(Re)Membering Kenya – Governance, Citizenship and Economics, Nov 25 2009 @ Goethe-Institut

Conference Series
25.11.2009 at 6.00 pm
info:+254 20 2224640, prog2@nairobi.goethe.org

Conveners: Dr. George Gona and Dr. Mbugua wa-Munga

Session 14
1. ‘From Qatar with Love for the Soil’: Between Agro-Colonialism and Globalization
2. Population Settlements: Opening up new Corridors

In cooperation with Ford Foundation und Twaweza Communications

3rd Festival of Solos & Duets: Adedayo M. Liadi, Nov 12 2009 @ Goethe-Institut

3rd Festival of Solos & Duets
Presentation by Contemporary Dancer Adedayo M. Liadi (Nigeria)
Dance/ Presentation
12.11.2009 at 6.00 pm
Entry free
info: +254202224640, vo@nairobi.goethe.org

The very special guest of the 3rd Festival of Solos & Duets Adedayo M. Liadi will talk about his work, his approach to dance and the development of contemporary dance in Nigeria; he will share his ideas and discuss with the audience.

Adedayo M. Liadi is an internationally acknowledged contemporary dancer and choreographer from Nigeria. He was trained at the Ecole des Sables (Jant-Bi) of Senegal and is a holder of several awards. In 1998 he founded the company Ijodee. In 2003 the piece ORI (destiny) choreographed by Adedayo won the 1st price of the 5th African/Indian Ocean choreographic contest in Madagascar.

In cooperation with Dance Forum-Nairobi and GoDown Arts Centre

(Re)Membering Kenya, Nov 11 2009 @ Goethe-Institut

Conference Series
11.11.2009 at 6.00 pm (Wednesday)
+254 20 2224640, prog2@nairobi.goethe.org

Conveners: Dr. George Gona and Dr. Mbugua wa-Munga

Session 13
1. Worst Case Scenario: The Morning after Kenya’s Water Sources dry up
2. ‘Who Stole the Rain?’: Creative Responses to Drought

In cooperation with Ford Foundation und Twaweza Communications

Kwani? Open Mic, Nov 3 2009 @ Club Soundd

Kwani Trust is inviting you to Kwani? Open Mic on Tuesday 3RD November 2009 7pm at Club Soundd, Hamilton House Kaunda Street Entry ksh 100/- only.

Featured Poet will be Kennet B
Born Odongo Kennedy Leakey at the shores of Lake Victoria,Kennet B wrote and recorded his first poetry piece in 2003 at Chuqua Records in Kisumu where he was also mentored to become a sound producer.

He also gained music arrangement skills and mostly worked in underground studios helping young artists musically grow up. He moved to Nairobi after hearing of Slam Africa Spoken Word Poetry competitions; he won on his first trial.

The win motivated him to produce a seven-track poetry album “Coming Of Age” of which he wrote the lyrics and was the chief sound producer. Each poem in the album is backed up with sound effects, which are skillfully placed to create the desired suspense to the listener. The authenticity of the album is supported by the fact that “Kitambi ya Sugar daddy” a poem dispelling girl child abuse by married men is receiving good airplay by various local radio stations.

Kennet B has gone an extra mile and produced the first Luo Poetry album,”Twak Galamoro Mokwongo”which has not been officially launched to the public, though a single from the album has been released to a Kisumu based radio station.

As a performing artist, he has been able to execute his delivery at Kwani? Poetry Nights,Wapi Hip Hop and Spoken Word Festvals,Lafesta in Kisumu, PEN international just to mention a few.
Currently, he is writing the scripts for the “Coming Of Age” album which he expects to be out by April next year.
Kennet B writes on social issues relating to Church and State. He believes that with the power of the word all is possible even when the pen has run out of ink.

