Gum was a small city state ruled by a wise and kindly king. The people loved their king. The king whose powers were immense did not abuse his authority. It was a delicate balance. For years the people lived in peace and harmony. No one could tell how long this could last
In the Jan 17 2015 issue of Nile Journal, an anonymous author (turned out John Otim) penned a thought provoking article entitled Dilemma of a small African culture and its language. The author describes how languages move from just being spoken to being spoken and written even in the era of electronic technology
We lived in the small seaside town of Lamu some 225 miles north of Mombasa. Today Lamu is or was until Al Shaba hit town, a bustling tourist spot. We lived in a rented house above the shop my father operated on the ground floor. I was born in 1933 in the same year Ali Mazrui was born in Mombasa
At some point in history the gradual shift long in the works, from the spoken to the written word, as the mainstay of culture becomes a tangible phenomenon. By the middle of the 20th century the need to find a voice in the written word, grew loud and clear for most cultures around the world
Once thought to be The Heart of Darkness where history was never made, Africa has come a long way. Few doubt now that Africans built the great Zimbabwe or that ancient Egyptian civilization was and is African. Now however the past of Africa is threatened again.
Throughout Africa as population increases so does the speed of urbanization. With urbanization come many changes that deeply affect culture and the old way of life in many communities, whose rich and valuable knowledge, including artifacts face danger of imminent disappearance.
Running out of gas is a phrase commonly used but only figuratively. For us on June 28, 2014 at about 12.35 pm coming off a bridge on Interstate 10 West, Louisiana, USA, running out of gas was literally true. I heard my wife asked, “Why is the car slowing down?” when it was supposed to be moving at 70 mph.
One hot afternoon a long time ago in a still young world six teenage girls who were best of friends set out in search of firewood and head for the forbidden forest beyond the farmlands. Lalam, a girl of great wits and great charms leads.