All Saints Kukai 2009

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All Saints’ Kukai, 7 November 2009

Introduction

The seventh kukai of Kenya Saijiki was held in All Saints’ Cathedral Nairobi; the date and venue had been booked a long time in advance.

All Saints’ Cathedral is the national cathedral of the Anglican Church of Kenya, a splendid piece of architecture and one of the oldest historic buildings of the city of Nairobi. The Urban Development Programme, for which I have been working for almost twenty years, is one of the departments of this Cathedral. And so, by bringing the haiku students to the Cathedral, it felt to me that I had brought them home!


All Saints’ Cathedral



The two haiku clubs had organised a bus to bring them to the Cathedral; those few students who did not fit into the bus when it was ready, came separately by matatu. While we waited for everyone’s arrival, we set out the chairs in the meeting room in the brand new Multi Purpose Hall, had a look at the wedding preparations coming to a climax in the church (there were three big weddings scheduled for that day), and realised that the new Archbishop, the Most Revd Eliud Wakabula, would be the Guest of Honour at another meeting in the Hall.

When everything was ready, the big bus arrived, and it was an exciting moment when we greeted each other and the students took in the wonderful environment of the Cathedral compound. The weather was fine and sunny, and a great day lay ahead for all of us.



Guest of Honour

Caleb Mutua, acting as Master of Ceremonies for the first part, opened the kukai. Following a few choruses to get us into the right frame of mind, and a prayer to thank God for having brought us this far, asking him to bless this our day together, Caleb introduced our Guest of Honour, Janet Njoroge of Longhorn Publishers Kenya. Janet is the Chairperson of the Urban Development Programme Committee, and as such knows Kayole and the Cathedral’s work there very well.


Janet Njoroge

Janet gave an encouraging address to the students. She had been reading our haiku and observing its purposes. Observing nature and the environment, striving to write in clear and concise English, expressing a lot of meaning in few words -- all these are great accomplishments which help us not only towards better haiku, but also towards better study in general and towards better life chances. In order to show her appreciation for the work done by the haiku clubs, she donated twenty textbooks for studying better English and better writing, which were to be given to the twenty top prizewinners in the kukai.


The two haiku clubs then presented some of their showcase work.


Peacocks :

short rains--
two muddy cocks fight
on a deserted anthill

El-Nino rains--
a hen shelters under
the tree


Bamboochas :

silence, silence
the order of the day--
KCSE notices

rainy morning--
candidates in muddy shoes
sit in the exam room


Tuesday morning--
a pregnant candidate faints
in the exam room

silent exam room--
stickers with index numbers
on every desk


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Computer graduates

This had been a difficult year for computer teaching, as the cybercafés previously used, had closed down, and it had been impossible to find sufficiently large ones to replace them. The students had given their best, had studied and taken the theory exams, and the successful candidates were congratulated :

1. Otieno Aineah 122 marks Peacock (joint 1. and 2.)
2. Mutua M. Jacinta 122 marks Peacock (joint 1. and 2.)
3. Omondi Opondo Maurice 119 marks Peacock
4. Wanza Jacinta 118 marks Peacock
5. Onesmus Mutua 112 marks Bamboocha
6. Philister Namude 109 marks Peacock
7. Titus Karanja 107 marks Peacock (joint 7. and 8.)
8. Elungata Barrack Elauna 107 marks Peacock (joint 7. and 8.)
9. Aisha M. Malik 104 marks Peacock

10. Christopher Kavita 97 marks Peacock
11. Emilly Wanga 96 marks Peacock
12. Anne Wairimu 95 marks Bamboocha
13. Veronica Wayua 87 marks Peacock
14. Vivian Adhiambo 86 marks Bamboocha
15. Duncan Omoto 85 marks Peacock
16. James Bundi 79 marks Bamboocha (joint 16. & 17.)
17. Elkana Mogaka 79 marks Bamboocha (joint 16. & 17.)
18. Joseph Kilunda 76 marks Bamboocha
19. Patriciah Nduta 75 marks Bamboocha
20. Abraham Muuo 73 marks Bamboocha
21. Caroline Wanjiku 72 marks Bamboocha
22. William Odongo Mango 71 marks Peacock
23. Bernard Karanja 68 marks Peacock
24. Ann Kithu 60 marks Peacock
25. Esther Muthoni 57 marks Bamboocha

The graduates were encouraged to practise their computing skills and start sending in their own haiku to Kenya Saijiki.

As these results had only just become available, the certificates were subsequently distributed at the next kukai.



Appreciating other people’s haiku

The haijin then split up into working groups to discuss the following haiku which had won prizes in the Annual Shiki Kukai of 2009 :


Working groups at work
Photo © David Kimani Mwangi


sleepless night --
the moon shifts
from pane to pane

~ Janice Hornburg


moonless night --
the wind whistles into
an empty bottle

~ Tanya Dikova


sudden rain --
umbrellas mushroom
on the street

~ Gautam Nadkarni


winter sunset --
the beggar's shadow
grows thinner

~ Melissa Spurr


graduation cheer --
a flock of starlings
takes the sky

~ Terry O’Connor


hauling firewood --
the wheelbarrow and I
both wobbly

~ Terri L. French


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Ginkoo

After a lunch of bread and milk, we started into the ginkoo, the event that everyone had been looking forward to. The haijin were able to explore the Cathedral compound and the neighbouring Uhuru Park. I meanwhile enjoyed some views of the weddings going on and a short chat with the Archbishop, who expressed his interest in our work and sent his greetings to the haijin.


Ginkoo fun in Uhuru Park
Photo © David Kimani Mwangi

At the end of the Ginkoo, the haijin enjoyed a moment of interaction, while the jury retired to the Urban Development Programme office to select the prizewinners. The jury, comprising Patrick Wafula, Andrew Otinga, Harrison Wambua, Caleb Mutua and myself, were agreed that this was the best ginkoo writing we had seen since the inception of Kenya Saijiki. The two clubs were coming of age now!