(Re)Membering Kenya – Session 12, Oct 28 2009 @ Goethe-Institut

Conference Series
28.10.2009 at 6.00 pm at the Goethe-Institut
+25420 2224640, prog2@nairobi.goethe.org

The public lecture series, supported by the Ford Foundation and Goethe-Institut Kenya, brings together academics, members of civil society groups and the general public to engage with issues that were thrust into the limelight by the jolting events that unfolded after the December 2007 general elections. These crises constitute a watershed moment for Kenya in many ways. It is necessary to pause and ask not just what went wrong but also why it went wrong.

Session 12
1. The Politics of Environmental Conservation: The Mau Water Tower and Nairobi River Cases
2. Environment and Culture

Italian Language Week Worldwide, Oct 21-27 2009 @ Italian Institute of Culture

Wednesday 21st October from 9.30 – 11.45am Italian Language Lesson
Free Italian language lesson From 9.30 -10.30 OR from 10.45 – 11.45 – booking is essential – Tel: 4451266 / 4451267).
At the Italian Institute of Culture (5th floor)

Wednesday 21st October at 5pm Italian Festa
“Festa Italiana” Screening of the film “Ho visto le stelle” by Vincenzo Salemme followed by an Italian buffet dinner – for Italian language students.
At the Italian Institute of Culture – Michelangelo Hall

Thursday 22nd October at 6.30 for 7pm Between Music and Cinema
Guitar concert by Italian musician and film director Ferdinando Vicentini Orgnani with excerpts from his films & documentaries to illustrate the relationship between music and image. In the framework of the Kenya International Film Festival (KIFF):
“Music has become my ‘secret love’. I didn’t make a career of it, but I still play the guitar…”
“In my films and documentaries special attention is always given to the sound track…”
“My role and my satisfaction are to choose the composers and become a dynamic element in their creativity as their music will become a dynamic element in mine.”
At the Italian Institute of Culture – Michelangelo Hall

Friday 23rd October at 6.30 for 7pm Queen of Flowers and Pearls – a story of an Ethio-Italian writer
Performance and reading with author Gabriella Ghermandi with the participation of Poetry Salama.
With Gabriella Ghermandi the Institute commences a series of meetings with Italian writers of African origin to present the cultural diversity that the Italian language can offer and to create an exchange of experiences with Kenyan writers.
Gabriella Ghermandi will hold a seminar at the University of Nairobi on 22nd October.
At the Italian Institute of Culture – Michelangelo Hall

Saturday 24th October from 9.30 – 12.30pm and from 2.30 – 5.30pm. Seminar for Italian language teachers at the Italian Institute of Culture

Monday 26th October at 8pm Italian Oscar winning films
Inauguration of the complete series of Italian films awarded Oscars for ‘Best Foreign Language Film’
In the framework of the Kenya International Film Festival (KIFF). Please click here for the programme
At Nu Metro – Westgate

21st – 27th October from 11am to 4pm (excluding Saturday and Sunday) Futurism
Exhibition of reproduction of works by artist Mino Delle Site (1914 – 1996)
Viewing of his complete works on TV.
In commemoration of the centenary of the publication of Filippo Tommaso Marinetti’s “Manifesto Futurista”, fundamental moment in the birth of contemporary art. At the Italian Institute of Culture (5th floor)

21st – 27th October from 11am to 4pm (excluding Saturday and Sunday) Guglielmo Marconi
Exhibition of panels on Guglielmo Marconi, inventor of the radio. On the centenary of the awarding of his Nobel Prize for Physics (1909). At the Italian Institute of Culture (5th floor)

Italian Institute of Culture
Grenadier Tower (opposite Jacaranda Hotel – same building as Barclays Bank in Westlands)
Tel: 4451266 / 7
Website: www.iicnairobi.esteri.it

Discussion: Sexually Speaking, Oct 17 2009 @ Storymoja

Sexually Speaking – Come participate in a riveting discussion, led by Valentine Njoroge, a columnist of the Nairobi Star.

Sex is something you do, Sexuality is who you are.

