Of 'High Music Area' warnings...

High music area, wear protection....

I took the above picture in a matatu a few weeks ago on my way to work, and it kept me thinking... is this a joke, a sarcastic remark, a decoration or is it just as plain a warning as it clearly is? And as warned, the matatu was blaring with music, just when I needed some peace and quiet. Who loves noisy mornings anyway? So help me God that I get my own car and/or get me a job which has a company bus, both can do, Amen!! 

Nothing gets me more frustrated than a long ride in a noisy matatu, even a short one is almost unbearable! For those who do not know what a matatu is, it is the most common means of public transport in Kenya, which comprises of mini-buses and vans. So, as I was venting, I just do not get it! Is it cool or a trend, and I pray its a trend that passes by fast! So many things in my prayer requests I know...

I live in the Kenyan 'diaspora', so that tells you the number of hours I spend in traffic in a day. Mind you its both ways that I am in the traffic, and I use matatus daily. I have nothing much against 'mats/nganya/manyanga/mathree' whatever you call them; I mean they have been my mode of transport for most of my life, and I also tend to think it could be a good business venture. BUT please, most of the time the sound levels are too much for my delicate ears to handle. I am still young, I do not want a burst eardrum even before I have my own children... and if you are older, I bet you do not want to experience hypertension as a result of loud music. We all want to age gracefully with our senses still effective, don't we?

In my route, we have these 'pimped' mats, with all sorts of graffiti, and décor, its surely a booming business and also an investment, because it is said that it attracts more passengers faster, really? I once read about how "Music blasts from souped-up speakers, strobe lights flash on the inside walls and seat backs and the exhaust pipe is purposely pinched to rev like a motorcycle" as noted by one Gregory Warner of The Daily Life. But sadly what I am against these 'souped-up' matatus is mostly the large speakers and woofers, that even vibrate your whole body once the music is turned on. A few years back the music was not that loud in matatus, if there was any that is. However with time, technology keeps on improving and then all sorts of changes have been incorporated in order to attract more passengers who are mostly assumed to be the younger generation- who make up the larger percent of citizens in the country and thus large market- as so believed. I have even seen stickers in matatus quoted "if its too loud, you are too old" and if you ask the tout to do something about it, it could easily erupt into something else!

Matatus sometimes stress me, you have no idea! I have been carrying ear plugs in my bag and the day I forget them I feel doomed! The plugs do not do much anyway, I still hear the music, though I have the notion that they reduce the impact of the blaring sound to my ear drum. I am currently in the search for ear muffs, the type that look like large head phones, if you have any leads please let me know- I am that desperate! Other than my ears, I also tend to get headaches from the noise. Then you can imagine getting into a matatu at 5pm during rush hour and getting to 'diaspora' at 7pm. 2 hours of excruciatingly loud music, I normally feel like am in this survivor reality show, and sometimes I cannot take it, I alight, and get onto a slightly less louder one! Yes, it is that serious.

At times am not even in a matatu but when one passes near me I feel the same effect as if I was in it.

Many times I have wished the music player could jam in the jam as well, it rarely happens, but when it does I have a grin all the way.

My problem is not the music, it is the high sound levels. If played in moderation, safe levels to be specific, I am totally fine with it. I do not think its fair that we are subjected to such, I know many will say there are many other options like taking buses (of which I'll get to my destination the next day) or a personal car (which God will provide very soon for me, Amen!) but still if everyone understood how serious that extremely loud music is for them, this 'pump it up' non-sense would stop sooner than we think. Sounds that are not at safe levels can be harmful, even for a brief time, and even worse when they are both loud and long-lasting. Exposure to these loud sounds and when repetitive can cause hearing loss among other problems such as hypertension, head aches and increased stress levels. Other than that, noise is also a threat to both aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems by upsetting wildlife.

I love myself, I love my sense of hearing and I do not want to go deaf soon!! Please keep it safe...

''Sirikal Saidia!'' - Floods of pain, water for gain?

