Japan Culture Week 2012

[ . BACK to WORLDKIGO TOP . ]
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

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


:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::


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


-----------------------


Report and photos by Patrick Wafula for Kenya Saijiki



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

. Japane Culture Week 2008 .


[ . BACK to WORLDKIGO . TOP . ]
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Form One Entrants

[ . BACK to Worldkigo TOP . ]
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Form One entrants and monolisation

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

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

The Kenyan school year starts in January. New students entering Form One of secondary school (usually aged 14 or over), register in January and start classes at the beginning of February.

This is a very big step for a Kenyan student. Form One entry, in modern Kenya, functions as the equivalent of circumcision, i.e. entry into adulthood. People may or may not practice circumcision or other rites of passage -- either way, initial research has found that the transition between primary school and secondary school has come to resemble these older practices. This is expressed by massive parties (so-called “bashes”) held by the youth, largely without adult supervision, as well as by the short-term victimisation (so-called “monolisation”) of the new Form One students by their predecessors. Sometimes, things can go wrong (see article below).

The end of primary school is achieved by a national examination, the Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE). Only about 50 percent of students passing this examination find places in secondary schools -- the other 50 percent dropping out either because they have not achieved the necessary points for the limited number of places, or because they cannot raise the necessary fees.

While primary education (eight years, from age 6 to age 14 or over) is now free of charge in Kenya, secondary education is subsidised but fee-paying. Many bright students, who cannot find a scholarship or a sponsor, drop out at this stage, even though they might have had the points to enter a recognised secondary school.

Bahati High School, in Kayole, Nairobi, being run by volunteers, is able to provide education at low cost, and can therefore offer places to the children of the community without being selective as regards points. This school started the Bamboochas Haiku Poetry Club at the start of 2006. Now, one year later, is the first time that the Bamboochas have welcomed new Form One entrants.

This coincides with the exciting moment when the school is building a corrugated iron laboratory as its contribution to recognition as an exam centre for the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) from the end of 2007.

Secondary school involves many changes for the new entrants. The style of the uniform changes (dresses are replaced by skirts, shorts by trousers, checked cloth is out while plain colours are in, both girls and boys wear ties), many new subjects appear (history, geography, the sciences), English becomes the language of instruction for all, and this may be the first time that the students meet classmates from other parts of the country, speaking a different mother tongue.

All the haiku collected below were written by the Form One entrants themselves -- brand new haijin. They convey the atmosphere so well -- please enjoy reading their work!


Bahati High School

Text and photo : © Isabelle Prondzynski

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

School where boys have to be 'men'
Daily Nation, 15 February 2007
By: PATRICK MUTHURI and MUCHEMI WACHIRA

The excitement that comes with joining Form One was evident on the faces of the young students as they were guided by their parents through the gates of Kiriani Boys Secondary School in Meru South District last week. They were excited to be joining secondary school and many of the parents had toiled hard to meet the many expenses that come with sending children to high school.

The usual words of advise for the students to take their studies seriously could be heard as the parents bid their children goodbye and left them behind.

But 25 of the parents could not believe their eyes when three days later, their children arrived home, carrying all their belongings and a letter from the principal, Mr Ngaruthi Kithinji, saying they could not be allowed in the school because they were not circumcised. They were lost for words.

Even if they were to take their sons to be circumcised, it would take no less than a month for them to heal enough to resume studies. Meanwhile, other students would be going on with learning.

But Mr Kithinji said the presence of the uncircumcised boys in the school could lead to unrest. "There was a lot of screaming and disturbances when your son was discovered to be the way he is. Just like you cannot keep your elder son who is uncircumcised in the same room with your younger son, this also applies in the dorms," Mr Kithinji said. He told the parents of the affected children to have them circumcised in two weeks and take them back to school when they get well.

The parents are now appealing to the Government to intervene.

Trouble started on their first night in school. The older boys ordered the newcomers to strip naked so that they could be inspected. Those who were not circumcised spent the whole night going through all manner of torture and insults. Says one of the boys: "The first night was very bad. We were never given a chance to rest or sleep even after the long journey. They started shouting and asking us silly questions like are you a man or a woman?"

The following day, they reported the matter to the principal, who instead of assisting them, sent them home.

The Meru South district commissioner, Mr William Kiprono, ordered the immediate reinstatement of the students, saying it was wrong to take such a discriminative action. "Circumcision is a cultural thing not accepted in some societies. It's wrong to chase students from a public school because it is not government policy," said Mr Kiprono, while apologising to the students and their parents. "The bullies were the ones to be sent off and not the other way round," he said.

But even as Education minister George Saitoti was condemning the action by the headteacher, the students demonstrated in his support yesterday afternoon.
... //www.nationmedia.com/

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


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


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

By Patrick Wafula
Patron of the Bamboocha Haiku Club, Bahati High School

The New Bamboochas, who number about 40, have been taking their first lesson in haiku this week. First, it was Form One West, then Form One East. On Ash Wednesday (21 February 2007), I spent the lunch hour with Form One West, giving them their first haiku lesson. It was a great joy and experience. We wrote the first haiku together as a class; the rest were written individually.

Form One East took their lesson three days later. The new haijin have been writing about the new school year and their experiences in Bahati High School. They are such a bundle of joy! Some of their experiences are hilarious, others are pitious, but each of these experiences are true.

