Fiat Lux
April 6 2017 – Education, as we commonly talk of it, is that process by which an individual is taken through formal structures that inculcate in him/her a certain body of knowledge and values qualifying the individual for a useful and serviceable existence. This usually denotes the school system, complete with its classrooms, teachers, syllabuses and books. But there is always another education, which is not that formal, one which…
Under the heading, “More a marathon than a sprint”, last week’s “The Economist” wrote about the deindustrialization of the African continent. Comparing our continent with Asia, the newspaper painted a picture of a continent that has been dismantling even the few factories that it had built three decades ago and shows no signs of embarking on any programme of putting itself out of the hole it has dug itself into.…...
March 2 2017 Chirau Ali Mwakwere “Zipapa” is a former Kenyan minister and ambassador who is so funny he could make the Sphinx laugh. He can also belt out a song at a moment’s notice, in Kiswahili, English or Lingala. He speaks impeccable Kiswahili, and claims the language originated from Kwale, his home county where he is contesting the gubernatorial seat in the upcoming elections. All the foregoing, however, is…...
September 22 2016 – Am I alone in having this feeling, that we are witnessing unprecedented police shootings of African Americans in the United States? Feelings, of course, do not need empirical evidence to be credible, but I suspect that if one did a scientific study in this area, this feeling would be borne out. This is true: There is hardly a week that passes by these days without news…...