Everything that we are affects our sexuality. The politics and zeitgeist of this epoch mean that we as modern Kenyan women are experiencing and expressing our sexuality in ways that have not been seen before. We are better educated, more exposed and more independent than any other generation of Kenyan women. So just how are we expressing this fundamental human aspect? How are we enjoying this aspect of our lives? Are we fulfilled?

This conversation will not focus on sexual intercourse, but rather how various areas of our lives affect who we are in the bedroom. A glimpse into what will leave you wanting more discussions after the afternoon session:

* How do Kenyan’s kiss? How do we feel about PDA (Public Display of Affection)?
* Pregnancy and motherhood-after other people have lived in you and you have provided sustenance how does this affect your sex life? Diminished desire and libido? Do you feel as powerful as your body does what it was designed to do?
* Aging- aging comes with certain invisibility, how does it manifest itself? How do you reactivate your sex life after being married for a long time?
* Where did you learn your sexual technique? Was there an aunt or a mother or cousins? What about pornography? Do we feel exploited by it or have we used it as a tool? Do our partners watch it?
* What are we telling our children about sex? What do we wish someone had told us about sex before we started doing it?

Women now have choices. They can be married, not married, have a job, not have a job, be married with children, unmarried with children.

Saturday 17/10/2009, 2pm – 5:30pm
COST: Ksh. 1000
Storymoja, Shanzu Road, off Lower Kabete Road, Spring Valley, Nairobi
To book a seat for please call Sheila on Tel: (020) 208 9595, Cell: 0722 838 161
Mpesa your cash to 0722 838 161 or Zap to 0735564394, Cheques are also accepted.
For more information, email: sheila@storymojaafrica.co.ke

Urban Mirror: I LOVE NRB, Oct 22 2009 @ Club Soundd

Urban Mirror Show is back again Thursday 22 October 2009 at Club Soundd, Hamilton House Kaunda Street, Nairobi – Free Entry

Urban Mirror is a project about urban art and public space featuring artists from different parts of Nairobi, selected from those registrered on the Urban Mirror on line map www.urbanmirror.org

The night will feature:
the screening of the Urban Mirror News
public art performances
poetry readings
performance by Ukoo Flani
Dj sets by Just A Band, Dj Ugomatic, Dj Bob

If you are an artist you can’t miss to sign up !!!
Register now on www.urbanmirror.org, post your work or your public art idea on the map and stand a chance of being selected. If you don’t have internet access collect the registration form at the Goethe Institut.

Curated by Urban Mirror CBO

Have a look at what happened during the previous Urban Mirror event in July:

(Re)Membering Kenya, Oct 14 2009 @ Goethe-Institut

At 6pm on Oct 14th, free entrance

The public lecture series, supported by the Ford Foundation and Goethe-Institut Kenya, brings together academics, members of civil society groups and the general public to engage with issues that were thrust into the limelight by the jolting events that unfolded after the December 2007 general elections. These crises constitute a watershed moment for Kenya in many ways. It is necessary to pause and ask not just what went wrong but also why it went wrong.

Conveners: Dr. George Gona and Dr. Mbugua wa-Munga

In cooperation with Ford Foundation and Twaweza Communications

Session 11
1. Getting there: Alternative Transport Models for the 21st Century
2. Energy Resources: Future Possibilities

(Re)Membering Kenya: Session 10, Sep 30 2009 @ Goethe-Institut

(Re)Membering Kenya: Governance, Citizenship and Economics
Session 10
30.09.2009 at 6.00 pm
Goethe Institut
info: +254 20 222 4640, prog2@nairobi.goethe.org

The public lecture series, supported by the Ford Foundation and Goethe-Institut Kenya, brings together academics, members of civil society groups and the general public to engage with issues that were thrust into the limelight by the jolting events that unfolded after the December 2007 general elections. These crises constitute a watershed moment for Kenya in many ways. It is necessary to pause and ask not just what went wrong but also why it went wrong.

