The special people of Nairobi
Let us tell you a secret. The Creative Director of Africa Web TV is a shy person who goes out of his way to avoid publicity. That he was caught in the crossfire of a kidnapping saga in Nigeria recently and temporarily thrust into front page news nationally, was the last thing he would have wished. He is of the opinion that the people who bring news should not be news themselves. That is why he stays always behind the scene. This is a strategy that has worked with his other project; Africa Night which is the longest running African music-themed monthly event in the Benelux and possibly in Europe. (Africa Night just celebrated its 16th anniversary. You can see the pictures by clicking here).
There are people who have been coming there for several years without knowing the organiser of the show or even his name. The project is about making people dance and not about raising or greasing the ego of its organiser. People go to the show to have fun and not to socialise or exchange pleasantries with its organiser. It is about the guests and the organiser does his best to blend in with the crowd and not stand out in the crowd.
This is the same approach one has given to Africa Web TV. Africa Web TV is not about its founder but about promoting the positive facets of Africa. That was why we went on that fateful trip to Nigeria. That is why we refused to succumb to fear and we are now in Nairobi, Kenya despite the recent security issues here. The story of Africa needs to be told. Africa Web TV will do its best to contribute to this. We don’t have a strong financial or commercial base. What we do have is a pure objective to do that which is right. We will do that even if that means (as shown recently) we have to risk our own security. Some people have advised us to milk the publicity that came with our kidnapping to raise the profile of Africa Web TV. It is very tempting. But we are just going to stay close to our heart and who we are. Africa Web TV will not take the easy road. We are not going to sell our soul by courting publicity. Africa Web TV brings the news. We should not be the news. Period.
The Creative Director of Africa Web TV had a little celebration in Nairobi with a couple of special friends. Even these friends were surprised to know the reason they were treated to lunch. The Creative Director of Africa Web TV is such a private person that even his closest friends and relatives did not know about this day. However, it goes without saying that it was a nice afternoon in the city centre.
Talking of the city centre, for the first time one decided to drop the taxi and the matatu today. How did one get to the city centre? By foot! We had come to realise that the Nairobi traffic was pulling wool over our faces. The journey to and from the city centre takes between 30 minutes and 2 hours sometimes. This depends on how the traffic situation is. But is occurred to us that the total distance is not really that far. That is if there are no jams.
So today we decided to take our chances and walk. The sun was shining and Nairobi was buzzing as we joined the roadside trekkers towards the city centre. To our surprise we got to the city centre in less than 25 minutes! This was while traffic was at a standstill and frustrated drivers were hooting like it was doomsday. Trekking to and from the city has other advantages too. All the buildings, parks, people, monuments etc. one always saw in flashes while driving by (if one is able to drive) suddenly become real. You could take your time to stop in front of a building to really check it out. You saw people talk, hold hands sweat and even sleep in some bus stations. You are not caged inside a motorised temporary prison. You can actually touch fellow human beings and ask them for directions like we did today. You get to see more and breathe some good air too. What’s more walking is a good exercise too. Where else can you do that accompanied by cacophony of sounds than under the African sun?
One can truly say, it has been a very special day with all the special people of Nairobi. The funny thing is that none of them was aware of our special day. That is the way we like it. We are here to showcase the news and what’s new. We do not have to be the news. Have a great day all. We thank you for reading our blogs!
