Kenya’s golden moment of glory
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That’s what am talking about … TOTAL DOMINATION. We’re here for all the 3000 metre steeplechase medals, we need to take them back home to KENYA.
In the last two days I’ve met three people (two East Africans, one West African) all of whom have broadband internet access at home and at work, cable TV with over 5 news channels, and claim to read newspapers regularly yet have no idea whatsoever about the crisis in Darfur. I mean honestly. You just have to shake your head sometimes.
Tomorrow August 25, 2004 is the Sudan: Day of Conscience.
Our women are doing the business.
Isabella Bosibori Ochichi claims silver in 5000 metres.
Recently I received a copy of The Dance which has been on my wishlist for years, as well as a copy of The Purple Hibiscus by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichieand which was on my wishlist for a under a week. Thanks people! Earlier this a year a very good friend sent me “The Essential Jazz Collection” a 8 disc CD set which has been setting my decks on fire. I just bought Kenny G’s Songbird. This is my year for Jazz. Although last weekend I bought Beethoven’s Symphony No 9 in D minor, mainly to play “Ode to Joy” at very high volume!
Luisa Diogo, Prime Minister of Mozambique and the 73rd most powerful woman in the world according to Forbes magazine.
To me the list does not make much sense. Laura Bush number 4, Cherie Blair number 12, Oprah Winfrey number 62?
“Illusions of Grandeur” writes Ros Taylor in The Guardian.
Watching the underdog prevail is always heart warming. Even more so when the race is the blue ribbon event. This happened in the Olympics pool where South Africa won the Men’s 4 x 100m freestyle relay. All the talk before had been of Australia against the USA with maybe the Dutch coming in to spoil the party. But the South Africans had different ideas, not only winning but breaking the world record as well.
I have noticed that slowly the Africans of various nationalities have began to adopt South African sports people as our own as we do for other African nations again at major international events. If no Kenyans are running I cheer for the Africans. After the fall of apartheid the whole of Africa united behind South Africa. We all rejoiced when the Springboks won the rugby world cup in 1995. We congratulated them when Bafana Bafana won the African Cup of Nations a couple of years after that.
Slowly the goodwill starting fading away. Stories of racism in the Springbok camp, stories of South Africa using their economic might to bully other African countries (in Kenya we believe that South Africa tried to steal the Safari Rally from us as well as the rugby Safari Sevens), and some jealously as to the world Africa became South Africa (CNN’s Inside Africa programme might as well have been called Inside South Africa a few years ago).
But the tide has turned again. The World Cup bid focused heavily on the right of Africa to hold the event, and when South Africa won we all felt very proud. South African cricket is Kenya’s biggest ally on the international scene. In my experience the New Zealand All Black’s have been the most supported team amongst black rugby fans. A lot of it has to do with the cool factor (the haka, the kit), and the way the All Blacks traditionally play; fast, expansive rugby. But many also felt the All Blacks were, well, black. Or at least the blackest team around largely due to the large influx of players of Maori origin. But now the Springboks fly the African flag and their victory over Australia to win the Tri Nations for the first time since 1998 was celebrated amongst Kenyan rugby fans over here on Saturday. The Springboks have come back into fashion. Maybe its because of the number of black players in the squad. Maybe that doesn’t really matter. Maybe everyone just loves a winner.
One African who risks losing my support is Aziz Zakari who failed to finish in the men’s 100 metres final again. I’m beginning to get suspicious here. How come he only pulls up with injury when he notices everyone has flown away leaving him behind.
Congratulations to Catherine Ndereba for winning Kenya’s first medal at the Olympics after finishing second in the women’s marathon. Everyone in the UK is talking about Paula Radclife the pre Olympics favourite who failed to finish the race. The British public led by the British press pinned their hopes on Radclife as their main gold medal candidate. Now everyone is looking for excuses for what went wrong. They have decided that the main perpetrators are the Athens Organising Committee, the IOC, the IAAF, Nike, and God (because the sun was too hot apparently) “I think it is well nigh impossible for a northern European to win in those conditions” said David Bedford the London Marathon race director. This is just complete nonsense. Each of the competitors had to deal with the same conditions. They did, Radclife didn’t. To be fair none of these excuses have come from Radclife herself who admitted to be baffled by her race stating “I can’t use the conditions as an excuse because they were the same for everyone.” Kenyans and Ethiopians win races in snow. They are professionals. By the way the marathon was won by Mizuki Noguchi of Japan. Hardly a sub Saharan African.
