Editors pick for @Storymoja: British Ambassador to Kenya Dr. Christian Turner – Session at #HayFestKe, Sept. 14 2012 @ National Museum

The British Ambassador to Kenya Dr.Christian Turner will have a session on ‘the cultural and social transformative power of the internet and new technologies’

Date: September 14, 2012
Venue: British Council Court Yard
Time: 11 am

Festival Tickets: Kshs 1000/day and Kshs 1500/season

About
HE Dr. Christian Turner is the recently appointed British High Commissioner to the Republic of Kenya. This will be his first time at Storymoja Hay Festival

Dr Turner was previously the Director for the Middle East and North Africa at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, where he had responsibility for all UK policy and operations in that region. Prior to this he served variously in the British Embassy in Washington, as Private Secretary to the Prime Minister and in the Prime Minister’s Strategy Unit.

For more information read: http://www.hayfestival.com/p-5327-the-google-platform-ory-okolloh-dr-christian-turner-and-john-kampfner.aspx

NairobiNow celebrates Bonifacemwangi: Recipient of 2012 Prince Claus Award

Photo by Allan Gichigi: www.allangichigi.com
NairobiNow wishes to congratulate Boniface Mwangi for being a recipient of Prince Claus Award 2012. We take note of his ground breaking achievements and wish him all the best in his endeavors.

Excerpt from Prince Claus Awards Committee

Boniface Mwangi is awarded for his evocative photographs on challenging social issues; for creating a powerful new approach to processes of community and communal self-reflection and dialogue; for highlighting the importance of direct grassroots interaction to achieve post-conflict reconciliation; and for his brave efforts to reduce violence and build peace through culture.

About The Prince Claus Awards
The Prince Claus Awards honors outstanding achievements in the field of culture and development. The awards are presented annually to individuals, groups, organisations or institutions whose cultural actions have a wide and positive impact on the development of their societies.

Download report from the 2012 Prince Claus Award Committee: 2012 PCF JR English1

Exhibition: Come Baby Come – An Exhibition of paintings by Michael Soi, Sept 10-30 2012 @ National Museum’s Creativity Gallery


Dates: September 10-30, 2012
Venue: Creativity Gallery, National Museum

This exhibition features recent work that has been created in the last few months ranging from pubs, the Olympics, Kenyan politics and other things.

NB: The show has been rated as General Exhibition so you can go with the kids

About MS
Michael Soi is a member of what is termed as the second generation of Kenyan artists that emerged through kuona trust in the late 90’s among a group of other notable artists of his generation. In 1996, he began his career soon after graduating from art school as a sculptor and subsequently refined his own visual and artistic vocabulary over the years. He begun work that was more of social commentary revolving around everyday life of the ordinary Kenyan and this work has been well received by Kenyans living here in Kenya and in the diaspora who the artist basically addresses in his work.

His work has been collected by the Casoria Museum of Contemporary Art in Napoli, Italy, the Standard Chartered Bank (UK) and individuals like Luis Moreno Ocampo, Michela Wrong, Atsango Chesoni, Robert Deveraux among others.
Michael is based in Nairobi at the GoDown arts centre. This exhibition addresses issues observed on the last five months from football, bars, the Olympics among other things.

Events to look out for @Storymoja #HayFestKe: Freedom of Expression, Sept. 14-16 2012 @ National Museum


The Google Platform
Date: September 14, 2012
Venue: Louis Leakey Auditorium
Time: 11am

Ory Okolloh, Google’s head of policy and Government Relations, Africa, and John Kampfner, British Journalist and Freedom of Expression advocate discuss the cultural and social transformative power of the internet and new technologies.

They will be joined by Dr Christian Turner, former Director of the Middle East and North Africa in the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office. Dr Turner is now British High Commissioner to Kenya.

