He’s my brother “A must read short traveller story by Binyavanga Wainaina”

Let me first introduce you to Binyavanga Wainaina who was born in Nakuru in Rift Valley Province , Kenya on 18^th of january 1971, (not that old haah?). He  is today well known as a Kenyan author, journalist and winner of the Caine Prize. His journey into schooling entails that he attended Moi Primary School in Nakuru, Mangu High School in Thika, and Lenana School in Nairobi. He later studied commerce at the University of Transkei in South Africa.  In July 2002 he won the Caine Prize for African Writing for his short story "Discovering Home". In the interview with Mildred Kiconco Barya on June 18^th 2009, Binyavanga Wainaina, when asked what inspired him to write 'Discovering Home'? he explained that it started as an email sent to a friend describing a trip to Uganda, then he worked on it as a memorial to his mother after she died.

He is the founding editor of Kwani? which is believed to be the first literary magazine in East Africa since Transition Magazine. He authored the satirical article "How to Write About Africa" In 2003, he was given an award by the Kenya Publisher's Association, in recognition of his services to Kenyan Literature. He has written for The EastAfrican, National Geographic, The Sunday Times (South Africa), Granta, the New York Times, Chimurenga magazine and The Guardian (UK).

In January 2007, Binyavanga Wainaina was nominated by the World Economic Forum as a "Young Global Leader" - an award given to people for "their potential to contribute to shaping the future of the world, which he subsequently declined while giving a number of self - opinion why. Currently he is a Bard Fellow and the director of the Chinua Achebe Center for African Literature and Languages. His other publications includes An Affair to Dismember (Short Story), Beyond the River Yei: Life in the Land Where Sleeping is a Disease (Photographic Essay, Kwani Trust) With Sven Torfinn, How To Write About Africa (Article, satire, Granta 92 2005), and In Gikuyu, for Gikuyu, of Gikuyu (Article, satire, Granta 103 2008).

He's My Brother by Binyavanga Wainaina “A review”

         The story is told from a first person point of view, in this case we assume that it is Binyavanga Wainaina himself telling a story of his safari from Dar es Salaam to Nairobi to attend his mother’s funeral (The mother who also inspired his writing of Discovering Home which won him a Caine prize). He is dissecting the way of life of people of the two neighbouring countries (Tanzania and Kenya), to whom the difference of social – communal courtesy would make him conclude on one (Tanzanian) as a brother. As he realizes that his luggages are misplaced into another already left airplane to Entebbe, he is surprised by the humbleness of the people on his favor. From the lady at the Air Tanzania office who resumes to offer him coffee and bites, while she is checking on a flight for him to a Taxi driver who took him off the airport and give him a roving to the Dar es Salaam city, the heat, the people, shops, bars, sea – harbor, to the street full of open air traders where he ate the best-ever-before chikken tikka and chips saved with a sauce. He took some moment to observe the way people live by this one spot and wonders that probably paradise become the best place when it is rated poor.  

         He further speaks swahili word Kesho (having seen Indians, Arabs are all fluently speaking it), however the word seem to have an annoying meaning when translated to the Taxi driver’s tribal language or probably his name as he called him by the same word as he contunie telling the story. This is probably the moment that he realizes that even Tanzania is placed under tribalism opium.

         He goes for a pay with rand and dollar, only for the Taxi driver to arrive at his rescue, nevertheless as Wainaina is brought to the airport the next  early morning by the same taxi driver, he is surprized to find out that possibly what is best of tours into Mt. Kilimanjaro, Serengeti, Selous,Zanzibar in Tanzania shares the same sophistications with the Mt. Kenya, Mara, Blixen and Lamu in kenya. To summarize the humbleness of the Tanzanians, the Taxi driver tells Wainaina that if he wasn’t suspicious of him, he and his wife would have been glad to host him at their home. Wainaina leaves Dar es Salaam at 10 am that day, and promised to come back, soon.

Find also a review in Arusha News Blog

A review of Murdoch's Speech

Of all the trials that face newspaper in the 21^st century, I fear technology and our response to it is by no means our only challenge: Rupert Murdoch.

Speech by Rupert Murdoch to the American Society of Newspaper Editors

April 13, 2005

The following is the review of Rupert Murdoch’s speech to the American Society of Newspaper editors

In this speech, Murdoch treats the role and position of news paper in the digital age with a growing fascination and curiosity. He traces the incident of new technology and its impact on print media industry and supposes that this revolution is a reality and that newspaper editors should not overlook it. Being less of an expert and immigrant into the digital world, Murdoch maintains that the peculiar challenge then is for us digital immigrants – many of whom are in positions to determine how news is assembled and disseminated to apply a digital mindset to a new set of challenges (Mudorch, 2005:1). Murdoch sketch out a number of challenges that newspaper editor will have to face up in this digital age. His list includes the next generation’s (explained also as technological – savvy young people) set of expectations on news and information including the access, kind of news, when, where and who they will get it from?.

Thus this generation is loosing sight and touch of the traditional news outlets, instead they have become pre occupied by the internet and web. News to them is no longer news presented as gospel[1], they want news that is current, continous and every minute updates to it with an impact attached to their local life situations. They nevertheless want to scrutinize, demand, debate and give their own views and opinions on the news.

In the face of this revolution, Murdoch agrees that we (Newspaper editors) have been slow to react. (Murdoch, 2005:2). As a result, news paper has lost the audience, circulation in the markets, advertisements, popularity and so to mention revenue. All these in the name of one major challenge, the digital age where day to day news and informations can easily be accessed through the internet and websites.

[1] Murdoch 2005 pp 1.

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