Mini Haiku Walk

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Kenya Saijiki Mini Ginko

11 February 2012


Report by
Patrick Wafula, Andrew Otinga and Caleb Mutua


Introduction
On Saturday 11 February 2012, the haiku clubs of two schools, Bahati Secondary School (the “Bambochas”) and St. Mathew Secondary School (the “Peacocks”) converged for a mini ginkoo at St. Mathew Secondary School’s Soweto campus.

The interaction was in the afternoon, after the student haijin had finished their Saturday tuition. The Patrons of the haiku clubs (Patrick sensei, Otinga san and Caleb san) were there to provide guidance and to allow the student haijin to interact freely and write haiku together.


Agenda
Ø Brief talks from club Patrons
Ø Brief talks from the clubs’ representatives
Ø Five senses of observation
Ø February Shiki Kukai competition
Ø Message from Kenya Saijiki Moderator


Introduction
Caleb san, assisted by Peacock club representatives, helped arrange the venue and led the introduction part as the students waited for Patrick sensei and Otinga san. When the two patrons arrived at the venue, Caleb san invited Patrick sensei, who was running late for another meeting, to officially start the first Mini Kukai of this year.

Patrick sensei expressed his satisfaction with the performance of the students in the Kenya Saijiki Forum. He also thanked the Moderator of the forum and Gabi sensei for their continued participation in the Saijiki. He then proceeded to share with the students the programme and activities the Patrons had outlined for this term. Among other things were two meetings each month between the two schools and continuous discussions on the progress of the students.


Five senses of observation
Patrick sensei explained how to use the five senses of observation when observing and writing haiku -- this was after Otinga san had asked him to help his students because he had observed that most Peacocks wrote most of their haiku based on their sense of sight.

Each haijin was asked to write down each of the five senses and descriptive words that go with each sense. The haijin were then asked to bring the list with them to the outdoor activity fieldwork scheduled later in afternoon. He elaborated this by writing two desk haiku on the sense of hearing and the sense of taste.

Mr. Otinga was next. As the host, he began by welcoming the audience to St. Mathew Secondary School and asking them to feel at home. He then thanked the students for beginning the year with fervour and zest. He said he was impressed with the improvements the students had made and thanked the Moderator for her comments on the haijin’s haiku. He stressed that these comments had helped the students a lot. He also thanked Patrick sensei for taking it upon himself to give detailed responses on questions about the five senses. He hoped the haijin would make a habit of using the other senses as well as the sense of sight.

He thanked sensei for his devotion and asked to be excused from teaching haiku because he believed he still had a lot to learn. However, he asked both Patrick sensei and Caleb san to allow him accompany them every time they alternatingly went for haiku discussions. He finished by inviting remarks from all club representatives from both schools.

Club representatives were brief with their congratulatory presentations thanking their patrons and club members for the support they have been receiving.

Caleb was the last to speak. His presentation was based on a message from the Moderator of Kenya Saijiki, Ms. Isabelle Prondzynski. He read to the audience some of the latest comments from the Moderator. He underscored to the students the need to keep the words that “belong” together in the same line (together).

He wrote on the blackboard some of the haiku which the moderator had suggested that their author of those haiku rewrite by putting words that “belong” together in the same line. The meeting was closed and students proceeded to Soweto Stage where there is a market for groceries and fruit.



Mangoes



Mini Ginkoo
Haijin converged at Soweto Stage Market a few minutes past 2pm. Caleb and Mr. Andrew Otinga reminded the haijin to take a keen interest in plums and mangos, being the current kigo.


Late lunch
After the ginkoo, the haijin went to a famous café called Babylon Kitchen where they brushed up their poems over a late lunch.

On behalf of the clubs, Mr. Otinga sincerely thanked Patrick sensei for offering to buy all the haijin present at the ginkoo some snacks. He termed him a cheerful giver.

After the lunch, he patrons closed the kukai and thanked all the haijin who had given their time to make the event a success.


Recommendations and Conclusions
1. Patrons and club representatives concluded that haijin had started the year well.

2. Club representatives from Bahati acknowledged that some of their haijin had not been serious haiku poets and promised a change for the better.

3. Both patrons and haijin concluded that smell of urine is a kigo for the hot dry season because even though the smell of urine is there all year round, during the hot dry season the stench is increased because of the heat.

4. Club patrons concluded that the next ginkoo will involve haijin from St. Mathew Secondary School (Kangundo Road branch).



Plums


Patrick sensei also submitted his own poems :

morning sunrays —
our hen pecks at itself
in the mirror

shouts of goal —
a trail of dust follows
the polythene ball



Compiled by Caleb Mutua
© Kenya Saijiki

© Photos : Isabelle Prondzynski

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Related words

***** The Haiku Clubs of Nairobi


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Valentine's Day Kenya

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St Valentine’s Day (Valentine’s Day, Valentine)

***** Location: Kenya
***** Season: Hot dry season
***** Category: Observance

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Explanation

Despite the little knowledge about its origin, the majority of Kenyans, especially the urban folks, believe Valentine to be the celebration of love. The colour red is the predominant mark for this day, and it is exhibited in flowers and clothes.

In Nairobi, St. Valentine's Day is highly commercialised. Flower, clothes, shoe and other accessory vendors and supermarkets, as well as hawkers, capitalise on this occasion and stock red coloured Valentine's items at strategic points to attract customer attention. Since red roses are expensive and in short supply, traders substitute them with plastic ones. Husbands and wives buy each other gifts and flowers and they dress in red; so do lovers. Couples go out to exclusive joints to spend a romantic moment together. Restaurants, hotels, pubs and resorts are decorated in red and special entertainments and menus are prepared to match their clients' needs.

The best climax about St Valentine's Day however is the renewal of love vows and re-affirming love and faithfulness to each other in our relationships.


A whirl of red synthetic roses with a bottle of grape drink

Text and photo © Patrick Wafula


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This year, 2012, I was amazed by the ingenuity of Nairobi business people with regard to St. Valentine’s Day. This time round they went a notch higher with the Valentine affair. To start with, a couple of days prior to St. Valentine’s Day, they put up flower tents on almost every major street in the city centre. The flower tents were complete with smartly dressed sales people; the red flowers, which are usually synthetic (plastic), were this time round mingled with real fresh red roses. Secondly, to make it even more fabulous, the flowers were wrapped along with other beautiful gifts such as red teddy bears, chocolate, ribbons, or small, cute traditional reed baskets. The prices varied depending on the package. A whirl of real red roses cost as much as Kshs. 1,200. A teddy bear could even cost Kshs 2,000.