As usual we’re getting same ridiculous theories about why Kenyans and Ethiopians dominate distant running. I have read at least three articles this week about how people in Kenya and Ethiopia “run everywhere” which is why they are so good. A whole culture of running. To school, to work, to bars, to weddings (and I’m sure in their minds) from the occasional lion wandering through Nairobi and Addis. Nothing about the sacrifice, nothing about the punishing training regimes they adopt, nothing about the dedication, nothing about the mental strength involved. No just a bunch of Africans running everywhere. We should start writing articles in our newspapers about how people in England row everywhere and how people in Australia swim to work, etc.
Oh bollox.
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Looks like I got here just in time. I wouldn’t want ya’ll to think I jumped on the bandwagon after all was done and dusted. Now that the Mickey Mouse poor-excuse-for-a-sport are over let the real Olympics begin. Some of ya’ll have been questioning where my loyalties lie. Well this should clear it up. Those Ethiopian eh. Banging on about how they want to clean sweep the medals in the 10,000 metres. How Haile “The Emperor” Gebrselassie is going to finish his Olympic career on the top. Well I’ve got news for you Haile, Emperors get toppled. Overthrown. Kicked to the curb with no emotion at all. Kenya is here. In fact these Ethiopians have already begun making excuses. “Ohh his Achilles is hurt.” Achilles yourself, is what I say. Ati clean sweep. Clean sweep kitu gain? On the subject of clean sweeps I wonder why other countries even bother turning up for the 3,000 metres steeplechase. There is no point mate. I remember watching the 3,000 metres steeplechase final of a world championship a while back. Of the 15 finalist 8 were Kenyan. At the end the top seven places went to Kenyans, one random character checked in at 8 and the final Kenyan was 9th. Well former Kenyan I should say. After that inept performance (man you can not even come 8th?) he was stripped of his citizenship and probably runs for Ethiopia these days. Ok Ok that was a little low. To be honest while I would love the Kenyans to beat the ethipoians what I want what I really really want (copyright The Spice Girls) is for us to trash those cartoons who now run for Qatar. May they be spanked thoroughly. Perhaps they’ll defect to long jump, after all finding a sand pit to practice in shouldn’t be hard in Qatar.
Go Kenya Go.
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Positions Vacant - Athens, August 2004
Men’s and Women’s Marathon Olympic champions
Men’s and Women’s 10000 meters Olympic champions
Men’s and Women’s 5000 meters Olympic champions
Men’s 3,000 meters steeplechase Olympic champions
Men’s and Women’s 1500 meters Olympic champions
Men’s and Women’s 800 meters Olympic champions
Men’s 400 meters Olympic champion
Women’s Volleyball Olympic champions
Men’s 100m breastroke Olympic champion
Women’s 50 metres freestyle Olympic champion
Non Kenyans need not apply.
Italians. Makers of fast cars, good food and whack excuses.
Yeah right, whatever dude!
A Kenyan ministerial post is like kryptonite to intelligence and common sense. How else does one explain world renowned scholars, academics, lawyers, jurists, well respected business men, professors, civil rights activist turning into a bunch of incompetent, dishonest, bundling dimwits?
The latest example involves the three Kenyan truck drivers who were kidnapped in Iraq by the “Black Banners” brigade of the Islamic Secret Army.
Despite the fact he did not have any senior diplomats in the area;
Despite the fact the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had not been in regular contact with the employer of the hostages;
Despite the fact he had not checked with his own High Commission officials;
Despite the fact other arms of government were reportedly making frantic efforts to stop him from speaking as it was thought his premature announcement would actually jeopardise the drivers’ release;
Kenyan foreign minister Chirau Ali Mwakwere cut short a visit to Mombasa and boarded the first available plane back to Nairobi so he could announce the men’s freedom to a waiting world. Our minister strode arrogantly on to TV to boast that it “was a great achievement”; “it was diplomacy at its best” in addition he lectured Kenyans telling us “Kenyans should learn to be patient, have faith in prayer and have confidence in systems of government.”
Only one slight problem: the hostages had not been released.
When it became clear that the minister was responsible for the biggest blunder by the formerly well respected Kenyan Foreign Ministry did he resign?
What resign and give up the cars, the money, and the flag on the car? Hell no.
Instead he was summoned to state house to provide full explanation which was, “You know these militias, it’s a volatile situation. They can change their stand any time.”
Did he apologise? What and lose face and his pride? Hell no!
Instead he strolled into parliament and said “Mr Speaker, Sir, I stand by every word I have said because it can stand the test of time.”
What the hell? Which planet does this guy live on?
Two editorials: This Blunder Is Unforgivable and Sack Mwakwere for incompetence.
Pamoja Tuangamize Ukimwi
Kaybees - Thanks for voting!
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