Session 10
1. Rethinking the infrastructure of the national economy
2. From Lokichogio to Kenya: ASAL economies

Nairobi International Book Fair, until Sep 27 2009 @ Sarit Centre

The 12th Nairobi International Bookfair fair is held until 27th September 2009 at the Sarit Centre in Westlands. The Bookfair is organised by the Kenya Publishers Association. The Book Fair’s Theme this year is ‘ Read for Change”. Books, whether creative works or factual texts, serve as a reflection of the society from which the writers are drawn. It is therefore our duty to ensure that society is able to communicate effectively on issues that confront it and do so humorously through books.

Events at the bookfair will include

a) Workshops and seminars on topical issues
b) Book launches
c) Children activities
d) Presentation of the Jomo Kenyatta Prize for Literature Award.

Open Qorner, Sep 9 2009 @ Tribe

TEDx Nairobi, Aug 8 2009 @ British Council

This event is sold out, so in a way there’s little point in posting about it now, but we are sure that it will generate a lot of talk in the blogosphere, as it features a host of great speakers with innovative ideas. And for those who can’t make it inside, hopefully videos of TEDx Nairobi will be posted online after the event.

For more information:
http://www.tedxnairobi.co.ke/
http://whiteafrican.com/2009/08/06/tedx-nairobi-in-2-days/

View the full list of speakers

Poet’s Club Meeting with Tazim Elkington, Aug 11 2009 @ The Junction

Poet’s Club Meeting
Tuesday 11th August 2009 at The Junction – 7:00PM – 9:00PM
THEME: Mind Travel

FEATURED POET BIO: TAZIM ELKINGTON
Tazim Elkington is The Indian Black Butterfly. Recently returning to Kenya after spending 9 years in Canada, Tazim is an out of the box thinker filled with a contagious joy and zest for life.

Visit the Club’s website for more information

Book Launch: Tony Mochama’s The Road to Eldoret and Other Stories, Aug 2 2009 @ Goethe-Institut

Tony Mochama: The Road to Eldoret and Other Stories
Stories Spoken:Book Launch and Party
Saturday, 5.00 pm
Ksh 500,- (including a copy of the book)
info:+254 20 2224640, il@nairobi.goethe.org
From the Literary Gangsta, Tony Mochama, comes a new collection of the most crazily, amazing and amusing stories which he says are the best ever written in modern Kenya: The Road to Eldoret and Other Stories. And it comes on a symbolic date… 1st of August, perfect for the most revolutionary stories you have ever read about contemporary Kenya. A true coup de grace of literature! Part of the evening are a play and a Gangsta Party with music by Nikki and Nameless.

Kwani? Readings, Jul 31 – Aug 2 2009 @ Storymoja Hay Festival

From Friday 31st July – Sunday 2nd August, Kwani? will be holding a series of book readings and discussions at the Storymoja Hay Festival including; A Kenya Sketchbook – A New Generation’s Imagination, inspired by the short story competition, a Whistleblower’s Narrative discussion moderated by Parselelo Kantai and featuring Billy Kahora’s newly-released book on David Munyakei, the Goldenberg Whistleblower, City Images and Texts– A 24 Hour Cycle , an exhibition of Nairobi photographs to be published as a coffee-table book by Kwani Trust in September 2009, and many others.

Check out the poster of the events

Storymoja Hay Festival, Jul 30 – Aug 2 2009 @ Impala Club

Storymoja Hay Festival Nairobi is a three-day celebration that will provide opportunities for the meeting of minds and sharing of ideas between storytellers and the public. The Festival will act as a platform for readers, writers, listeners and thinkers and provide exposure to some of the world’s leading names in literature as well as some up-and-coming authors. It will also provide space for the culmination of the active participation ‘Kenya Get Reading Campaign’ workshops for students, which Storymoja have cultivated alongside universities and schools over the last two years.

Storymoja Hay Festival Nairobi offers an opportunity to bring much-needed focus on the importance of literacy in improving people’s day-to-day lives, helping improve social cohesion and informed decision-making in an atmosphere of relaxed enjoyment.

