Kenyan seasons

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Discussing kigo and haiku topics from Kenya

by Isabelle Prondzynski, September 2007

In an equatorial country, such as Kenya, seasons work very differently from those in temperate zones, such as Japan and Europe.

In August 2007, the two most active Haiku Clubs of Kenya, the Bamboochas of Bahati Community Centre Secondary School and the Peacocks of St Mathew Secondary School, invited me to discuss with them the importance of kigo and haiku topics for Kenya haijin.

What follows here are the joint reflections of the clubs, their patrons and myself, which were later discussed with the Worldkigo Database Group in September 2007.


The Peacocks’ classroom

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What feeling attaches to the Kenyan seasons?

We started by reviewing the European / Japanese seasons, as Kenyans are not necessarily familiar with the activities and feelings attached to each of these.

What happens ...

... in the weather (thaw -- heat -- warmth -- cold),
... in nature (germination -- growth -- harvest -- rest),
... in activities (planting -- cultivating -- harvesting -- resting),
... in the parallel to human lives (childhood and youth -- maturity -- old age -- death).

The next thing was to apply this thinking and feeling to the Kenyan seasons. Kenyans are much less used to thinking of their year as being broken down into seasons, than people living in temperate zones are. For the sake of simplification, we dispensed with the hot / cold aspect and concentrated first of all on the more important rainy / dry season distinction -- there are two of each as the year goes on.

As we discussed, we found that the associated words which came to us, could be organised along certain categories, some of which are :

-- activities
-- food
-- beauty
-- home life / leisure
-- ilnesses
-- suffering / tragedy

Unlike Europe and Japan, where the year revolves in a cycle, with the whole of nature participating in a crescendo and diminuendo, followed by another crescendo, in Kenya, each season is more balanced, and each has its "good" and "bad" sides. Each season brings its own growth, its own food, its own suffering and despair.

The students, pondering what the rainy / dry seasons meant to them, answered "hope" (for the rainy seasons) and "hopelessness" (for the dry seasons).

Compared with human life, they responded that the rains corresponded to "childhood and youth", and the dry seasons to all the other ages -- "maturity, old age and death".

They then reflected whether this held for urban areas as well as rural. They agreed that the dry seasons were in many respects easier for an urban person than the rainy seasons -- but even urban people depend on the food grown in the rural areas, and if this does not grow in sufficient quantity or at the right time, prices rise and the urban population suffers hunger as much as the rural population does. So, the parallels shift only slightly in the urban setting as compared with the rural one.


The Bamboochas’ notes on the Rainy Seasons

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Kenya kigo and haiku topics

The next item on our agenda was to distinguish between kigo and haiku topics.

We ran through a list of words, including these ...

... dust (kigo)
... oranges (kigo)
... Hell's Gate (topic)
... Kenyatta Day (kigo)

which were, at least at first sight, easy.

But others, such as ...

... fly
... thorn tree
... weaver bird

were more complicated, as those of us who were keen observers, had noticed that different aspects of these subjects were noticeable at different times of year.

Thus, the fly, which is there all year round, becomes more of a nuisance in the dry season. The thorn tree, which is beautiful and has leaves all year round, flowers in the cool dry season. The weaver bird, which is observed all year round, rears its young at a specific time of year (to be observed).

... goatmeat

is a kigo for Christians at Christmas, being most Kenyans' preferred meat for the big festivals. But we also realised that this is popular for family celebrations (the homecoming of a much loved child studying or working far away, the meeting of two families whose children are about to get married, etc.). And we realised that Kenyan Muslims, who share the same preference for goatmeat as a special festive food, like to eat this for Idd Ul Fittr and other great Muslim festivals.

So, our first conclusion was :

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The better we observe, the more kigo we may be able to find for one and the same item.

Examples :

... weaver birds building nests, weaver birds rearing their young
... avocado trees flowering, avocado fruit ripe to eat
... cassia trees leafless, cassia blossom

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We then discussed the need to use a kigo if possible in every haiku.

This, we had realised, seems to be more difficult in Kenya than in temperate places like Europe and Japan.

The Kenyan seasons have several disadvantages -- from a haijin's point of view!

(a) they have long names
(b) their names are not in common use
(c) many kigo are identical for the two rainy seasons / the two dry seasons
(d) the weather is not all that different all year round
(e) there is no general and simultaneous crescendo and diminuendo of nature in Kenya

Just a few comments here :

(a) In a temperate haiku, it is easy to use "spring breeze", "summer sunset", "autumn loneliness" or "winter chill", for instance, to create an immediate feeling for the season and its atmosphere. It is not so easy for a haijin to say "breeze of the cool dry season" or "wind of the long rains".

(b) Even if it could be done, the feeling would not be as tangible as that of the temperate haiku. People are not as used to thinking in terms of the current season in order to express themselves.

(c) This is probably self evident. Examples are : mud, dust, puddle, downpour, flying termites, bullfrogs, etc. Each of these kigo occur in two seasons each year.

(d) We have brilliant sunshine during the rainy seasons, haijin may want to include this is a haiku (rainfall is mostly in the afternoon and evening). The quality of the sunshine during the rains does not differ significantly from that during the dry seasons. Equally, we have showers during the dry seasons, and sometimes even heavy rain. Less frequently, of course, but normal all the same.