Here are the prizewinning haiku:


1.
---
coloured water
in a deep bicycle rim --
short rains

~ Elung’ata Barrack

2.
---
breezy afternoon --
a dry jacaranda flower
drops to the green grass

~ Eric Mwange

3.
---
sunny afternoon --
student’s footprint stuck
on the anthill

~ Yamame Winslause

4.
---
humid breeze --
rippling pond sparkles
in the sun

~ Vivian Adhiambo

5.
---
cool breeze --
a kingfisher flies low
over the water

~ Peter Nguribu

6.
---
November rain --
a green muddy scarf
floats on the Uhuru pond

~ Hussein Haji

7.
---
afternoon breeze --
dangling waterlily roots
dance in the water

~ Elkana Mogaka

8.
---
warm afternoon --
scent of bright flowers
reaching my nose

~ Michael Mwangangi

9.
---
park pond --
a kingfisher waits patiently
on jacaranda tree

~ Stephen Nzomo




The bridge across the pond in Uhuru Park
Photo © David Kimani Mwangi


10.
----
November rain --
a stuffy sock abandoned
in the bamboo thicket

~ Aisha Malik

11.
----
a swan craning
and dipping in the pond --
sunny afternoon

~ Beryl Achieng’

12.
----
sunny afternoon --
a man busy bargaining
for a cold drink

~ Anne Wairimu

13.
----
under a green tree --
a lady’s dress resembles
a fallen flower

~ Maurice Omondi

14.
----
ants rebuilding
their crumpled nest --
dried mud

~ Maxwell George

15.
----
pond inlet --
gurgling water drips
into floating lilies

~ Jedidah Nduku

16.
----
short rains --
black termites rebuild
their destroyed anthill

~ Rhoda Mutheu

17.
----
sunny afternoon --
a couple taking refreshment
under a bamboo thicket

~ Benard Nyerere

18.
----
sunny afternoon --
gurgling pool of water emptying
into a fish pond

~ Scholasticah Mumbe

19.
----
hot sun --
couples under a palm tree
rolling over

~ Irene Muthengi

20.
----
falling water --
from a small raised step
bubbles

~ Amarpreet Amadi


Congratulations to all the prizewinners!
And big thanks to Janet Njoroge, whose books were welcomed with real pleasure.


The ginkoo prizewinners


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Conclusion

Presentations were immediately followed by a return to the bus, which had arrived to drive the haijin home. It was another happy journey, with everyone already looking forward to the next kukai.

Patrick Wafula captured the spirit of the day with his own haiku collection :

inside All Saints’ --
purple jacaranda blooms
outside

wedding bells --
abandoned bouquets
behind the church

All Saints’ Kukai--
discussion groups whisper
under the fig tree

the gardener sweeps
fig leaves from the pavement --
All Saints’

Isabelle's penknife
cuts open haijin's milk packets--
kukai lunch



More photos of the event
© Isabelle Prondzynski and David Kimani Mwangi here :
http://www.flickr.com/photos/prondis_in_kenya/sets/72157623522614607/

Text and photos : Isabelle Prondzynski (unless otherwise stated)

Click on the small photos for enlargement, please.



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Related words

***** The Haiku Clubs of Nairobi


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Long Rains Kukai 2009

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Long Rains Kukai 2009

St Mathew’s School, Kangundo Road
Season: Long Rains

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On 30 May, the Haiku Clubs of Nairobi spent a lovely day as guests of St Mathew School on Kangundo Road, where some 100 haijin assembled for a kukai, including a ginkoo.



Welcome to St Mathew
© Isabelle Prondzynski


While we waited for everyone to arrive and register, we took a look at the sadly burnt-out classrooms which are still awaiting reconstruction.

Anthony Njoroge was once again our Master of Ceremonies, and we appreciated his leadership and his good humour. He recalled for us the joy we derive from haiku, and the many ways in which haiku speak to us in our daily lives (respect for the environment, keen observation, openness to inspiration). We were also happy that the school Principal came to open the kukai and that he gave us a warm welcome in his school.

The new Form One haijin were welcomed, and the senior haijin were appreciated -- both those who will be sitting their final examinations later this year, and those who had returned to be with us for the kukai.

It is a real pleasure to see that the Cocks (the adult haijin) are active and committed, and that those soon following them out of school are eager to join this haiku club as soon as they can!

The computer classes were reviewed, and haijin were encouraged to join Kenya Saijiki as soon as their computer skills allowed.

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Shiki Kukai on the kigo of umbrella


Prizes were given to the haijin who had recently submitted haiku to the international Shiki kukai on the kigo of umbrella and had received encouraging results :

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8 points
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May rain --
an old man repairs
an old umbrella

~ Felister (Peacock)

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7 points
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rain showers --
a drop on the umbrella makes
a baby smile

~ Maurice (Peacock)

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5 points
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public meeting --
people under umbrellas
in the hot sun

~ Khadija Rajab

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3 points
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father and son
walking under one umbrella --
rainy day

~Maxwell George Onsembe

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2 points
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scrubbing the sticky mud
off the umbrella tip --
shoe shiner watches

~ Anthony Njoroge

radiant sunrise --
two lovers shading under
a red umbrella

~ Duncan Omoto

a man and his sheep
sheltering under an umbrella --
heavy rain

~ Kelvine Muchiri

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1 point
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drizzly morning --
a mother and baby
under their umbrella

~ Johnson Malombe

rainy afternoon --
four students sheltering
under one umbrella

~ Kevin Wanjala

May drizzle --
the lame old umbrella
leaks water

~ Rhoda Muteu

the long rains...
umbrellas now go for
double price

~ Patrick Wafula

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Other entries selected
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rhythmic raindrops --
passionate lovers under
an old umbrella

~ Hussein Haji

baby's shield
against hostile sunlight --
parasol

~ James Bundi

windy rain --
a man chases after a
destroyed umbrella

~ Emily Wanga

rainy afternoon --
students fighting over
one umbrella

~ Stephen Macharia

the long rains --
umbrellas for sale
and hire

~ Isaac Ndirangu

hot sun --
a bald-headed man shelters
under his umbrella

~ Periz Achieng

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Appreciating and improving haiku

The next session was a discussion in small groups of haiku brought to the meeting. The best haiku was selected by each group, and the group proceeded to improve the haiku in a joint effort.