Fasting and Prayer day (Wednesday 21/02/07)

The Form One West had their first prayer and fasting experience and they wrote about it in their very first haiku the next day :

Mr. Wafula
taking photos of
the new lab

in the school kitchen --
Sharon happily biting
a huge chapati

from the kitchen,
delicious scent of chapati --
a rumbling stomach

a student
giving a testimony...
hymns are sung

Mr. Wafula
praying for sponsorships...
moment of silence

Mr. Wafula
taking photos --
students praying

~ Class


Patrick Wafula Sensei with his camera
Photo (c) Isabelle Prondzynski


in the kitchen --
people eat chapati
revenging for Wed

~ Timothy Wambugu

(On Thursday, students were eating chapati to compensate for what they missed to eat the previous day during the fasting and prayer)


first year in Bahati
prayers and fasting --
my grumbling stomach

~ Josephat Mwangi

students making noise --
their cries as Mr. Macharia
beats them

students dozing
during History lesson --
the teacher's shouts

~ Steven Nzomo


a teacher with a sad face
going back to the staffroom...
what stupid students

~ Shadrack Masai Mwengi

in the sitting room --
we happily take breakfast
with my family

~ Mercy Karanin

Mr. Ogembo writing
on the blackboard --
students laughing

last lesson to lunch...
bored students wait to go
for lunch

students laugh
as Mr. Ogembo says gaii...
geography lesson

~ Samuel Ndung'u

Mr. Macharia in class...
students sleeping on the desk
and they get strokes

~ Gerald Kariuki

students rejoice
around the new laboratory --
praise for Isabelle

~ Caren Cheptoo

students laugh
and cheer up --
last lesson to break

~ Vivian Adhiambo

in class
Beatrice cries like a baby --
corporal punishment

~ Jonah Kamande


at the school kitchen
people carry plates and spoons --
chapati in hand

at home --
my brother happily runs
to me for a kiss

at the shop --
a long queue of people
waiting to buy goods

everybody quietly settled,
writing and reading stories --
library lesson

~ Anne Wairimu


Constructing the new laboratory
Photo (c) Patrick Wafula



NEW SCHOOL YEAR HAIKU (Form One East)

new different
school rules…
Discipline Prefects

smell of my
new school ID…
smell of sewage

~ Christine Minae

first time
to wear trousers…
my new uniform

in the school kitchen,
big transparent chapatis…
smell of food

~ Peter Mwangi

new school lab --
teacher lights the Bunsen burner,
for students doing experiments

many students
of different tribes --
Bahati High School

many rules to keep --
if you break one,
punishment

~ Dorothy Nthenya


first day
in Bahati High School --
different daily menu

meeting
and making new friends…
first day in Bahati

~ Brian Mwangi


school kitchen --
much tasteless
rice

first day in Bahati --
smell of new
textbooks

first time
to wear a tie --
Bahati High

~ Rose Mwikali


many tribes of students --
my first day in
Bahati High School

first time to
own school ID --
Bahati High school

first time
to meet Discipline Prefects …
Bahati High School

in the lab,
Rose holding a gas jar …
first Chemistry Lesson

~ Eunice Mwema


first time in school kitchen --
many students enjoying
different menu

first day in Bahati --
many new classrooms
with different arrangements

first day in Bahati --
students in the lab,
smell of chemicals

~ Truphosah .I. Osendi

many different subjects…
first time in Bahati
High School

many new students
confused like lost
sheep in a forest

greedy Form Four
students in the kitchen --
first day in High School

~ Michael Bwoga

confused like a maggot
in a demolished toilet --
first day in High School

~ Sheillah Shikawa

many tribes of students --
communication problems
between Luo, Kikuyu, Kamba and Luhya

