe it is one of the portals to Hell. (More on that later.)

Which loops back to my title. “Going to Hell in a hand basket”  was one of my mom’s favorite sayings, followed closely by “Sliding to Hell on a greased pole.” Even in my childhood, the decline was occurring.  Perhaps we have been on that downfall since we began marking time. It seems to me as if we are moving on that track faster than ever as manners and values and ethics and morals and all of those good things we learned in Sunday School become less and less important to the majority of the American public.

Have we forgotten that our actions have consequences?  Do we no longer think about the impact on those around us or are we all so self-centered now that as long as we get what we want, no one else matters? When did this become okay?

What do we gain by letting go of these fundamental building blocks of human kindness and compassion? Site views and ratings and tabloid sales? Is sensationalism the fuel of the free market? What is its ultimate cost?

I am going to have to think  on that one a little more, but for now, I am steering clear of Walmart and relying on osmosis to absorb my news.

Is it? Or is this simply a perception we have based on outmoded models of what power and equality actually is. Do we as a society view people only through the narrow lens of our own economic and social class; judging them based on our personal level of achievement? Whether we are feminists or not appears to be becoming increasingly irrelevant now in this era of the plugged in global village when we are discussing the state of our social and moral health. Every gender, faith, race and age is an active participant  in the events of a world that is regressing socially, in the form of rioting, looting, flash mob violence and an epidemic of abuse against children. Perhaps it is time to look beyond simply our feminist perspective now, to evolve that ideology into something more embracing of all, to a higher level that will address the most persistent human flaw which is the twisted root of everything destructive:  selfishness.  We need to do it soon because the chasm between the rich and poor, the safe and the violated or more specifically, those with power and equality and those without is widening at an accelerated rate.

Obviously, Lourdes‘  thought provoking post was a catalyst for  me to insert the notion of power and equality into the greater framework of poverty and violence and the unfair distribution of wealth on this planet, particularly in light of the economic crisis that has laid to waste  many social programs that assist women, children, the disabled and the elderly. Economic hardship and the resultant behavior of the populace, makes a mockery of the political rhetoric that claims compassion and the care of our most vulnerable citizens as the cornerstone of our western society.  There is nowhere to hide in this media saturated world, from the incontrovertible truth that this is a preposterous social lie designed to make us feel better about not doing the right thing for each other. It is easier to live in denial than share the wealth when it is our own. We do not demand that CEO’s end the greed because we indulge our own avarice by shopping for more food, clothing, vacations, jewelry, computers and appliances than we will ever use or need. We are swathed in guilt that feeds this mass indifference, a denial that is only being penetrated by the thoughtful discussion and problem solving that is happening in one sector of society: Feminists. This very nicely brings us back to the origin of this post,  to the question Lourdes posed: It makes me wonder, is feminism only for the privileged few?  The fact that a feminist is asking this question supports a notion I have, no, more than a notion; a probability that it will be the women, not science, religion or politics which will end the social and moral decline of the human race. It will be mothers, daughters and sisters, the life givers of this planet that in the end will save it. Why? Because it is a natural and yes, maternal urge that is without question the most potent force on this earth.  To quote a line spoken by Jeff Goldbloom’s  character in Jurassic Park: “Life will find a way.” Indeed, and who better to tell you this than women?

“So here’s what I want to tell you. See, let’s see if we can make a connection here. Slavery. Segregation. Black codes. Jim Crow. What, what did they all have in common? Anybody getting’ scared? Government sponsored racism.”

“Now I want you to connect one more dot on that chain of the African American history in this country, and tell me if I’m crazy. Federal gun laws that facilitate the flow of illegal firearms, into our urban centers across this country, that are killing our black and brown children,” he said.

“The NRA does not like me, and I’m okay with that. We’ve got to get the gun debate back to center, and it’s got to come with the recognition of who’s paying the price for the gun manufacturers being rich and living in gated communities,” McCarthy said.