(e) In the short term, one could say that each rainy season plus the following dry season is a unit, so that there are two of these units per year. There is planting and growth, followed by harvest and preparation in each of these units.

In the longer term, there are fruit (particularly those which grow on trees) which mature only once per year -- but taking all such fruit together, they mature throughout the year at different times.

Taking the whole country (which straddles the Equator) as a unit, we find that there is always a part of the country in which the same plant has a different cycle. Thus, Nairobi is never short of fresh avocadoes, mangoes, pawpaws and many other fruit, all year round, because when one part of the country has finished its harvest, another part of the country will bring in a new one.

In August, when the cassia trees of Nairobi are leafless and resting with their ripe seeds (produced by the flowers of January to April), the cassia trees of Kisumu are flowering beautifully.


And so, we arrived at a second conclusion :

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In Kenya, we may not be able to advise haijin that every haiku should have a kigo.
Kenyan kigo are a lot more difficult than temperate kigo.
We may need to allow the use of haiku topics instead of kigo.

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Working group of Bamboochas

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What are suitable haiku topics for Kenya?

As seen here, Kenyan seasons differ from each other to a lesser extent than temperate seasons do. Yet, we know that seasons help to structure human lives, as humans live within the rhythms of nature.

So, what, together with the seasons, structures human lives in an equatorial country like Kenya? Could these be the best haiku topics to cultivate for the haijin?

The most important are the events of the human life cycle :

... births
... circumcisions and other rites of passage to adulthood
... engagements
... dowry ceremonies
... weddings
... visits of relatives
... visits of in-laws
... war and peace
... deaths
... funerals
... memorials

Many of these are associated with detailed ceremonial, often taking place in several stages.

In Kenya Saijiki, we have already collected some material on circumcision, on mourning, on peace. These could be the start of a Kenya specific collection of haiku topics.

We have also started on haiku topics associated with geography, the beauty of the different parts of the country.

The wild animals of Kenya, so numerous and beautiful, can give rise to many kigo, once we have observed them sufficiently. Most of them do not live in urban areas -- so this observation will take some time. But the animals will also be topics. A zebra is a being of beauty all year round -- no haijin will ever regard a Kenya zebra or another wild animal as something ordinary, and it will always be a pleasure to write about them.


Concentrated Peacocks

Text and photos © Isabelle Prondzynski, 2007


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Related words

***** The Haiku Clubs of Nairobi


***** Bukusu Initiation / Circumcision
***** Mourning
***** Peace (Swahili : Amani)


***** Kenya Saijiki
More kigo and topics


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Caleb - Graduation Day

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Graduation Day Haibun

By Caleb Mutua

On 6 December 2013, I was (as the saying goes) given the power to read. I miraculously graduated from the most prestigious public university in Kenya, the University of Nairobi (UoN), with Second Class Honours (Upper Division). Interestingly, it was the 50th graduation ceremony of the university, my country was preparing to turn 50 years in a week’s time and I had just turned 25 two weeks earlier.



This day will remain fresh in my mind for years to come. Every graduand was given only two invitation cards and so I had brought my mother, my twin brother and my small nieces to be with me.

Mom and the kids had never been to the university and my brother James had been there once while I was in second year. I wanted everything to be perfect. I had hired a taxi to pick us up from home and take us to the campus. The taxi would also take us to a Pizza Inn in Nairobi’s Central Business District and later take us back home. My friend, a professional photographer, would take our photos with her new D90 Nikon Camera. Everything looked perfect!

On the morning of the graduation, I woke up very early. The taxi came on time but Mom took longer than planned to prepare the kids. After waiting impatiently for 20 minutes, we left home at 6:45 am. The taxi driver knew his way around town. He ingeniously avoided the morning traffic and we arrived well on time at 8:12 am.

graduation day —
my niece can’t find
her hair flower

Jogoo Road —
a graduand smiles at me
in the traffic

muddy graduation square —
her stilettoes leave a trail
of deep holes

The graduation ceremony kicked off at 8:30 am. I listened to the long speeches absent-mindedly, still not believing that we had finally made it. That I had made it. To most of the graduands, they saw it coming. They had gone to good schools and were sure they would end up at UoN.

But to some of us, we had not. I had not. I had never thought I would graduate from UoN, or any other university for that matter. As my friends complained about the mud and the hot sun, I sat there in disbelief, wearing a stupid smile. I couldn’t believe my name was about to be called.

Don’t misunderstand me. I’ve always thought of myself as an above average person. In fact, my family and friends have on many occasions said I am bright and clever! But I still didn't believe I was about to graduate with a degree in Journalism and Media Studies.

Come to think of it, I never went to good schools. By the time I was sitting for my Kenya Certificate for Primary Education (KCPE), I could count a total of 18 schools I had attended. Only two of them were State schools. The rest were private schools in Nairobi’s various slums whose classes were partitioned with cartons. Grammar teachers spoke broken English. I remembered with nostalgia how I rolled with the punches; the many times I was made to wear a stinking bone after being caught speaking Swahili; how I hardly learnd anything in the afternoon classes because most of the times I was too hungry to think.

In November 2003, I finally sat for my KCPE exams. I passed with flying colours. I had qualified to go to a Provincial school for my secondary education, but my family could not afford to pay my fee. My secondary school was no different from my primary school, except that the classrooms were made with concrete walls and we did not have to carry clean water from home for the teachers to cook with.

