The one thing coursework in International Terrorism can do is make you despise simplistic good vs evil storylines. So can the study of History, the reading of other people’s literatures, and the willingness to know what you don’t want to know. Be warned that your capacity to suffer fools gladly quickly wanes too. In this…
When we were kids and new to the magic of learning, we did Number Work in Standard 1 (first grade). Then I think it was in Standard 2 when we graduated to Maths. What numbers become when + – x / was applied to them just totally confused me, especially if the answer was more…
*Posted Oct 13th, 2018 // This morning we woke up to the reactions of Kenya West’s visit to the White House. What did you think? I was asked at a private at-home conversation. I’ll make my opinion public. I said my first uncensored reaction felt like watching a black man in a cage on display…
My languages teacher in primary school was probably my biggest inspiration ever. She taught us English and Kikamba, both part of the school syllabus in that part of the country. I think Swahili too, although I don’t quite recall any Swahili text book. She was from Taita, and I know for sure at her home…
*This story was written as a personal email. The author gave permission for it to be published as a work of creative writing. The decision to maintain the email details is to have the reader contextualize the narrator’s voice. From: Preston E. Hall <p…com>To: “mkawasi” <m…com> Sent: Saturday, August 13, 2011 5:48 AMSubject: I am amazing You know, I am…
Religion is good, as long as you know it’s performance and performative. It is how you dramatize your spiritual being if you believe you have a non-material aspect to your existence. It should be beautiful, releasing, profound, personal, communal, needing no defense. It is a sacred story that you perform through ritual. These stories can…
*First posted on March 23 2021. Listen here Asian people. Here’s my dry-eyed truth. All week long, I’ve had a case of empathy deficiency. Like one forced to empathize with an abuser who is suddenly the victim of abuse. I acknowledge your humanity and will actually defend it, but I accuse you of lacking the…
There was this little girl in one of the elementary schools I taught for a semester in NY. Same place in Brooklyn I told you about last time. Tough neighborhood, didn’t know what the little capsules carpeting the streets were then, from the bus stop to the school. Crack vials, I learnt. The girl. 2nd…
