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A Bajuni sea shanty

Alihamdu li ‘l-lahi nishukuriye manani,
Alihamdu li ‘l-lahi dunia ni k’itju gani,
Walokuva na majumba eo uringa anjani,
Walokuva na dau eo wanajeuka kutoka pwani
Walokuva na minazi eo tembo hutamani
P’emba ni uvazo wangu hula kwa magego dani

Praise be to God, let me thank providence,
Praise be to God, what sort of a place is this world,
Those who had mansions now wander about in open air,
Those who had dhows are now turned back from the shore,
Those had palms now crave for a sip of palm wine,
A horn is my strength, I eat with my molars inside.

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Urban Festival

The rythyms are hypnotic, the beats are pulsating and there are vibrant African patterns and colours everywhere, in the artwork decorating the stages, in the clothes worn by the performers. People of all colour and races from all over the world are listening and dancing with smiles on their faces.

No, this is not some Utopian dream! Welcome to the Nyege Nyege Festival! The name means the irresistible urge to dance in the local Luganda language and this is what you could be doing in the city of Jinja in Uganda. And if you want to take a rest then you can take a time out and walk a couple of hundred yards away to chill out on the banks of the river Nile and take in the majestic views. Nyege Nyege is a festival held every year in Uganda which brings together acts from all over Africa and beyond and is one of the most exciting in East Africa.

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Matatu Culture

“Give me three cents,” says Sammy the turn boy in Kiswahili to another passenger that he is trying to squeeze into the converted Peugeout 404. It’s the 1960’s and matatus, privately owned mini-vans, are gradually becoming a more popular way to travel to work than walking. Rides are also cheap, only three cents and the Kiswahili word for three is tatu. This is thought to be the origin of the name matatu which are also known as a Ma3.

Today you could take a ride on the wild side with this graffitied and music playing local transport in down town Nairobi. And while you are sitting comfortably in one you can also admire the amazing artwork on the inside and outside which could have been spray painted by Moha “ the grandfather” of matatu graphic design. You will also learn that “turn boy” the word that was used for a conductor in the 1960’s is no longer in use. Instead people use the word “condo” which is a Sheng( a Kiswahili pidgin dialect in Nairobi). You will also be amazed by their hanging on the side of the matatu acrobatics when it’s on the move!

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Maasai Yoga

Introducing Parit Ole Noomek from Olgulului who one of the only Masai yoga teachers in Kenya! Here is his story…

Back in Easter, 2007 and American lady called Page Allenson visited Parit’s village on a cultural visit and she was so moved that she wanted to spend the night there. For some reason her tour driver did not think it was a good idea and convinced her return to her lodge. One would have thought that Parit and Page would never meet again but a year later she returned to the same lodge and Parit ran into her again because he was at the lodge promoting his bush guided walks to tourists. On that trip she visited his village again and long term friendship was born. There have been many more visits since and Parit even started to learning yoga from Page( she is the founder of the African Yoga Project).  He eventually decided to become a yoga teacher so she managed to get he and his best friend, Julius Kapaito Seleka, a scholarship to do a yoga teaching course in Mombasa. And what made fantastical trip even more exciting was that the both flew from Amboseli to Mombasa. It was their first flight! I guess that their yoga breathing techniques came in handy.

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