A few years ago a woman from the western part of the country made headlines with the catchy phrase 'serikal saidia' literally meaning 'government help'. This was after a heavy downpour in the area which lead to the loss of her children and husband. It was very obvious that the woman was totally distraught, blaming the floods and the government for the bad omen that visited her home. Her accent made the phrase catchy, and most people instead of pitying her, laughed at her and the statement, making all sorts of jokes. Well to say the least, it was more of a national joke, with most of us having not experienced killer floods and not knowing that a wave floods would affect some of us in years to come.

It is only a month ago that Nairobi was surprised by days and nights of floods, which caught many unaware. Okay, not that Nairobi has not been experiencing heavy rains from before, but this time round it was not the usual rain. Roads and tunnels were flooded, and houses too were not spared. motorists came to a halt, squeezing into petrol stations and road sides to pave way for the raging waters. Others tried to drive through the water, and thus exposing their cars to other threats from the furious waters. Sadly, others lost their lives, being carried away to their deaths. Many were devastated, I mean everything else seemed to obey the waters, the traffic jams, the hiked 'matatu' prices and also the amount to pollutants driven right into the fronts of our houses. Others made money out the situation, like the mkokoteni carts that ferried several to work, making a killing from business unusual! The hashtag #NairobiFloods was trending, and I admit I too was a victim of the floods and posted about the day I got home at 2.30am from Nairobi CBD after taking seven hours on the road, and having experienced a road trip in areas I've never been to.
With the floods, many became aware of the weatherman and his predictions, anticipating any news on sun rays! Many admitted that some years back it never rained that much, and floods never killed as much. Others recalled the El Nino, I remember when I was younger I heard that name and it sounded fancy, not knowing the grave matters that the word carried. Anyway, with many now paying attention to the weather and thirst for more knowledge about climate, I thought it would be best to also do much more research on the issue. I watched several being interviewed on what they think about the floods. Many have blamed the 'government' as usual for the floods. Yes I mean the government calls the shots on how much it should rain and where it should flood, where the sun should shine and how intense the rays should be and all...okay, sarcasm alert, but I feel the government is partially to blame as well as we the citizens too. Corruption cases in this country are rather common, 'toa kitu kidogo' and there you go, build a complex on the drainage system! After all, who cares?? Even if In the areas that Kenya had a dense forests like in the Mau, large tracts of trees have been cut down for various purposes. This has left the land bare, and when such heavy downpour occurs, water flows downwards in high speeds also carrying away the loose top soil. Other than that, Nairobi city and other parts of Kenya are filthy dirty, I mean who has not seen huge piles of garbage and trash on the road sides? Where I live, most people with stone wall fences are unfortunate because most of wastes from the neighbouring areas are dumped at your fence at ungodly hours. I have also seen, 'waste collection trucks' and I put this in quotes because they do not serve the purpose they are intended for. Most are not roadworthy, stuck next to someone's fence, with the wastes open and emitting a foul stench; and being manned by gangs of 'chokoras' with huge sacks taking anything they find valuable to them. Also, littering has polluted and contributed so much to the blockage of drainage systems, hence not giving way to floods waters. Food waste is also a big crisis in this country I think, several markets are the source of tonnes of rotten vegetables and fruits, for example at the Muthurwa area, these rotten foods are dumped on the roadsides and in the tunnels that were placed for redirecting water and sewage. Isn't it funny how some parts of the country are experiencing severe droughts and famine with many cases reported as fatalities from starvation, and also with the loss of large herds of animals while in the other corner of the same country, food is going to waste daily? We also have seen how some milk companies pour out spoilt milk when the supply is much than the demand. Also, with the waters comes water-borne diseases such as the bout of cholera that has currently hit the city, take care my friends!! Even the Kenya Power had to switch off electricity supplies in some estates such as South 'C' (read sea) to avoid cases of electrocution caused by the interaction of water and electricity. In some other areas, houses have been toppled, such as in Mombasa, and landslides evident as well. All this as a result of blessings from above.
If our systems were efficient, I believe that all this flood waters could be channelled into rain water harvesting structures and from then utilized for different other purposes, after all, water is an extremely valuable resource.
So what next after the heavy rains? Are we experiencing floods of pain or water for gain? Depends on how well we assess the situation...

Dinka!