The supermarkets too were more creative. They set up Valentine stands right in the entrances, all shrouded in red. They offered very attractive Valentine packages with alluring gifts. All packages
included at least a red flower and ribbons. But some packages contained not just flowers and beautiful wrappings, but red wine, hot chocolate and huge teddy bears with fantastic love messages, such as “I am Thinking of You, My Thoughts Are Inside,” scribbled across them. A gift wrap with a bottle of wine, sweets and a chocolate bar cost around Kshs. 1,300.


Valentine’s Day stand at Tuskey’s, Moi Avenue

Nairobi city centre last evening was engulfed in romantic shopping sprees with supermarkets remaining open up to 9.00pm to serve their ravenous Valentine clientele. Hawkers too, strategically positioned all around the city, were making a kill; they sold the flowers and gifts at a more reduced price than the supermarkets.

Kenyans may not be as romantic as Nigerians, but I can assure you, they are pretentiously romantic: during day time, they harbour severe faces and religious behaviours, but at night, as darkness descends over the land, they turn vivacious, lascivious and openly romantic.

Valentine —
a red ribbon fluttering
on a matatu mirror

Moi Avenue —
an abandoned
red plastic flower

Text, haiku and photo © Patrick Wafula

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Unusually for a saint, St Valentine’s Day is not usually celebrated in church. The reason is that he lived so long ago, that no one is quite sure whether the stories about his life are true, or whether they have grown over the centuries without there being a firm basis of truth. On the other hand, when St Valentine's Day falls on a Sunday, the churches usually take the opportunity to talk about love, loyalty and faithfulness to one's partner.

It is to find red roses in Nairobi on St Valentine’s Day. Kenya produces the greatest number of roses exported in the world, many of which are red, and almost all of which come from around Lake Naivasha. But as the export trade is so strong for red roses around St Valentine's Day, there are usually insufficient of them left for Kenya itself! Every night, there are several Jumbo Jets flying out of Nairobi, loaded with nothing but flowers (mostly roses, as it happens)...

loading the plane --
surrounded by the scent
of St Valentine's

With its huge variety of other offerings in red, Kenya has truly made St Valentine's Day its very own festival.


Preparing an arrangement of red roses at City Market, Nairobi

Text, haiku and photo © Isabelle Prondzynski

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Worldwide use


WKD : Valentine's Day 2012


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Things found on the way


Haibun

In Nairobi ’s Kayole / Soweto slums where I live and work, February is usually a dry dusty month full of dusty breezes. But the sunrises are gloriously splendid. You wake up guaranteed a golden orange sun and an azure-blue sky. But on 14 February 2009, I celebrated a unique Valentine like none other I had ever had. I dated a person living with HIV/AIDS.

Valentine’s day--
red roses displayed
on dusty roadsides

17: 05 hours: I did not know what could be the best gift for my date as I closed and locked my office. I started off to our rendezvous — her flat. It was a lovely evening with a cool breeze sweeping across Soweto slum, mildly stirring up a little dust here and there, and sometimes a whole litter of polythene bags floated in the dark blue evening sky. Most of the young cute-looking people I met on the streets were either fully or half dressed in something red or at least had something red tagged somewhere on their cloth.

students crowding
a lush red coloured stall —
Valentine’s cards

Romanticism was slowly enveloping Kayole and Soweto slums in the twilight; the boldness of the uniformed students in pairs bargaining for Valentine Cards and gifts that were variously and creatively designed to offer variety totally mesmerized me; this scenario pushed me a notch higher on the Valentine Richter Scale. I was pressed for time. Not only was I required to accomplish my date with Miss L. (not her real name -- names are not mentioned here for confidentiality reasons), but I was also required to take my wife out on a date to Nyama Villa and later throw a late night family party with for our three daughters Faith, Esther and Liz.

Valentine ballads —
nostalgia for memories past
burns me up

Let me tell you more about my work. I work in a community secondary school based in Nairobi ’s Kayole Soweto slum. The school has a mixed population of both boys and girls of about 600 students aged between 13 and 18. But sometimes we receive extraordinary and unusual students not only in age, but also in background and experience. Some are aged over twenty and some are just below twenty but their experiences are flabbergasting. The oldest student we have ever received was Master R who was aged twenty-six in 2005. Master R completed his KCSE examination in 2008 and is now a teacher.

In fact, our school is a very special centre that mends broken dreams, lives, brains, hopes and hearts. For the seven years I have worked here, though, the year 2009 was an exceptional year for me. For the first time, we had two students, Miss M and Miss D sitting their KCSE exams with distended blessings in their wombs. And for the first time, we also had two students living with HIV/AIDS in our midst. They were Miss B and W. Of course I do not imply that we have never had teenage pregnancies in our school before; far from it. In fact, we do have them every year, even though our statistics for the last five years—2005-2009—show a sharp decline. The fact is that in 2009 we did not treat these cases in the usual tradition of expelling and stigmatizing. Instead, we showed sensitivity, understanding and moral as well as psychological support. We advised them to sit their exams and sternly cautioned all the other students against any form of discrimination and stigmatization. The question that triggered this was:

“Why haven’t we, as a society, ever expelled or stigmatized the boys or men who usually impregnate these girls? Why should the girls carry the burden of pregnancy alone, while the boy or man with whom they shared the pleasure of pro-creating is allowed to go on with his life totally uninterrupted?”

she is too large
to fit in between the desk —
her distended tummy

Thank God for our Government for endorsing this new policy. The girls can now sit their exams even if they are pregnant!

she tells a female teacher
that she’s older than her —
student mother

Our school also broke the record among community schools in 2009 for allowing two student mothers to study and sit their KCSE exams. The most outstanding was Miss E, who had been forcibly married off at the age of 16, due to poverty in their family. She had with much difficulty given birth to two children by the time we caught up with her in her matrimony. With the help of the authorities, we managed to extricate her from the abusive marriage. She joined our centre in 2007 and successfully sat for her KCSE exams in 2009. She had dropped out in Form 2. She had come to the centre with a broken heart, body and brain, as well as spirit, but she left the centre a healed, pretty girl in specs. She was very close to my wife.

sharing SMSes
from her ex-husband—
student mother

Generally, our students are the most beautiful-looking in the whole slum. With their resplendent uniforms and proud looks and posture, they usually attract so many others to the school. But underneath these beautiful faces and uniforms, are resilient spirits who have fought all forms of social and economic evils: drug abuse, teenage pregnancy, HIV/AIDS, abject poverty, sex abuse and molestation, domestic violence and child labour. The year 2009 was also extraordinary because we had admitted the two students living with HIV/AIDS.

