An Austrian In Kenya
An Austrian in Kenya 397
An Austrian In Kenya
By
Karl Glanz
Preface
Come closer
You seem so far aqay
There`s something I know you need to say
I feel your emotions
When I look in your eyes
Your silence
Whispering misunderstandings
There’s so much you need to realize
You’ll feel my emotions if you look in my eyes
Mariah Carey
Ukavu - Drought
You wouldn't believe it, but it's true. In Wajir county, Kenya, it is dry as dust. As if in a macabre parade, cattle carcasses line the two sides of the dusty road leading into Biyamadow, a sleepy village in northern Kenya's Wajir County.
Who can believe it? It's true, drought in Kenya! No rain, for several weeks. The animals are suffering, the farmers are suffering too. Climate change has hit hard. The farmers shrug their shoulders, that's all they can expect. Everyone says it: "Climate change is here!"
Kenya is certainly not responsible for this climate change, at least not in this form. The industrialised countries with their insanely large factories that pollute the air are responsible. Kenya is being asked to pay... and has to pay.
Many tourists see Kenya as a green country. They don't know any different and nobody tells them. The equator passes through the middle of Kenya, so it is green. A little further away from the equator are the dry areas.
Now it is really time to take a look at Kenya's geography. Kenya borders Sudan and Ethiopia to the north, Somalia to the east, Uganda to the west, Tanzania to the south and the Indian Ocean to the southeast. Most of the country, especially in the north and east, is arid or semi-arid.
Central-Central Kenya is crossed by the Rift Valley, part of the East African Rift Valley. The highest elevation - Batian at 5199 m - is in the Mount Kenya massif, the mountain range is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The lowest point is at 0 m on the 480 km long coast of the Indian Ocean; coral reefs are partly offshore there. The longest rivers in the country are: Tana, Sabaki and Kerio. To the east, the coastal lowlands extend as a narrow fringe.
The coast is about 400 km long. A 20 to 25 km wide coastal lowland connects inland. The coastal region rises in the north and east to wide plateaus up to 1500 to 2000 m high, which are topped by extinct volcanoes.
The coastline is divided by bays and lagoons. To the south, coral reefs are offshore. To the west are hills and tablelands.
Kenya can be divided into two climatic zones: In the highlands, which are higher than 1800 m, there are rainy periods from April to June and from October to November.
At 5199 m, the Mount Kenya massif is the second highest mountain massif in Africa. Its centre is about 15 km south of the equator in Kenya.
Rainfall is mostly in the afternoon, evening and night. The nights are relatively cool. The coldest period in this region is in July and August with a daily minimum of about 10 °C. The warm period is in January and February with about 25 to 26 °C daily maximum. The humidity is about 65 percent. In Nairobi, temperatures range from 11 to 21 °C in July and 13 to 26 °C in February. The annual average rainfall in Nairobi is 958 mm. Temperatures are much higher at Lake Victoria, where there is sometimes heavy rainfall.
On the coast, temperatures range from 22 to 32 °C, and the average humidity is about 75 percent. Most precipitation falls from April to June. The driest months are January and February. The warmest months are October to May.
Due to the different climatic zones, the smallest catchment area, that of Lake Victoria with just under 10 % of the country's surface area, has the highest discharge with half of the total water volume. The largest catchment area, on the other hand, that of the Ewaso Ng'iro, which drains into the Juba, with more than a third of the country's area, only has a share of the runoff of less than 2 %. Besides the rainy southwest, the massif of Mount Kenya represents the country's "water castle". Almost a quarter of the country drains into basins without drainage, like that of Lake Turkana.
Let's keep it that way. (Lerrnhelfer, Mount Kenya massif, Wikipedia, Kenya, Wikipedia, Geography - Kenyan Embassy Nerlin).
Tourists usually only know the "Big Five". The term dates back to the time of the big game hunters and refers to the five animals that were the most difficult to kill. They are elephant, rhino, buffalo, lion and leopard.
Uhoga - Homosexuality
It's strange what I'm seeing in Kenya. It is certainly not uncommon, it can happen anywhere. What just happened.
We, my wife and I, went shopping. Since there is no supermarket in the village, we have to go to the next town. We need about 20 minutes to get there. There are two larger supermarkets in town, both not far from the bus station.
There is a lot in the supermarket, but not everything. As a European you are used to something different. The people here like it and it is enough for them.
