THIS GENERATIONER

   Its been Real Its been a minute ey?! Well I was in a state of self-doubt for a while(normally referred to as creatives block hehe) with most projects I was working on(and still is). I actually stopped production and have been rethinking things.  As an exception to many other  stifled  come backs that I wont share, here’s a combination of sentiments, collage and Corel Paintshop Pro. 

  KISUMU: AFTER OPEN MIC, LETS EMBRACE PROFESSIONALISM IN THE HIP HOP SCENE If you are a hip hop lover in Kisumu it is most likely that you have noticed the huge void there is in the industry (or lack of one) as far as professionalism is concerned. There are no shows to look up to or big concerts that would reward exceptional acts based here. As a result we have seen the careers of many promising artists fizzle out due to the lack of a conducive hip hop scene that would have ensured artists sustain themselves from their artistry while here instead of going to Nairobi to follow their dreams there. And so when a friend informed me last week that there would be a hip hop event at Alliance Francaise titled Hip Hop Alive on July 26th, I got curious to go see how it would unfold. Janeqo Krietiv Mainds, the most prominent  arts group in Kisumu has been putting in much effort to keep the arts scene active with events organized fortnightly where visual and voice artists show...

PINKPOET KIMANI ON HER ARTISTRY WHILE IN KISUMU She's a poet with witty words but a soft spoken personality. A soft spoken heart. Grace Kimani might strike you as calm, jovial, ordinary lass when you first meet her. Not till you get to know that she is an accomplished young poet whose works have been featured in two Kenyan poetry anthologies. She is the initiator of two prominent art gatherings this side of the country having started Spoken Heart in Maseno and Lakeside Poetry in Kisumu. Pinkpoet has shared the stage with outstanding poets and artists in the country like Tear Drops, Juliet Wangombe (who wrote President Uhuru Kenyatta’s acceptance speech) and Nasara the beat boxer. Be sure to bump into her at most of the many poetry events in Nairobi. Here’s an interview I did with her through e-mail back in April. Pinkpoet Kimani What is it like being a creative in Kisumu? It’s been four years since I came to Kisumu and the experience has been amazing. I have had ...

My Insight On How To Organize A Successful Art Exhibition After Hosting One  That I am an artist you probably know very well by now. Well art is about a lot of stuff, and a lot of stuff is about art. A month ago while at an event organized by a marketing company I intern for, I met ByronMenezes . Guy’s uncompromisingly forthright, an altruist and a good conversationalist. Has a lot of experience being here and there you know-with work and places he’s been to. Being the Creative Director at this hosting company, I happened to mention to him some project I was working on. So he offers to provide a venue for a group exhibition that I had to organize in two weeks with his and that of a couple other people. I developed the theme of the exhibition and invited the top artists in Kisumu to come exhibit too. Well here’s my insight for fellow young artists when hosting (like I did) or participating in a group exhibition (like I also did): »       If you ar...

I Don’t Know About This by Churchill Ongere It  shouldn't  be funny, I tell myself, how my interests are still scattered all over the place three years after graduating from high school. Not that I feel like I am so old to still be trying out different things but sometimes, during those moments when I sit back and retrospect, I find myself comparing myself to my high school mates who some, to use the example of just a few,  by now, are married and are on government payrolls. (Disclaimer- I do not envy neither do I despise their marital status or employer. I do reviews from time to time you should know). I do have lots of crazy, unimaginable, stretched, secular and heavenly fun while all over the place. I came out of primary school confident (like my father)  to be a lawyer one day (some friends I graduated standard eight with have this wrong perception that I am probably almost clearing law school now!). Well I started being argumentative ages ago...