18:10 hours: At the market stall, I struggled undecidedly with Valentine’s cards and gifts to buy for my date. The cards and gifts, although all in red, differed in size, decorations and material and hence the variation in prices. In the background, ballads, vehicle honks and the usual market din and the hawkers’ monotonous sales slogans and stories blared on. I finally settled for a small but cute Valentine’s gift for Miss L. It was a nicely woven traditional basket made from wild date palm reeds. It had a huge fully bloomed red plastic rose at the centre with red ribbons fluttering all around the red rose and the basket. There was a simple love message scribbled on a rectangular paper glued to the side of the basket:

To Someone very SPECIAL,
On this Valentine :
I LOVE YOU!


Thinking of you : Valentine’s chocolates

18:30 Hours: It was getting dark and twilight was fading into night, but colourful lights kept shooting into life from all buildings around, thus brightening the night. Night clubs, pubs and all entertainment joints were Valentine red in lighting and decoration.

I arrived at Miss L’s flat and knocked on the door. It was a high-rise building with several other tenants in it. As I stood outside her door waiting for it to be opened, I noticed that it was smeared with several stickers, all carrying HIV/AIDS messages. But the most outstanding sticker was the one with the President holding hands in a tight circle with people of all ages, classes and religions. And the poignant message on it was:

“Tuungane
Tuangamize
UKIMWI!”

“Let us unite
to eradicate
HIV/AIDS!”

I read this message over and over again as I waited for the door to be opened. Soon there was a click and the door opened. And before me, a beautifully dressed lady in jeans trousers, open shoes and red T-shirt, stood before me in the light-flooded sitting room, smiling sweetly, but her eyes were sad and lonely. That was Miss L. She had done a lot for the community — rescuing girls and women who suffered from HIV/AIDS stigmatization and discrimination. Our school had formed a network with her organization for the same reason; she had been the first girl in this part of Nairobi to publicly declare her HIV status.

I held the gift out to her and watched as pleasant shock and surprise engulfed her; she pouted the surprise. I silenced her with a hearty embrace and two pecks on both cheeks. The light that sparkled in her dark lonely eyes as she whispered:

“Do you mean you love me this much?” made my Valentine.
“Yes,” I said, “You deserve much much more. You have made a difference in so many lives here.” We released each other. “But I’m afraid I won’t stay. I’m taking my wife out to Nyama Villa and we have a family party later to-night.”
“I’m so grateful you thought of me, Pat. You’ve made my Valentine.”
“Don’t mention it”, I said and kissed her Happy Valentine.

Valentine’s date
with a HIV/AIDS person--
the radiance in her eyes

a red night
of eating chicken and dancing jazz —
dating my wife

church flower garden --
two little girls exchanging
red hibiscus flowers

~ Haibun and photo © Patrick Wafula


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HAIKU

St Valentine’s Day --
today the computer
is my only love

St Valentine’s Day --
all the church finery
for a wedding

St Valentine’s Day --
the church warden mourns
his late wife

Valentine’s Day --
a lovers’ quarrel going
round and round my head


Valentine's Day --
who may be thinking of me
right now?

~ Isabelle Prondzynski




from Japan, with KitKat chocolate

Valentine's Day -
I send you a sweet
postcard

~ Gabi Greve

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Valentine's day --
a girl's red tongue licks
a red ice cream

~ Dennis Wright


red flowers --
the leftovers colour
the market

~ Peninah Wanjiru


Valentine's day --
she covers her neck
with a red scarf

~ Ezekiel Mbira


sudden odour --
I stare at the roses
in the market

~ Meg Ndinda

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A traditional reed basket full of Valentine’s Day gifts
Photo © Patrick Wafula


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Valentine --
a little girl undusts
her fallen flowers

red decorations
on the pear vendor’s wheelbarrow --
Valentine’ Day

youthless church
for the morning service --
Valentine’s Day

~ Hussein Haji


a couple kiss
across the bus station--
Valentine’s day

~ Kelvin Mukoselo


Soweto market --
loudspeakers advertise
Valentine products

Valentine’s morning --
vendors arrange flowers
in the wheelbarrow

Valentine’s day --
a flower hawker whistles
from door to door

~ Caleb Mutua


Valentine’s card --
some sweet melody plays
in the pub

a chocolate pack
in heart-printed wrappers --
Valentine’s gift

Valentine’s Day --
bouquets of red roses
displayed in the shops

~ Gladys Kathini


Valentine's Day --
people in red clothes on their way
carrying flowers

~ Samuel Ndung'u


in a red suit
a man carrying flowers --
language of love

~ Raymond Otieno


stout lady
clutching red roses
clad in red

twenty bob each!
shouts a jovial hawker --
red bouquets

~ Catherine Njeri Maina


people in red
laughing and cheering in the pub --
Valentine’s night

~Walter Otieno

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Teddy bears for a Valentine!
Photo © Patrick Wafula


waiters in red
serving red wine --
Valentine's Day

couples in red
cluster around flower stalls --
red twilight

a couple quarrelling
over Valentine SMSes --
sulky faces

form one students
asking the English teacher --
what is Valentine

Muthurwa --
hawkers of Valentine’s gifts
block the pathways

Luthuli Avenue --
broken roses scattered
at zebra crossings

Valentine’s Eve --
the shoe vendor's stall
gradually turns red

~ Patrick Wafula



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Related words

***** WKD : Valentine's Day 2012


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urine smell

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Smell of urine

***** Location: Kenya
***** Season: Hot dry season
***** Category: Humanity

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Explanation

The smell of urine can qualify as a hot dry season kigo since this season, between December and March, makes the smell more concentrated, hence the very pervasive pungent smell.

There is a notorious urine spot in Nairobi's otherwise impeccable city centre. It is along Moi Avenue in the flowerbeds, particularly behind the lone wild palm tree. There is a zebra crossing right there and a bus park for Route 34 before the flowerbeds. Now, sometimes when the buses are so closely parked, the urinating goes on even in broad daylight between or behind the buses. But most of the polluters are the nocturnal revellers who come of the nightclubs such as Florida 2000, Samba and several others along the street.

