| Kwani Publication Marks 2nd Anniversary of Post-Election Violence in Kenya
A description of Kwani? 05 by Kwani Trust- "The chaos that engulfed Kenya in the opening weeks of 2008 revealed something deeper than a ‘post-election’ crisis. Kwani? 05, a twin edition, examines Kenya in the context and violent aftermath of its 2007 elections. In the two issues, words and images from over 50 writers, photographers, and cartoonists offer a groundbreaking exploration of Kenya’s moment of madness and provide a collective narrative on what we were before, and what we became, during the epochal first 100 days of 2008."
Read an insightful review of Kwani? 05 by the writer Paselelo Kantai entitled "Witers in Search of a Nation."
You can also purchase the collection.
Kwani (meaning “Why not?”) is dedicated to nurturing and developing Kenya’s and Africa’s intellectual, creative and imagination resources through strategic literary interventions.Learn more...
Here are a few exerpts from the collection:
‘Censuses have been ordered in key locations and we have body counts’ – Keguro Macharia, ‘Kenya, in Retrospect’
‘We are not looking for lilywhite boys, lucent and incorruptible. We are looking for a margin of human error, a hasty scrawl of responsibility’ -Marjorie Oludhe Macgoye, ‘Transparency’
‘...Of course I had heard the rumours; rumours were everywhere. I called the government like crazy, but you don’t wait for such rumours to be confirmed. You take precautions. The people in town decided, let’s call reinforcements. By the 25th, at six in the morning we had reinforcements from Naivasha and other places – what everyone calls Mungiki...’ -Rift Valley Testimonial
‘...Kenya, I cannot avoid thinking, should see what Uganda did to itself before plunging headlong into the mess. When people speak of ethnic hatred, they have the confidence of those who have not yet fallen and broken a limb...’ -David Kaiza, ‘Benediction in Oyugis’ |