I have just been reading about the Dinka of Sudan, and viewing some beautiful pictures of this people.
Its amazing to see and visualize how people live in different parts of the globe, and how each one of us is adapted to our home. Back to the Dinka, so these people are a small tribe, a nilotic group, that reside in the southern part of Sudan and mostly grouped as one that may disappear with time. It is evident that temporal scales have affected and changed several things at spatial levels, that is, if we believe in the geographical theories that we read about. 

However, even with the emerging trends and shifts, it seems like some communities are barely affected by time or other external factors. Or maybe they just adapted to changes? That for sure I don't know, but I still remain perplexed that even with the several technological advances and this 'digital' world that we live in, some still remain unaffected- living life as they have always known it.
I have been staring at these Dinka pictures! The people seem at peace, with large herds of huge-horned cattle, pardon me, I don't know what the name of this  species of cattle is. Anyway, they are so comfortable in their dress code as well. They seem to fancy more of these colored beads and goat skin, and can not help but notice some have markings on their bodies. Also, do you know that they use cow dung as a mosquito repellant? And that cow urine could actually be of use? Well, life still goes on in this part of the world.
This however got me thinking, is "development" really a necessity? Because others seem to do well and adjust without it in extreme. Maybe it could be all about adapting to our surroundings, or as one famous slogan highlights "in harmony with nature". Maybe its about time that we actually accept that the world we live in is the only one we have got and we need to adjust to it- definitely by being conscious about it.
From the article I was reading about the Dinka, I have taken into consideration so much. Sometimes life is just simple, but we make it complex by trying to create solutions- of which these same solutions create a problem, forming a continuous loop.
So now as I end this post, think about it, would you like to be a Dinka? No, am not telling you to burn all your clothes and knock off your teeth- am simply telling you to live in harmony with nature!

PS: If you want to check out the article on the Dinka I was reading about, here is the link:
http://tekey.net/b/en/dinka-nilotic-ethnic-from-sudan/

TLC

Many have asked me before, why TLC?  My response, yes that TLC you sing about in songs or that that you mention sometimes when you want your way but want to sugar coat the selfish words- my way!
What more do we want to know about TLC? To me, its simply expounding tenderness, loving generously and caring deeply. Another may ask, and what does all this have to do with the environment? Well, the environment is connected to everything and I just want to play my part in reminding you that nature is very unforgiving, that's why we need to pamper it! Yes, tender love and care for your environment before it becomes mean to you... this is not a threat from me dear reader, its just the fact as it is.

Where I live, I believe is in a bad state, in fact I mean worse status. And when I say where I live it is actually the Earth. I bet we all share a home, so we are in this same boat, where things have already gone to worse. Have we not heard of the floods and droughts? What about food insecurity, because of the poor yields due to lack of water or poor infertile soils. How about the thousands of people and livestock killed by wild animals, or even the migration of wild animals? Well, it is evident that conditions such as human wildlife conflict are on the rise. Other phenomenon includes climate change which has spiraled debates all over the world. Is climate change real, or is it just the worst hoax ever? Away from climate change, what about poaching- with illegal trade of trophies existing in some parts of the globe? Sad. We have all experienced some form of pollution I believe, be it exhaust fumes, dust and all sorts of things released into our environment.

Divestment has been a big word in 2015. All these activities linked to the environment. Its high time we thought critically about all these issues, and how they affect social and economic development. It is also high time that we learn about environmental issues, how we are affected and what we can do.
So yes, back to TLC, and why it feels like the earth is crying out for you to show some love!! There are several challenges that mother Earth faces, and only me and you can make a difference! I actually thought it would be a good idea to have a blog, to talk about various issues and how we are vulnerable to them and how we can adapt and mitigate negative impacts. Other than that, I felt I could contribute more towards creating awareness and hopefully a ripple effect through a blog, on matters of environmental conservation and sustainable development.

I therefore prepared this first post to introduce my ideas and perspectives and to create a channel where I can motivate and inspire others to join in the fight.
Also, a big shout out to my best friend Enid Nzisa, for encouraging me to start this blog, setting it up and most importantly supporting me in my endeavors in being a servant and voice for the Earth as well as being an environmentalist as well.
Happy reading as we start this journey, and remember to TLC4Environment!!