Patrick Wafula


Haile Selassie Avenue with its
bougainvillea hedge running down the centre
Photo © Isabelle Prondzynski

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Urine smell should only be used as a kigo under certain circumstances, that is when it emanates from places where we do not normally expect it, but which at times are used by dissenting pedestrians or nocturnal city revellers. Due to too much heat at this time of year, its components tend to dry, leaving a concentrated pungent smell to roam the air.
When the rains set in, they will wash the urine along with its torrents, hence we expect little of that bad smell.

Andrew Otinga

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In Nairobi city centre during the peak of the hot dry season, the smell of urine can hit the pedestrian in places where this does not normally happen. This is of course due to the constantly dry weather. All those hidden corners that have been used secretly by men to urinate in, have not been washed clean by the rain, and so, the smell develops and hits the nostrils.

And so, the "smell of urine" can be a kigo for the hot dry season.

It is important to note though that, as the great majority of Kenyans use pit latrines, it is almost impossible, at any time of year, to eliminate the smell of urine from those parts of the city and the country where pit latrines are in use, but not ventilated and kept entirely clean.

Even so, the smell of urine is stronger, more frequent, more present, in the hot dry season. The kigo focuses on just the smell -- especially if this smell is found in places that one would not normally expect to smell of urine...

Isabelle Prondzynski



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Worldwide use


The smell of urine seems to be a topic in other parts of the world.

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. Pissing (shooben 小便) .


市中は物のにほひや夏の月
ichinaka wa mono no nioi ya natsu no tsuki

Throughout the town
above the welter of smelly things
the summer moon
Bonchoo, Tr. Miner

how hot it is, how hot it is
says a voice at every house gate
Basho, Tr. Miner

Discussion by Larry Bole



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Things found on the way

Ventilated Improved Pit Latrines (VIP Latrines)
do not smell. They have a small pipe or funnel taking the odours from the pit, so that this smells perfectly clean provided it is kept clean by the owner.


Freshly built VIP Latrine
Photo © Isabelle Prondzynski


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HAIKU

city centre --
the smell of urine
meets my nose


Busy city centre, Nairobi

Haiku and photo © Isabelle Prondzynski


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blocked urinal --
he holds his nose
firmly

Sylvester Mutuku



MORE
- Kenya Haiku with Urinal -

- Kenya Haiku with Urine -


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Related words

***** . Pissing (shooben 小便) .


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Thorn tree

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Thorn tree, Naivasha Thorn, Fever Tree
Acacia xanthophloea (scientific),
mgunga (Swahili)

***** Location: Kenya and
Tanzania southwards to Swaziland

***** Season: Long rains, end of cold dry season (flower)
Short rains (fresh leaves)
Hot dry season (pods)

***** Category: Plant

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Explanation

The Naivasha Thorn (also commonly known as a thorn tree) is the most visible and most spectacular of Kenya’s many acacias, due to its bright yellow bark. The fact that it is common in Nairobi makes it a good kigo for Kenya haijin.

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There are 42 indigenous species of Acacia distributed throughout Kenya. Their identification as members of the Acacia family is readily made because of the presence of spines. Recognition of individual species is much more difficult, many of them requiring close examination of the flowers and leaves in a botanical laboratory.


A thorn tree branch
Photo © Isabelle Prondzynski

The Naivasha Thorn is a flat-topped tree with a yellow powdery bark. The whitish straight spines are about 4 cm long. Commonly found beside streams and lakes in the Rift Valley, especially at Lakes Naivasha and Nakuru.

Early travellers camping near these waters associated the tree with their going down with fever, hence the name Fever Tree. In fact, their illness was due to malaria transmitted by mosquitoes which breed on the edges of the lakes.

Acacia trees have a great variety of uses, besides being ornamental. Between them, they provide shade, food for goats, wood-fuel, river-bank stabilisation, fence posts, fix nitrogen as they drop their nutrient-rich leaves at the beginning of the rainy season, durable building material because of their resin content, hardwood suitable for carving, and tannin for the leather industry.

~ John Karmali, The Beautiful Plants of Kenya, 1993


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A tall, majestic tree, with wide, rounded, obliquely spreading crown, up to 25 m high (very old trees can reach up to 33 m if conditions are favourable). It grows at altitudes of 700 to 2,100 m. Commonly found along river banks, in seasonally flooded areas adjacent to rivers, on the margins of lakes and pans and low-lying areas where underground water is available. Often gregarious and at times forms close woodland.

Flowers creamish white or yellowish white with pinkish red corollas. Many species of birds favour this tree for nesting, especially weaver birds.

~ Najma Dharani
Field Guide to the Acacias of East Africa, 2006.


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Weaver bird weaving its nest
Photo © Isabelle Prondzynski


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Worldwide use

. Acacia Tree - KIGO .

Australia, Japan, Yemen

akashia アカシア

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acacia blossoms
whip welts on my legs
no longer visible

acacia tree
our old hut hidden
by the road

~ Ella Wagemakers, Holland


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a cloud of wild bees
all around the courtyard --
acacia blossoms

~ Vasile Moldovan, Romania



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Things found on the way

The Thorn Tree Café

An open-air pavement brasserie / bistro-style café with an excellent patisserie range. The historic cafe guards the Sarova Stanley Hotel's entrance and has the world-famous Messenger - an acacia xanthophloea, whose message-board has formed the centrepiece of the legendary Thorn Tree Café since 1959.