~ Rhodah Ndindah

smell of my
new uniforms --
first day in Form One

first day
in High School --
meeting different tribes

in Bahati School,
talking nicely to students --
Discipline Prefects

seventh week
in Bahati School --
new lab built

first time
to carry student ID --
Bahati School

~ Maxiwell Omondi

black water
flowing down along Soweto --
smell of sewage

many new faces,
different languages --
first time at Bahati

many new
scaring subjects --
biology, geography

~ Catherine Wanjiku


hardworking teachers,
teaching all the subjects --
students nodding

~ Jane Mumbua

students struggle
to keep school rules --
speaking English all the time

~ Nelius Muthoni

time keeper
ringing the bell --
lesson after lesson

~ Alice Wambui

ndengu and chapati,
ndengu and chapati for lunch --
rumble of my stomach

first time
to see black water --
sewage river

~ Patrick

time keeper
ringing the bell --
change of lessons

in our class,
calculations --
first Maths lesson

first time to see
scientific calculator --
first Math lesson

Discipline Prefects
in Bahati School --
many rules to keep

~ George Onyango

James holding
a ruled exercise book --
second Math lesson

~ Ashitwa Douglas

in Bahati School,
Discipline Prefects --
respect

new black
and blue uniforms --
rule of smartness

different daily menu --
day after day
in the kitchen

first day in
Bahati High School --
miss my primary friends

new school,
new faces --
curious feelings

~ Alice Nyambura


Fasting and praying -- the Bahati students
Photo (c) Patrick Wafula

cooks serving
too little food --
sulky faces

first day
in High School --
equipped lab

many students
with different talents --
karate team

~ Raphael

on the assembly
the school is attentive --
raising the flag

in the kitchen --
students queue at the door
waiting to be served

ringing of the bell
by the time keeper…
change of lessons

~ Risper

black skirt blue blouse
blue tie black shoes white socks --
my new uniforms

~ Joyce Atolwa

first time
to learn Biology --
smell of my new uniform

smell of new books --
rules to follow
and keep

~ Caroline Ndegwa

hardworking teachers
of Bahati High School—
no idle lesson

new classroom
arrangements --
first day in Bahati

~ Lagat Amos

in the school office --
Mr. Wafula give us five five
for noise-making

Kamba, Luo, Luhya
and Kikuyu all meet --
Bahati School

~ George Ngamau

first time
to see Luhyas --
Bahati School

in school kitchen --
the chef gives me soup
without chapati

first time
to see a microscope --
school lab

senior students
steal form one books --
monolisation

~ Steven Nzomo


first time to see
many discipline prefects --
Bahati school

~ Mary Wangari

many students
with different talents --
the volleyball team

so many rules
to remember and keep --
discipline

~ Cynthia Adhiambo

girls wearing skirts
and boys wearing trousers --
new uniforms

~ Nancy Kamene

school kitchen --
meat stew tasting
delicious in my mouth

~ Moses Makule

many students
with different talents --
the football team

~ Muhia

in the lab
our teacher mixing chemicals --
first chem. practical

school kitchen,
watery rice with no fat --
rumble of my stomach

~ Joseph Mumo


the good feel and smell
of my new student ID --
first year in Bahati

~ Anonymous

first time to cross
the sewage river by bridge --
way to Bahati High

rice and cabbage
rice and cabbage for lunch…
rumble of my stomach

~ Grace Ruguru

second day --
welcomed with strokes (from Mr. Wafula)
for noise-making

new subjects,
harsh teachers,
and kind students

in the kitchen—
tasteless rice without
fat and spoon

~ Serah Wanjiku

first time
to join a drama club --
Bahati High

first time
to have school ID --
Bahati school

first time to wear
a skirt, blouse and tie --
Bahati uniform

~ Serah Mbuthi

bad smell of sewage,
but Christian students --
first day in Bahati High

smell of new books,
discipline prefects
and hardworking teachers

many different rules to keep --
different toilets,
different daily menu

~ Rachael Wangechi

many surprising…
subjects keep me reading
all the time

first time to mix
with students of many tribes --
learning in Bahati

first time
to be photographed --
school ID

~ Winnie Wairimu

Kamau holding
a test tube --
new laboratory

~ Robert Foro

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

***** Start of School Year, School Year starts (Kenya)

***** School exams KCSE / KCPE (Kenya)

***** Ash Wednesday


[ . BACK to WORLDKIGO . TOP . ]
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::　

Meeting November 2006

[ . BACK to WORLDKIGO . TOP . ]
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::　

Meeting of the Haiku Clubs of Nairobi
November 2006

Objective

The four Haiku Clubs of the Kayole secondary schools had their second big meeting on Saturday, 4 November 2006. At the invitation of the local community’s Tujisaidie Self-Help Group, the meeting took place in the Community Centre, where the Tujisaidie Nursery School is also based.

The first meeting had been a festive gathering and ginkoo, with participation from invited guests, including the Japanese Cultural Centre. This second meeting was an internal affair, called above all to present the computer students with encouragement and small prizes, and also to have a discussion on haiku writing among ourselves.


Photo : Patrick Wafula

Background

During the previous week, I had visited the Bamboochas of Bahati Community Centre taking their computer classes. I had also been invited to the Peacocks of St Mathew Secondary School, to discuss their Ramadhan haiku with them and gather information for the Ramadhan kigo page. The next week would take me to the Falcons of Lorna Waddington High School. I had been received with a lot of cheer, welcome and enthusiasm in each of these schools, and was looking forward to meeting the haijin together once more.

Patrons’ meeting

The students, with great enthusiasm, arrived early at the Tujisaidie Community Centre. They were made very welcome by the youth of Tumaini African Foundation and were entertained with music and a mini-ginkoo while the Patrons held their own meeting.

Each of the schools was represented by the Haiku Club Patrons :

Bamboochas : Mr Patrick Wafula
..................Mr James Macharia
Falcons : Mr Ngugi
Peacocks : Ms Ann Nechesa
................ Ms Adelaide Amadade Luvandale
Oaks : Mr Jumah (Principal)
Computer teacher : Mr David Kimani
Haiku Committee of the community : Ms Lucy Irungu
.................................................... Mr Anthony Njoroge

The Patrons discussed a number of issues concerning them all, regarding computing, communications and haiku.

We looked together at how each school contributes to the Kenya Saijiki discussion forum, and how this in turn contributes to the Worldkigo Database. Haiku writing was leading to haiku discussion -- and to be able to discuss at international level, we need to communicate by e-mail and the internet. Hence, the link between haiku and computing. This led to a discussion of the computing budget necessary to make communication possible.

On haiku, we agreed that the two most important aspects to keep in mind when guiding the students during the coming months, were :

* the use of observation,
* the use of kigo (season words).

We also discussed giving feed-back to the students. Ideally, the students would send their haiku to Kenya Saijiki, receive feed-back, discuss this in their clubs and devote some effort to revising their haiku. In the same way, they should be open to giving feed-back by e-mail to others, so that we could have a discussion together and hone our poetry and our skills.

Haiku Clubs’ arrival

By the time the Patrons had finished their meeting, the students had happily arrived (some after difficulties finding the place -- they were eagerly welcomed), taken some snacks, enjoyed the company of their Tumaini hosts, danced to the music, and written some haiku. These haiku, here assembled, show the joyful and inspired spirit of the day :

all Falcons group
looking all round Soweto
oh... we are lost

haiku members
smiling at each other --
meeting up again

wow! two boys bringing
radios so that we can
dance on the floor

Tujisaidie Community --
full of haiku fans
enjoying music

Oscar is very
happy because of the
reggae music


Photo : Isabelle Prondzynski

haiku members
in a jovial mood as they
eat bread and sodas

welcoming focus
talking as they share jokes
ready to begin

everybody is happy
really to write best haiku --
how wonderful day is it?

Peacocks winning
all the top prizes --
haiku meeting

is this haiku?
why not?
syllables uncountable

this is the day
to share our feelings with mum
before going back

students listening
Madame Isabella speaking
everyone clapping

When the meeting was opened, we sang several choruses, praising God, who had brought us this far in our endeavours, and expressing our joy to be together again.

Computing meeting

The first part of the meeting was to recognise the effort the students had made in order to learn computing and encourage them to continue their studies for the final test early next year.

The top 7 computer students, who had passed all modules of their tests, were called forward by the teacher, David Kimani, and congratulated, with small prizes to choose from :

David Caleb Mutua (Peacock)
Omombo Christine (Peacock)
Nyakado Christine (Peacock)
Gideon Gichamba Wangui (Peacock)
Gladys Kathini (Peacock)
Catherine Njeri Maina (Bamboocha)

This brought the Peacocks a round of applause, as they had done exceptionally well. And while I was busy with the prizes, I did not even notice that we were being photographed by Patrick Sensei -- to whom many thanks!