Working in small groups
© Isabelle Prondzynski

The three best haiku brought forward by the groups were :

1.
---
acacia tree
in the rhythm of the wind --
rain showers

~ Job (Peacock) as amended

2.
---
cold night --
my cat rubs herself on my skin
for warmth

~ Vivian (Bamboocha)

3.
---
little boys
dressed in warm jackets --
chilly morning

~ Wambui (Peacock) as amended


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Writing haiku at the ginkoo
© David Kimani Mwangi



Ginkoo - the Haiku Walk

After the lunch break, we held a ginkoo, having reminded ourselves of the basic rules of haiku. The area around the school offered plenty of opportunities for walking and observing, and many haiku were written during the hour.

The jury is now growing with each ginkoo, as the Cocks have volunteered to help with the judging. Today, there were six of us, and it was a pleasant experience to work together.



The jury at work
© Isabelle Prondzynski

The final result was :

1.
---
May showers --
a muddy boot abandoned
under a tree

~ Aisha Malik

2.
---
sunny day --
mosquito larvae swimming
in pothole water

~ Kevin Wekesa

3.
---
napier grass dances
to the rhythm of the wind --
May rain

~ Jacinta Wanza
(Pennisetum purpureum
Elephant Grass, Napier Grass or Uganda Grass)


4.
---
on the wireline
a shirt slowly swings --
breezy moment

~ Emily Wanga

5.
---
joined wires
they all sag uniformly --
sunny afternoon

~ Jacinta Mueni

6.
---
reflection
from iron-sheet roofs --
sunny afternoon

~ Benard Nyerere

7.
---
tree frog
rides on a banana frond --
cool afternoon

~ Dorcas Wangare

8.
---
hot sun
burns my black forehead --
straining my eyes

~ Anne Wairimu

9.
---
long rains --
a girl jumps to pass
a pothole of water

~ Maurice Opondo

10.
----
cool breeze --
a cat resting on a
window pavement

~ Arnold



The first ten prizewinners
© Isabelle Prondzynski



11.
----
cow's hoof
print on the mud --
downpour

~ James Bungi

12.
----
zooming dragonfly
on stagnant muddy water --
sunny afternoon

~ Yamame Winslause

13.
----
breezy May noon --
the sun hides under
light clouds

~ Catherine Maina

14.
----
satisfied goats
resting on the green grass --
sunny afternoon

~ Beatrice Omari

15.
----
hot sun --
two lovers shading
under the tree

~ Duncan Omoto

16.
----
sunny afternoon --
dirty child seated under
a sisal tree

~ Beryl Muthiki

17.
----
hot afternoon --
a cat rests beside the wall
for a shade

~ Marion Masinde

18.
----
lorry stuck in mud
friends gather to push it out --
long rains

~ Margaret Nzilili

19.
----
haiku members
seriously observing the weather --
hot afternoon

~ Onesmus Mutua

20.
----
hot evening --
lizard sheltering itself
under the wall




The runners-up
© Isabelle Prondzynski





St Mathew's kukai, 30 May 2009
Photo Album


Text © Isabelle Prondzynski


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***** The Haiku Clubs of Nairobi

***** Umbrella

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Newspaper vendor

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Newspaper vendor

***** Location: Kenya
***** Season: Topic
***** Category: Humanity

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Explanation

Newspapers are usually sold like this, close to the houses where people live or work :



with at least the three daily papers lying side by side first thing in the morning (I took this picture a bit later, when one of them had already been sold out), sometimes also some of the weeklies or some magazines too.

When it rains, the newspaper vendor whips out a clear plastic sheet to cover them -- the papers are protected, and the customers can still see what is there.

Photo and Text: Isabelle Prondzynski


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Newspaper seller, newspaper boy

Zeitungsverkäufer

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Things found on the way


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HAIKU


intermittent rain--
the newspaper vendor covers
and uncovers

Caleb David Mutua, Kenya


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the newspaper boy
walks with his head bowed
in the frosty dawn

source : Martin Lucas, September 2002


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MORE : newspaper boy haiku


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***** WKD : Reference


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Khamsin wind

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Khamsin wind

***** Location: Egypt
***** Season: Topic
***** Category: Heaven

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Explanation

The Khamsin will be familiar to anyone who has spent time in Egypt or the neighbouring countries. The name means 'fifty' for the number of days it supposedly blows, and is actually an abbreviation for 'rih al-khamsin' (the wind of fifty (days)).

for fifty days
all nature lying low—
the khamsin wind

The Khamsin is signalled by a dramatic rise in temperature and is anecdotally associated with a general shortening of tempers. Indeed, under Ottoman law, the presence of the khamsin was considered a mitigating factor in murder trials.

awaiting the khamsin
to do her in:
the nagging wife

Norman Darlington
Kigo Hotline, July 2009






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quote
Khamsin, khamseen, chamsin or hamsin (Egyptian Arabic: khamsīn, "fifty"), also known as khamaseen (Egyptian Arabic: khamāsīn, "fifties") refers to a dry, hot and dusty local wind blowing in North Africa and the Arabian Peninsula. Similar winds in the area are sirocco and simoom.

Khamsin can be triggered by depressions that move eastwards along the southern parts of the Mediterranean or along the North African coast from February to June.

In Egypt, khamsin usually arrives in April but occasionally occur in March and May, carrying great quantities of sand and dust from the deserts, with a speed up to 140 kilometers per hour, and a rise of temperatures as much as 20°C in two hours.It is believed to blow "at intervals for about 50 days",although it rarely occurs "more than once a week and last for just a few hours at a time."

An 19th-century account of khamsin in Egypt goes:
These winds, though they seldom cause the thermometer of Fahrenheit to rise above 95° in Lower Egypt, or in Upper Egypt 105°, are dreadfully oppressive, even to the natives. When the plague visits Egypt, it is generally in the spring; and the disease is most severe in the period of the khamáseen.

The same account relates that Muslims in Egypt "calculate the period of khamáseen ... to commence on the day immediately following the Coptic festival of Easter Sunday, and to terminate on the Day of Pentecost (or Whitsunday); and interval of forty-nine days."

During Napoleon's Egyptian Campaign, the French soldiers had a hard time with khamsin: when the storm appeared "as a blood-stint in the distant sky", the natives went to take cover, while the French "did not react until it was too late, then choked and fainted in the blinding, suffocating walls of dust." During the North African Campaign of the World War II, "allied and German troops were several times forced to halt in mid-battle because of sandstorms caused by khamsin ... Grains of sand whirled by the wind blinded the soldiers and created electrical disturbances that rendered compasses useless."
©　More in the WIKIPEDIA !



