Tuesday, June 20, 2017

Bindu Bichenjanga by Amos Barasa: The Making of a Hit! Video, The Politics, Hidden Symbolism & Powerful Message

Bindu Bichenjanga is contemporary Bukusu pop music song by Amos Barasa. Amos- a young man probably not yet thirty- represents this breed of new age musicians comfortable singing in vernacular. A talented generation of Luhya entertainers who like their peers in Kapuka (AfroPop if you like) are brave in their sound. Revolutionizing  traditional vernacular music with hip hop, house, calypso and even Rhumba .

Amos Barasa in scene from the Bindu Bichenjanga video. Image: YouTube/Godricks/Amos Barasa
Going by his 'swahili-nised' Lubukusu, Amos, who's said to have begun his signing career in high school, must hail from Kimilli, Kamukuywa or Tongaren thereabouts. Anywhere where the W'Amutala -the speakers of this dialect of Lubukusu- hail from. Thanks to this accident of nature, unlike Steve Kay who in "Mbe' Omukhasi", had to layer Swahili and English to increase the crossover appeal of  his run away hit, Bindu Bichenjanga, Barasa's native way of speaking does the crossover work  for him.

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Saturday, February 18, 2017

Dismay At Kenyan Government Handling Of Biting Doctor's Strike, Sees Bungoma Blogger Ruthlessly Slay Infamous 36 Jubilee Bloggers


Kenyan doctors have been on strike since December 5th, 2016. The Kenyan government has thrown everything at the doctors save for a solution. The doctors have fought hard for the implementation of the agreement between their union, KMPDU and the Ministry of Health Kenya, CBA 2013, that addresses health sector inefficiencies from issues of staffing of hospitals, equipping hospitals to training and remuneration of doctors. The doctors have been jailed, de-campaigned by government propagandists out to tarnish the profession. The result of all these has been Kenya's biggest public discourse on health care and corruption. It has not been pretty as it has been tainted by politics and ethnicity.
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Tuesday, January 17, 2017

One Billion Budalangi Bridge 80% Complete

Having hosted both the President and Deputy president in Busia, once a fierce critic turned ally Budalangi MP Ababu Namabwa  must be hard pressed to explain his change of heart to the electorate. Offering Jubilee a landing ground in what is considered to be Cord territory is no easy task. But if social media reports from Busia County News are to be believed, then some respite



"Construction of Sigiri bridge in Budalangi on River Nzoia is 80% complete.The construction which started in 2016 will cost the national up to one billion shillings.The bridge will open up Bunyala south which has remained undeveloped for mamy years due to lack of a link with the north.Many people have also lost their life while crossing the perilous river using boats.President Uhuru Kenyatta toured the area on 7th September 2014 to console families of nine people who perished after their boat capsized while crossing the river a week earlier."

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