Photo : Patrick Wafula

Another 17 computer students passed all but one of their modules and were called forward to collect their prizes :

Raymond Otieno (Bamboocha)
Anderson Mwendwa (Falcon)
Boniface Mutua (Falcon)
Ian Kamau (Falcon)
David Wandera (Bamboocha)
Rebecca Mbithe (Oak)
Khadija Rajab (Peacock)
Seline Onguto (Falcon)
Leonard Juma (Falcon
Otieno Walter (Bamboocha)
James Omwimwa (Peacock)
Stephen Kimanthi (Peacock)
Zaccheuas Ogoji (Peacock)
Jacinta Minoo (Peacock)
Ashraf Baraza (Falcon)
Agnes Adwambo (Peacock)
Patrick Gahuo (Falcon)

The computer classes will continue until the beginning of 2007 and will end with a final test, including a practical element. Best wishes to all the students -- and keep up the good work!

Haiku meeting

There followed an open discussion on very many aspects of haiku.

How many syllables, and how to count them?

Can one write about dreams?

How about newspaper or television reports?

What are the kigo of the current season?

Can one write about other seasons?

The importance of observation was emphasised -- concentrating on what is right there, and can be heard, seen, touched, smelled and tasted.

The importance of learning, and of receiving feed-back, was also pointed out. The students proposed that, from time to time, they would send in unsigned haiku, to request and receive feed-back. This was welcomed by everyone as a good idea.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx


Photo : Isabelle Prondzynski

The day, which had started cool and overcast, had meanwhile became hot and sunny, and the time came to close the meeting and for everyone to walk home.

Many of us stayed for another while, to chat and exchange questions, answers and news, before starting on our way back.

Isabelle Prondzynski, November 2006

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::


A thank-you message to Kenya Saijiki in the evening

Dear Gabi, dear Patrons, dear teachers and haijin,

Thank you most sincerely for the wonderful meeting we had today. You gave generously of your time, and we had a great discussion and enjoyed being together.

Great thanks go to Lucy Irungu and Tujisaidie for the welcome they gave to us and for letting us use the community buildings, where we felt so much at home. Apart from the discussions, we enjoyed music and a light lunch as well as an unexpected mini-ginkoo!

It is hard to express how very much I appreciated the presence and the encouragement by the Haiku Patrons and teachers. I know you are very busy people, particularly at this time of exams, and it is not a given that you can take a whole afternoon out of your schools. Your commitment is wonderful, and the students appreciate it as much as I do! Please receive my gratitude and know that I shall do my utmost to co-operate with you to make the haiku venture a success for all.

You have given the students a wonderful chance! Looking at them today, listening to their eager questions, it is easy to forget that, a year ago, none of them had ever heard of haiku or practised computing and very few had had any contacts with their colleagues in the other schools. This has been a wonderful co-operative success, and the haijin have written so much that is beautiful, inspiring and touching. Dear haijin, if you continue to make progress at this pace, Kenya will soon become one of those countries known internationally to have excellent haiku!

Here are a few of the many haiku written during the day -- thank you, haijin, for the shower of haiku reflecting the day and the season.

my sister is back
with muddy shoes and socks --
my gumboots

Agnes Adhiambo (Peacock)


wet school uniforms
spend days on the line --
students miss school

David Caleb Mutua (Peacock)


children chasing
running everywhere in mud --
looking dirty

Anonymous


dark rain clouds
hanging below the sky --
people buy umbrellas

Paul Brown


raindrops cling on grass
catch the sunbeams sending
lights that dazzle eyes

Raymond Otieno (Bamboocha)


graphic and drawings
stuck on the wall --
hey! they are beautiful!

Anonymous (Falcon)

Greetings to you all, and profound thanks,

Isabelle.


Feed-back from the Director of WHC Worldkigo

Dear Friends from Kenya,
whow, this is such a good news indeed!
I forwarded it to all my haiku friends and I will start my day today with a big happy smile !

Thanks to all who help to spread the word of Haiku in Kenya. Dear old Basho and Issa will be pleased to receive this message in their haiku heaven !

With best wishes and may all your plans come true!
GABI


Feed-back from India and the USA

Gabi sensei, our Director in Japan, had sent my message to her haiku friends in other parts of the world, and some of them responded to send in congratulations.

This is from one of our great haijin friends in India, Kala Ramesh :

Truly what giant progress in such a short while!
It clearly underlines the effort and selfless love that you've shown
for promoting this art form.

My heartfelt wishes for a grand haiku future in Kenya!
Warmly,
kala


And this is from William Higginson (we have two of his books!) in the USA :

Quite a decent selection of first results for a new group of haiku recruits! I look forward to seeing more from these and other young Kenyans. Perhaps Dag Hammarskjold's favorite short-poem form will become as much of an ambassador for inter-human understanding as he himself was, or moreso.

I had to particularly smile at the rubber boots poem, watching my two grandsons and Penny's granddaughter and grandson at work and play. (I am an only child, so never had the pleasure (?) of my sibling borrowing my footwear.)

Some of these wouldn't look at all out of place in our magazines.

Congratulations to all involved, including you!

Well done!
Isabelle.

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

BAHATI Haiku Club, Kenya
FALCON Haiku Club, Kenya
OAKS Haiku Club, Kenya
PEACOCK Haiku Club, Kenya
SPIDER Haiku Club, Kenya


[ . BACK to WORLDKIGO . TOP . ]
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::　

Maize, Green Maize

[ . BACK to WORLDKIGO . TOP . ]
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::　

Green Maize

***** Location: Kenya and neighbouring countries
***** Season: Cool dry season, hot dry season
***** Category: Plant

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

Maize harvested before it is quite ripe, while it is still fairly soft, is called Green Maize. This food is greatly enjoyed, as it is the first output of the staple grain during the season, and it can sometimes be the first harvested food after a period of hunger, even famine.

The maize cobs are sold in street markets, still covered by their inner leaves. They may also be sold freshly boiled or grilled, for immediate consumption on the spot.

Green maize is particularly appreciated for making soft mûkimû or gîtheri suitable for elderly people who may have lost some of their teeth. However, it is not suited for storage -- which means that the maize eaten for most of the year consists of the ripe grains, decobbed, sundried and stored in a safe place until needed.