We did a lot of shopping, two parcels would be packed full, and we also have to carry a heavy shopping bag. I can drag them! Naturally! It would be even nicer if the golden one would wear something. For the heavy parcels, she fetches a porter she knows. Who doesn't she know?
We let the first bus go, there is little space and we need space with a lot of luggage. Another advantage is that we can sit next to the driver, that's good for my broken hip, the pain isn't that great.
So we sit on the bus and wait. The sun is shining, it's warm. I have opened the window and I support myself casually on the door with my left arm. It doesn't take long before I feel someone caress my arm. I look, there is a young man standing, looking at me ecstatically, stroking my arm with relish. This has happened to me before, but only with women. They were always completely carried away by my hair, not on my head, but on my arms.
"What do you want?" I ask him, at the same time pulling my arm away.
"I like you! I like all that hair on your skin."
The young man smiles.
"I know a lot of people want that!"
He shows me his arm. "Look, we don't have hair on our skin!"
It's true, blacks are sleek, hairless.
"Do you like me?" He asks.
"I don't know," I answer.
"Just look at me carefully! I am young and strong!"
It's true, he's young and strong, I can't argue against that.
"Show me your legs!" I ask of him.
He steps back from the vehicle, takes his pant legs, pulls them up, shows me his legs.
My wife laughs softly, the driver can hardly hide his laugh. What's so funny?
"What do you say?" He wants to know from me.
"Looks good!" I state professionally.
The driver starts the engine. The bus is full, we can drive off.
"Are we getting together?" He would like to know.
"Maybe ... I'll think about it."
Luckily the bus leaves. Not too much my happiness, more the happiness of the young man.
I didn't see him again. I'm not sad.
Have you heard what the Lord has done?
He has destroyed the works of satan
He has given us Victory
That's why we sing Ose e
Gonjwa Hilo - The Pandemic
Today I read the newspaper and I was allerted when I came to this message.
Have you been vaccinated against Covid-19? If not, you might be denied services in government institutions and entry to your favourite bar this festive season. (Nation)
That means if you are not vaccinated no more beer, no traveling, nothing. You're locked up. As you maybe know, I'm Austrian, we have the same. That was causing last weekend some problems in Vienna. Between 75.000 and 200.000 demonstrated for their rights. Here in Austria, we will get a 'must' to be vaccinated but before that, this law must pass the court. To many complanet about it. The same can be happened in Kenya.
And it means a countrywide Lockdown. As long as I know, in Kenya are 2,5 million vaccinated, 48 million are not vaccinated. What is not clear mentioned in that article is, if a nonvaccinated are not allowed to enter a bar or hotel, is a nonvaccinated service personal allowed? Transport is also finished. When this becomes true, then the complete country will come to a standstill.
Actually I have no idea what happen with a jobless person. In Austria those people getting help, that means they get some money to buy food and pay rent. It's not a lot, you cannot become rich. You can survive, that's all. I'm sure this is not happened in Kenya. When this comes true what's communicated in the Nation, that would mean a high number of jobless persons. No hotel would be open, no bar, no matatu will go. This Lockdown will come to a shutdown.
The big problem is what to do with people they cannot be vaccinated? There is no answer! Is it a lifetime sentence? In other words, non vaccinated people are in prison?
To many questions!
Just to see what's going on. In Kenya every year 25.000 people are dying of TB. Who cares? Covid-19 is now for 2 years in Kenya and 6000 died. That means 3000 a year! And what we got? Lockdowns, shutdowns, restrictions,... What is really going on? And we don't have to forget HIV! A lot of deaths and nobody cares.
Asubuhi Ni Kijivu Au Asubuhi Ni Kijivu
After a long day, we had been very busy, we lay on the bed. I was really tired and just hoped that the divine would leave me alone. One day of hard work is enough, I'm not that strong anymore. Before, yes, today no. So I went to bed early. The others ate and then watched television. I made myself comfortable on the bed. I am an avid reader, so I read a treatise on Valois. Later the divine comes into the room and lies down with me. Don't say a word. I look at her, a woman who doesn't speak, there's a fire on the roof. I fixed her with my eyes, wondering how she feels.
"May I ask you something?" I have to be careful.
A woman is like a loaded gun. "You may," comes the cold answer.
"Do you want to be a man?" Not a specific question, but I'm still interested in the answer.
She thinks for a few seconds, then looks at me, answers me: "No, not really!"
This answer doesn't surprise me. Silence, nobody speaks. I keep reading my book.
"May I ask you something?"
"Of course, my darling!"
I'm happy to have some conversation.