One day in mid-2005, we had visitors in our school. They told us about some old Japanese guy called Master Basho and how he lived a simple life writing some poems called haiku. They also showed us how to write haiku and promised us free computer lessons. I also remember them mentioning something like the best haiku writers would some day go to Japan.

In the beginning, writing haiku was an uphill task. I remember flipping through the Oxford English dictionary just to find the right words to use in my poem. I hated it when my poem never got any comment, even with all the vocabulary, but I was loving the challenge. I always loved languages and my compositions were some of the best in the whole school.

Haiku remained a closed book to most of us for a while but we all had a fair crack of the whip. I became the first chairman of the St. Mathew Haiku Club. We called ourselves Peacocks. At first, we wrote haiku as a routine thing; we were worried that if we stopped writing, the “haiku sponsors” would terminate our computer classes.

Slowly, we started loving the exercise. I was moved by the power of the simple poem and how I could tell a story with 17 syllables. Comments on my work and the many words of encouragement from the Kenya Saijiki members were very helpful. I also came across the Haiku Handbook by W.F Owen, which I read from cover to cover several times. I was into haiku writing hook, line, and sinker.



Then I found a friend who would later change my life forever.
I like to think of her as my guardian angel. In many ways, she reminds me of Canon Patrick Augustine Sheehan, a beloved Irish priest who led a simple life, wrote about the sea and the beating surf and wanted to see everyone happy. He wished he could tell everyone, “Here, Rest and Forget!”

I always admired journalists and even though I would on many occasions use ‘she’ instead of ‘he’, even after my Kenya Certificate for Secondary Education (KCSE), my friend believed in me. In many ways she told me: “Here, Rest and Forget . . .”



A shabby loudspeaker erected on my left announced: “School of Journalism and Mass Communication. The following graduands satisfied the Board of Examination . . .” I could almost hear my heart beat now. It was my moment of truth.

When my name was called, I almost said "Present!". It was a defining moment of my life. I was a graduate. I think I heard my mother scream with joy as my nieces cheered in excitement even though they were seated over 30 metres away.

long speeches —
graduands compare
their caps

graduation day --
a parent wipes his muddy shoes
with the programme

graduation day —
a Maasai family stands out
from the crowd

a graduand helps
her grandma up the stairs —
mobile toilets

In the end, over 9,000 graduands were conferred with various degrees, diplomas and certificates.

After the ceremony, I was reunited with my family. Mom had bought me a graduation card and some shiny decorations that she joyously placed on my neck. I didn't like them. My nieces held my hands firmly as we walked towards the main campus buildings on the other side of Uhuru Highway. My brother wore my graduation cap.

Graduands and their families took photos in and outside various campus buildings. Business was booming for sweet peddlers, hawkers selling graduation cards, picture frames, decorations and foodstuffs. I had never seen so many photographers all trying to outdo each other with ‘instant photo’ tags . . .

campus fountain —
graduands and their families
pose in turns

graduation day —
two photographers show us
their portraits

We took professional pictures in a photography studio in Muindi Mbingu Street and proceeded to Galito’s for a pizza.



At around 3:30 pm, I called our driver to take us to Roasters, a bar and restaurant along Thika Road. I wanted my brother and me to grab a beer, Mom to have wine and the kids to have sodas as they played on the bouncing castles and swings on the restaurant’s compound.
There, we found more graduands -- these ones from Mount Kenya University in Thika -- and their families enjoying themselves. I had no idea the Thika university had a graduation ceremony that same day. We managed to secure a table big enough for us and the driver. The goat meat, however, took longer than the waiter had promised.

Mom and the kids had the best time. I even had my nieces’ faces painted Spider Man and smiley faces. We forgot about the problems we had left at home that morning and had fun.

my mother hugs me
as we wait for the goat meat —
graduation day

my twin brother cuts
smaller pieces for my niece —
goat meat

We left for home at around 6pm.
IT WAS THE BEST DAY OF MY LIFE.

Caleb Mutua



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Glossary

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Glossary of Kenyan Terms and Topics


bob -- shillings, money

githeri -- a staple food made from maize and beans

jiko -- a brazier used for cooking or heating and fuelled with charcoal, firewood or kerosene

lesso -- same as kanga
-- a rectangular cotton cloth with colourful prints and Swahili proverbs, worn as a skirt, as a turban,


Kayole -- an Eastern suburb of Nairobi

kiondo -- a sisal basket woven by women -- plural : vyondo

mabati -- corrugated iron sheets for building houses or roofing them

mandazi, mandazis -- a kind of doughnut

matatu -- a public transport minibus


mkokoteni, a hand cart pl. mikokoteni

muthokoi -- the delicious Kamba staple food

mzungu -- a white person

Nairobi -- the capital of Kenya

ndizi -- banana

ndubia -- tea with milk but no sugar


posho mill, poshomill -- for wheat and maize


shamba -- vegetable garden

Soweto -- a slum area within Kayole

Sufuria -- cooking pot or sauce

sukuma wiki, sukumawiki -- "stretching out the week"
leafy cabbage-like vegetable


tilapia -- a fish from lake Victoria
turungi -- "tru tea" : tea with neither milk nor sugar