The main page for maize, covering further maize related kigo in Kenya, may be found here :
Maize / Corn

Isabelle Prondzynski.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Here is a delicious plate of gîtheri -- enjoy!


http://img1.travelblog.org/Photos/12529/67575/f/405255-githeri--my-favourite-food-0.jpg

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx


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

The Kenyan Green Maize is equivalent to the yellow maize eaten as sweetcorn or corn on the cob in many other countries. The main difference is the maize variety -- Kenya maize being white rather than yellow, and therefore less sweet and more savoury in flavour.

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


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

fresh grain of maize
on the dry Kayole street --
sharp eyes of the hen

~ Isabelle Prondzynski

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

From Bahati Haiku Poetry Club (The Bamboochas) :

a swarm of houseflies
on cobs and leftovers--
green maize

~ David Wandera

蝿の群れ 青唐黍の 屑の上
hae no mure ao tookibi no kuzu no ue
Translation by Nakamura Sakuo


boiled maize --
jaws move up and down
chewing hard

~ Depporah Mocheche


a man
with his customer by his side
roasting maize

~ Walter Ochola


Green maize roaster, January 2005
Photo : Isabelle Prondzynski


at Soweto Market--
men unloading maize
from a blue lorry

~ Raymond Otieno

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

at the fireside --
happy kids telling stories
as they roast maize

~ Kevin Safari

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

early morning
kids chase weaverbirds
from their green maize

~ Patrick Wafula

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

From Falcons Haiku Poetry Club (Lorna Waddington) :

maize in the garden
standing still on the farm
Kadima enjoys the taste

~ Susan


elephants enjoying
the villagers chasing them
beating drums

~ Simon


:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

warm steam from
the boiled maize sufuria--
evening showers

Hussein Haji


Sufuria cooking pot


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

***** Maize / Corn as a kigo


[ . BACK to WORLDKIGO . TOP . ]
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::　

Mud (matope)

[ . BACK to WORLDKIGO　　TOP . ]
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::　

Mud (Swahili : matope)

***** Location: Kenya, other areas
***** Season:Long rains, short rains
***** Category: Earth

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

Kenya is a muddy country when it rains. The soil is heavy, and people get busy cultivating and planting seeds as soon as the rains look established. Working on the land is a very muddy job at such times of year! The mud is carried, on people’s shoes, into buses, matatus, churches, shops and offices. Coconut fibre doormats need to be shaken out as soon as the mud has dried overnight, ready for the next day’s deposits.

The major city roads are tarmacked, but as one ventures into the poorer areas at the outskirts of town, and into the rural areas, murram roads take over. These are rightly called mud roads at this time of year, as the floods wash out the mud from between the stones, and the edges (no longer footpaths!) are in any case a mix of mud and flood.

Nairobi has a great variety of mud. In Eastlands, including Kayole, on the way out to Ukambani, the black cotton soil turns into a black, heavy mud, so stodgy and clingy that most of the inhabitants prefer to walk in their bare feet, carrying shoes in plastic bags, ready to put on once they reach town. In Westlands and beyond, moving into Central Province, the red soil turns into a red, much finer sandy mud, which nevertheless clings heavily to one’s hoe or shoe. The city centre has beige soil, which is perhaps the least muddy, as most of it is covered in buildings, parks, streets and pavements!

As the rains fall heavily, over a short period, much of the soil, once turned into mud, is carried away by the rivers towards the sea, which runs brown at the river mouths.


http://corbinball.coronaware.com/assets/eventphotos/art-ke26.jpg

Kenya loses much fertile ground each year as a result. The colonialists tried to limit rainwater erosion by means of terracing; in parts of the country, e.g. Ukambani, this has been moderately effective.

In the rural areas, the rainy season is also the season when mud is used to build or repair traditional mud and wattle houses. While house building is mostly men’s work, house repair is women’s work, and may take up to several days during the rains.

At the end of the rainy season, the mud gradually dries out. For a while, it remains in the shape it took, often resembling bizarre sculptures -- then, with time, it is eroded away and flattened by human, animal and vehicular traffic.

Isabelle Prondzynski

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::　



. MORE PHOTOS
by Caleb David Mutua 　





:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::　


Elephants wallowing in mud -- their colour always reflects the colour of the mud of their habitat!

Look at a great photo here
http://www.pbase.com/flemmingbo/image/55500343

© Flemming Bo Jensen

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Two of the many types of mud-built houses in Kenya :


http://www.leavenworthbaptist.com/images/Missions/KenyaTrip/DSC00321_640.jpg

http://www.trekearth.com/gallery/Africa/Kenya/photo276173.htm


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

Japan

The word mud (doro) just like that is a topic for haiku.


spring mud, haru no doro 春の泥
..... shundei 春泥
kigo for all spring

A phenomen when the snow melts. Mud is usually something one tries to avoid, but in spring it expresses the joy of the long winter now being over soon.


お上人の足袋の春泥ご開帳
o shoonin no tabi no shundei go-kaichoo

spring mud
on the socks of the priest -
showing the secret statue
(Tr. Gabi Greve)

Seiji せいじ
http://www.hb-arts.co.jp/haiku_html/030510kekka.htm

Quoted from
Secret Buddha Statues
by Gabi Greve






秋しぐれ泥人形と生まれて泥
aki shigure doro ningyoo ni umarete doro

sleet in autumn -
born as a mud doll
this mud

source : Keiji Minato. Sep. 2008
Tr. Gabi Greve

Other translation versions are possible.
reference


:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::


Trinidad and Tobago
Kigo for Dry Season ... Feb/March; Spring.

In Trinidad and Tobago, a great part of the fun on the first day of the two-day carnival masquerade, is playing mud mas. Mud mas is a must at Jouvert,( the opening hours, on the first day of Carnival).


www.tntisland.com/images/c2k5-06.jpg

mud smeared bodies
welcome the dawn
jouvert

related words: carnival; jouvert; ole mas; masquerade; street festivals.