Although the café is now on its third acacia, the messages keep flowing from the café and the atmosphere of Africa's best known meeting place is still as warm and welcoming as it was in those early days.
http://www.sarovahotels.com/stanley/restaurants_bars.htm



A message from Ireland on the Thorn Tree Café message board
Photo © Isabelle Prondzynski


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HAIKU

on a thorn tree
one marabou stork...
gazing

Naivasha --
surrounded by Naivasha thorns
in bloom

hazy morning --
thorn tree flowers sprinkled
round the bus stop

thorn tree --
three hens rest in its shade
guarded by the cock

~ Isabelle Prondzynski


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January breeze --
an acacia leaf floating
in my tea

dusty wind --
a flowering acacia
whispers


Flowering thorn tree
Photo © Isabelle Prondzynski



acacia flowers fall
on the dusty bench --
hot wind

weaverbirds' nests
swinging on an acacia-
dusty wind

thorny acacia
stand guard over the grassland—
browsing Maasai cattle

acacia blooms
gently fall on my head --
evening breeze

~ Patrick Wafula


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sunrise --
the leaves of acacia
turn orange yellow

bubbling stream --
an acacia leaf floats
downstream

a weaver bird resting
on a swinging acacia branch --
morning drizzle

~ Stephen Macharia




flowering acacia --
its yellow flowers cover
our rusty roof

~ James Bundi

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The beautiful yellow bark of the Naivasha thorn
Photo © Isabelle Prondzynski



queueing for lunch -
an acacia leaf drops
on my clean plate

~ Isaac Ndirangu



wet soil --
acacia trees gradually
regaining leaves

~ Stanley Mutinda



dusty hot wind --
the acacia bends sharply
in a gust

~ Rodgers Nzomo



sunny evening —
the acacia tree still
surviving

~ Sammy Nzilili

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the bird swings
as it weaves its nest...
fleshy acacia

~ Anthony Njoroge



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Related words

***** . Weaver bird, weaverbird .

***** ***** . Marabou storks .

***** . Rift Valley .

***** . Umbrella tree / Schefflera actinophylla .
Umbrella tree (Acacia tortilis)


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Cocks outing

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Cocks outing - Report

COCKS’ HAIKU CLUB OUTING CITY PARK, NAIROBI
28 JANUARY 2012

The Cocks’ Haiku Club had its first outing and first official meeting at City Park, Nairobi, on 28 January 2012. The outing was the result of a recommendation made by the patron, Caleb Mutua, to the Kenya Saijiki Moderator. Instead of providing an internet fee, available funds should be used towards the group’s outing to a local park or other place the group might deem suitable for an outing.

For the first of such outings-cum-meetings, the group decided to visit City Park. Among other items, the group planned to assess their progress in the Kenya Saijiki forum, play games and pursue other activities that would bring them together and strengthen the mutual bond in the group, and to have a haiku walk later in the afternoon.

The Cocks met at the Tom Mboya Statue near the Kenya National Archives at 9:00 hrs in the morning. A photo session followed for about 20 minutes, while waiting for everyone to arrive.
The group then proceeded to City Park, which they reached at around 10:00 hrs. They looked for some shade, spread a lesso on the ground and settled down for their meeting.


The Cocks arriving at City Park

The following were the group members present :

1. Kelvin Mukoselo
2. Khadija Rajab
3. Catherine Njeri Maina
4. Barack Elung’ata
5. James Bundi
6. Caleb Mutua
7. Martin Kamau (new member)
Absent with apology
1. Winslause Yamame (up-country)
2. Hussein Hadji (working)
3. Beryl Achieng (working)

Introductions
The meeting started with introductions and icebreakers. Each group member told the others their name, when they had started writing haiku, when they had graduated from secondary school, what they are currently doing and what motivates them to write haiku.

Khadija Rajab hit with vitality and enthusiasm. She entertained the group with jokes and energizers she had learnt from her acting group, Mabingwa Production. She told the group that her current job, Cyber Café attendant, really kept her busy. She also confessed that she lacks motivation to write haiku. She said she was happy to be there and she hoped that after today, she would be able to actively participate in Kenya Saijiki and Cock’s activities. After she had finished, she invited Kelvin Mukoselo to introduce himself.

Kelvin Mukoselo was brief. He said that he is currently looking for a job and even though his contribution to Kenya Saijiki is inconsistent, he has always enjoyed reading what other haijin have written.

Barrack Elung’ata was next. First the group sought to know where the name Master Bee came from and after a comical explanation he said that he was currently staying in Kangemi, and that he is learning how to cut keys and repair padlocks. The group appreciated his efforts to remain active in Kenya Saijiki. He invited James Bundi to introduce himself.


Barrack Elung'ata introduces himself

James jokingly said that he was fresh from high school and waiting for his results. He is currently the caretaker in their apartment. The group formally welcomed him and appreciated his efforts to stay active in Kenya Saijiki.

Martin Kamau was next on stage. He is a former Bahati Secondary School student and was a member of the Bamboochas Haiku Club until 2007, when he finished school. He is currently training to be a security guard at a local college in Nairobi. The group welcomed him to the group. He then invited his niece, Catherine Njeri Maina to the stage.

Catherine thanked her uncle and the group in general for the day and said she was so happy that finally the Cocks had managed to meet. She apologised for her tired looks, saying that she had been working all night. The group appreciated her efforts to avail herself in the meeting and her consistent participation in the forum.

Finally, Caleb Mutua took to the stage to introduce himself and to welcome the group to their first meeting. He started by thanking all the group members who were able to make it today and also thanked those members who were absent with apologies. He shared with the Cocks a congratulatory message from the Kenya Saijiki Moderator, Isabelle Prondzynski, who had expressed her appreciation for the Club’s efforts in the forum and her good wishes for the day’s activities.

He also thanked the members for occasionally finding time to write haiku and to respond to what other haijin had written. He then asked the group members if they thought the group was “visible” in Kenya Saijiki. The members agreed that it was time for the Cocks to be recognized in the forum. He then led the group into a discussion on what could be done to revitalise the group and its members. He talked about how haiku had changed his life for the better and motivated the other haijin to always include in their CVs and interviews that they are poets and they are passionate about conserving the environment.

He told the group that haiku has brought them together and they could seize that opportunity to do many things as Cocks. He was happy that each member of the group was doing something and urged the group members to strengthen their friendship bonds with each other. He also shared with the Cocks his idea of founding a Haiku Society of Kenya and promised to keep them updated on progress. He closed the meeting by acknowledging the moral and financial support that Kenya Saijiki had continued to give the Cocks.

Environmental Conservation and Games
The next agenda item was games. The group divided into two halves and started to collect plastic bags in the park. The idea was to use littered plastic bags and sweet wraps to make two balls.

At the end of 30 minutes, the group had two balls. They played among other games, football, volleyball and a game commonly known as “kati.” Playing “kati” is like playing frisbee except that it is played by three people at a time and a ball is thrown instead of a concave plastic disk. Two players stand 20 or 30 meters apart trying to aim a small ball, which is normally the size of a tennis ball, to the player in the middle.

The player in the middle is supposed to catch the ball. If the ball hits him or her and falls down, they give the opportunity to another player. If the middle player manages to catch the ball then he or she earns points. This is regarded as a girls’ game and it was real fun seeing young men play it too.

