well, here i am in kenya.

Not that I am qualitatively a better or superior person because I am now more informed on world news. I don’t think there’s necessarily a direct correlation there. Rather, I feel better - healthier and even happier, though the news is rarely happy. I think because it reminds me that I am a world citizen, not just a mzungu (foreigner).
For some reason I’ve got really great reception of this station for the past week. Hooray!

1. Every other week another ODM candidate announces their launch of a campaign to run for President of Kenya. My western Kenya friends tell me (in whispers) that this is a strategy on the part of ODM, to keep secret the actual candidate to protect them from the government’s criticism and “crack-down” until the last moment. From the outside, it just looks like lots of ODM politicians want to be president, and are unwilling to concede to each other.

2. Hillary & Obama. One day at work I had some American politics conversations. A Ugandan co-worker was trying to convince me to vote for Hillary Clinton instead of Barack Obama, because this is a good opportunity to have a female President of the US. I pulled the ol’ “Well, it is a long way until the elections, but I haven’t been so impressed with the positions Hillary has taken as a Senator, and I feel like I align more with Barak’s stances on various issues,” and this elicited “Yes but she is a woman. This is a good opportunity for you to get a woman,” which is true, I suppose. After a while my Ugandan colleague went back to his desk and a Kenyan colleague came over, having heard the end of the conversation. Again, we started talking about Hillary and Obama, and, again, she advised me to vote for Hillary. Somehow it came out that the two of them are both in the Democratic party.
“They are in the same party?”
“Well, yeah. So only one of them will be able to ultimately stand for the Democrat party for the Presidency.”
“Oh. Well, then why doesn’t one of them leave the party and join another party or start a new party?”
“Um, dude. Because it’s not Kenya.”
“Oh, right.”
“There are at least some ideological differences between existing parties.”
“Well, I’m just thinking like a Kenyan.”
“Yep.”
“Oh well.”

The Kenyan colleague is a very good friend, hence my vocabulary and general attitude. I don’t generally go around calling Kenyans “dude.”

3. A few weeks ago I attended a 3 day meeting organizing an Agribusiness Accountability Initiative forum in Africa (AAI is coordinated by the Centre of Concern and National Catholic Rural something something). It was in Karen, an estate close to Nairobi, and participants came from across east and southern africa, with just a few from west africa. It was interesting!
But actually the point is that on one of the nights we were all sitting around (we were staying at a Catholic retreat centre kind of out in the country, so most everyone was around at night, which was nice) and chatting and some people were drinking beer and some people were drinking wine and I was drinking ginger ale (sidenote: as a rule, I don’t drink alcohol when I’m with Kenyan men. Actually, I don’t drink alcohol at conferences as a rule, either. So never mind). Someone decided that we should have a debate, and eventually we settled upon the discussion topic “the Political Emancipation of Africa.” It was extremely interesting to hear people who work on agriculture, trade policy, corporate citizenship, farmer empowerment, etc talk out why they think Africa’s political systems have not yet been emancipated from colonialism/corruption/unjust global financial systems and rules. Especially since people were talking about philosophies, and ideologies - things that you don’t hear African politicians mentioning. It was awesome.
I went to bed before they got around to the Solutions, but from what i gathered the next day, no Grand Solution was found. Maybe next time.

Kenya’s elections happen every 5 years and everyone - President and MPs - get elected at the same time. The elections are scheduled for this December, and things started heating up a few months ago.

I had a political conversation with a middle-aged Kikuyu man who drives taxis in Nairobi.
Me: So, who do you think will be the next President?
Him: It must be Kibaki. (current President, for 1 term now)
Me: Well now, what about ODM? (the relatively new major opposition party. it formed from a bunch of opposition parties late last year, and predictably now has at least 12 people who are vying to be the ODM Presidential candidate)
Him: No, it cannot be.
Me: Well, what about that Raila Odinga? (one of the many ODM front-runners for Presidential candidate, and a very controversial figure who was jailed and tortured during Moi’s time. He recently imported a Hummer.) People say there would not be a Kenya today without him.
Him: Yes, it is true. He was very important. But he will never be President; he is Luo.
Me: Oh...?
Him: They are not circumcised.
Me: Oh.
Him: Have you ever seen an uncircumcised man?
Me: .....(startled)
Him: Have you ever seen an uncircumcised man?
Me: .....(looking for an escape route)
Him: ...The penis? The penis of an uncircumcised man?
Me: (there is no escape route; i am in a moving taxi) Um, yeah, yeah, sure.
Him: It is like a little boy’s. (chuckles) Yes, just a little boy. How can a boy be the President of our country?
Me: Oh. I see. (just relieved he is not going to show me said body part)
Him: Yes, he cannot be the President.
Me: Okay.
Him: I would vote for him, but that is how people are. That is just how people are.
Me: Well, yes.