Gillena Cox

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


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

home at last --
heart runs in greeting
while feet drag in mud

~ Isabelle Prondzynski

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx


Haiku from the August 2006 Shiki Kukai :
http://www.haikuworld.org/kukai/current.html

monsoon …
rising from the mud
a buffalo's horns

~ Ella Wagemakers


rainy season –
a muddied welcome
on the doormat

~ max verhart


through mud roads
a jostling bus ride --
smell of sweat

~ Kala Ramesh


ground-breaking
the politician poses
with a shovelful of mud

~ ed markowski


you call it a slum
because of faeces and mud
the big deal is life

James Omwimwa (Peacock Haiku Poetry Club, Kenya)


a student --
walking down a Soweto Street
his shoes squelching in mud

Caleb Mutua (Peacock Haiku Poetry Club, Kenya)

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Soweto streets --
my feet slide
in mud

~ John Mutahi (Falcon Haiku Poetry Club, Kenya) and Chibi

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::


muddy Soweto Road--
the crater left by a lorry's
large wheels

zebra crossing--
uneven footprints of mud
on the white strips

Caleb Mutua
December 2010


:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::


February 2011

. Mud Haiku .
Sibiko Yamame


:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::


leaning eucalyptus--
he cleans his muddy shoe
with a branch

heavy downpour--
a termite sticks on
the muddy floor

water puddles--
I am the fifth on the line
to the stepping stones

muddy path--
I squat to empty my bicycle's
mudguard

James Bundi

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::


sunset —
a farmer scraps mud
from his hoe

Victor Obutho

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::


raising mud
to the pond's surface
a spring toad

--Shoji Sugisaka (Yokohama)
http://www.asahi.com/english/haiku/060320.html

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx


どろ人形にはお父さんもお母さんもいない 僕が育ててあげよう



This mud doll
Has no dad or mom
So I'll raise it .

Sheng Tao age 10, male SHANGHAI (上海)
http://www.jal-foundation.or.jp/html/haiku/sakuhinY/e1998sakuhinY.htm

Mud dolls or clay dolls, as they are called in Japan, have their own space provided in the
Daruma Doll Museum by Gabi Greve　 　　　

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::


Bahati street--
a little boy on fours
drives mud oxen

Patrick Wafula
November 2012


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


***** Brickmaking
non-seasonal haiku topic

Patrick Wafula went to see the brick works in Githurai on the Thika Road outside Nairobi :

busy hands firmly
kneading mud, preparing bricks--
black smoke from the kiln

Patrick Wafula, Kenya
http://www.haikuworld.org/kukai/current.html

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::


***** Dry mud
beginning of dry season

rain has ended
footprints remain dry on the paths
kids stumble and fall

梅雨明けや　足跡残り　　子は倒る
tsuyu ake ya / ashiato nokori / ko wa taoru
(Translation : Sakuo Nakamura)

~Raymond Otieno 　 　　　


© Photo Isabelle Prondzynski


:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::


dusty ride
along a murram road---
Murang'a town

Catherine Njeri Maina


murram is a mix of stones and soil used for road building. There are still many rural murram roads in Kenya. They are reasonably stable but are nevertheless muddy during the rains and dusty during the dry seasons. They are also not very level, so vehicles have to drive slowly on them.
Isabelle Prondzynski


MORE
- Catherine in Murang'a


:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::


***** Bukusu Initiation (Circumcision)
cool dry season

Bukusu circumcision usually takes place in August of every even year. Mud is used for three purposes : 1) to prevent excessive bleeding after the cut, 2) to prevent the candidate from blinking or wincing, and 3) to commemorate what Mango (the hero who originated the rite) did in order to kill the monstrous serpent that had for a long time terrorized Bukusu people and their livestock -- he anointed his whole body with mud to rid his body of the human odour; in this way, he approached and killed the serpent without it detecting his presence.
You see the same tactic being used in "The Predator" by Arnold Schwarzenegger.

a young Bukusu
circumcisee smeared with mud --
circumcision rite

Text and haiku : Patrick Wafula, 2006

Bukusu Culture, Babukusu People Kenya Saijiki



[ . BACK to WORLDKIGO . TOP . ]
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::　

Winners May 2006

nnnnnnnnnnnn TOP nnnnnnnnnnnnn

Winners of the Ginkoo in Kayole, Nairobi (Kenya)

*****************************
Short Biographies


:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Miriam Nyambura (Bamboochas)

Miriam is a girl aged 20. She is in Form 4 at Bahati Community Centre Secondary school in the outskirts of Nairobi City, on the brink where upcountry begins.

Miriam writes:
"I joined Bahati Community Centre in January 2006 because I heard that there was Poetry in this school. I was very impressed and fascinated by Haiku and therefore, I joined Haiku club. I am very social and it took me a very short time to make friends with haiku poets in the club, and learn how haiku is written. Haiku has expanded my creativity, enhanced my character, and sharpened my senses of observation and hearing and recording what I see.

I wrote this poem about goats and cows and it emerged the 3rd best during the ginkoo on May 27th:

cows and goats
scatered all over the place
grazing up and down

I wrote this poem because I saw cows and goats grazing harmoniuosly together without harming each other, so to me, they portrayed a loving character to each other. Even though they were cows and goats, I could see they have a very good fellowship even when they are scattered all over the place. At that moment I wished I could be a goat.

All in all, haiku has influenced many students to write it in their schools.

"My ambition is to become the most famous poet in the whole world. My career is to become a policewoman. My hobbies and interests are volleyball and football. I would like to get penpals from Japan, Germany, USA, UK and Mexico."

BACK

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Cyprian Awino

Age: 19
Class: Form 3
Sex: female
School: Bahati Community Centre Secondary School

I have always been interested in poetry. But since there was no Poetry Club in the school, I couldn’t express my ambition. When Haiku Poetry Club was introduced in the school in January 2006, it was a God-sent opportunity. I joined the club and learned how to write haiku and I was later appointed the assistant secretary of our club.

I love haiku because of its importance to nature and how it promotes and enhances youth talents and environment conservation. I strongly believe I have the potential of a poetess.

The situation in which I was when I was writing the haiku during the ginkoo on May 27th was that I was in a very exuberant and peaceful mood with nature. At that time, I saw a child eating a fleshy avocado and that made me feel very hungry because I had not eaten anything since morning. That child was a little girl and the way she was eating the avocado was so natural and very harmonious with the surrounding.

