LESO YANGU

This is a photo of my first leso ever on the hanging line being swayed by the wind. Although, my mother now makes use of it. For those who do not know, a leso is a light, rectangular piece of cotton fabric often with a border along its four sides, which has various colours, prints and in most cases has a Swahili proverb printed on it. I bought this leso because I needed an attire for my performance on stage. (hahaha! See how I made it sound like I'm some popular performer). I was taking part in my first inter-house drama competition in high school. I thought I nailed my part (it was a little lengthy) however, I came to realize that it sucked (bows head in shame). I then accepted that I wasn't born to act.

Last year, our awesome housekeeper (she cooks really delicious food), sent me to Eastleigh to buy her a leso while I was buying a few other things. She pointed out how her other leso was getting worn out. She really loves her leso this woman. She always wears it, when she is washing the house, the dishes, ironing, cooking and sits on it when basking in the sun. When it is cold, she uses her leso to cover her body.
She is not the only one. Many other women get attached to their lesos as well.

Lesos have been in existence for years. They serve various purposes.

1. Communication. Lesos have various sayings printed on them, therefore they can be used to communicate a message of love, a message of hatred or an educational message.

Mla nawe hafi nawe ila mzaliwa nawe.
A message which generally points out that blood is thicker than water.

A message that points out that only God decides.

2. Lesos are also used as veils and headscarfs

I was going to weed the backyard with that leso on my head. You know, like the way women go to the shamba with lesos on their heads. lol. My father complained that I eat too much of his food and that I need to do something constructive. So weeding it was.

3. Lesos are also used as shawls.

4. Sometimes they serve as aprons. Some of you may not have thought of it this way. You simply tie them around your body so that you do not mess your clothes while doing house chores.

5. Lesos have such beautiful prints and colours that they are used as material on shoes and accessories.

See how beautiful this is??...yes??

Though I think the material used is kitenge. Sorry I could not get photos of leso accessories :(
You can check out more on this page African Kitenge/Leso/Khanga Fabric.

6. Lastly, lesos are used to make beautiful shirts, dresses, skirts and shorts.

My leso wrapper skirt.

Leso inspired dress.

Even Michelle has a little of leso inspiration on her top

Rihanna too!!!

I hope y'all enjoyed my post. If I left out anything concerning lesos feel free to comment. :)

IMMORTAL

For the last couple of weeks I have been having this style on my head. When I step out into the streets of Nairobi many people stare at me thinking that I have probably forgotten to comb my hair or something. My mother gets rather annoyed every time she sees my hair. 'Sasa watu watadhani siwezi nunulia mtoto kichana! Nooo Kiki, ladies don't do this.' She never gets tied of complaining, sometimes I just wonder. However, this is actually a style known as 'Palm rolling'. You just simply roll your palm on your dump hair and your natural curls become more defined. I have become obsessed with this style, I simply cannot comb my hair into a neat tiny afro and leave the house. Plus I feel so artsy and 'differently wired' with this style.

Anyway that's besides the point. Last Sunday, while we were having diner, my father mentioned how he was so surprised to see a man with many facial piercings. Not that he was judging him but he just wondered what is the significance of all those piercings.

Piercings and tattoos have been in existence for centuries! Many cultures around the world have practiced tattooing, piercing and even scarification for a number of reasons. Some the reasons were as a result of religion others were just for beauty. Piercings and tattoos have different meanings depending on the culture. I was obviously curious to learn a little more about the history of tattoos and piercings. I went through a couple of websites and decided to share these two:

1. History of tattoos
2. Body piercing

Photos showing scarification among African cultures. (Scarification seems brutal though. ouch!)

A photo of a Buddhist monk in Thailand being tattooed. (photo courtesy of National geographic)

Lip piercing. This is actually considered beauty among the Mursi people found in Ethiopia. ( I have no idea what to say...)

Maasai ear piercing.

Of course nowadays the art of tattooing and piercing is different. Tattoo artists and piercers have tried to make the process less painful and obviously more hygienic. (One tattoo artist I visited a year ago was rather hopeful that one day someone will come up with an absolutely painless method of permanent tattooing. Well, you never know.)
Tattoos and piercings are now a popular trend. People get them for different reasons but they are generally a form of art. The meanings the carry, the skill and precision required, the use of time, colours and imagination to bring out something so beautiful and desirable!

Actually I think that tattoos and piercings will never die. They are like immortal art! So many people I know (including myself) are crazy about them. Once you make your first step in getting either one of them or both, you can easily become obsessed! I once had ten piercings. 5 on each ear, though nowadays I have understood the saying ' less is more' hehe (I only got rid of two on each side)

Notice the nose piercing and the double helix piercing as well? :)

See the tragus piercing?