Season Tickets (3 days) Ksh 1000. One-day tickets : Ksh 500

It is really impossible to select one or two events from the festival – just check out the full programme of the event and much more on the event’s website

Highlights of the upcoming festival on Kenyanpoet

Public Reading: “Nothing But Ghosts”, Jul 23 2009 @ Goethe-Institut

Public Reading: “Nothing But Ghosts”, by Judith Hermann Thursday 23 July 2009, 6.00 pm, Goethe-Institut Library
The Goethe-Institut welcomes you to a public reading of Judith Hermann’s bestselling collection of short stories “Nothing But Ghosts”.
Excerpts from two of the stories will be read in English and in German by Renèe Mboya and Elizabeth Burer, followed by an open discussion.
Entrance to the event is free of charge.

ArtChat #1, Jul 25 2009 @ Kuona Trust

Kuona ArtChat #1, Saturday 25th July 12pm, “The return of Sculpture?” Join the artists to discuss reactions to the current Kuona Trust sculpture show “Winter Warmer” followed by an affordable lunch in our garden and a tour of the artists’ studios.
Free entry, all welcome including kids

Kwani Books Launch with Eric Wainaina in concert, Jul 23 2009 @ Club Afrique

Kwani Trust is pleased to announce the release of 5 new titles at Club Afrique on July 23rd , 2009 at 7.00 pm. The launch is part of a double header event between Kwani Trust and Eric Wainaina who will perform in concert after the Kwani launch. Kwani 5 Part 2, ‘Revelations and Conversations’ is the second volume of a collection of testimonials, creative non-fiction, poetry, essays and photography in response to the 2007 elections and its aftermath.

The True Story Of David Munyakei, Goldenberg Whistleblower by Billy Kahora tells the tale of the Central Bank Of Kenya clerk who exposed fraudulent export compensation claims and saved Kenya billions of shillings but later died ill and penniless after being hounded out of his job.

The Life of Mzee Ondego retells the story of Kenyatta’s favourite choirmaster and man behind one of Kenya’s most unforgettable dirges, a song that became part of our living memory as we bid farewell to Kenya’s first President.

Internally Misplaced by Wambui Mwangi revisits a Nairobi under siege after the 2007 elections.

The Life and Times of Richard Onyango tells street-to-canvas bildunsroman of one of Kenya’s most successful artists who was and is still inspired by a great love of his life.

The books will also individually launched at the Kwani tent at the Storymoja Hay Festival between July 31st and August 2nd 2009 and be available in all leading bookshops in August. Since its inception in 2003, Kwani Trust has been at the forefront in publishing contemporary creative fiction, non fiction and poetry and plans to launch further titles at the Nairobi Book Fair in September 2009.

Conference: Contemporary Nairobi, Jul 17 2009 @ Goethe-Institut

Contemporary Nairobi – Unveiling Urban Development Challenges
Session 4 of the Contemporary Nairobi Conference

Urban studies on the city of Nairobi have tended to be mainly descriptive and empirical in the past. There is very little published work focusing on (re)conceptualization of urban issues in Nairobi. However there are a growing number of recent and isolated studies aiming at giving new insights into the complex urban issues in the city through employment of alternative conceptual lenses. Recently scholars and researchers have been working on urban issues in Nairobi intensely. However, most of these studies are not available in the public domain. To make these contributions more accessible a series of forums from March till September 2009 will be hosted in different venues. The final outcome is a publication which will be edited by Dr. Alfred Omenya, Professor Marie Huchzermeyer, Grace Lubaale and Luke Obala.

In cooperation with the Heinrich Böll-Foundation, IFRA and the Swiss Embassy

The 2nd Invisible Circle, Jul 17 2009 @ Aromatics Spa

‘The 2nd Invisible Circle’
Date: Friday July 17th 2009, 6.30pm to 8pm
Location: Aromatics Spa, 101 Manyani East Road off James Gichuru – Lavington
Cost: Kshs 1,500/= pp
Are you open to new perspectives? When we seek to find answers we are seeking to re-member that which already lives within us and is lost to our understanding for innumerable reasons. Here is a great opportunity to do just that; re-member, re-vive, re-vitalize and re-acquaint yourself with you!