ugali -- a staple food, solid porridge made from maize flour

uji -- a liquid porridge made from maize or millet flour


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Reference

***** KIGO : Season Words of Kenya

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Kukai May 2013

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Kukai May 2013

14th Kukai of Kenya Saijiki -- Kenya National Archives on 18 May 2013


quote
Kenya National Archives and Documentation Services (KNADS)
is situated at the edge of the central business district in downtown Nairobi along Moi Avenue next to Ambassadeur Hotel.
The archives look out on the landmark Hilton Hotel, while on the rear side is Tom Mboya street. It was established in 1965. It holds 40,000 volumes. It was established by an Act of the Parliament of Kenya in 1965 and was placed under the office of the Vice President and the Minister of Home Affairs. It is currently under the office of the Vice-President and Ministry of State for National Heritage and Culture.
The Kenya National Archives building also houses the Murumbi Gallery which contains African artifacts that were collected in the 19th century.
©　More in the WIKIPEDIA !


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1.
---
a student
touches the mask again --
National Archives

~ Susan Wanjiku (Bamboocha, 3)

2.
---
more dust falls
from the window pane --
National Archives

~ Jescah Auma (Peacock, 4A)

3.
---
Kenya Archives --
bulbs on the ceiling
multiply my shadow

~ Otakwa Livingstones (Peacock, 4B)

4.
---
midday sun --
a chokora picks lice from
his shaggy hair

~ Diana Dola (Peacock, 3A)

5.
---
scorching sun --
the boda boda men rest
under a tree

~ Dorothy Syombua (Peacock, 1A)

6.
---
National Archives --
historical pictures posted
on the walls

~ Winfridah Malesi (Peacock, 4A)

7.
---
Kenya Archives --
Murumbi's artefacts
surprise the haijin

~ Emmanuel Mutati (Bamboocha, 4)

8.
---
roadside music --
the haijin enjoy the beats
through the window

~ Akaliche Rose (Peacock, 3A)

9.
---
statue --
the mother breastfeeds
her baby

~ Margaret Ndinda (Peacock, 4A)

10.
----
a black pigeon
lands on the dusty mabati roof --
ginkoo walk

~ Teresia Wanjiku (Peacock, 2A)

11.
----
matatu touts
compete for passengers --
Nairobi city

~ Ahomo Felix (Peacock, 2A)

12.
----
in his akala shoes
the European man spits --
Kenya Archives

~ John Maina (Peacock, 4A)

13.
----
crowded haijin --
mixed laughter rings
twice in my ears

~ Maurine Nafula (Peacock)

14.
----
slippery floor --
she misses a step
touching an artefact

~ Beatrice Syombua (Peacock, 3B)

15.
----
heavy traffic --
a boda boda strives
to cross

~ Mercy Amunze (Peacock)

16.
----
Kenyan Archives --
students bend on an
old bench

~ Derric Ambale (Peacock, 3B)

17.
----
ginkoo walk --
two black pigeons play on the
dusty mabati roof

~ Jecintah Wafula (Peacock, 2A)

18.
----
scorching sun --
small boy dancing while
spectators watch

~ Susan Njeri (Bamboocha, 3)


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at KNA window --
the Tom Mboya statue
waves at me

Patrick Wafula




National Archives-
I admire a golden
wrist watch

a sweet scent
from yellow banana peels-
Muthurwa stalls

Andrew Otinga


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- Saijiki Forum -


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Related words

. The Haiku Clubs of Nairobi .


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Nairobi Digest News

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Nairobi Digest News

source : Caleb Mutua - October 28, 2012

Africa’s best haiku writers meet in Nairobi



The best group of haiku writers in the whole of Africa met in Nairobi yesterday to exchange ideas and participate in a haiku walk competition.
The Kenya Saijiki is part of a World Kigo Database (WKD) that brings together haiku writers from various parts of the world through the internet.

According to WKD owner Dr Gabi Greve of Daruma Museum, Japan, the database of seasonal words (worldwide saijiki) gives poets an opportunity to deepen their understanding of season words in haiku and to appreciate the climate, life and culture of many different parts of the world.

Haiku, a very short form of Japanese poetry, first started in Japan centuries ago and later spread to Europe and further afield.

African countries including South Africa, Burkina Faso and Kenya have in the recent past starting to appreciate this unique genre of poetry, with Kenya Saijiki members leading the way.

“This is an educational site for reference purposes of haiku poets worldwide,” says Dr Greve, who also advises Kenya Saijiki on haiku issues.
Since its inception in 2005, Kenya Saijiki members joined the wider haiku community in the WKD and have been collecting season words, known as kigo in Japanese, for Kenya and writing haiku poems.

The poems are then shared among all members and with the whole world through the internet for comments and discussion on the Kenya Saijiki web pages, starting at http://kenyasaijiki.blogspot.com/ with a long index.
“This was the 13th kukai (meeting) of Kenya Saijiki. The atmosphere was excellent, and all involved participated with full energy and in great spirits,” says the group’s Moderator Isabelle Prondzynski.

Kenya Saijiki is based in Nairobi and currently comprises three haiku clubs; the Peacocks and the Bambochas (based in secondary schools) and the Cocks, a group of poets who have graduated from high school but still write haiku.
The poets include both adults and secondary school students from Kayole Estate and Soweto Slum, Nairobi, with several other poets living in various parts of the country outside Nairobi.