And finally my tiny tattoo. Some of you have been wondering what my tattoo is all about. Its basically an F clef and an inverted G clef put together to form a heart.

I got the piercings and the tattoo because I think they are really cool though when some people ask me why I got them, I feel obliged to give a deep fake story (because its like I'm either being judged for it or that person just really expects a good answer, like my mum's friends)

For all you guys who are interested in getting tribal tattoos, I came across a link I thought I should share.
All in all if you are planning on getting a tattoo or piercing, make sure it is something that you really want, be absolutely sure! You do not want to go through the pain and end up disappointed. Plus, make sure you follow your after care process strictly for successful healing. :)

1 2 3 4 DANCE TO THE BEAT OF YOUR DRUMS

It has been a while but I'm back :)
Today was a rather exciting day for me. I attended my FIRST DRUM LESSON! *whoop whoop*

My teacher seemed friendly however, the lesson felt like a disaster!! The first few minutes I learned a couple of basics so the drama kicked in later on when I was asked to play the drums while counting 1 2 3 4 out loud. (My teacher was just trying to assess my coordination at this point, not that I was expected to play professionally. Plus there is a name given to that '1 2 3 4' count just that I have forgotten *oops*) I never really thought that hand and foot coordination could be that hard. The 'matope' I did on those drums...I need your prayers people. Generally I was excited that I am going to learn something new, uncertain of what I have gotten myself into and disappointed that the lesson did not turn out as I had expected ( I like looking like I have it all under control even when I'm a beginner )

Before I decided to sign up for drums, I had talked to quite a number of people about their experiences. Most people said "It's so hard! You'll need a lot of practice" Others laughed at the idea of me playing drums, including my father who said, "Sasa hiyo imetoka wapi? Si hiyo ni ya vijana?" (everyone seems to have this idea that I'm some sort of barbie princess, which I do not like but anyway...). The strong belief I had (that I'll soon be a kick ass drummer) was slowly being taken over by doubt. Not that the people telling me that drums can be complicated had bad intentions (I mean it is definitely complicated but you can catch up) but because I was focusing on the negative I doubted myself so much, that I only paid half the fees just in case I decided to call it quits. (My father better not find out about this!)

I got home and thought about my first lesson (by the way I saw the weird Condom King guy on my way to class. HAHAHA!). I practiced a little of what I learned today and I realized that I really can hack this! All it takes is just concentration and understanding that playing drums is not impossible. My first boyfriend was a rather optimistic one. One thing I never forget about him is what he always said, 'Mind over matter'. Over the years I have experienced this. Mind over matter, mind over matter anything can be achieved! 1 2 3 4 DANCE TO THE BEAT OF YOUR DRUMS.

If you really believe you can achieve it, no matter how many people say it is impossible, you can and will achieve it. (I know I'm preaching now but y'all need to be reminded). 1 2 3 4 dance to the beat of your drums and enjoy it!

STRANGE CULTURE THINGS

Yesterday while I was staring at my ceiling I thought about a couple of things and people including my sister. (She means the world to me, unfortunately I'm not sure the feeling is mutual)

(I'm thinking of putting something else on my ceiling now, this is getting pretty old. Any ideas? Feel free to share)

My sister HATES set books (Literature). I on the other hand, did not mind literature when I was in high school. The lessons were rather boring but the books themselves had interesting content. One of the books we focused on was The River Between by Ngugi wa Thiong'o.

I remembered Muthoni (the defiant girl) and how excited she was about becoming a woman. She badly wanted to be circumcised so that she could be recognized by her people as a woman of the tribe (something like that). She even ran away from home to her aunt's home because her father (who was a staunch christian) did not permit her to get circumcised. Eventually Muthoni died due to circumcision.

In the past, many ethnic communities in Kenya and other parts of Africa practiced female genital mutilation. According to them, it was a way of preserving purity among the young women and also a rite of passage to womanhood. F.G.M is rather brutal, cruel, disturbing, stupid, annoying...(you name it!). Female circumcision was a way of life. It was and I hear among some people today, it still is part of their culture.

In another book Half a day and other stories - Against the pleasure principle female circumcision is explained in detail. It creates a very VERY DISTURBING image.

A few weeks ago, this article was all over my home page on Facebook. Everyone cursing and rebuking these people of Denmark for killing dolphins which are near extinction. According to these Danish citizens, this practice is a rite of passage to adulthood. However, it is cruel, insane, brutal... (you name it!).

Changing these people's thinking towards their strange activities is not easy because some of them have been practiced generation after generation. These 'strange culture things' have really consumed them that they even look forward to doing them. Of course creating awareness and coming up with laws against these practices is necessary not only to save lives but for other beneficial factors as well. Thing is, I have only given two examples but I believe that you will never fail to find 'strange culture things' around the world!