I have gained a great deal since I started writing haiku. First, my attitude towards the environment changed completely. I have become very friendly to the environment. I have gained a lot of experience in poetry through interaction with other poets. I have also gained technologically through computer training. Hitherto, I had never set my eyes on computer, but now I have an e-mail address and can surf on the Internet.

My ambition in haiku is to expose more people to environmental conservation and how to appreciate nature. I would like to become a great poetess. Lastly, I appreciate Isabelle san for her great concern about us. I wish her a long long and prosperous life. Indeed she has made me who I am.

My favourite subject is English literature. I would like to become a doctor. I would love to get in touch with penpals from Japan, UK, USA, Germany and South Africa.

BACK

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Debborah Mocheche

Age: 15
Sex: Female
School: Bahati Community Centre Secondary School
Class: Form 2

I joined Bahati when I came from upcountry to live with my aunt. I joined Bahati Haiku Poetry Club in January 2006. At first, I didn’t know much about haiku, but after Mr. Wafula taught us and then Isabelle san came and gave us more tips, I felt confident enough to try writing haiku. After several trials, I became used to putting down small but interesting observations about nature in haiku form. Now haiku is to me like the oxygen I breathe.

When I was writing the haiku during the May 27th extravaganza I was feeling that all my senses were watchful and I was very close to nature.

Haiku has helped me to know how to observe seasons. I have also known how to write and speak English. I have learned different types of seasons and what happens during these seasons.

My ambition is to become a nurse. I would like penpals from Japan, UK, USA and Germany.

BACK

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Raymond Otieno

Age: 24
Sex: Male
Schoool: Bahati Community Centre Secondary School
Class: From 2

I joined Bahati Haiku Poetry Club in January 2006. I have risen from a naïve poet to a coordinator in this club. Haiku has promoted me academically, socially and environmentally. I have developed a positive attitude towards nature and its seasons. Secondly, I had never used a computer before but through haiku I now know how to operate a computer. I now speak haiku, eat haiku and think haiku and I have become a man of few words since I can speak a whole novel in just three lines.

My greatest experience in this club is the unforgettable day of May 27th 2006. It was the day of my greatest haiku poem :

rain has ended
footprints remain dry on paths
kids stumble and fall

That day I was in a haiku mood. I was feeling jovial and flamboyant. I felt that I should write about anything that come across my sight including my situation. And just before I could close my notebook, a small boy stumbled and fell and cried bitterly. This made me to study keenly the cause of the fall, only to find a footprint. Why was it there? I asked myself. Answer : this ground was once wet and muddy from the previous rain. That is how I came up with this haiku.

I look forward to becoming the greatest poet of all time and to use poetry to change people’s attitude towards the environment particularly here in Soweto where people are oblivious of environmental conservation.

I would like pen friends from Japan, USA and any other part of the world.

BACK

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Jeremiah Osewe

Age: 18
Sex: Male
School: Bahati Community Centre Secondary School
Class: Form 3

I joined Bhatai Haiku Poetry Club in February 2006. I had been longing to be in a Poetry Club but there had been none until BHPC came into existence. Haiku is fun and it enhances one’s sense of creativity and environmental consciousness.

When I was writing that haiku on that day of the ginkoo, I was extremely hungry and the weather was too hot and not favourable for a walk.

I would like to get in touch with penpals from any country in the world. My interests are poetry, football and music (Gospel).

BACK

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

o

*****************************

!!! BACK to the Ginkoo in Kayole
http://kenyasaijiki.blogspot.com/2005/02/bahati-060527.html

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

Back to the Worldkigo Index

Mount Kenya and Kilimanjaro

[ . BACK to WORLDKIGO . TOP . ]
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::　

Mount Kenya, Mount Kilimanjaro

***** Location: Kenya
***** Season: Non-seasonal Topic
***** Category: Earth

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

There is snow in Kenya too -- on Mount Kenya, we even have permanent glaciers, though unfortunately they are starting to melt now. As Mount Kenya is right beside the Equator, this is due to its great height (approx. 5,200 m -- Mount Fuji is approx. 3,800 m high).

Here are some web sites and pictures :

http://www.mountkenya.org/index.html

http://www.mountkenya.org/mtkenya.htm

http://www.kilimanjaro.com/kenya/mtkenya.htm

http://whc.unesco.org/pg.cfm?cid=31&id_site=800


And just across the border, in Tanzania and looking far into Kenya, is
Mount Kilimanjaro :

http://www.mountkenya.org/mtkilimanjaro.htm


Very few Kenyans have climbed either of these two mountains. But most view them with reverence. Mount Kenya is said to be the place where God (Ngai) resides. It can be seen very far away (for instance, from Kayole). There are days when it is possible to see both Mounts Kenya and Kilimanjaro from Wilson Airport, the domestic airport of Nairobi.

Most of the time, however, Mount Kenya, just like Mount Fuji, veils itself in clouds, and only the huge foot may be seen by those who know where to look for it.

Isabelle Prondzynski

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::



http://www.africaclimbing.com/mount-kenya-climbing/

Click HERE to see more photos of Mount Kenya !




Click HERE to see photos of Mount Kilimanjaro !

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


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


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




I have been privileged to visit the Land of Mt. Kilimanjaro again; and this time round I had my camera with me and took a photo of
Mt. Kilimanjaro’s highest Peak: Kibo.

noon sun —
Kibo still sitting
in white snow

Patrick Wafula



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

The volcanic Mount Meru is shadowed by his big and famous neighbour Kilimanjaro.

***** . Arusha (Tanzania) .


[ . BACK to WORLDKIGO . TOP . ]
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Bahati Greetings

[ . BACK to WORLDKIGO . TOP . ]
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::　


Greetings for the Ginko in Keyole


Greetings from Dr Gabi Greve, Director of WHC World Kigo
Nairobi, 27 May 2006
--------------------------------------------------

Greeting at the start of the Ginkoo
-------------------------------

Dear Haiku friends in Kenya,

finally the great day of your first big Ginkoo, the Haiku walk, has come ! You must be so excited to be on your way, so just a short word of advice:

You will all walk through the same area, so try and see the small details around you, like looking through a microscope. Then your haiku will reflect many facets of this area. Your haiku will then show YOUR very own part of it and will definitely be unique. Even if 200 people walk around in the same place, you might find in the end that each one of you has his or her very special way of seeing and experiencing things.