Among other things, the group teaches the students how to write better poems, improve their communication skills and how to use computer and the internet.
The co-ordinator of Kenya Saijiki and the Bambochas’ Patron, Mr Patrick Wafula, recently won a prize after his poem was entered in the Annual Poets’ Choice Competition of the Shiki Kukai.

full moon—
cumulus clouds slowly
form a wolf

The haiku came into my mind while playing with my puppies in my home in Soweto. I have a habit of enjoying moonlit nights and the serenity that comes with it,” Mr Wafula told Kenya Saijiki during its 13th kukai.
During the kukai, the school-going poets enjoyed a one-hour haiku walk observing and writing haiku.

A panel of judges from Kenya Saijiki went through the haiku that were submitted and selected the following top 11 prizewinning haiku.

hot afternoon–
he washes his face
with sewage water
-Rodgers Adega

immense heat
in my white plastic shoes–
i walk on toes
-Brian Etole

scattered feathers
of a slaughtered chicken–
ginkoo walk
-Geoffrey Maina

dry grass–
a black goat struggles
to graze
-Getrude Wahu

scorching sun–
he splashes some water
down his chest
-Dennis Wright

ginkoo time–
she writes haiku
on his back
-Molline Wangui

hot afternoon–
he washes his head
with cold water
Walter Machembe

riverside–
the rustling Napier grass
bends in one direction
Stanely Joshua Kaweto

scorching sun–
two little boys fight over
a bottle of water
Julieth Oketch

garbage site–
I scare a swarm of flies
from a pawpaw peel
-Margaret Ndinda

scorching sun–
a hawk flying around
the smelly dumpsite
-Stephen Macharia


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- Related -

***** The Haiku Clubs of Nairobi


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Slum fire, fires

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Slum fires
(Swahili : moto (singular) mioto (plural))

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

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Explanation

The urban slums of Kenya are highly prone to fires.
This is due to a cumulation of causes.

Each homestead has as its main focus the jiko, the fireplace or brazier, where food is cooked and heat is generated in the cold season. The jiko can be the traditional three stones, with firewood or maize cobs used as fuel. In the urban areas, it will more commonly be a brazier using charcoal, or a small metal cooker using kerosene oil.

Light is produced by hurricane lamps burning kerosene. Most homes keep a small supply of kerosene for their lamps and jiko.



Houses are small, and many combustible materials are kept within close range of any of these open fires. People, possibly with trailing clothes, move around the vicinity, and sometimes children play too near the fireplaces. During the cold season, nights are chilly, and there can be a tendency to leave fires to burn themselves out slowly while people are already falling asleep.

Ironing is done with charcoal irons, using live coals.

Many Kenyans are smokers, and careless handling of cigarettes can also cause fires.

Some small businesses use open fires -- maize roasters, fish fryers and mandazi bakers. These fires are normally well supervised and in any case extinguished as night falls.

Slum homes may also be threatened by external circumstances. These are fires starting in their neighbours' homes, fires due to sparking electricity cables, and (in one terrible incident in September 2011) a fire at the Kenya Pipeline in the Sinai section of Lunga Lunga slum. The huge oil pipeline, which ran through the slum, sprung a leak, and the slum dwellers tried to catch the spilling oil. It caught fire and exploded, killing and burning many. Some people jumped into the burning Ngong River to quench the flames, and many drowned there.

Text and photo © Isabelle Prondzynski


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Some terrible pictures here of the Sinai fire (explosion at the Kenya Pipeline)
source : www.flickr.com

And a video of the scene :
source : http://www.youtube.com

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Written in August 2012

About a month ago, fire broke out in one of the houses in the Tujisaidie community in Soweto (in the Kayole suburb of Nairobi), and everything that the family owned was destroyed. Fortunately, no one was injured and the fire did not spread to neighbouring plots.



The community's youth group, Tumaini, was at that time welcoming a group of British visitors. Abandoning their guests to respond to the call for help, the youth ran to the site of the fire and, together with the neighbours, worked hard to put it out. This involved carrying water over quite a distance, as the pipes were dry at this time. The visitors helped as best they could, carrying jerricans of water in a long chain from the Nursery School water tank, until the flames had been quenched.

For the next day, they had planned a programme of calls to several projects in the community. But the visitors discussed the matter overnight and decided that helping to rebuild the burnt house was much more important. And so, they each contributed whatever funds they could, so that building materials could be bought, and the rest of the day was spent putting up a new corrugated iron house.

The rest of the community also got together. Everyone who could, donated some clothes, some pots and pans, a blanket and other essential items, to give the affected family a new start. Slum families support each other... and each of them had probably been helped by others already, at some other time...

Isabelle Prondzynski


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Worldwide use



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Things found on the way


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HAIKU

as his fire crackles
there is laughter and chat --
maize roaster

last rays
of the red sunset --
maize roaster’s fire

evening cool --
the fish fryer’s fire
glows from afar

Isabelle Prondzynski


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updates of fire
in Soweto on Facebook --
tears on my face

the fire --
Soweto goes dark
once again

still standing --
burnt electricity poles
telling the story

black smoke
engulfs the Soweto sunset --
a rush of helpers

water water
everyone calls --
flames and smoke

Antony Njoroge



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Fire in Soweto, August 2012

fire outbreak --
a woman cries pleading
for quick help

rescue group --
the watching crowd
moves away

fire outbreak --
black smoke makes its way
to the atmosphere

~ Brian Mulando




singing a song
from a blackened Golden Bells --
smouldering remains

dancing smoke
from a burnt mattress --
village fire

~ James Bundi




On Saturday at dusk, after the fire tragedy that also destroyed a transformer and left a section of Soweto in darkness for three days, while we stood by watching the Kenya Power and Lighting Company staff fixing the transformer:

