The event will provide an opportunity for the community to sustain an on-going conversation on how best to increase the quality of civic participation among African immigrants and other underrepresented groups in the Northwest suburbs of Hennepin County. Designed to help shift the roles of participants from observers to active leaders, the conversation will also involve an action session, allowing for participants to match their interests to existing civic opportunities and community causes.

“We are excited to work with a diverse group of stakeholders to create new possibilities for increased civic engagement within our communities of color in the Northwest suburbs,” said Abdullah Kiatamba, executive director of AIS. “This is a great opportunity to identify and motivate new leaders, to help address some shared challenges and to make our communities more inclusive.”

The conversation, employing the Art of Hosting, as well as other culturally competent participatory methods, will seek to create an environment that facilitates a collective exploration of diverse knowledge and wisdom inherent in community engagement.

“This community conversation forum is an excellent opportunity to develop and support diverse leaders, as well as work with our community to achieve our goals of providing solutions to real and perceived barriers to opportunities,” said Elizabeth Tolzmann, Brooklyn Park Community Engagement Coordinator. “This collaborative effort among various organizations is a significant stepping stone in the community’s desire and commitment to make Brooklyn Park a thriving community inspiring pride where opportunities exist for all.”

The planning team, comprising community leaders and activists, will use the outcomes of the event to help inform and strengthen a pathway from disengagement to sustained community engagement in the Northwest suburbs.

The event is funded by a grant from the Bush Foundation’s InCommons program, the event also enjoys the support of a diverse group of community sponsors.
Date: Thursday April 11, 2013

Time: 5:45 p.m. to 7:45 p.m.

Location: Brooklyn Park Council Chambers, 5200 85th Avenue North, Brooklyn Park, MN 55443

Minneapolis was definitely the place most East Africans were a weekend ago to watch David Mathenge, famously known as Nameless, in concert. Performing at the Blue Nile restaurant, the artist showed up on stage dressed in shiny black pants, a white shirt and a sport coat.

The coat was quick to come off, and the shirt unbuttoned to the chest due to the heat brought about by the extensive crowd. Nameless began his concert with one of his high energy songs, Manner less that got the crowd wild and loud. Dj Kaydee, from Kenya matched up with the zealous performance presenting his skill amicably on the turntables.

Nameless whose popular songs include Sinzia, Ninanoki, Maisha, Furahiday, just to mention a few, has a knack to put down lyrics that are easy to remember, enjoyable and relatable. The large audience out to watch one of Kenya’s favorite performer sang along to the entertainers songs. The cheering and applauding to every word he spoke and dance gyration he made was deafening.

The front row next to the stage where I and other ladies were standing was a vantage point for me to watch the artist give a performance that was both interactive and very engaging. A few ladies got the opportunity to join Nameless on stage and dance with him. One catchy moment of the concert was when two ladies got on stage and performed a dance routine to Nameless’ song “Deadly”. The artist, though stunned by the sudden impromptu performance, joined in and the three seamlessly danced together, much to the audiences delight. His recently released song “Salary” which features a very well choreographed video has become a major hit with many. One fan who has mastered the choreography got on stage and excitedly danced to the song.

Nameless gave a performance that will well be remembered for long, just like his music. He took the opportunity to mention the late E-sir with whom he recorded the hit “Boomba Train”. It’s easy to see why he attracts so many to his shows. Nameless is an accommodating, stimulating and interactive entertainer.

Nameless, who is married to another popular Kenyan artist, Wahu, has won and been nominated for awards like the Kisima Awards and Tanzanian Music awards. He has been listed as one of Kenya’s most influential people. Nameless and Wahu have one child a girl, born a few years ago.

Popular for his hit single ‘Nare’ (Swahili slang word meaning Fire), Daddy V, a Kenyan artist who lives in Dallas is marking his territory in the music scene. He has kept busy in the past few years working incessantly on his music, which has resulted to his first CD album.

Daddy V began rapping at the young age of ten back home in Kenya. Through his teenage years he performed in various music competitions, always landing at the top. After graduating from high school, Daddy V got the opportunity to record a few of his songs, but due to some set backs the music went unreleased. Disappointed, Daddy V decided to take a short break from music with the hopes that things would somehow work out and he could later on pursue his passion. Shortly after, he moved to the States and hooked up with a friend who owned a recording studio.

The opportunity to continue his dream had arisen. While working on one of his songs, ‘Nare’, which unbeknownst to him would become a hit, he met founder of Kilimanjaro Records George Ndege, and together they embarked on the journey that has led to the birth of an album fittingly titled ‘NARE’.