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Worldwide use



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Things found on the way


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HAIKU


khamseen -
echo of
deserted Ra

Camilla Sayf, khamseen winds

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***** WIND in various kigo


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Sesbania Tree

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Sesbania Tree

***** Location: Kenya
***** Season: Topic
***** Category: Plant

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Explanation

Sesbania Tree
Sesbania sesban (L.) Merr.



Common names
Egyptian pea; jayanti, janti, puri (Indonesia); katuray, katodai (Philippines); yay-tha-kyee, yethugyi (Myanmar); snao kook (Cambodia); sapao lom (Laos); sami, saphaolom (Thailand); dien-dien (Vietnam).

Shrub or short-lived tree up to 8 m tall. Stem up to 12 cm in diameter, usually pubescent, sometimes becoming glabrous. Leaves, including a short petiole, 2-18 cm long, pinnately compound; leaflets in 6-27 pairs, linear, oblong, up to 26 mm x 5 mm, glabrous or almost so above, sometimes pubescent beneath, often pilose at the margins; stipules narrowly triangular, up to 7 mm long, pubescent.

Uses/applications
S. sesban has a long history of use in India, primarily as a green manure and a source of cut and carry forage. Planted, or assisted to establish as a volunteer, as an improved fallow in maize fields in southern and east Africa because it improves crop yields and provides fuelwood. Can be intercropped with corn, beans, cotton and many other field crops. Harvested leaves make a rich compost. Its leaves are a good source of protein for cattle and sheep. Used as a grazed forage in sub-tropical Australia and Kenya. Has been used as a reclamation species of saline spoils in southern China.
It produces a light fuelwood suitable for cooking and charcoal production.
It has been used as a live support for black pepper, grapes, cucurbits and betel vine and as a shade tree for coffee and turmeric.

In Western Kenya, farmers allow it to grow in their maize fields because it improves crop yields and provides fuelwood.

It is used in the cuisine of Vietnam.

source : www.tropicalforages.info

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sesbania pods

sesbania pods
slowly turning brown--
cloudy sky

Partrick Wafula


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Worldwide use



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Things found on the way


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HAIKU

cold breezy morning ...
sesbanias gently swing
from side to side

dew gleaming
on sesbania leaves--
a dove coos

Patrick Wafula, Kenya


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from the Bamboochas, March 2010


evening breeze --
a butterfly flying around
a sesbania tree

Stephen Macharia



breezy evening --
a bird rests on a swinging
sesbania tree

Eric Mwange



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Related words

***** WKD : Trees and Haiku


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Weaver bird

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Weaver bird, weaverbird

***** Location: Kenya
***** Season: Topic
***** Category: Animal

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Explanation

The Ploceidae, or Weavers, are small passerine birds related to the finches.

These are seed-eating birds with rounded conical bills, most of which breed in sub-Saharan Africa, with fewer species in tropical Asia and also in Australia. The weaver group is divided into the buffalo, sparrow, typical, and widow weavers. The males of many species are brightly coloured, usually in red or yellow and black, some species show variation in colour only in the breeding season.

Weaver birds, also known as weaver finches, get their name because of their elaborately woven nests (the most elaborate of any birds'), though some are notable for their selective parasitic nesting habits. The nests vary in size, shape, material used, and construction techniques from species to species. Materials used for building nests include fine leaf-fibers, grass, and twigs. Many species weave very fine nests using thin strands of leaf fiber, though some, like the buffalo-weavers, form massive untidy stick nests in their colonies, which may have spherical woven nests within.
The sparrow weavers of Africa build apartment-house nests, in which 100 to 300 pairs have separate flask-shaped chambers entered by tubes at the bottom. Most species weave nests that have narrow entrances, facing downward.

The weavers are gregarious birds which often breed colonially. The birds build their nests together for protection, often several to a branch. Usually the male birds weave the nests and use them as a form of display to lure prospective females. The weaver bird colonies may be found close to water bodies.
©　More in the WIKIPEDIA !

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ngosos (a species of weaverbirds found in Eastern)

Reference : Weaver bird, Kenya
Weaaverbird, weaver birds


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Photo © Isabelle Prondzynski

. Thorn Tree .

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Worldwide use



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Things found on the way


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HAIKU


July wind --
weaver birds swing back and forth
on a millet stalk

Raymond Otieno



the weaverbird
returns to its nest --
nightfall

Christopher Kavita



morning sunshine --
a weaver-bird sings
in a virgin land

Barrack Elungata



drrizzly afternoon --
a weaver bird seeks shelter
in the hedge

Jacintah Wanza



chilly evening --
weaver birds singing
melodious songs

Kyalo Onesmus



into its nest
a weaver bird slips to hide --
short rainfall

Kelvin Mukoselo



noisy weaverbirds
build their nests on acacia trees --
men bend on farm

Prerna Dharap



weaver bird`s song--
a dog sheltering under
a bamboo tree

Dorothy Minayo



whispering leaves--
two weaver birds mating
on the acacia tree

green grass--
weaver birds struggling
to build a nest

Peter Kilunda


hot afternoon--
a weaver bird struggling
to catch its prey

Stephen Macharia



weaver bird --
how it pecks at this cabbage leaf
stuck in the mud!

Alex Mwanabisi


Kenya Saijiki Forum


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april rain...
the weaver builds a new nest
in the acacia tree

Photo and Haiku: Patrick Wafula



the weavers
repairing their old nests...
long rains

~Tevez

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dawn chorus--
the rhythmic whistles
of a weaver bird

Kevin Asava
Shiki Monthly Kukai December 2010


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sunset -- .
a baby weaver bird peeps
in an incomplete nest

Steven Macharia
April 2011


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silent chapel --
chirping weaver birds
break the silence

Milkah Wanjiku (Bamboocha, F3)

First prize at
. Carlile Kukai, 11 June 2011 .


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Related words

***** Bird Saijiki


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Casuarina Tree

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Casuarina Tree

***** Location: Kenya
***** Season: Topic
***** Category: Plant

*****************************
Explanation

The casuarina tree is a lovely coniferous tree most at home on the Indian Ocean coast of Kenya. It is plentiful on the island of Lamu.
In Nairobi, it exists and grows, but is not plentiful.

