Miscellaneous Musings

Old Town in Mombasa, Kenya.

Lacking a theme to opine upon today, I thought I would send out an assortment of random thoughts with which my readership can mull over:

Things I like:

• Freezy business operated out of my homestay - 24 hour access to mango-flavoured deliciousness


• Seeing sea turtles


• Nights without electricity


• Very professional dramas produced by Kwacha Afrika

Things I do not like:

• Getting stiffed by matatu conductors looking to make easy money off foreigners

For the most part, I expect local vendors and drivers to target me, judged mostly on my skin colour. However, after three weeks here, I know the going rates to take the matatu bus everywhere I need to go and the prices of most common foods. It becomes a great aggravation to haggle every time I want to go somewhere in town.

Also, the other day I pulled out my wallet on the matatu and flashed ten American dollars. The passenger next to me asked if he could have it. That was quite the annoying assumption. I mean, many people assume that the YCI volunteers are wealthy (I wish) because we are white. However, would that man have had the same gall to ask a wealthy Kenyan for the same thing? It seems highly unlikely.

Myself, Kasena, and Mody.

To return to things that I like...

Kwacha Afrika hosted a theatre night in downtown Mombasa last Sunday. Like most of their outreach activities, their plays are themed upon HIV/AIDS awareness and gender empowerment. Sunday's play told the story of Layla, a recently widowed young woman who suspected her former partner of dying from HIV. Scared to have herself tested, she still is intent upon marrying another man. Her sister Lulu is convinced that her new fiance is, in fact, the one who needs to be tested. Her love for Layla pushes her to sabotaging the wedding and leads to ostracism from her own family. In the end, the fiance confesses to being HIV-positive, Lulu rejoins the family, Layla comes to terms with the news and they all live happily ever after.

Kwacha Afrika youth performing for an HIV/AIDS outreach event.
Lulu, played by Nti Abdala (above) during Kwacha's play.
Tabulezy (above left) and Shiko (above right), stars of Kwacha Afrika's HIV/AIDS awareness drama. Shiko played the starring role of Layla.

As an allegory for the locals, the Kwacha youth hoped to impress the need for absolutely everybody to be tested for HIV - even if you are fairly certain that you do not carry the virus. Hopefully, this message will be heeded by the fifty-plus youth who attended the show. Young people in Mombasa are fortunate to have the energy and vision that Kwacha Afrika delivers to their commmunity.

Things are getting busy here for the YCI volunteers. Coming up this week, we are holding a 3-day gender issues summit for youth in the Likoni, the south side of the city. Mostly, it will focus on empowering women to join the workforce and for men to shed the stereotyped roles that women are given here. It will prove to be an interesting discussion, I believe. Thanks for reading my posts!