shooting star--
we mistake its bright streak
for power return

Patrick Wafula, August 22, 2012



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thick smoke --
my eyes are drenched
with tears

she wails
on seeing burnt bodies --
Sinai inferno

oil floats on
sparkling sewage --
Ngong River

an injured boy
is lifted onto a stretcher --
rescue mission

Sinai heat --
flames bubbling in
the smokey sky

Sinai tragedy --
oil fumes linger
in the air

a pastor leads
the bereaved in prayer --
Sinai fire

Tom Mboya Hall --
a pile of burnt mabati
at the entrance

bereaved parade --
a photographer identifies
an impostor

~ Andrew Otinga
(on the Sinai Pipeline tragedy mentioned above)


xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx



fire tragedy --
a crying child asking
for her mother

Sinai fire --
displaced children
crying for food

Authors unknown


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August cold --
a maize roaster pokes
his smouldering fire

Caleb Mutua

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on a jam
dusty matatus on a stand still -
Nakumatt blaze

Nakumatt blaze was a great supermarket fire in 2009.

Siboko Yamame

. Matatu minibus .


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Related words

***** Jiko (brazier) and makaa (charcoal)


***** WKD : Fire (kaji)
kigo for all winter in Japan


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Mitumba, mtumba second hand goods

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Mitumba (singular : mtumba) -- second-hand goods

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

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Explanation

As in many other African countries, second-hand goods are very popular in Kenya. They enable the wananchi (citizens) to wear high-quality and fashionable clothes and shoes at an affordable price, to drive decent cars and to obtain hifi or computers.

Most of the time, when we talk about mitumba, we mean clothes or shoes. These are sold in huge markets, such as Gikomba, where smaller traders can buy them wholesale in bulk as they arrive, split the contents of the sacks and sell them either in Gikomba itself, in the city centre or in the various residential areas around the city. Huge loads are also carried up-country to the rural areas for sale there.


A load of shoes being taken from Gikomba to up-country markets

Almost every Kenyan, whether rich or poor, owns several items of mitumba. Many of the clothes sold as mitumba are almost brand new and in excellent condition. Some could be remnants from large chains in Europe or the USA sold in bulk to wholesalers for resale in African countries. Many are clothes donated to charitable organisations in the West. These sort the clothes according to their general condition. The poorer quality clothes are given free of charge to refugee camps and as emergency aid. The better quality clothes are sorted according to type (men's / women's, skirts / blouses / socks / trousers / T-shirts / underwear, etc.) and packed into sacks further graded according to the quality of the goods. These sacks are then shipped and sold in Kenya (e.g. in Gikomba) without opening them, according to the goods inside and their quality grade. Most buyers are too small to be able to afford an entire sack, so a group of traders would get together to share the cost and split the contents.

There is a whole debate as to whether charitable organisations should be selling mitumba into African countries at all. These imports could destroy the national market for clothing, it is said. And it is true that during my years in Kenya, as imports of mitumba have increased, many of the smaller dressmaking and tailoring businesses have had to close. Others now specialise in alterations of mitumba clothes so that they fit their new owners. The more high-quality businesses have continued without too much trouble, particularly those specialising in African dress styles, as these are not in competition with foreign imports. School and work uniforms too have not been affected. It is my feeling that the import of mitumba is, on the whole, a good thing, as it enables Kenyans to dress smartly at a reasonable cost, provides many jobs in the informal sector -- and it even enables the original owners in other countries to give away their clothes and shoes in the knowledge that others will be able to benefit from them.


Clothes stall under a tree

Text and photos © Isabelle Prondzynski

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It is mtumba in the singular and mitumba in the plural.
The word literally means second hand and could be used for clothing, shoes, cars, etc. -- it refers to anything that has been used and is being resold. The Government of Kenya recently zero-rated taxation on importation of mitumba ''to ease the high cost of living on the common man you know!''.

Andrew Otinga


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Worldwide use



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Things found on the way



Read more here :
source : www.seatimesafrica.com



Gikomba Market

gikomba or gikosh
is a second hand clothes market that started in the 1980’s as a result of space in retail market. the lack ofphysical space forced the more that one hundred traders to move to the area between majengo, karikor and kamukunji

The original settlers were allocated plots but with time as the market became more popular settled illegally…today there are more than 4000 traders
source : www.mwakenya.net


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HAIKU


a watchman bargains
for a mtumba jacket --
Muthurwa market

a seller shows
a high-heeled mtumba shoe --
mia mia!

(mia means a hundred in Swahili)

a street child picks at
muddy mtumba trousers --
riverside market

~ Dancan Omoto


a student catwalks
in her mitumba high heels --
beauty contest

a stall with
cheaper mitumba jackets --
I buy three

~ Catherine Njeri Maina


a student tries on
his mtumba shirt --
new smell

~ Andrew Otinga


abrupt rain --
pedestrians scramble for
mitumba raincoats

~ Dennis Wright


Mtumba shoes for sale
Photo © Isabelle Prondzynski



mitumba wholesaler --
he presses the sack down
to remove rain

~ John Maina


mitumba display --
she grabs the blue jeans
and quickly pays

~ Stanley Mutinda


sudden rain --
she shelters mitumba clothes
with a red umbrella

~ Synaidah Kalahi


mitumba stall --
a nursing mother sorts out
a shawl from kangas

~ Brian Mulando


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I have worn mitumba clothes and shoes my entire life and one thing I know for sure is that mitumba are not just anything sold as second hand.