Isabelle Prondzynski


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Casuarina is a genus of 17 species in the family Casuarinaceae, native to Australasia, southeastern Asia, and islands of the western Pacific Ocean. It was once treated as the sole genus in the family, but has been split into three genera.

Commonly known as the she-oak, sheoak, ironwood, or beefwood, casuarinas are commonly grown in tropical and subtropical areas throughout the world.

C. cunninghamiana and C. equisetifolia grow in Kenya.

©　More in the WIKIPEDIA !


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Worldwide use

India

Casuarina trees are found in India too. Some years ago, while going by road to the Sun Temple of Konark, on the coast of Orissa in Eastern India, I found them growing in plenty by the coast. They presented a pleasant sight waving at the passers-by.

sunil uniyal, India

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Casuarina trees are seen along coasts of Goa and on the east coast besides Orissa as Sunil mentions in Bengal's Digha beach as well. These trees grow on the coastal regions and create a wonderful sound throughout.
I have seen these trees on the coasts of Mananjeri in Madagaskar and Mauritus, too. These are very beautiful.

Kumarendra Mallick, Hyderabad, India


*****************************
Things found on the way


The Casuarina Tree
a collection of short stories set in 1920s Malaya
by W. Somerset Maugham
that came out of travels he paid for by working for the British Secret Service as a spy.
©　More in the WIKIPEDIA !



*****************************
HAIKU

cold breezy evening ...
the casuarina trees whistling
in the wind

Patrick Wafula, Kenya


The leaves of this tree are called needles and they whistle when it is windy or heavily breezy.


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quote
Visit Malaysia Year Haiku - Tanjung Rhu, Langkawi
(State of Kedah)

longing for another luminuous day
this evening tanjung rhu
the casuarina sighing throughout

the casuarina's tremulous sigh
tanjung rhu
every leaf sings the wistfulness in me

john tiong chunghoo
source : www.poemhunter.com


*****************************
Related words

***** Trees as haiku topics ... ... and kigo with trees


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Kanga wrapping cloth

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Kanga, kangas wrapping cloth, leso, lesso

***** Location: Kenya
***** Season: Topic
***** Category: Humanity

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Explanation

The colour orange is very popular in Kenyan textiles, particularly among the Kikuyus and Maasais. Traditional wraparound cloths, called kanga, often use yellow and orange patters in the ever changing designs.



There is a famous book called "100 uses for a kanga" -- and there are at least that many, probably many more!

Text and photo : Isabelle Prondzynski


. More photos of kanga .



Similar cloths are the kikoi and the kitenge.

. . . . .

The words lesso and kanga or khanga have now been officially accepted as English words, and now they can be found in the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary 8th Edition page 819.
Patrick Wafula

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quote
History of Kanga

Kangas originated on the coast of East Africa in the mid 19th century. As the story goes, some stylish ladies in Zanzibar got the idea of buying printed kerchiefs in lengths of six, from the bolt of cotton cloth from which kerchiefs were usually cut off and sold singly. They then cut the six into two lengths of three, and sewed these together along one side to make 3-by-2 sheet; or bought different kinds of kerchiefs and sewed them back together to form very individualistic designs.

The new design was called "leso" after the kerchief squares that had originally been brought to Africa by Portuguese traders. The leso quickly became popular than the other kind of patterned cloth available. Before long, enterprising coastal shopkeepers sent away for special designs, printed like the six-together leso pieces, but as a single unit of cloth.

These early designs probably had a border and a pattern of white spots on a dark background. The buyers (or more likely, their menfolk !) quickly came to call these cloths "KANGA" after the noisy, sociable guinea-fowl with its elegant spotty plumage.

Early this century, Swahili sayings were added to kangas. Supposedly this fashion was started by a locally famous trader in Mombasa, Kaderdina Hajee Essak, also known as "Abdulla". His many kanga designs, formerly distinguished by the mark "K.H.E. - Mali ya Abdulla", often included a proverb. At first, the sayings, aphorisms or slogans were printed in Arabic script, later in Roman letters. Many of them have the added charm (or frustration!) of being obscure or ambiguous in their meaning. If you find a motto that you can't figure out, ask several different Swahili speakers. You will get an equal number of different explanations! Some typical kanga sayings are listed on the following page, for your edification and enjoyment.

source : www.glcom.com/hassan / Swahili language and culture






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Worldwide use



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Things found on the way


*****************************
HAIKU


cold July evening --
market women wrap kangas
round their necks

Patrick Wafula, Kenya, 2009


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quick nap-
she burns her kanga
on a jiko

joseph nzilili
September 2010


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Sunday afternoon-
she carries her child
in a leso

Sibiko Yamame


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cold breeze-
mother covers her child
with a khanga

Mercy Amunze
June 2012


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Related words

*****


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Wood

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Wood

***** Location: Kenya
***** Season: Topic
***** Category: Humanity

*****************************
Explanation

This includes many kinds of wood, also firewood.
also lumber, timber etc.


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Kenyan wood articles

Kamba woodcarvers are famous for their intricate designs.
In Kenya, wood carving provides livelihoods for 60000 people.


*****************************
Worldwide use

Japan

mokuzai, kizai もくざい【木材】 wood
(as material for construction etc.)


*****************************
Things found on the way


*****************************
HAIKU

The following haiku were written for the
Shiki Monthly Kukai, June 2009


late night --
a house girl wipes the stained
wooden table

~ Andrew Otinga


May rain --
swollen wood floats down
the flooded river

~ Hussein Haji


the walking stick
her only old-age companion...
my blind grandmother

~Patrick Wafula


wooden frame --
a beetle struggles
to find a dwelling place

~ Maurice Peacock


old father
on a wooden chair --
basking on the sun

~ Kisilu Peacock


two lovers chatting
on a wooden garden bench --
breezy sunset

~ Anne Wairimu


rainy afternoon --
village girls fetch wood
to light a fire

~ Dennis Ongaki


fire blaze --
wood engulfed in sparks
and protest

~ Aineah Peacock


cold night --
a watchman guarding the house
with a wooden club

~ Khadijah Rajab


whispering wind --
she burns wood on hearth stones
to keep warm

~ Beryl Achieng


mercilessly beating
a thief with bamboo sticks --
mob justice

~ Kelvin Wekesa

a dog barks
angrily and jumps
a wooden fence

~ Barrack Elung'ata


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smell of wood ...
the new chopping board
still dreaming

Gabi Greve, 2008



*****************************
Related words

***** Trees as haiku topics ... ... and kigo with trees


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Waitinglist

Waitinglist for the Kenya Saijiki

Please add your entries as a comment!
I will pick them up from there.