McCarthy illustrated his point by recalling a crime scene investigation while he was a police official in Newark, New Jersey where five children were shot, two of whom were killed. McCarthy said when he got home, he turned on his television to unwind and find an episode of “Sarah Palin’s Alaska” showing.

“She was caribou hunting and talking about the right to bear arms. Why wasn’t she at the crime scene with me?”

Source: http://www.wlsam.com/Article.asp?id=2221691&spid=

What McCarthy did not mention is that Federal gun laws don’t kill people, people kill people. It’s almost a ridiculous point to argue, but if the Federal Government somehow managed to overturn The Second Amendment is McCarthy arguing that there would be less murder in Chicago? What McCarthy, and his ilk, fail to cover are the assailants of the crime. He made no mention of an assailant. Then again, doing so would probably be too judgmental. It can’t have anything to do with the particular assailants of the crimes in question. It can’t have anything to do with the permissive culture that McCarthy most assuredly favors. It can’t have anything to do with the meteoric rise of single-parent homes in communities such as McCarthy’s that are facilitated by Federal Government entitlement programs, and it can’t have anything to do with the failures of the legal system when it comes to incarcerating those responsible for killing the two individuals McCarthy references and the five that were shot. No, we have to dig deeper into this societal issue. We have to find the core problem of our society. We have to understand what makes them want to murder each other on such a grand scale, and when Superintendent McCarthy does guess who he finds? Sarah Palin.

“Why do you have to shoot me?” an innocent victim pleads.

“Sarah Palin,” the assailant says. “Didn’t you see last week’s episode? Yeah, she shot a caribou, then bragged about it and said something about the right to bear arms.”

“That fool!”

“Yeah,” says the assailant. “Now you understand why I feel compelled to do this. Sorry brotha!”

McCarthy then says: “We’ve got to get the gun debate back to center, and it’s got to come with the recognition of who’s paying the price for the gun manufacturers being rich and living in gated communities.” So, if we taxed gun manufacturers more, or limited their profit by government fiat, we would have less guns and thus less crime? Let’s set up a theoretical scenario here and say that they might get guns anyway. Let’s say that we passed the strictest gun laws in the world, and let’s say that murders still occurred. Let’s say these people are criminals, and they operate outside the law. Let’s say that they don’t register with a gun store, wait a three day period, and responsibly register themselves in a database that can be easily accessed by law enforcement officials to track them down. What would happen if murder rates remained exactly as they appear today? What the heck do we do then Superintendent?

I heard a beautiful phrase to sum this up one time. If we outlaw guns, outlaws will still get guns. It’s the law-abiding citizen that will be hindered in his or her ability to gain protection. I know, I know, watch the judgmental logic. An irresponsible leader might come along and wash my mouth out with soap.

McCarthy’s turn on logic calls to mind an episode of South Park when Mr. Garrison storms in on the kids playing in a sandbox, and he says, “Boys have you seen my penis. If you see it, try to catch it with a piece of cheese.”

To this, Butters replied: “Ow! That hurt my brains. Ow!”

McCarthy’s logic is also similar to the arguments made by Hugo Chavez and Fidel Castro when they speak to their people and blame America for every evil that befalls their people. Chicago voters shouldn’t blame Chicago Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy for an increase in crime. It’s America’s fault. The question that remains is is McCarthy taking his cues from Castro and Chavez, or does McCarthy have a thing or two to teach the two of them with this newfangled idea that the NRA protecting individual gun rights and Sarah Palin hunting caribou and talking about gun rights leads to the “killing our black and brown children.” In other words, if Castro and Chavez’s repetitive, “blame America first” arguments grow old on their people. “It’s Sarah Palin’s fault. Try it out. Give it a spin. I think you’ll see it gets great mileage.”

I realize I’m taking a broad step in logic when I say this, but I believe Chicago Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy argument may come from the same portion of the brain—that which is devoid of logic—that involved Sarah Palin’s X’s on an electoral map in the Jared Loughner shooting in Tucson. As the esteemed Butters has warned us, these are not arguments to which one should use the portion of their brain that facilitates logic. It hurts.

