Wamathai.com turns one year old

Thursday, 01 July 2010 17:45

James Wamathai: Cometh the hour, cometh the blog

"And @sharonmina gets me a seat for @wamathai open mic. Its going to be... ... legendary!"
Tweet before the gig.

So last night was the night that Wamathai.com was turning one year old. With the event at the Secrets Lounge it promised to be pretty cool although I was not expecting a huge turnout. The event after all had just been promoted on a few friendly blogs and on twitter. How many people could turn up anyway right? Getting to view park towers where Secrets is ensconced, I realised that this evening was not going to happen as anticipated. There were people at the door who were being told that the place was full up and they could not get in. Lucky for me that @sharonmina had booked a table in there so I was led into the place leaving some unhappy tweeps out there. And I walked into the place and got a shock. The place was FULL. As in all the seats were packed and people were standing around. I mean I know that Wamathai.com is a popular site but this was crazy. Who were all these people filling the place? As I walked in I saw Nali and Carole who are doing some serious work with that Eve Girl in the Standard. When they re-launched that thing (I have to call it “that thing” as I am associated with a competitor) my initial thought was... mistake. Well the mistake is mine as “that thing” is targeting an audience that is so obvious now but I had not seen beforehand. Hindsight 10 - Murua 0.

And there was also in there @switcheeks who in an earlier life used to go by the name of Marion Vionna. In those days she was a seriously intense poet and I have fond memories of her doing justice on stage celebrating Wahome Mutahi, nearly winning a Kwani poetry Slam and even headlining her own Kwani open mic. Good times these and the lass owes me coffee. And somewhere in there was also the Mstari Wa Nne's Maik and Kenyan poet. I had to grab the seat that Tommy clima the Secrets proprietor had booked for Sharon and her guests. And I went (I think the right word is waded) through the crowd and got to my seat and there was Anyiko also know as @Anyixbaby who does some work on TV and radio and has a great blog called Black roses. Today she was regaling us with tales from Lewa about a snake scare which you can read here. Good stuff. Seeing Anyiko reminds me that I have to revive my old hottest Babes on TV already as she will be a major contender for number one why lie. By now you must have noticed that I seemed to be calling everyone using their twitter monikers right? Well this was looking like it was going to be a legendary tweetup (meeting of people on twitter). And joining the table that I was at was @antoneosoul who will be headlining Kwani Open Mic next Tuesday at Club Soundd. The gentlemen also called Antony Mwangi can sometimes be seen on TV shows such as Shuga and Siri. Today he was clad in some glasses that turned out to be bila lenses and were actually fashion accessories. The things people will do to look brighter that their IQ of 14 yaani. And the table was also finished by my good good friend @sharonmina who I have to be nice to or there will be pain. So let’s say that she is awesome and be done with that eh?

Now as I wanted to wake up without that Tusker hop hangover I asked for a glass of wine (the dry red was Italian and very sweet) and concentrated on the stage where stuff was happening. Running proceedings as emcee tonight was Dela who I last saw singing berebe at that Psy's Westie event the other day. She can sing this one and she is looking nice on this month's edition of True Love; the one they are calling the comeback edition. The execution on stage was not ideal. The sound could have been better and the lighting even more so. The performers were coming fast and thick and they were reading their favourite pieces from Wamathai.com. My favourite one FYI is the one about the modern man for that man is me. So we had readings from the likes of Anyiko who threatened noise makers with pointing if caught. I did not want to be pointed at so I shut it. And Savvy (read Savvy's diary of a Kenyan campus girl you will thank me) was on there in a form fitting rather fetching green (we are not getting into what version of green number (I am colour blind so lets not even get into this discussion.). And Jemedari also did a few pieces. And even Maik did a piece although the show off had to do his own awesome poetry before he read his featured piece. In his defence, he could have been looking for a chips funga plot. And there were several other readers on the evening. I have not given the list of names of the pieces they read and there is a good reason. The sound was not ideal as I mentioned earlier and so it was not easy to get the names. Add this to the fact that the place was packed to the brim and even in ideal circumstances it’s very difficult to get people to shut it and listen to poetry in a place people are imbibing alcohol so you have to forgive me.

So what is Wamathai.com anyway and why was I here anyways? I was running around Nairobi's party scene many months ago and Cindy M introduced me to this poetry guy with a laid manner and we struck up a conversation. He had this blog and I checked it out later and I liked what I saw. I met him another time and he asked me for my opinion and I told him and asked him to continue smoking whatever he was smoking as the output was good. Several weeks later I see Wamathai.com. There is this saying that if you want to go fast you go alone but if you wanted to go far you go with a group. This must have been the philosophy of this man as he started featuring writers on the blog and now he has a couple dozen on there. And in this moment in time it is the only poetry and creative writing collecting that I rate. This is a project that if done with funding would have probably cost millions to pull off. And this gentleman has been slowly pulling the strings quietly and has a serious following. As I write this I don't know why I am so surprised that there was such a turn out this evening. Hindsight 20 - Murua 0. I am not doing so well eh?

Away from the readings there were also a few performances which were integrated pretty well into the whole show. The ones I recall were by Aziza Muzik who I last saw at this gig at City Hall last year and will be performing this Friday at the Alliance Francaise. There were other performers but their names escape me. And there was also a slot given for Kenyan Poet to perform from her new book Mines and Minefields which launched last Saturday. She looks to be with child (she confirmed it to me so I was NOT insinuating that she was fat see?) so now Mstari wa Nne will I guess have to be called Mstari wa Tano when her baby is born. For now we can call it Mstari wa Nne na nusu until further notice.

I met too many tweeps this evening like my ex-wife @violetotina who is the newest fan of new and improved Lifebuoy by all indications. In there also was homeboy @amasy, @shuhi and @chiira who I could NOT recognise seeing as a) the man was in a suit, tie and longer hair b) I was sober unlike during the Bamburi/Intercont debacle. And @ngeny. And @ngendo87 And @mkaigwa last met at this tandaa conference and director of Dawa the Film. And Oliver Mathenge, the man behind Oliver Mwandishi, and his significant other who runs Waxspell and her nutty pal Carol. And there was the idiot King of Facebook who after being advised for many months has finally set up his blog syoks.blogspot.com. If he had listened to my advice he would also be celebrating his one year anniversary the idiot. Next time I advice you to do something you need to follow my results blindly as I know what is good for you forko jembe. Even if I tell you to jump of a cliff you will do my bidding forgothare wewe! Also in the house was Kachwanya who had come from the Ihub for this social media event. And this really clever lass who I cant write about yaani... And many many more.

Happy birthday Wamathai.com. Here’s to many more.

P.S. There was cake. Yay!

P.P.S. And there was a visit to Sonford later and I refused to eat the dodgy chicken and awoke felling awesome. Hindsight 20 – Murua 30. Bow down hindsight!

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