"Do you want to be a man?"
That sat. She has a sharp tongue. I am speechless. I can't just accept that, it was a punch in the abdomen, if you know what I'm talking about. I have trouble sleeping, try to think up a rematch for myself. I can't think of anything! That makes the night even more uncomfortable than it already is. The morning is finally coming. I get up, go kukojoa or susu. When I come back, the beautiful woman is already awake. She looks out the window.
“It's dawning!” She notes. I let this sentence melt in my mouth. I can do something with that! I look at her.
"No," I say to her, "morning is not graying, morning is graying!"
That sat! Her black face loses its natural color, she becomes completely white in the face. Before the volcano explodes, I forgive myself. With quick steps I leave the room and the house. It is better to wait for the outbreak at a safe distance. I forgive myself around the corner of the house. There is room, the tenant has moved out. It's peaceful here! As soon as I'm there, I hear their screams! It's good that I'm in good hands. There is no breakfast today! It's bad, but I guess I'll survive.
I hear the drums echoing tonight
But she hears only whispers of some quiet conversation
She's coming in twelve-thirty flight
Her moonlit wings reflect the stars that guide me towards salvation. salvation.
Mjinga
As so often, I go for a walk. To the river, of course. It's Sunday and the sun is shining. I come to the church, which is full as always. There are also many people in front of the church today.
There is a friend of mine, a boy, I was so friendly and I learned a sentence of German from him. He greets me happily. His friends are amazed that we are talking in a foreign language. They don't know it's just a sentence! My friend is happy and so am I.
There's another man I notice. A little boy, about 2 years old, is sitting on his shoulder. I think that's unusual, because I have the impression that Kenyan men don't care about their offspring. We talk to each other. The conversation begins as always. "Where are you from?" He asks me.
The boy on his shoulder looks at me with wide eyes. I just wonder what is the little one thinking now?
I point my finger behind me.
"I'm from there!"
The man makes big eyes.
"Where are you going?"
Point your finger in the direction that leads to the river.
He laughs.
"Are you kidding me!"
"You are too heavy for me!"
He laughs again.
Turning to his son, he says: Look, that's a mzungu! "
The little one's eyes become even bigger and rounder.
"He's never seen a white man!"
"He sure thinks that this person must be seriously ill when he's so white!"
"It can be!"
Turning to his son, he says: "Shake hands with the whites."
We shake hands. That surprises me to a certain extent, because not all children dare, on the other hand, dad is there. The papa is happy.
"What are you doing here?" He asks me.
"I am vacationing."
"I've already seen you with a woman!"
"Maybe I live with a woman,"
"Are you married?"
"Not yet, but we're working on it. Right now we're building a house!"
"I see it's serious."
"I would like to think so!"
"What is your profession?"
"I'm a doctor," I tell him.
"I'm a teacher in college."
"That is definitely an exhausting job!"
He changes the subject.
"Are you married?" He asks all of a sudden.
"No."
"Were you married?"
"Yes."
"Do you have children?"
"Yes."
"A son?"
"A daughter!"
"What is your occupation?"
"She is a doctor!"
"I thought so!"
His eyes shine like two headlights.
"Do you mind if I communicate with her?"
I really don't like having such concerns. I just wonder what he has to discuss with my daughter. He doesn't know her and she doesn't know him! Strange.
"Give me your details, I will pass them on to my daughter."
He gives it to me and is very satisfied with our conversation.
I stopped an old man along the way
Hoping to find some old forgotten words or ancient melodies
He turned to me as if to say
"Hurry, boy, it's waiting there for you"
But my daughter is smarter than me, she didn't answer. The good teacher got in touch with me and asked why my daughter didn't get in touch. I didn't know, she had to ask. She said, what should I do with this teacher, what does he want from me? I didn't know that either. So I went to him and told him that my daughter didn't want any contact. He was a little surprised. I wanted to comfort him and told him that he could communicate with my ex-wife if he wanted. He was happy again.
My ex contacted me. She told me that the teacher wrote to her. That wasn't surprising. I was happy that I made a friend and that my ex can have a good chat with the teacher.
When I enter the stage it moves,
Talent rains here,
Of course the people listen to me
I'm pongolove
I'm with Buraka
open the border
I don't say garbage
I don't even say nonsense
On the microphone I'm the first
I will raise my flag.
The phone rings this morning. My ex is calling me. She is a little upset. I ask her what happened? She has to calm down first. Only a few minutes later she can tell me what happened. What I get to hear makes me astonished and angry at the same time.