Daddy V has performed in different states promoting his music, though his most recent concert during Memorial Weekend in Dallas was a stand out performance. He recalls how honored he was to have the opportunity to share the same mic as Ritchie Spice who was one of the artists in the concert, as well as famous Kenyan artist and childhood acquaintance, Jua Kali.

Having seen Daddy V in concert in Minnesota, I will attest to his performances being energy filled, with catchy beats and tunes. His style of music is a mix of various genres like Reggae, Ragga and Genge, a style of Kenyan music. His new CD comprises of a number of collaborations with other artists like Wachera with whom he has done a number of songs and Innocent, a Tanzanian Reggae artist who resides in Minnesota.

The album is dedicated to his dad, who has always been a big inspiration and fan. Daddy V hopes to tour different parts of the world, Kenya included, where the song ‘Nare’ has aired in radio stations and was also used as a soundtrack in the movie, ‘Malooned’, which was released last year.

Daddy V is scheduled to perform in Minnesota at the Cabooze on August 30th, where he hopes to officially release his debut album.

I got there around 11:30 p.m, psyched,excited and awaiting the performance of the night by Amani. A Kisima Awardwinner, Amani is the top female artist in E. Africaand most popularly known for her hit singles, “Bad boy, Ninanoki andMissing ma Baibe”. When I got to Bue Nile, Dj KV was playing Zinazopendwa, old school African music, whichmy friends and I slowly danced to as we reminisced with each passing song.

DJ Chris then took over and played someKenyan music with a mix of reggae. Though the dance floor was not necessarilyfilled up, those of us dancing were really into the music and were fully enjoyingit.

Blade Brown and Baraka got onto the stageand performed a few songs. By this time, DJ Dan was at the turn tables mixingit up for the artists. With much emotion and passion, Blade Brown urged theaudience to participate in his performance and delivered quite a remarkableact. After a short break, the show stopper of the night, Amani, dressed in aturquoise dress that highlighted her beautiful figure, got on the stage singing.

The crowd, eager and anticipating herperformance unanimously screamed in glee and excitement. She did not disappoint,singing and enticing the audience with her dance moves and melodic voice.Amani, entertaining and highly energetic, carried the crowd and delivered songafter song.

She sang, she danced, she communicated,joked with the audience and invited a few of them on the stage with her. Herspace was everyone’s space and she made all feel included. Performing a few ofher songs from her new album Tamani, Amani brought out her soulful voice andfun side with her music. She kept the audience captivated and entertainedthrough the night.

With cameras flashing everywhere and peoplereaching out to touch her, Amani’s celebrity status was obvious but did not getto her as she signed copies of her CD and took pictures with many of her fansat the end of the night. Exhausted, worn out and done for the night, Amanistill managed to talk and laugh with her fans, nonchalant and accommodating oftheir needs.

The concert was presented by George “Jojo” Ndegeof Kilimanjaro Entertainment.

The soft light hall had round tables surrounding a huge wood tiled dance floor. A long table at the head of the room held the members of the OLM and guest speaker Congressman, Minnesota 5th District, Keith Ellison. The evening begun with a word of prayer by Rev. Geraldine Freeman, before a dinner that consisted of salad, chicken with stir-fried rice and drinks. Traditional Liberian music playing in the background as people enjoyed dinner and small talk.

OLM was formed over thirty years ago by the Liberian community in Minnesota, with the intention of assisting families intergrrate into the American lifestyle, as well as build networks to maintain relations and livelihood amongst each other.

A vibrant voice suddenly burst through the speakers, as a young woman, Tarloh Quiwonkpa accompanied by Cross Atlantic Crew, took to the floor performing dances to Liberian songs. Tarloh danced with vigor and purpose as her soulful voice drew the audience into the music. Though not Liberian, I could easily sense the bond of togetherness among those gathered at Cedar Hall. Congressman Ellison who was the guest speaker of the evening, took to the podium after the exciting musical performance. Congressman Ellison has been very involved in the Liberian Community over the years and helped push for the extension of the temporary permanent status, when Liberians had been asked to go back to their home country.

His speech was received with great applause, especially when he joked that he was Liberian and commended the OLM President on his qualities as a good listener and communicator. He urged Liberians to ‘get on the bus’ and support  Dwanyen in his work to lead them to the future.