Gabi Greve

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Words to be taken up



Groundnuts

heavy downpour --
grandma holds a stick as
she plants groundnuts

~ Duncan Omoto






Planting, March 2010


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Japanese Culture Week 2008

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Japanese Culture Week 2008


The workshop was organised in order to promote Japanese culture among Kenyan children. The Japanese Culture and Information Department invited various Nairobi schools as follows :

St. Elizabeth Academy
Juja Preparatory School
Moi Educational Centre
Bellevue School
Serare School
Mountain View Academy
Riara Road Primary School
Makini School
NPC Academy
Juhudi Children Club

Altogether, ten primary schools (normal age range : 6 to 14 years old) attended the function.

The Bamboochas for their part attended as facilitators to their junior brother and sisters specifically as regards Introduction to Japanese Poetry -- Haiku. The following haijin (all Bamboochas) represented the Haiku Clubs of Nairobi :

Jedidah Nduku, James Njoka and Judith Muthengi (Form One)
Caren Cheptoo and Anne Wairimu (Form Two)
Martin Kamau (Form Three)
Raymond Otieno (Form Four)





They performed superbly well in all their presentations. They managed to inspire other children to write haiku and even invite them to their schools to teach them haiku! The haiku written by the ten schools have been sent to Wairua Sensei of the Japanese Cultural Centre for publishing on the website of the Embassy of Japan and in the Embassy Bulletin Magazine.


The following are the lecturers / facilitators who presented during the workshop :

Mr Kikuchi : Welcome
Mr Kimani: Juhudi Childrens Centre : Ice Breakers
Dr Jiro Nozaka : Origami
Mr Wairua : Video on Japanese Culture
Tamura Sensei : Karate
Mr Patrick Wafula : Japanese Poetry : Haiku
Mr Nakagome : Introduction to Japanese Language
Ms Onaka : Chinese Dance and Show
Dr Florence Munyiri : Kenyan Experience of Japanese Culture
Mr Gachie Kiruri : Kenyan Experience of Japan
Ms Irene : Children Folk Games


Programme for the week

The first day was one of the most exciting and memorable days in the lives of the members of the two-year-old Bahati Haiku Poetry Club (the “Bamboochas”). Following the invitation from the Japanese Embassy to attend their cultural week, the members were able to seize the opportunity with unsurpassed enthusiasm and attended the great culture exchange event which took place during the week of 25 February 2008.

Initially, I was the one who was invited to facilitate a haiku lesson, but after further discussion with the Embassy, I was allowed to bring along six haijin. So we deicided that each indivual should present a specific aspect of haiku poems. We had only 25 minutes at our disposal.

Raymond Otieno : Senryu (3min)
Jedidah Nduku : Kireji (3min)
James Njoka : The Structure of Haiku (3min)
Martin Kamau : Saijiki (3min)
Judith Muthengi : Saijiki (3min)
Caren Cheptoo : Haijin (3min)
Anne Wairimu : Kigo (3min)


After the haijin had presented, I took the opportunity -- about 10 minutes -- to lead the class through a haiku writing session. By the end of the haiku session, the children had written over 50 haiku poems, which we handed over to Kikuji san, the Director for the Information and Cultural Services. He said the best haiku will be published on the Embassy Website. The audience was a sizeable one comprising different ages and classes.

In each of the three haiku teaching sessions: (Monday, Wednesday and Friday), there was a different audience participating.





Text and photos © Patrick Wafula


*****************************
HAIKU


Haiku from the Bamboochas participating


February morning --
in Japanese Embassy
watching music video

February morning --
learning Matsuo Basho’s
haiku

February morning --
Patrick sensei teaching
haiku

February morning --
walking towards Upper Hiill
to the Japanese Embassy

how good it is here --
a girl dancing Japanese
song

juice on the table
ready to drink --
break

February morning --
Jedidah haijin reading
haiku

~ Jedidah Nduku


a frog jumping
into the stillness
of an ancient pond

deep in the stream
the big fish lies motionless
facing the current

the garter snake
goes in and out of the grass
at the same time

ice scattered
everywhere --
winter Shikansen

brown leaves
fallen on the bare ground --
autumn season

Monday morning
walking past the blooming flowers --
Japanese Embassy

a beautiful lady
performing the Japanese acrobat
Japanese Embassy

February sun --
sweat drips down
my forehead

~ James Njoka


February dry wind --
trees swing east and west
leaves scatter

February morning --
pupils in Japanese Embassy
writing haiku

~ Anne Wairimu



Bamboochas admiring the exhibition at the Japanese Cultural Centre


Haiku from the children attending the
Introduction to Haiku lessons


February femine --
lions hunting
for antelopes

~ Khadija Kivuvani (Makini School)


February morning --
fresh air from my window
birds whistle in the trees

~ Michelle Wangechi (Makini School)


January evening --
wiping sweat
how tiring

~ Jane Wambui (Makini Middle School)


February morning --
going into Japanese Embassy
walking towards the video room

~ Brenda Muthoni (Makini School 5Blue)


February morning --
in the Japanese Embassy
so much to learn

January morning --
a lot of dust in the air
I breathe in

August evening --
shivering in cold
no food to eat

January morning
the sun
glittering

~ Suzane Akinyi (Makini School)


November morning --
rainy day
dripping wet

January morning --
celebrating
New Year's Eve

~ Sveta Victoria (Makini School)


February sun --
I sweat and
loosen my tie

~ Joan Wateto


February heat --
in Mombasa
relaxing on the beach

~ Nicole Nduku (NPC Academy)


February morning --
birds whistle
from a tree

~ Stephani Joy (NPC Academy)


February morning --
I brush my shoes
but the dust keeps coming

~ Jude Sam Olang (NPC Academy)