Yes mitumba are second hand merchandise resold in the Kenyan Market but there are several attributes that set mitumba apart from new or other second hand goods.

Mitumba mostly come from western countries and are imported in bales which wholesalers buy and then sell to mostly middle-class Kenyans in retail. They include shoes, clothes, bags, curtains, bed sheets.

But even more importantly, mitumba merchandise are of good quality (original) and that, I think, sets them apart from other second hand goods.

Its worth mentioning that there is a myth in Kenya that mitumba are cheap...Well, while most mitumba products are cheap, this is not entirely true. I know a place in Gikomba Market, the biggest mitumba market in Kenya, where a mtumba shoe is far much expensive than a new shoe in the shop. And some people appreciate mitumba so much that they wont wear anything new.

Mitumba goods, unlike other second hand goods, are very unique. What I like about mitumba is that you can get a shirt that very few people have in town. In fact, my friends and I refer to any new merchandise as "Kenya Uniform" because you will find many Kenyans with the same shoe, shirt or jacket.

For instance, early last month I bought a mtumba blazer and I have been to several tailors who've all told me that I cant find a trouser of the same material and colour to match the blazer because its one of its kind.

The word "mtumba" has lately been used loosely to mean anything second hand. Nonetheless, my point is we should not forget what "mtumba" really means.

I am currently an intern with The Daily Nation Newspaper and last week my editor sent me to Kariokor where Gikomba and Ngara mitumba traders had attended a public hearing arranged by Kenya Urban Roads Authority (KURA).

It emerged that the government of Kenya through KURA plans to demolish almost half of these markets to pave way for construction of roads

Traders openly expressed their anger and distrust on the government plan to compensate them after demolishing their temporary stalls.Please find time to read the whole story on my blog
The Nairobi Digest - http://nairobidigest.wordpress.com


Kariokor--
mitumba traders trickle
in the hall

mitumba traders
clap and whistle in unison--
Kariokor hearing

Caleb Mutua
(http://nairobidigest.wordpress.com/2012/06/26/new-roads-in-nairobi-to-affect-thousands-of-traders-and-squatters/).

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Related words

***** WKD : Reference


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Kibanda hut

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Kibanda hut

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

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Explanation

kibanda - stall, lean-to, cottage, cabin, booth, kiosk, etc.




large enough for several pedestrians to shelter there in the rain.

A kibanda in Kenya can be a haiku topic, but definitely not a kigo, as we have them all year round, and they are not normally built big enough to shelter several people from the rain!

Isabelle Prondzynski


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kibanda hut

source : Photos of Kibanda



kibanda stall


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Worldwide use



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Things found on the way



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HAIKU


under kibanda-
the incoming pedestrians
make it full

sudden shower -
I find shelter
under a kibanda

Elijah Juma


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Related words

***** WKD : Reference


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Japan Culture Week 2012

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Japan Culture Week in Nairobi 2012
Invitation to the Haiku Clubs of Nairobi
Date: Thursday, 5 April 2012

The members of the Bamboocha and Peacocks Haiku Clubs had been looking forward to the great day with expectation and excitement. Unlike on other occasions, when the haijin had used public transport, this time the school bus was made available for them. It was one of their smoothest and most enjoyable rides from Kayole to Upper Hill, listening to music and sightseeing. The haijin were 78 students and four teachers.

It was a cloudy morning, and it had rained the previous night. This was the first rain signalling the onset of the long rains, which had come a little late this year.

On arrival at the Embassy, we were warmly and courteously welcomed. The security procedure was elaborate and rigorous, as all items were screened and deposited with the security staff. Both the haijin and teachers were amazed at these rigorous security checks. Mobile phones and cameras were not allowed into the Embassy; no photographs in or around the Embassy were allowed. We were only authorised to take photographs in the Embassy Hall.

The first session was a film about Japan, which highlighted the following areas:

-- education,
-- the economy,
-- culture,
-- international co-operation,
-- industry,
-- technology.


Preparing for the film projection


Session two was origami. It was exciting as the students were taught how to make things of different shapes by folding paper. These things ranged from animals to geometrical shapes. It was amazing to learn that it takes four days to construct a horse! After the demonstration, students were each given six papers and asked to make a cube. It was exciting even to the teachers.


I fold paper
the opposite way --
origami

missing one step --
I assemble a wobbly
cube

~ Patrick Wafula




Origami sheets ready



In the third session, the haijin were taught some Japanese greetings, common phrases and the numbers 1 to10. This was followed by an oral quiz to assess which haijin in the hall had been the most attentive. Most as some of the numbers, it turned out, sound like words in the English language. The haijin enjoyed finding those words and matching them with the numbers to enable them to remember the numbers better.

