sense of self?

".....the world sets in to making us what the world would like us to be , and because we have to survive after all , we try to make ourselves into something that we hope the world will like better than it apparently did the selves we originally were. That is the story of all our lives,needless to say, and in the process of living out that story, the original, shimmering self gets buried so deep that most of us hardly end up living out of it at all. instead we live out all our other selves which we are constantly putting on and taking off like coats and hats against the worlds weather"
Frederick Buechner-Telling Secrets

hmmm

nation branding

an article in the guardian reminded me of a discussion i had last week where i literally wanted to to beat sense into someones head.its funny the way there are so many people here who are ignorant of the notion of nation branding and the effect it has on perceptions and ultimately action.

muziki

theres heaps of debate on the ingenuity of kenyan music and the state of the industry thereof.
ive come across different opinions e.g

• the kenyan music industry is trying too hard to ape industries in other parts of the world without considering the market in which they want to sell their music
• kenya has much talent but quality control ,in terms of good production, good training , good equipment , good service etc is lacking
• the kenyan music scene is filled with cliques!now in most cases you need these cliques to establish yourselffirmly, however, (said like those teachers in primo) these cliques seem mildly impenetrable. catch 22!
• kenyans need to spend more time perfecting and learning more about their art.theres a lot of authentic stuff out there , be it DO misiani , katitu boys or some random orutu player jamming o the sidewalk.we have loads of traditional stuff to draw from .but we ignore it. kenyans are becoming culturally emaciated.
• anyone can love music but few are willing to work at it or develop as artists.
• kapuka this kapuka nini!what kind of music is that.bila substance.
• musicians in kenya need to learn how to take it one step at a time. thers no way we'll become the best over night.it takes much investment that most musicians are not willing to undertake.

and so on and so forth!yurr!theres much to be said. i love music. really . so ebu stop pirating kenyan music! even when you think its wack but you just like that one song on the album. dont hate aimlessly but support! support! support! support the artisits around you. dont criticise out of a vacuum!you may have no idea what youre talking about or what it takes .criticise constructively .

AND dont forget youre culture!HEH! people forget the richness that our cultures add to life. and im not giving you a license to be uncouth! take the good aspects of youre culture and roll with them. and usisahau God comes first. sometimes i cant imagine what music in heaven will be like. hes the ultimate composer. knows where a harmony will touch your soul mpaka you only be able to say wahlalalala!