Lunchbreak
At exactly 13.00 hrs and after their strenuous games, the Cocks were starving. They packed up and went to the big fruit and vegetable market at the entrance of City Park for lunch. Having found a stall selling hot food, most took rice served with beans, sukuma wiki, cabbages and potatoes, while a few decided to have ugali served with beans, sukuma wiki, cabbages and potatoes.


The Hawkers' Market with its mouth-watering offerings


Haiku walk
After lunch, the Cocks returned to the park and enjoyed some ice creams before the ginkoo (haiku walk) began.

Their Patron asked them to remain vigilant and to avoid secluded paths to the interior of the park because this area was notorious for thugs who terrorized people and disappeared in the trees.

Each person was to write at least two haiku and they were all to meet again at exactly 15.00 hrs.
The following are the haiku written during the walk :

lunch break --
a City Park hawker
selling ice cream



Ice cream for all before the ginkoo


lunch break --
a man feeds a monkey
off his shoulder

~ Catherine Njeri Maina


holding tight --
a monkey carries its young one
on the lawn

playing
under a thick tree shadow --
City Park forest

~ James Bundi


City Park Market --
a monkey runs away
with mango pellets

City Park --
a chattering monkey makes others
jump on trees

~ Barrack Elung’ata


January prayers --
they hold hands
in City Park bushes

fun day --
laugher and screams
in City Park bushes

~ Martin Kamau





missing the catch --
a monkey jumping from a tree
falls down

City Park monkeys
scratching one another—
bush life

~ Khadijah Rajab


January --
two monkeys swing
on a loose jacaranda branch

City Park --
a father feeds a monkey
atop his head

~ Caleb Mutua


under a tree….
monkeys scratching
each other’s back

silent park…
a man kneels down
to pray

~ Kelvin Mukoselo


Recommendations and conclusions

1. A few members suggested that the group might change its name to a more gender sensitive one.

2. All members recommended that the group start a Google Group that will allow them keep in touch through instant free SMS notifications and Google Docs that allows group discussions and comments when working on a document

3. The group will also allow members to post job opportunities for the benefit of the others.

4. Members recommended that the group hold many more meetings to motivate and encourage each other

5. The group pledged to do more voluntary work in hospitals and schools in the effort to spread haiku and give back something to society.

6. Members recommended they invite friends with a passion for poetry whom they have met in colleges or in their work places to the group.

7. The group concluded to be more active in Kenya Saijiki.

8. The group concluded to discuss the issue of changing the group’s name with the other members before deciding.


Report written and compiled by
Cocks’ Haiku Club Patron, Caleb Mutua,
University of Nairobi, School of Journalism and Media Studies.

© Cocks Haiku Club

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Related words

***** - The Haiku Clubs of Nairobi -


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New Year Resolutions

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New Year Resolutions

***** Location: Kenya
***** Season: Hot and dry season
***** Category: Humanity

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Explanation

New Year's resolution

The Shiki Kukai January 2012
source : shikikukai


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Worldwide use



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


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HAIKU


--------------------------------
5 Points
--------------------------------

church service --
the thief testifies
he is born again

~ Brian Mulando

----------------------------
4 Points
----------------------------

staff meeting --
exchanging new year's
resolutions

~ Caxton Okoth

------------------------
3 Points
------------------------

father dusts
his old torn Bible from the shelf --
new year's resolve

~ Stephen Macharia


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Other selected entries
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

new year's resolve --
he burns all cigarettes
to chew only mint

~ Isaac Ndirangu


no more lateness --
my misset alarm clock
rings at 3am

~ Patrick Wafula



renewing my faith --
memorizing the Catechism
again

~ Consolata Akoth


no more sugar --
I salivate at cookies
in the supermarket

~ Alex Wanambisi



new year's testimony --
one of the brethren declares
he is born again

~ Eric Mwange


he takes a puff
and throws the cigar --
last smoke

~ Cecilia Wambui


a final gaze
at the liquor store --
quitting drinker

~ Brian Etole


new resolution --
a student swears
to be punctual

~ Elijah Juma


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Related words

***** WKD : the New Year


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January

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January

***** Location: Kenya
***** Season: Hot and dry season
***** Category: Season

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Explanation

For the worldwide use of January as a kigo
please read here:
WKD - January (ichigatsu)

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"January" or "February" as kigo is the hot dry season
-- the heat, the dryness, the beginning of the year, the beginning of the academic
year, the payment of school fees, the period after Christmas, the lack of money of that time of year, and much more.

Isabelle Prondzynski


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Worldwide use


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


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HAIKU

January noon
muezzin's call to prayer
rises and floats

That was in the city centre today -- a most beautiful call, which seemed to evaporate into the noontime heat and spread all over the city.

half moon and sun
both in january sky
its minarets

All day, I had been attracted by the half-moon, etched into the blue sky, while the sun too was shining. And when our bus this evening passed the lovely wedding-cake style mosque, just outside the city centre of Nairobi, its pretty onion-domed minarets stretching up from the earth seemed to match the sun and moon beaming down from the sky.

Isabelle Prondzynski
(Nairobi, Kenya)


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January dust--
more handkerchief hawkers
at the traffic jams

January--
increased mango hawkers
on the roadside

MORE from January 2012
January by Patrick Wafula


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Related words

*****

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St Mathew Kukai Nov 2011

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Eleventh Kukai of the Haiku Clubs of Nairobi
St Mathew’s Secondary School, Soweto Branch
November 5, 2011

This was the eleventh Kukai of the Haiku Clubs of Nairobi. It took place at St Mathew’s, Soweto Branch, following the kind invitation of Mr Andrew Otinga, the Patron of the Peacocks Haiku Club. It was also the last kukai for several members of the Peacocks and the Bamboochas, who were in the final days of their KCSE examinations and were about to graduate from their respective schools.

. Photo Album .