February evening --
feeling the breeze
dry sweat on my forehead

~ Elizabeth Ndinda (NPC Academy)


February evening --
celebrating my birthday
the cool breeze

~ Said Salim (Makini School)


February evening --
celebrating my birthday
in a light dress

~ Diana Adhiambo (Makini School)


February morning --
watching a vulture eating
a dead animal

~ Tony Ochar (Makini School)


February evening --
waiting silently for
the dusty sunset

~ Valerie Wasilwa (Makini School)


February sun --
water flowing in the river
flowers blossom

~ Ashley Chebet (NPC Academy Nairobi)


February morning
at Japan Embassy --
learning my first haiku

~ author unknown


February famine --
dry leaves
no food

~ Sheila Mwende (NPC Academy)


February heat --
I loosen my tie
and rest under the tree

~ Sharleen Muoki (Makini School)


February morning --
leaves shedding
from a tree

~ Joshua Mwanga (Makini School)


February heat --
blazing sun
above my head

~ Marvel (Makini School)


February dust --
polluting the air
I breathe in

~ Joel Mutiso (Makini School)


February heat --
wiping sweat
from my face

~ Sandra Wekesa (Makini School)


February morning --
learning to count
in Japanese

~ Isah Ochieng (NPCA)


February morning --
learning numbers
in Japanese Embassy

~ Daniel Chege (NPCA)


February dust
landing in my
meat stew

~ David Ndambuki (NPCA)


February morning --
learning Japanese
language and culture

~ Allan Riunga (NPCA)


February dust --
moving in the air
as the bus drives away

~ Andrew Wanyoike (NPCA)


February morning --
clearing rubble from
post election fights

~ Daniel Ng'ang'a (NPCA)


February morning --
dusty shoes
being brushed

~ Japheth Mutie (NPCA)



Enjoying Bonsai trees




Enjoying temari balls and dolls


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. Japan Culture Week 2012 .


Bamboocha's Visit to the Japanese Embassy 2011

. Visit to the Embassy


source : Photos from Caleb



*****************************
Related words

***** The Haiku Clubs of Kenya since 2006

***** BAHATI Haiku Club, Nairobi


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Arboretum Kukai

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Arboretum Kukai, 29 March 2008

Introduction

The fifth kukai of Kenya Saijiki was set for a mystery destination, unknown even by the organisers themselves until a few days before the event.

The day started with a lot of excitement, as the members of Kenya Saijiki gathered at Kayole Police Post, and the driver of the Jimcy School Bus worked his way through the traffic chaos of Nairobi. Haijin and bus met together a bit later than expected, the traffic chaos having won out. Bamboochas and Peacocks boarded in an orderly manner, one by one from each club, with friendly teasing and a feeling of joy at sharing this new adventure together. We were joined by some smiling members of the Cocks, out of their school uniforms now, and still strong haijin together. We all squeezed in as best we could for a while, until a willing matatu was hired to drive the overflow to the Arboretum.

.. Nairobi Arboretum ..
is a wonderful, historical place, where the trees of Kenya and East Africa have been planted in a beautiful park for our pleasure and education. Each tree is clearly labelled, with the Latin and English names of the tree, as well as the family of plants to which it belongs. The park is famous for its serenity, its peaceful and natural ambiance.

The Arboretum is sponsored by the charity FONA (Friends of Nairobi Arboretum), is kept beautifully clean and safe for groups, and is very popular with schools for outings and with the population of Nairobi for picnics and games.

When we arrived, the ground was still wet from the previous night’s heavy rains, and it took us a while to find a suitable location for our Kukai.

We organised ourselves around the trunk of a fallen tree, and set up our blackboard, which we had brought from Kayole.

Computer graduates

After the introduction by Patrick Wafula sensei, we turned to the awarding of computer certificates and prizes for the students who had persevered for the year and had passed the recent computing examinations.

It was a great joy to congratulate the following successful students on their well deserved certificates :

Hussein Haji (Peacock)
Margaret Ndunge (Peacock)
Malcolm Arnold (Peacock)
Winslause Yamame (Peacock)
Beatrice Awuor (Peacock)
Amarpreet Munayan (Peacock)
Peninah Mutheu (Peacock)


The computer graduates


The graduates were encouraged to practise their computing skills and start sending in their own haiku to Kenya Saijiki.

We agreed that the computer courses would be resumed, so that the new Form One members of both schools could learn the same skills, with an invitation extended also to those who may wish to repeat and gain their certificates.


Haiku on Ageing

The members of Kenya Saijiki had submitted a number of entries on the topic of AGEING to the Shiki Kukia, March 2008. Several of these had been awarded points by the voters, and we celebrated the haijin who had contributed their poems.


Njoroge and Beth, discussing haiku on ageing
Photo © David Kimani Mwangi


It was enjoyable to discuss the haiku first, without announcing the names of the authors. The following six haiku were taken up in an open discussion, and many haijin explained why they enjoyed the poems, and what in particular appealed to them. Here are the haiku, with the authors’ names included :

my grandfather --
using less and less
of his cane

~ Abraham Muuo

The discussion of this haiku made us see the grandfather either with a walking stick, or with a cane to punish the children... We had very good explanations as to why he was using each of these less and less... It just shows that a good haiku can give rise to various different pictures in the readers' minds!

my grandmother
looking at me closely --
the frown on her face

~ Anne Wairimu

sunny evening --
my grandmother talking
to herself

~ Solomon Kilelu

breezy evening --
my grandmother
trembles

~ Wandera David

my grandmother
brushing a toothless mouth--
ageing

~ Joseph Kilunda

my grandfather
holding onto my hand --
a slow walk

~ Onesmus

my grandfather
chewing soft vegetables --
his toothless mouth

~ John Mwangi

We also discussed several of the top prizewinners of the kukai, and appreciated the many different views of ageing that have been brought by writers from different countries. The poem that the haijin found most attractive, was :

face in the mirror
a map
of my life

~ Frances McCarthy

More on Ageing in Kenya

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Ginkoo

After a lunch of bread and milk, during which we relaxed in the pleasant atmosphere of the park and watched the children and the monkeys playing around us, we started into the ginkoo, the event that everyone had been looking forward to.