Attempting to watch some real news for once I switched over to the CNN channels that are all strung along after each other, and every single one of them was talking about it. I almost lost it, the one time I finally decide I want to learn something I have to hear about what people who most likely have  never been near a  jail think she may have to endure. I guess being a newscaster makes you an expert on everything.

I think my favorite was when one “journalist” asked another about why she though people were so obsessed with hearing about this one young celebrity’s life issues. Really? Maybe it’s because its on every channel and being talked about by every single media outlet.  It’s a shame but we have sunk to an incredible low as a species.

And I know I’ve just added to the mania, but in this case I thought I just had to say something. Just to clear my conscience and cleanse the soul of my celebrity gossip sins.

Never commit to something and then fail to do it.  If you say you’re going to do something,so it; don’t vacillate or procrastinate.  (3)

Have a firm grasp of your values and core beliefs, thus will you be well equipped to be true to yourself; stand firmly on your convictions; not allow “the crowd” to determine your path; and be who you were meant to be.  (7)

          Health Care Reform has become one of those emotional issues that help to fuel a synthetic fire brewing within most of us these days. Not so much due to the lack of health care, the cost of it, or who has it, don’t have it, or may get it, but because it merely represents a back-spring to bounce off, and a target to throw darts at. Granted, there are some issues concerning health care reform that certainly warrant discussion and analysis, but when you associate the anger and bitter displays with the issues, I’m sorry, but they just don’t seem to align. What does add up, is that Americans have been in a self-induced coma, of sorts, for some time now. Like Americans are known to be, a lot of us were delusionally happy and overindulgent with the “greed fest” we enjoyed for a long time. Safe jobs, money in the bank, huge homes with their jumbo mortgages, big, fancy, new, multiple cars in the attached garages, the clear divide between the hav’s and have not’s, immorality on all levels, everywhere, all of the people, stuff and things money/credit could buy, and simply, oky doky with the getting and the having, the more we got, the more we wanted! While we basked within our condition of happy, a metamorphosis occurred. You see the stability of happiness or any other emotional state of being is contingent upon the presence of other multiple, associate factors. Call it the law of life, Karma, the Christian concept of reaping what you sow (Galatians 6:7), or whatever you will, but it happens, it is true, and it is consistent. I don’t claim to know them all, but I can assure you that some known dynamics associated with such euphoria are that you have to share it, not credit yourself for it, be thankful for it, respect it, not make it a God, do not worship it, keep it in its proper perspective, understand that it is temporary, has limitations, and understand that without it, you are still o.k.  We have a tendency to do just the opposite on every single count. When all is well in our world, most of us do not share it, we take all of the credit for it, we fail to be thankful for it, we take it for granted, we do not respect it, but we will worship it and make it our God, we take it totally out of context, placing far more emphasis on it than we ever should, we think that it is going to last forever, we see ourselves as invincible because of it, and we come to believe that  without it, life sucks and is not worth living!  Well, it happened! The very things we placed so much faith and hope in, was fading before our very eyes, and we did not see it. Oh, there were signs and warnings! Remember, Katrina, how about the 911 terror attack, major hurricanes, tornadoes, drugs rampant in our communities, homeless men, women and children you turn your head to, people you snub and don’t find worthy to be in your circle, enemies you’ve accumulated over the years, and members of your own family you have not spoke to/with in years. Yes, call it the law of life, Karma, reaping what you sow, or whatever in the heck you will, but I submit to you, that there are more of you than not, who could have reached out to change America, help Americans and help yourself, in turn. Yep, I submit to you, that it is NOT the issue of Health Care Reform that you are so angry and upset about, but rather, that the change in the rules of life occurred because you failed to use the many opportunities you had to make a difference, and now you find yourself on the other side, called Dysphoria. The challenge – The cure: Admit our mistakes, make amends, stop the bashing, and start afresh tomorrow.  Until then, that’s my say!  In-jewl

Again, from my friend Julie Gabrielli’s signature on her emails. Go for Change