Participants :

Peacocks
Abednego Muasya
Agnetta Shikalo
Akaliene Rose
Brian Etole
Brian Mulando
Bryan Anyonya
Carolyne Wanjiru
Caxton Okoth
Ceciliah Wambui
Derrick Ambale
Diana Dolla
Doris Muthini
Elijah Juma
Elijah Noah
Esther Mweme
Faith Owila
Florence Mlangi
Gertrude Wahu
Hamisi Ishmael Kambona
James Karume
Jescah Auma
John Kennedy
Joseph Musango
Joshua Kyalo
Julie Okach
Kevin Asava
Lencer Achieng
Margaret Ndinda
Metrine Okalo
Moses Nyawanga
Pauline Wayua
Richard Okoth
Silvia Mukelli
Sharon Akoth
Stanley Mutinda
Stanley K Joshua
Stephen Munyao
Synaidah Kalahi
Titus Mutungi
Valary Knight
Virginia Njeri

Bamboochas
Ancent Mutua
Annastacia Muthini
Antony Mwangi
Cecil Wambui
Collins Omuganda
Consolata Akoth
Donnahlily Atieno
Douglas Nugi
Emmanuel Muteti
Gloriah Kerubo
Iryne Lydiah Aluoch
Isaac Ndirangu
James Bundi
John Kamau
Johnson Gacugu
Lucy Mukuhi
Mecyline Akinyi
Melcine Ayako
Mercy Muthoni
Milkah Wanjiku
Rachael Njeri
Redempta Ndinda
Sam Pirias
Silvia Khabayi
Stephen Macharia
Sylviah Mbone
Susan Njeri
Teresia Njeri


Cocks
Caleb Mutua
Catherine Njeri Maina

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While the students were gathering for the kukai, Mr Patrick Wafula, the Co-ordinator of the Haiku Clubs, gave them a quiz to solve, promising a small prize to the 16 participants who had answered all five questions correctly.

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Caleb Mutua was in charge as Master of Ceremonies for the morning session. Participants were sorry to hear that Antony Njoroge was ill and sent him their good wishes.

The meeting started with lively choruses and a prayer.

The new members of the Haiku Clubs, particularly those in Form One, were welcomed.

The Chairpersons of the Haiku Clubs, Brian Etole and Synaidah Kalahi for the Peacocks and Isaac Ndirangu for the Bamboochas, then presented brief reports on the work which had been carried out in their respective clubs.


Synaidah Kalahi presenting the Peacocks’ report
Photo : Isabelle Prondzynski

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Update on computer teaching

Mr David Kimani reported that the following computer students (all Peacocks) had been regular and committed attendees at computer classes and would soon have finished their end-of-year examinations, qualifying them for a certificate :

Jack Silingi
Pauline Wayua
Synaidah Kalahi
Benta Kisia
Stanley K Joshua
Doris Muthini
Winfrida Maheri
Elijah Juma
Joshua Kyalo
Titus Mutungi
Otakwa Livingstone
Agnetta Shikalo
Abednego Muasya
Caxton Okoth
Monica Ndunge
Joseph Musango
Valary Knight
Margaret Ndinda
Grannis Ambuli
John Kennedy
Victor Odhiambo
Jescah Auma

He expressed his appreciation for their commitment and studiousness, and he looked forward to teaching the next group soon after the start of the new school year.

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Best haiku submitted to Kenya Saijiki since the previous kukai

As the Moderator of Kenya Saijiki, I (Isabelle Prondzynski) then presented prizes for the best haiku written by members of the forum during the past few months. I had been greatly impressed with the high standard of haiku written by the prizewinners, so that the choice of the top places had been a hard one. The prizewinners received some well-merited applause.

These are the prizewinning haiku :

1.
---
sunset --
a farmer scrapes mud
from his hoe

~ Victor Obutho

2.
---
Gertrude's hospital --
jacaranda flowers fall
one by one

~ J Kaweto

3.
---
light shower --
her hair shines with
raindrops

~ Brian Mulando

4.
---
sudden blackout --
the hawker lights
all his torches

~ Brian Etole

5.
---
marching scouts --
dust rises from their
stumbling feet

~ Yamame

6.
---
Mashujaa Day --
rain forces the choir
from the stage

~ Kelvin Mukoselo

7.
---
twilight --
sunrays sweep across
jacaranda flowers

~ Catherine Njeri Maina

8.
---
a dishevelled calf
shelters under a stall --
evening showers

~ Bonface Bonke

9.
---
rush hour --
a matatu spills dust
past the market

~ Elijah Juma

10.
----
goat choma point --
the sparkling light of
a burning jiko

~ James Bundi


Viewing the haiku prizes
Photo : Patrick Wafula



Numbers 11 to 18 (in no particular order)
---------------------------------------------------------

a body push
sends a lady to the floor --
avocado chaos

~ Mango Junior

a candle flame sways
side to side in the wind --
power failure

~ Stephen Macharia

muddy road --
a mkokoteni puller
in torn gumboots

~ Isaac Ndirangu

late evening --
a greengrocer lights
the first candle

~ Winfridah Malesi

moving cars --
a cloud of dust floats
in the air

~ Otakwa Livingstone

busy road --
a glimmer of light
from the matatu

~ Pauline Wayua

Soweto market --
she sprinkles water on
withered vegetables

~ Douglas Nugi

Mashujaa Day --
heavy rain interrupts
the programme

~ Douglas Kaucho

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Appreciating other people’s haiku

In a workshop, with nine groups of around nine people working together, the students discussed nine prizewinning international haiku, working out which of these they liked best, and why. Each group then presented the haiku they had chosen, explaining why they liked it best and whether it complied with the basic rules of haiku.

They realised that it was not easy to work out which was the kigo, as the seasons are different in other parts of the world, but they made a valiant effort to find the kigo in each example. They also made several thoughtful suggestions as to how the haiku could have been further improved.

The two haiku that garnered the most support in this workshop were :

paper lantern --
a moth’s shadow dances
on the wall

~ Jacek M.


after the storm --
the old dry well
full of stars

~ Manuela Dragomirescu


Haiku working groups
~ Photo : Isabelle Prondzynski

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Poetic haiga

Isaac Ndirangu then presented a poetic haiga he had written, about Mashujaa Day (20 October), a kigo for the short rains, when the heroes of Kenya are celebrated.


in the times of war
Kenyan warriors fought for all
some even tried to build some wall
for they knew the war was not for the fool
mashujaa fought for all

National Stadium --
a presidential speech to recognise
our freedom fighters

the land was disgusting
especially where they were hiding
the wise were forbidding
for our leaders who were upcoming
bur still mashujaa fought for all

commemorating independence --
rest in peace the gone heroes
of our Kenya

some were detained
but still freedom was obtained
and now we are enjoying what our warriors attained
mashujaa fought for all


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Ginkoo - Haiku Walk

After the lunch break, the haijin set out for their ginkoo, while the Patrons and the Moderator discussed haiku club business. Following the ginkoo, they became the jury, while the haijin entertained themselves and each other.