I'll make it short. The teacher offered her that he would like to marry my ex. He will build her a house where she can then live.
That pulls the floor out from under my feet. I go up like a rocket The blood rushes out of my ears!
This is Kenya! Not Europe! This is a big insult to me and to my ex! In Europe this is an impossible course of action. I ask the divine what she thinks about it. I have to inform myself. She thinks that's completely normal in Kenya. I can't come to terms with that. My honor is hurt and I can't pass it on. I am very upset, it takes time to calm down.
I call my daughter, she is the only one who can advise me. I tell her what happened. I ask her if I shouldn't slap the teacher in the face. She says no let him that's a sucker As always, she's right.
Angola the world covets
But it's the people that bewitch you
Pong no beat whims
Because I'm rare welwitchia type
I'm really the very aggressive ngaxi lady
knock me down even with macumba
I'm creative
Femicide In Austria And In Kenya
The most dangerous place for women is their own four walls. This is especially true for Austria. On average, almost three men murder women every month in this country. This makes Austria the only country in the EU in which more women than men are murdered every year. While the Austrian government saves the protection against violence, other countries are more active: The French police can take immediate measures against perpetrators, Germany has decided on a record women's budget and Spain has pushed back feminicide with so-called “urgent trials”. That writes the "press". That is bad! One could assume that there is no protection for women in Austria. In Vienna, there are currently 330 victims of violence for every supervisor. There is simply not enough time for all cases, "emphasizes Klaudia Frieben, Chairwoman of the Austrian Women's Association. You don't have to look far, you will soon find something. The guilty are in the government! The government saved the protection against violence to death. That is bad and means that women are not equal in our society. The situation is different in Kisii, Kenya. The violence may be the same as in Austria, the causes are fundamentally different. The STAR reports "Five men have been arrested and four of them arraigned on murder charges. At least 10 accomplices are being hunted, as well as possible suspects." You have to take a closer look at people's thoughts. They think and believe that witches hunt for dead meat in graves by calling the name of deceased while standing on grave. They do human sacrifices to increase their powers. They use hyenas ... Above all they are not untouchable, their work can be destroyed by power of God. For no power of witchcraft shall prosper if you believe in the name of God. And that is exactly the reason! Last time 5 women were killed, they were burned. The church is to blame for this; it does not oppose this superstition, because it is such a superstition. We have more churches and chapels than houses, more priests and monks than lay people. On every street corner you are offered fake relics and reports of false miracles. Religion consists of absurd outward appearances, fraternity has died out for sheer brotherhood. In every corner of the normal, dilapidated, ignorant, superstitious land hangs a dirty picture of the Madonna. We go to confession every month, but in our viciousness we perish all of our days until we die. No pagan is as barbaric and criminal as we Christians. The Church promotes ignorance so that the people do not know what is the cause of their suffering. And one thing must not be forgotten, this burning of women, that comes from the Inquisition! The Inquisition was very wealthy. Acquisitions were seldom made. The total number of those burned or severely punished by the Inquisition in Spain from its inception to the coronation of Carlos IV was 348,907. The difference between feminicides is very clear. In Austria they are crimes and are punished as such. In Kenya it is religious acts that are apparently approved. There are three different meanings generally implied by the word religion. First - This religion is a certain true revelation that God gave to man and from which the worship of man God proceeds. Second - This religion is a collection of superstitious statements from which an equally superstitious worship is derived. Such an interpretation is generally applied to religion by skeptics; by those who don't believe in the religion they define. Third - This religion is a compilation of sentences and rules invented by wise men and a necessity for the vulgar flock, both for their comfort and for their submission and restraint to their passions. Such an interpretation is applied to religion by those who are personally indifferent to it but regard it as a useful tool for guiding humanity. And it is precisely this third meaning that is troubling. Let's look at the pastors, they are all good looking. They are pastors to have a good and easy life. And they have that too. You preach! In the Gospel of Mattheus it is written that the birds do not sow, they do not reap and God feeds them after all. Hold on to that. They don't work, they preach and raise money. That's a good intake. There is a church every 100 m and they are all full. The preachers forget that Jesus also said, I don't come to bring peace, I come with the sword. That is also what Mattheus says.
On the bed or floor - Juu ya kitanda au sakafu
Afternoon, warm, in Kenya it's not hot, only the Kenyans think and feel it. The foreigners ofte sweat, but not from the heat, only with excitement and in Africa they sweat.
