The Musings of Kajuzi!

The past four weeks i have had residence in the busy, bustling and ever moving Mumbai. Bombay, as the locals call it, is a mix of contradiction, promise, pain and a huge population, which the residents have gotten so used to that nothing, not even the flooding and possible death and displacement of fellow Indians in a neighboring state, fazes them. To them, that is just another Tuesday. The day i arrived, as i exited the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport at 3am in the morning, i was greeted by a  huge presence of small house structures with blue rooftops lining both sides from the airport entrance for a long way out. The slums. In the still quiet night light, mixed with the uniformly arranged street lights and a sky so high up, i was filled with awe as I stared at the scene ahead expanding into the city; the tall buildings and bridge silhouettes seen from kilometers away gave a sense of a city seeking to be discovered. 'Its beautiful.' I whispered as a sigh of exci...

How Can Art Foster Sound Leadership? A Musical Concert by Dowe Music in Collaboration with the YALI Network. Performance: Dowe Music Led by Douglas Guest Speaker: Maureen Changawa- Community Development Worker & 2017 Mandela Washington Fellow “Art testifies to the power of imagination, the unique capacity of humans to project, to dream and to reflect things not only as they are but as they could be”- anonymous It was around 2:30pm last Friday, the 19 th of January, when I walked into the Kenya National Library Services- Nakuru Building to an Instrumental live performance of the Kenya National Anthem by the Dowe Music Team. From The ground floor, you could hear the soul lifting blend of about 8 instruments playing our national prayer in a somewhat sombre tone. It was beautiful!  This was the beginning of an amazing concert of spoken word, music performances and discussions that focused on the contribution of Art to Sound Leadership, in our communities a...

Let me start with Good News... I made the cut for the 2017 Mandela Washington Fellowship!!! Yaaayy!!! 😂😂😂 And Yes, this is a big deal guys... you even get a license plate for it! Hehhehehe! At the Georgia State Revenue Authority... Yes i got a Mandela Washington Fellowship car license plate :-) It was a Monday Afternoon in January, i was in a matatu at the Mololine booking office at Odeon in Nairobi, waiting for the shuttle to fill up so that we could start our journey to Nakuru. I do not remember why i was in Nairobi on a working day, but am sure it must have been a good reason (Disclaimer: I do not skive work..under any circumstances 😉 ) I remember it was really hot but i could not open my window because...well, because it is Nairobi, and therefore i could not wait for the shuttle to fill up. As i was sitting there, preparing myself to sleep through the journey, i received a call from an unknown number which, i did not pick. I know it is bad habit, but generally my ca...

When you grow up with practically nothing,  you learn to appreciate the little things,  little joys and little victories.  Maybe too much even.  You become satisfied with the little progress you make in life,  maybe because you think surely the Lord has been good enough to me already... So you pray little prayers,  asking for little things and wonder why the Lord is not answering.  And you think maybe if you reduce your request a little,  then God will give it to you. But.., have you ever thought that the reason God is not answering your prayers is because your request is too small for a God so big???!!! My dears,  learn to not pray small prayers,  they set limits. If you pray bold prayers,  God will do bold things in your life. Don't settle where you are,  if you'll dare to Ask,  God will bless you indeed. God can lift you out of that place. He can put a new song in your heart. He can put a spring back in your step....

  “There are moments in life..,when life hands you the gift of perspective. Sometimes, we forget to show our appreciation.., And, sometimes, we forget how far we’ve come. But life always has a way of nudging you to remind you about these important things.” ― Cassia Leo , Bring Me Home Well it has been a while.., and i am not sure whether i still have the touch for this, but i felt like coming back. To my first love. So lets play catch up.. What have you been up-to?? Anything new? I see some of you got new opportunities, jobs, acquired new wheels, moved towns and even countries, got hitched, got your *litos, ran marathons, trekked mountains, swam with dolphins, flew with eagles, revamped their looks, went back to school, earned another certificate, learnt a new skill, made new friends, overcame addictions, revamped their image, awakened their consciousness, touched lives, and changed the world in whatever small corners they are in. You go to socia...

I had an interview last week. One of the very few interviews where my head was straight as I prepared for it. Mainly because at the beginning of this year, I asked my dressmaker to make two official suits for me. Just in case. I had a feeling I would need them. Or rather I had planned to need them.And i did. So, there I was, fully prepped, my papers in order, my outfit ready. Only one problem.., shoes.  I have always had a love hate relationship with shoes. I cant stand physical pain at all. And more so on my feet. And somehow shoes and pain went hand in hand in my case. But that is not the only reason why I love hate shoes. The only time I remember diligently wearing shoes was when I was in high school. And that was mainly because for whatever reason, my feet really smelled horrible. (I guess mainly because, I had only a few pair of socks that took forever to dry whenever I washed them, and so was forced to wear wet socks more often than not) Apart from that period,...

I just had to find the dictionary to be sure. And mystery is defined as something that is difficult to  understand or comprehend. Talking of mystery somehow reminds me of a song by Kenny Rogers. I think I first heard this song when I was in high school. At my uncles place in buruburu. I remember thinking, wow! So powerful a message in so little words. And I fell in love with it. It talks something about knowing when to hold on, fold out, walk away or when to run. It has been said that a wise person always holds his cards close to his chest. Arms folded, palms on chest I assume? Recently, my folding resilience was tested. I had to look people in the eye and pretend that nothing was going on. Hide critical information. Participate in forming plans that I knew I would not be executing. And not give a clue away. I had to be mysterious. Well, I think I may have pulled it off. Of course, coupled with me ending up with sweating palms,  smelly armpits, trembling legs, anxiety, a...