Join Tazim Elkington in discussing a randomly selected topic spontaneously facilitated by a vivacious, lively and adventurous spirit. Due to limited space, please email, call or text to reserve your spot:
Email: tazim.elkington@hotmail.com
Cell: 0714-434573

Book Launch: From Terror to Hope, Jul 10 2009 @ Goethe-Institut

Book Launch: From Terror to Hope, a novel by Ogova Ondego, Friday 10 July 2009, 6.00 pm, Goethe-Institut Library

From Terror to Hope seeks to give hope to the internally displaced people in Africa. The story revolves around the life of a 12-year-old boy and his encounter with xenophobia.

Though the book reads like a re-enactment of the post-December 2007 election violence in Kenya, writer Ogova Ondego insists it is a work of fiction and that “any resemblance to persons, events or localities is coincidental.” This story is not only entirely a work of fiction, he says, but “the names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are the work of my own imagination or used fictitiously.”

The introduction to this ComMattersKenya-published book, penned by G Wamaitha Kinyanjui, a leading children’s rights lawyer in Nairobi, describes From Terror to Hope as “a beacon of hope in the midst of despair.”

Shailja Patel’s Bwagamoyo Staged Reading, Jul 9 2009 @ Wasanii Restaurant

PEN International Kenya Chapter and Wasanii Literary Nights present a staged reading of:
BWAGAMOYO (The Father) : Part II of MIGRITUDE by Shailja Patel
Special Guest Actor: MUSIRA

On July 9th at 7pm at Wasanii Restaurant, Kenya National Theatre

What do Samuel Kivuitu’s neck, Ngugi wa Thiong’o’s ribcage, William Ruto’s abdomen, and the hands of a Nairobi grease monkey all have in common?

Find out on this poetic journey, from colonial Zanzibar to Kenya’s post-election violence, by way of the male body.
A powerful, heartbreaking, hilarious exploration of how patriots become patriarchs, muscles queered dismantle masculinities, and daughters confront fathers.
An anthemic call to reconnect gut to heart to voice.
To challenge icons and claim our own power.
To sing ourselves back from our violent histories to new ways of knowing and living the truth.

This reading is dedicated to Bantu Mwaura (1969 – 2009). Brother, friend, truth teller. Mourned and deeply missed.

Followed by Discussion With Audience
Event is FREE, with voluntary contributions requested to Kenya PEN.

Conference Series: (Re)Membering Kenya, Jul 8 2009 @ Goethe-Institut

(Re)Membering Kenya: Governance, Citizenship and Economics – Session 7
Conference Series, Wednesday 6.00 pm
info: +254 20 2224640, prog2@nairobi.goethe.org
The public lecture series, supported by the Ford Foundation and Goethe-Institut Kenya, brings together academics, members of civil society groups and the general public to engage with issues that were thrust into the limelight by the jolting events that unfolded after the December 2007 general elections. These crises constitute a watershed moment for Kenya in many ways. It is necessary to pause and ask not just what went wrong but also why it went wrong.

The second round of the lecture series (April–December 2009) is to enable dialogue with the public on various issues under the rubric governance, citizenship and economics. The sessions will suggest ways in which governance, citizenship and economics might be re-conceptualized if we are to avoid dismembering Kenya. They will discuss new ways in which Kenya can move forward under the premise that 21th Century Kenya needs to adapt to the complex realities of contemporary society, something that might be done by recasting familiar problems in a manner that allows for new, alternative ways of dealing with them.
Conveners: Dr. George Gona and Dr. Mbugua wa-Munga

In cooperation with Ford Foundation und Twaweza Communications

Session 7
1. Religion: State and Subject
2. Rethinking (formal) Education in Kenya: Key Issues