These were the haiku chosen as the prizewinners of the ginkoo :

1.
---
the thud of
a fresh mudball on the floor --
hopscotch

~ James Bundi

2.
---
muddy path --
her shoe remains
behind

~ Milkah Wanjiku

3.
---
hot afternoon --
he pours ginkoo water
on his head

~ Brian Etole

4.
---
hot noon --
she washes a baby
on the balcony

~ Brian Mulando

5.
---
cool breeze --
a tethered goat browses
on a green field

~ Asava Kevin

6.
---
sunny afternoon --
tadpoles paddling inside
stagnant water

~ Agnetta Shikalo

7.
---
water ripples --
sun's reflection on its surface
hits my eyes

8.
---
sweat drips --
he pushes a wheelbarrow
full of stones

~ Donnahlily Atieno

9.
---
afternoon nap --
haijin's footsteps wake
the goat up

10.
----
flower bed --
the gardener uproots
a moss plant

~ Gloriah Kerubo


Out for the ginkoo
~ Photo : David Kimani Mwangi

11.
----
roadside kiosk --
a vendor loading some
empty charcoal cans

~ Isaac Ndirangu

12.
----
noon --
a panting dog crosses
the stream

~ Stanley Mutinda

13.
----
rattling sound --
a toad hops over
the dustbin

~ Joshua Kyalo

14.
----
hot sunshine --
man in yellow cap relaxing
under a castor tree

~ Dominic Kuvonga

15.
----
midday --
bluegum leaves fall
beside a haijin

~ Diana Dolla

16.
----
sudden wind --
banana leaves sway
side by side

~ Mercy Muthoni

17.
----
scorching sun --
the reflection of light on
the water surface

~ Stephen Macharia

18.
----
water in a basin --
a rainbow cast on the
shiny mabati

~ Margaret Ndinda

19.
----
calm afternoon --
an eagle tries to balance
high up in the sky

~ John Kennedy

20.
----
trimmed fence --
a broken umbrella
suspended

~ Synaidah Kalahi

Prizes were distributed to the winners, and a great atmosphere continued to reign for some time after the close of the kukai, with haijin lingering, chatting to each other, and taking pictures in the evening sunlight. All agreed that this had been a splendid kukai, and expressed their congratulations to Mr Andrew Otinga, the organiser.


The ginkoo prizewinners
~ Photo : Isabelle Prondzynski

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Kukai haiku by the Patrons

Following the kukai, the Patrons also sent in their haiku of the day, remembering the pleasure it had given them. So here, as an afterword, are the Patrons’ haiku :

the Moderator helps
a ladybird cross the table --
11th kukai

withering flowers
in old plastic bottles --
the din of haijin

Kukai workshop --
two chicks peck bread crumbs
under chairs

~ Patrick Wafula


she moves
to inspect haiku groups --
eleventh kukai

open windows --
cool breeze drifts
into the hall

eleventh kukai --
flower vases on the
front table

~ Andrew Otinga


eleventh kukai --
the flower arrangement wilts
before my eyes

lunch break --
a hen and chicks peck
for our fallen crumbs

lunch break --
a kitten is resting
on a haijin’s lap

jury meeting --
haiku entries weighed down
by our fingers

~ Isabelle Prondzynski


The top table at the kukai,
with the flower vases we all enjoyed
Photo : Patrick Wafula



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

***** . The Haiku Clubs of Nairobi .


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Kajiado Mission

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quote
Kajiado is a town in the Rift Valley Province, Kenya.
The town is located south of Nairobi, along the Nairobi – Arusha highway. Kajiado has an urban population of 8128 (1999 census) . Local people are predominantly of the Maasai tribe.

Kajiado is headquarters to the Kajiado District.

The name "Kajiado" comes from the word "Orkejuado."
Which means "The Long River" in Maasai language. The seasonal river named after the town runs west of the town.

The original name for Kajiado was "Olopurupurana", which means "a round elevation."

source : wikipedia


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Report from Patrick Wafula


. Photo Album . 01 - 08 .






Kajiado sunset—
white goats stroll home
in a single file

a boy and a girl
looking after goats—
parched grass





ostriches stroll
in undulating hills —
thorny bushes



the driver asking
if we are still in Kenya—
winding road


hill after hill—
the matatu nearly stalls
on a steep slope


walking two km
to the borehole for water—
winding road

winding path—
a torn leso abandoned
on a thorny bush

walking 40 km
to catch the bus stop—
a girl faints

parched lips—
sharing a half bottle
of water

distant borehole—
they skip a bathe a day
to save water

a teenage wife—
manyatta to manyatta
evangelism





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Heavy rains and damage in Kajiado - December 2013
Heavy Rains Cause Havoc in Kajiado
- Reference -

Kajiado flashlights -
pedestrians push the wreckage
upstream

flooded Kajiado -
the sound of sirens
from a distance

Andrew Otinga


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. Rift Valley .


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Cold Water

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Cold Water

***** Location: Kenya
***** Season: Cold dry season
***** Category: Earth / Humanity

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

Most Kenyans use cold water to wash themselves, to take a shower, to wash their clothes and dishes. Very few households have hot running water. This may be because they have no running water at all, or because the water runs only rarely in the taps, or because they have no hot water system.

Most of those Nairobi households which are connected to the mains pipes, receive running water only once a week on a particular weekday.
They then store the water in large plastic tanks and bring it into household use in buckets, basins and jerricans.

Those who wish to use hot water for washing themselves or their clothes or dishes have to heat it in a kettle or a sufuria. This becomes expensive and laborious, and is something of a luxury.

Using cold water means that the water temperature changes with the air temperature of the season. Water is therefore particularly cold in the morning during the cold dry season.

Isabelle Prondzynski.




Water tank on a roof





Water trickling into a basin





Washing hands before a meal





Washing the dishes at the Nursery School

All photos © Isabelle Prondzynski


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Worldwide use



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Things found on the way


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HAIKU

cold water--
I straighten myself very fast
in the bathroom

cold water --
I take too long standing
in the bathroom

cold water--
I wash my head and feet
in the bathroom

Barrack Elungata

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Related words

***** . WKD : Water in various Kigo .

hiyamizu uri 冷水売（ひやみずうり） vendor of cold water
kigo for all summer


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