Apocalypse Cow
Date: September 15, 2012
Venue: Storymoja Amphitheatre
Time: 5-6pm

Scottish novelist and journalist, Michael Logan, talks about his first book Apocalypse Cow, which won the Terry Pratchet award ‘Anywhere But Here, Anywhere But Now Prize’.

Peeling Back the Mask
Date: September 16, 2012
Venue: Louis Leakey Auditorium
Time: 3-4pm

Lawyer and political analyst, Miguna Miguna, discusses the controversial, bestselling memoir that has taken Kenya by storm.

Also, don’t forget that the best second hand book sale continues at the Nairobi national Museum during the StoryMoja Hay Festival
Thursday 13 –  Sunday 16 September 2012, 10am – 4pm on all days.

Editors picks for @Storymoja #HayFestKe: Wangari Maathai Memorial Lecture & Hay 25, Sept. 15-16 2012 @ National Museum


Wangari Maathai Memorial Lecture
Date: September 15, 2012
Venue: Louis Leakey Auditorium
Time: 3-4pm

The inaugural lecture honoring Kenya’s great Nobel Peace Laureate and Founder of the Green Belt Movement, will be given by Chinese writer and historian Jung Chang.

Jung Chang is the author of Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China (which the Asian Wall Street Journal called the most read book about China), and Mao: The unknown Story (with Jon Halliday).
Chang won the UK Writers’ Guild Best Non-Fiction in 1992 and Book of the year UK in 1993.
Her books have been translated into more than 40 languages and sold more than 15 million copies.

Hay 25
[vimeo http://www.vimeo.com/42210898 w=500&h=281]

The way we live now from Hay Festival on Vimeo.

Date: September 16, 2012
Venue: BC Courtyard
Time: 3-4pm

Panel: Jung Chang, Giles Foden, Sitawa Namwale, Chief Nyamweya, John Sibi-Okumu and John Kampfner

To celebrate Hay Festival’s 25th anniversary we asked many of the writers we have worked with over the 25 years to pose 25 questions to Hay Festival audiences.

Kampfner chairs this session addressing three of these questions. Interactive, inquisitive and ground-breaking – have your say and post your replies at www.hayfestival.org/hay25

World Premier: Paths-Walk all Over Me, Sept. 8-9 2012 @ The Godown Arts Center


Date: September 9, 2012
Venue: the GoDown Arts Centre
Time: 6pm
Tickets: Kshs 200

About
In a unique collaboration between the two creatives together with
Kenyan and Danish dancers they explore the theme PATHS, indicating that we as humans move, and therefore cut through each other’s inner and outer landscapes.

This production includes Muasya’s subjective visuals and theater based choreography under the artistic direction of Ondiege Matthew.

Music for the production is by Michel Ongaro, a leading Kenyan musician/singer and multi-instrumentalist.

This production has been made possible through the support of The Danish Cultural Fund.

The School Bell Rings, Sept. 13-16 2012 @ Storymoja #HayFestKe


Festival Dates: September 13-16, 2012
Venue: National Museum of Kenya
Festival Tickets: Kshs 1000/Day, Kshs 1500/Season

The Story Moja Hay Festival Stir Up: Presents The School Bell Rings. After the school bell rings, life begins.

The School Bell Rings is a new and entirely unique production, bringing in both brand new pieces and old favourites, but turning them all on their heads. More than just a spoken word event, it is a multi media production featuring music, film, spoken word and dance, showcasing a collection of some of the best Kenyan spoken word artists, all taking their pieces to the next level.

Artists include Kennet B, Wanjiku Mwaurah, Abu Sense, Moraa, Achieng Odhiambo, Zosi, SpeCfyd, Sam-O and music by Jemedari.

Date: Saturday 16th September 2012
Time: 9pm to 11pm
Venue: National Museum, Courtyard.
Price: ONLY 300/-

Tickets for the show also include access to the Up Lounge, a party hosted by Up magazine, starting at 7:00 pm till late.

For more info: https://www.facebook.com/events/329553910460450/