When Isabelle san visited me in April, we talked a lot about this meeting and I am really sorry not to be with you today. But I gave her a small present for the three best haiku which will be selected today, so try hard !

A great thank you to all who helped prepare this day !

Now be on your way with all the best wishes from your Haiku friends worldwide.

Gabi from Japan
in the name of the World Kigo Database


Greeting at the Prize Giving
--------------------------

Dear friends, your day has come to an end and all haiku are now written and evaluated.

My most heartfelt best wishes to the winners of today's Haiku Meeting ! I hope you all learned a bit more about haiku and will continue to enjoy writing haiku.

Isabelle san will now hand you the three little presents. They are little notebooks to write haiku in, especially for Japanese of course, so you can enjoy looking at these small strange Japanese
characters. Maybe one day, through your continuous study of Haiku, you will even be able to read them !

As you will see, the lines are from top to bottom, in the typical way of writing Japanese !
To use them, you will have to turn the notebook to write in your way !

There are so many different things done differently in other cultures, but through haiku you can learn about many in a pleasant way !

I wish you all the best for your future events !

Gabi from Japan

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Greeting from Sakuo Nakamura to the Nairobi Ginkoo
27 May 2007
-----------------------------------------------

Dear Kenya boys and girls
I am a Japanese, living in Tokyo.

I like to paint pictures, and my work refers to the following story.

Three years ago my old sister has asked me to paint a picture. She was old and ill in bed for some time. Once she was very beautiful and received many love letters.
In my boyhood she was my flower of pride.

I decided to present her my Haiku with a picture. For encouraging her, I painted cherry blossoms and added a short haiku poem.

hana nari shi kimi iki iki to haru goto ni

The English translation means

once like a flower
you refresh
every spring



At first I made this poem in Japanese and translated it to English. This was my first experience to make Haiku.

After that, I have been trying to make haiku with English and Japanese. In those processes, I found that I could start thinking haiku by both languages that finally reach at a single concept.

Haiku consists of few words so that each word of every language should have the same meaning.
This is why I recommend you to make haiku in the language of yours and English, and maybe later in Japanese. The practice will help you to learn foreign languages.

There is one difficult point in bilingual haiku. The point comes from the gap of culture. There are two types of gaps.
One belongs to space, that is between countries.
Your mountain is perhaps red in color but mine are green.
You have a wide desert. We are surrounded by sea.

The other gap is time, for example, that is between myself and the Japanese haiku poet Issa who lived 200 years ago in Japan. I drink coffee now but Issa did not know coffee.

How do you get over those gaps of time and space ?

One assistance is by pictures or photos that bring the image to your mind. So I paint haiga (haiku with an attached picture) in my BLOG called "Everyday Issa".

Issa is one of famous haiku poet in Japan. You can meet him in Dr. David's site on the Internet.

http://haikuguy.com/issa/

http://sakuo3903.blogspot.com


Issa, David and I, Sakuo are flying to anywhere in the world. We three can go anywhere by internet. Through the internet the whole world can get in unison physically, but really we are struggling with each other.

Let's learn haiku to deepen our mutual understanding. Therefore peace comes true.

Sakuo Nakamura in Tokyo


*****************************
Back to the Ginko in Kayole

BACK: Kayole, 27 May 2006


[ . BACK to WORLDKIGO . TOP . ]
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::　

OAKS Haiku Club

[ . BACK to WORLDKIGO . TOP . ]
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::　

The Oaks !

Our group is from Embakasi High School in Kayole, Nairobi.
We are about one kilometre North of Bahati.

We were introduced to Haiku by Patrick Sensei of Bahati Haiku Poetry club and his team of great haiku enthusiasts, the famous Bamboochas.

Haiku is unlike any other form of poetry we have ever known; it has opened our eyes and senses to a world we had hitherto not known: the world of nature and its wonderful seasons.

Even here in Nairobi, in the hustle and bustle, haiku has taught us to pause and observe, and what great sights we have discovered! Our greatest inspiration was the ginkoo on May 27 this year and our greatest experience was meeting The Moderator, Miss Isabelle.
We now long to meet Miss Gabi Greve and the other poets...

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Haiku for the World Cup July 2006

Rebecca Mbithe

parents disagree
over what to watch on TV--
world cup interrupts

Brazil and England
could not reach the semis--
tears are shed

commitments postponed--
friends and families gather
to cheer their stars

everyone hurrying--
televisions out of stock
it is world cup


Geoffrey Wafula

prrrrrt!
France gets a penalty kick
Zidane scores

goooooal!
challenging defender--
Ronaldo scores


John Simala

overcrowded bars--
revellers sip as they cheer
it is world cup

fans throng stadia
to behold cheer and jeer--
world cup fever is here

the battle is on
for the covetted trophy--
the FIFA World Cup

students and workers
skive to watch the event live--
moral support

France and Itally
survive to the finals--
who expected that?

Africans return
tearful and empty-handed--
the title is still elusive

hope still thrives--
South Africa hosts
2010 World Cup


Soccer, Football, Fussball

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Our last World Cup haiku, July 13, 2006:

students play football--
calling themselves Ronaldo
and Ronaldinho
Patrick Wafula

pedestrians wear t-shirts
with Ronaldinho's photo
patriotism
Patrick Wafula

a Japanese boy
play well during finals--
England is defeated
Okwaro

Tony was a good player--
Del Piero scored the last penalty
Italy wins World Cup
Doreen

watching in expectation--
ball against the net
cheerful crowds
Nancy Olande

smiles on their faces
Germany for World Cup
Mexico waves along
Nancy Olande

thronged stadium
filled entertainment spots--
cheering fans.
Nancy Olande

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Meeting of the Haiku Clubs of Nairobi
November 2006


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

***** Bahati Haiku Club, Nairobi


[ . BACK to WORLDKIGO . TOP . ]
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::