David Dwanyen and Renee Mompremier had the honor of introducing their father, OLM President, to present his speech. Kerper Dwanyen begun his speech by recognizing members of board, distinguished guests and his fiance’ Ms. Re Cooper. Humble and articulate in his speech, Dwanyen listed key changes that the OLM needs to undertake to better the committee and the Liberian community as a whole. This changes included structural reform to attain a unitary chain of command with board of directors, political involvement with the aid of Liberian Community Action (LCA) so as to represent political aspirations of the Liberian community and participation in the reconstruction of the education and health care centers in Liberia. He urged Liberians to invest in their home country to aid in the rebuilding and economic advancement of Liberia. Dwanyen concluded his speech quoting JFK Junior, with a little twist of his own saying, “Ask not what OLM can do for you, but what you can do for OLM.”

Right before the ball was about to commence, four young girls presented a beautiful poem, “Dare to Dream”. Each in her own character and absorbing personality, the girls individually presented a poem on wisdom, responsibility, good investment, love and sound judgment. The performance called on the youth and elderly to raise children with the above mentioned qualities to ensure a good purposeful future for both the young and the old. The audience proudly applauded the presentation while nodding their heads and murmuring their approval of the spoken words.

Thereafter, people gathered on the dance floor to the beat of Liberian music. It was a mesh of beautiful evening gowns and elaborate traditional wear that included big hats strategically placed on womens heads. From where I was seated, I could take it all in and deeply appreciate the beauty of it. The evening was definetely one that will be memorable for days to come.

The lavish motorcades to Parliament, the assurances of speedy economic recovery, the pretense that everything is "back to business as usual", are the clearest signs we could have of the criminal blindness and self-interest of the political class.  This is the blindness and greed that dragged Kenya into this crisis in the first place. Never again can Kenyans allow the power and resources of the country to be concentrated in the hands of a tiny, powerful elite.

So what must we do?

Firstly, stay involved in civil society initiatives set up in the past two months. Rescue Kenya offers a comprehensive list of the groups and organizations set up, across all sectors, from civilian humanitarian relief to political action. Among the forces that brought Kenya back from the abyss, the strength and speed with which Kenyan civil society mobilized, domestically and internationally, cannot be discounted.

Secondly, participate in the political process. Tom Maliti, AP Kenya correspondent, offers this blueprint:

"As citizens, it is our national duty to remind our parliamentary leaders that this is not just about them. It is about all of us.
 
"How do we do that? Many of us went to the same school with a current member of parliament or have worked with them or just attended a half day seminar with them before they became politicians. Or it was their relative we were in school with or the person we know is an aide or key ally.

"We are connected. This is one time we need to make those connections work. Individually, for example writing to them, or collectively through the neighbourhood association.

"If the member of parliament is not easy to reach, try your local councillor. Many councillors live in the ward they represent and are easy to find. Many also act as grassroots mobilisers or coordinators for members of parliament and can easily get in touch with the area member of parliament.

"Under the arrangement elaborated in the accords, there is not going to be a significant opposition in parliament. So who will act as a check on the government? Ensure that what the politicians have agreed to is implemented? As citizens we will be required to be more vigilant than before.

"In the months to voting day, lots of questions were raised about the type of political parties we have. The chaotic nominations of parliamentary and civic candidates prompted many of those questions. The general sense was, "Well, that is politics for you". It doesn’t have to be that way. And there’s a possible answer: the Political Parties Bill.

"It was passed by parliament in November and is waiting for the assent of President Mwai Kibaki. The importance of this bill is it proposes to steer our political parties to become mature organizations that are responsive to their members and have a national agenda.

The Political Parties Bill requires political parties to report each year to the Registrar of Political Parties on their membership countrywide, financing and other issues. If passed, a lot of briefcase parties will disappear simply for failing the membership criteria. The bill also provides for the Treasury to give some funding to parties with a certain level of representation at the council or National Assembly level. This could, I emphasise could, help political parties ease the grip people with deep pockets have on them. The catch is this: it does not have clear criteria on limits of funding by an individual or company, nor does it make it mandatory for parties to disclose who is funding them and how.

"The Political Parties Bill offers an opportunity towards a different politics. Talk to your MP to talk to the president to sign the bill into law.

"But matters do not end there. Assuming your preferred political party is able to recruit a substantial and committed national membership, is able to fundraise for its needs, will willingly and publicly account for the monies, and has a clear agenda that is tied to principles and not individuals, where are the people to make all this happen?

"A big challenge for any political party today is staff. From the simplest job to the most complex. Many people volunteer their time, services and money during election time. Once the election is over, however, they go back to their routines. And yet we still expect political parties to work and satisfy our ideals of what politics should be. Why?

"If you recognise Kenya is at a historical moment and want to make a contribution, opportunity is knocking at your door. Answer, give time to your preferred political party, even if it is just one Saturday a month.

"If you don’t, who will?"

This will be my final Kenya Crisis blog on Mshale. In addition to the demands of my other life, as a working and touring artist, I will be devoting my time to working on the ground in Nairobi with Kenyans for Peace with Truth and Justice.