The idea was this :

We walk around and compose our haiku, writing the first two lines about what we have observed. The third line will, in each case, read :

"this makes me feel happy"
or
"this makes me feel sad"
or
"this makes me feel lonely".

We would then come back together and carry out an exercise on the first five prize-winning haiku, replacing the third line with an appropriate kigo.

The idea I wanted to teach, was that a good haiku expresses an emotion -- not by saying "it makes me feel happy / sad / lonely" etc, but by using an appropriate kigo.

But first, we set out to observe, to see and listen, and to compose haiku.


xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Patrick Wafula wrote about the ginkoo as follows :

Shortly after Isabelle san had issued guidelines and instructions for the Ginkoo, a grasshopper daringly walked across the flipchart on which she had written the guidelines:

a grasshopper
walking across the flipchart --
Arboretum ginkoo




During the ginkoo among the green trees -- it is the start of the long rains here -- I was saddened by one tree near the ginkoo site which was dry and leafless. I walked to the huge trunk and found that termites were busy eating up its roots and building their nest at the base :

termites
eating into its roots --
the dead bunchananii

And then there was the walk and writing haiku among the trees :

the golden blooms
of the cassia tree --
first rains

rejuvenating
leaves of the bocare --
first rains

moss growing
on the bark of the pinus --
first rains

monkey playground --
brown carpet of pine
needles

It was the loveliest ginkoo ever; in the heart of nature's abundance of trees and sounds of monkeys, birds, insects and children.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx


At the end of the Ginkoo, the haijin enjoyed a moment of interaction, telling each other about the participation of the Bamboochas in the Japanese Cultural Week, counting up to ten in Japanese, and having a song and dance session, while the jury selected the prize winners.


Song and dance, and Japanese!


Here they are :

1.
---
the Caledonian pine
deserted by its needles --
this makes me feel sad

~ Arnold Ambogo

2.
---
under a tree
two lovers seated --
makes me happy

~ Emily Wanga

3.
---
staring at the clouds
under a Polynesian tree --
I feel lonely

~ Catherine Maina

4.
---
kids in red
play and run around
looking happy

~ Beatrice Awuor

5.
---
down the hill
two monkeys scratching each other --
makes me happy

~ Anne Wairimu

6.
---
African wisteria
dry, leafless and bent --
it makes me feel sad

~ Margaret Nzilili

7.
---
cool breeze
coming from the shaking trees --
making me feel happy

~ Sebastian Kimeu

Photo © David Kimani Mwangi


8.
---
up and down
kids swing on a trunk --
happy mood

~ Loice Wangeci

9.
---
a troop of monkeys
climbing from tree to tree --
it makes me feel happy

~ Angeline Muthoki

10.
----
young grasshopper
stuck in the mud --
makes me sad

~ Joan Barasa



Haiku 11 to 20 (in no particular order)
-----------------------------------------------

happy afternoon
students watching flowering trees --
I feel happy

~ Abraham Mulwa

tree
with leafless branches --
making me feel sad

~ Khadija Rajab

cold breeze
under rathmannia tree --
I feel happy

~ Wandera David

under a tree
crawling of insects --
this makes me feel lonely

~ Gilbert Livuku

on a bunya bunya tree
black ants moving silently on a path --
makes me feel lonely

~ Hussein Haji

weeping banyan tree
reminds me of a weeping philosopher --
it makes me feel sad

~ Paul Alala

small monkeys
perching across the trees --
I feel happy

~ Onesmus Kyalo

araucariaceae tree
with ugly spread branches --
it makes me feel sad

~ Elphas Libusi

one legged grasshopper
strolling under the bignoniaceae tree --
it makes me feel sad

~ James Mbudi

cheeky monkeys
playing in a bunya pine --
make me feel excited

~ Duncan Omoto


Congratulations to all the prize winners!


Kokeshi doll, won by Emily Wanga


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Conclusion

Rain clouds threatened. The Arboretum sent word that they would be closing. Our bus driver was ready, and another matatu had been hired.

Very sadly and reluctantly, we packed up to leave and make our traffic-choked way home, without having concluded the lesson on feelings conveyed by kigo. This will be for another day.

Big thanks to the Patrons (particularly Patrick sensei and Madame Mercy), to Anthony Njoroge (the Master of Entertainment!), to David Kimani (without whom the computer graduates would not be able to communicate with each other), the other teachers and the adult haijin -- all of whom did so much to make it a great day! And the haijin themselves -- the star attractions! Already looking forward to the next kukai...

More photos of the event
© Isabelle Prondzynski and David Kimani Mwangi here :

ALBUM : Arboretum Kukai 29 March 2008


Text and photos
Isabelle Prondzynski (unless otherwise stated)



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Related words

***** More on Ageing in Kenya

***** The Haiku Clubs of Nairobi

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Back to the Worldkigo Index

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BUTTERFLY Haiku Club

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The BUTTERFLY Haiku Club


..........VERY FIRST ADULT HAIKU CLUB IN KENYA...........!





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flooded land...
landslides in
Kiambu District

children enter
the house with muddy shoes...
mother mops all day

at Budalang'i,
houses submerged...
homeless families

climate change...
floods ravage
Kenya

queues of customers
with muddy shoes...
busy shoeshines

haiku imparting
knowledge to club members...
bravo kenyasaijiki

~ Joseph Lumwamu



demonstrators
carrying placards...
use condoms

tearful eyes..
houses demolished
leaving many homeless

piled at chief's camp...
wailing refugees
beat their breasts
(Mathare and Molo tribal Clashes)

strangers pretending
to be scouts...
cattle raiders

~ Duncan



floods sweep away
people and houses...
Red Cross workers

mud on shoe...
disgusted, I wipe
it on the grass

houses and property
destroyed by bulldozers...
houseless tenants

helicopters
flying a kite...
Keep the Promise
(World Aids Day)

~ Jasper Ratemo


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Related words

BAHATI Haiku Club, Kenya

FALCON Haiku Club, Kenya

OAKS Haiku Club, Kenya

PEACOCK Haiku Club, Kenya

SPIDER Haiku Club, Kenya

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THE KENYA SAIJIKI
Please send your contributions to
Gabi Greve / Isabelle Prondzynski
worldkigo .....

Back to the Worldkigo Index