As I said, it's warm, I don't sweat, but I still want to have a cold beer. So I go to the bar. The street is more or less empty, it's Sunday and everyone is in church. I'm glad because there isn't much going on in the bar.
Jet! Jet! Jet!*
I can almost remember their funny faces
That time you told 'em that you were going to be marrying soon
And jet,
I thought the only lonely place was on the moon
Jet! Oo jet! Oo
And really, the bar is empty and there is no one by the swimming pool either. Everything seems to be extinct. The waitresses are standing around, bored, talking. They know me and they don't pay much attention to me, sometimes I feel as if I belong to them. The doors and windows are wide open. I look for an airy place. It is pleasant to be here, to sit in the shade and a fresh breeze blows around my ears. The waitresses look at me, I don't need to say anything, they bring me an ice cold beer. With a smile, she puts it on the table in front of me. I thank you, she nods and smiles at me, leaves.
Jet! What your father as bold as a sergeant major?
Well how come he told you that you were hardly old enough yet?
And jet,
I thought the major was a lady suffragette
Jet! Oo jet! Oo
As she goes away to join her colleagues, something occurs to me. A joke, but it has to be right.
I'm in a bar. Alone, of course. In front of the bar there is a lady who can be hired. I go up to her and ask her: "What does it cost?"
She looks at me, looks me up and down, she appraises me.
"For you 100 on the bed or 20 on the floor!"
"That is a good price!"
That's right, that's a good price.
I give her the 100. She takes it and sticks the bill in her cleavage.
"Good decision!" She says, "once in bed!"
I am a little bit surprised. "Why once on the bed? Five times on the floor!"
In many words, little clarity, a bit of joke and no truth. The joke wasn't a good one.
Ah, mater, want Jet to always love me?
Ah, mater, want Jet to always love me?
Ah, mater, much later
Now I have to laugh too. The waitresses look at me. What are you thinking now? The mzungu totally crazy! What the waitresses in all likelihood do not know is that they shouldn't laugh at human affairs, shouldn't cry, be outraged, but should understand. That's what Spinoza said and I agree.
A conversation that the learned Prince Piko di Mirandola had with the
Pope after the birth of Lucretia with Roderich. Alexander asked him:
"Little Piko, who do you think is my grandson's father?"
"Well, your son-in-law!", Namely Alfons, who is known for being impotent.
"How can you believe that?"
“Faith, Ew. Holiness consists of believing the impossible, ”and now he rummaged around
Prince made such a multitude of believed impossibilities that the Holy Father almost imagined himself
Burst out laughing.
“Yes, yes,” said the Pope, “I feel that I am only through faith, not mine factories can be saved. "
“Ew. Holiness, "answered the prince," have the keys of the kingdom of heaven; but I - how would I feel there if I had slept with my daughter, had used the dagger and the cantarella (poison) so often! "
“Seriously, tell me,” continued the Pope, “how can God find pleasure in faith? Don't we call the one who says he believes what he can't possibly believe a liar? "
“Great God!” Cried the prince, marking the cross, “I believe, Ew. Holiness are not a Christian! "
"Well, to be honest, it's not me either."
"I thought so!" Said the prince, and with that ended the strangest conversation that has probably ever taken place between a Pope and a layman.
Jet! With the wind in your hair of a thousand laces
Climb on the back and we'll go for a ride in the sky
And jet,
I thought that the major was a little lady suffragette
Jet! Oo jet! Oo
Another mzungu might have been annoyed, but I know these young ladies, not by name, but by sight. You are desperately trying to cut a good figure, which does not always work. I do misses, and after a few days they'll be gone again. It's a come and go. For many people, life has gotten tougher instead of better in recent years.
Financial bubbles, economic crises, unemployment, dying industrial regions, decaying housing gettos, jobs that one cannot live on, poverty in old age, insecurity ... - all of this overshadows our everyday life and scares us. Me too. Chances are our society is riddled with useless jobs that no one wants to talk about. Some waitresses may see their job this way. Even the fact that most people don't like their job and would appreciate an excuse not to go to work. I was always happy if I had an excuse, today I don't need one anymore, today I prefer to watch the young people as they toil. It is clear that the people here do not have a great chance of getting a decent job. I would like to point out that waiters a good job is, you have to make something of it, then nothing stands in the way of a career.
Impressum
Verlag: BookRix GmbH & Co. KG
Tag der Veröffentlichung: 27.11.2022
ISBN: 978-3-7554-2606-6
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