My thanks to all of you who have read this blog in the last 2 months, shared and acted on the information in it. May we all continue to work for a Kenya where every life is of equal value.

The group is operating as a google group at
http://groups.google.com/group/USkenyaptj?hl=en.

All friends of Kenya are welcome to join. Email contact: Kenyanpeace@gmail.com

DON’T GIVE IN TO CLIMATE OF FEAR

by L. Muthoni Wanyeki

This piece originally appeared in The East African
Lives have been lost and continue to be lost. Women have been raped — many of whom find themselves now forced into transactional sex to obtain basic goods and services within the internally displaced camps all over the country. Livelihoods have been destroyed. We are all being forced into a situation of feeling secure only where our ancestors happened to originate. And fear is growing. Day by day.

We held our breath as the mediation process was launched. We are still holding it. A new form of violence has emerged. We whisper: were the murders of two Orange Democratic Movement parliamentarians political assassinations? The propaganda war intensifies.

Part of the propaganda war has to do with naming the violence. The term "genocide" is invoked — ignoring the fact that genocide includes elements of state complicity. The term "ethnic cleansing" is thrown around loosely. Both terms heighten the fear.

Yes, there are historical grievances that need to be addressed. Yes, there are contemporary experiences of exclusion and persistent inequalities that also need to be addressed. And, most importantly, yes, the victims — and survivors — of the current violence have experienced and understand that violence to be the result of their ethnicity. But the violence is politically-instigated. And it finds ethnic expression or manifests itself ethnically because our politics are organised ethnically.

There are now four forms of violence in Kenya. First, the violence resulting from disorganised and spontaneous protests at the announcement of the disputed presidential result. This form of violence has largely died down (or been suppressed). Second, and most critically, violence resulting from organised militia activity — beginning most horrendously in the Rift Valley, but now spreading out from Nairobi and Central. Third, violence by the police force and the General Service Unit’s extraordinary use of force, including extrajudicial killings, primarily in Nyanza Province.

And fourth, violence resulting from communal vigilantism — catalysed by the perceived need for self-defence and security, but also by the influx of internally displaced people into families and communities in Nairobi and Central Provinces. 

All forms of violence are completely, utterly unacceptable. All forms of violence must be condemned. And, importantly, accountability must be sought for all forms of violence. There can be no impunity.

Seeking accountability requires the painstaking work of investigation, documentation and evidence collection — particularly with respect to the organised militia activity. We all have initial findings and preliminary information. But that is not enough. Which is why the propaganda war must stop.

Calling for peace is not enough. We will only slide into civil war if we cannot see through this. We must resist the fear, name the problem accurately and desist from the build up to the declaration of a state of emergency or the deployment of the military or, worse, the usurpation of civilian governance by military governance. We must demand that the organised militia activity stop. We must demand that the police and the General Service Unit focus on ensuring that it does as well as protecting the IDPs. The mediation process has too much at stake for us all to be compromised now. We have lost too much as it is.

Yesterday, he spoke before the US House of Representatives on the crisis in Kenya. You can read his full statement at the excellent Kenyan Emergency Blog. Some quotes:

Kenya is at a cross-road that will mean either the complete disintegration of Kenya or the beginning of a new, more democratic, sustainable nation suited to the needs and aspirations of the Kenyan people.

What is going on in Kenya is a political crisis with ethnic manifestation because politics in Kenya is organized ethnically.

Part of the reason why militia—on both sides—have been so potent and dangerous is that they arose from the earlier violence of the 1990s and were never de-mobilized. Nor was there a process to deal with the root causes of that violence, with the Kibaki government choosing to sweep the matter under the carpet, despite campaign promises to the contrary. With grievances bubbling and fermenting close to the surface, it was relatively easy to reactivate the militia using methods similar to those of the 1990s. Most important, the paymasters and planners of the 1990s clashes were never held accountable.

The violence is neither genocide nor ethnic cleansing: The root of the problem is not that different ethnic groups decided they could no longer live together. The root of the problem is the inability of peaceful means to address grievances.

It is clear that the flagrant effort to steal the presidential election was the immediate trigger for the violence. All independent observers have said that the tallying process was so flawed that it is impossible to tell who won the presidential election.

This is the time for Kenya to end the impunity that has been a feature of our history since independence, and also to end the “winner take all” “first past the post” system.

Finally, it is important that U.S. military and security assistance be frozen immediately. All US assistance to Kenya should be channelled through non-governmental sources.

Rwanda Men’s Resource Centre                                WE-ACTx

Global Call to action for Men and Male leaders!