Friday, September 23, 2005

"Africa Animated!"

"Africa Animated!"

A UNESCO program in East Africa that may be of interest to younger members of the Sagam community.

ECOSANDALS: Home - Akala,Sandals,Footwear

ECOSANDALS: Home - Akala,Sandals,Footwear

This may be of interest to the Sagam community. I just sent a note to the ceo who attended the same university as I.

Angelina and Jeff's Excellent Ideas

Angelina and Jeff's Excellent Ideas

My guess is that many in the Sagam community will be supportive of the idea behind this editorial from The New York Times a few days ago. It would just be good to substitute Sagam for Sauri, right?

Thursday, September 22, 2005

The Search for Identity


Kenya is not a country without culture. With so many ethnic groups and languages, culture in Kenya is vibrant and eclectic. However, is there a lack of a distinct and wholesome 'Kenyan culture'?

In the summer of 2004, Kenya launched a competition to decide its national dress. Aside from the distictive clothing of the Maasai and Turkana, the government decided that Kenya, as a whole, did not have its own dress. One year later after the winning design was announced, it has proved unpopular among most Kenyans.

What do the people of Sagam think of the national dress and would they wear it? Should we try to establish a uniform culture or just remain within the customs of our own ethnic groups?

Photos of the winning design can be seen at the official website of the Kenyan National Dress

EDUCATION: Kenya receives Sh37m for Girls' Education


The US Government donated Sh37.5 million in scholarships for 2,500 girls in primary and secondary schools in the country.

Read more here.

Troubled genius: The Dennis Oliech saga


Football is very popular in Kenya as well as in Sagam as it is the sport every small boy dreams of playing and succeeding in. (In fact, there are contributors on this board that may admit to their dabbling in professional football in their younger days....)

Although Kenya has not had a lot of success in the international scene, Kenyans still dream of the day when we will make the World Cup. Perhaps talented striker Dennis Oliech could lead us there....

This is the interesting story of Dennis Oliech, one of Kenya's rising football stars...

Wednesday, September 21, 2005

COMMUNICATIONS: "Eco-friendly radio station started in Wales"

COMMUNICATIONS: "Eco-friendly radio station started in Wales"

Does this have any potential application to Sagam?

"A big idea for aiding Africa -- think small"

"A big idea for aiding Africa -- think small"

Sunday, September 18, 2005

DEVELOPMENT: Barack OBAMA and "Constant Gardener"

DEVELOPMENT: Barack OBAMA and "Constant Gardener"

I, too, have now seen the film, "Constant Gardener". See this earlier post here. As a non-Kenyan, I found it to be a great story, and one that should serve as a wonderful conversation started between Sagam Village and others. Members of the Sagam community may be interested in reading the comments from 31 readers (as of this post) of The New York Times about the movie. (As an aside, wouldn't it be marvelous to connect the readers of The Times with readers of the Nation and the Standard with one another to talk about the movie?)

In the title, above, I have included Senator Orack OBAMA, probably the best known son of Kenya in the US today. He has been outspoken in the wake of the Hurricane Katrina tragedy here in the U.S. I heard him today on televsion talking about his view that the poor people who have been most affected by the hurricane are both black and white, and the need to confront poverty regardless of the color of one's skin.

The confluence of the film and the Senator opens up opportunities for new and important links to be constructed between out two countries, and I want to do all that I can to be of service in including Sagam near to the center of that opportunity.