1: ichi (itchy)
2: ni (knee)
3: san (sun / son)
4. shi / yon: (she / yawn)



Session Four was a Japanese Love and Family Relations Film, which was very much enjoyed by all. It was about a young man called Matsuo and a girl called Izumi, and a restless, ever travelling old man called Tora, who had so many women in his life, but none for a wife, until he met Lily, an aged, but beautiful woman from an island. Izumi was in love with Matsuo, but her parents betrothed her to another man because Matsuo was jobless, but in the end, each of these couples were happily married.


dark room --
the projector’s gentle
hum



Film projection


Lastly the haijin were allowed to tour the library and take a number of photos before boarding their bus and heading back to Eastlands. The rest of the experiences are very personal and are only revealed through the haiku and photos that accompany this write up. All the haiku were written within the Embassy.

The haijin are gratefully indebted to Isabelle Prondzynski, our Moderator, for providing the haijin with transport fare, Otinga Andrew, for organizing the St. Mathew haijin, availing the bus and providing administrative support throughout the excursion; the Japanese Embassy staff, Shemi, David and Susan for taking the haijin through all the exciting events above: David san for a very interesting origami session; Susan san for teaching the haijin Japanese greetings and numbers; and Shemi san for organizing the whole event and inviting us. Last, but not least, the entire Embassy of Japan in Nairobi for their six years of co-operation and support to the Haiku Clubs of Nairobi.


School bus waiting for the return journey


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cultural show --
reflected ray from Japanese
aquarium

~ Caxton Okoth


car park --
our bus enters after
a security check

~ Diana Dolla


rush --
the sliproad overloaded
with vehicles

~ Moses Nyawanga


writing haiku --
her head moves with the
grasshopper's hop

~ Flora Mbayi


origami --
colored papers litter
the grey carpet

security check --
a tweet on leaving
the glass cabinet

~ Brian Etole


origami --
I find it exciting making
colored boxes

learning lesson --
I find it hard pronouncing
Japanese words

dark clouds --
I shiver from light showers and
cool breeze

~ Brian Mulando


slippery floor --
I nearly fall but my friend
catches me

~ Winfridah Malesi


dark clouds --
an eagle flies around
the embassy aerial

~Annabel Mwendwa


dark clouds --
raindrops fall on the
happy haijin

~ John Maina


dark room --
I enjoy a Japanese
comic movie

~ Ezekiel Mbira


the end --
the Japanese movie leaves
me in suspense

~ Dennis Wright


haijins' uproar --
three dolphins dance
on water

coloured cubes
on white tables --
origami

folding --
the yellow paper
gets torn

one bulb after
the other turns on --
roaring generator

~ Andrew Otinga


Andrew Otinga and the origami sheets



we go through
the vigorous screening...
Japan Embassy

~ Jackson Shilaho


origami --
I concentrate on making
my colorful box

~ Metrine Okalo


Japanese embassy --
a warm welcome from
the guards

~ Geoffrey Maina


coloured papers --
I struggle to make
a cube

colorful table --
students display their
finished cubes

lights off --
the start of a Japanese
cultural movie

rain drops --
rythmic mabati sound
lulls her to sleep

~ Elijah Juma


Japanese library --
she is attracted to the left
bookshelf

chilly noon --
trees swaying
sideways

~ Marcellina Amunze


upstairs --
he holds a flower
smilingly

~ Joseph Musango


several folds --
a colourful box on
the table

embassy library --
the books arranged
alphabetically

~ Joshua Kaweto


colourful compound--
flowers nourishes the
environment

~ Agness Ndinda


Japanese Embassy --
the Japanese flag sways
in the breeze

~ Mary Wanjama


a bee sucks nectar
from morning glory --
Embassy wall

rain --
morning dew shining
on the grass

~ Sylvia Mmbone


Japan Embassy --
a paved corridor roofed
with climbing plants

Japanese film --
quiet theatre as we watch
a cultural show

~ Isaac Ndirangu


shuffle of papers
as we make cubes --
silent room

~ Stephen Macharia


Japanese Library --
haijin enjoy Japanese
monuments

~ Lucy Mukuhi


jovial faces --
haijin enjoy Japanese
arts

~ Willis Wanga


origami makes
the haijin to think --
calm room

~ Collins Omuganda


noon drizzle --
droplets fall from
a eucalyptus tree

colourful fireworks --
Japanese culture on
display

~ Eric Mwange


jacaranda tree --
leaves sway from side
to side

~ Irene Aluoch


students tour
the Embassy --
short break

~ Felix Kavayo


Embassy --
such a clean
environment

~ Hillaey Shisoka


dolphins swim
and dance happily --
movie

~ Melvine Ayako


dark room --
cheers after watching
the movie

~ Emmanuel Mutati


Japanese poem --
we understand Japanese
movie

~ Koskei Cornelios


students squeeze
through security door --
Embassy exit

~ Consolata Akoth


haijin sit
on the grass to write haiku --
Embassy visit

~ Anonymous


cold weather --
we put on sweaters
outside the Embassy

~ Mary Njambi


haijin struggle
through the security door --
Japanese Embassy

~Victor Obutho


cold morning --
the scent of flowers
at the gate

~ Susan Njeri


flower bed --
a withered rose
falls down

~ Eunice Katiwa


echoing hall --
the haijins’ jubilation
after the movie

flower bed --
an uprooted weed lies
on the pavement

~ Gloria Kerubo


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Report and photos by Patrick Wafula for Kenya Saijiki



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Related words

. Japane Culture Week 2008 .


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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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