by MentalAcrobatics

(This article was originally posted here.)

At 1pm EAT Kenyans across the country, across the continent and across the globe stood and sang all three stanzas of the Kenyan National Anthem together as part of Kenya28Feb. We sang for a variety of reasons. Some sang to demonstrate patriotism, others to celebrate Kenya and Kenyans, others as a prayer for our country, others as a show of unity, to demonstrate there is more that unites us than divides us. Many of us sang for a mixture of all these reasons and others not listed here. What is important is that we stood and sang. This is the 2nd year Kenya28Feb has rallied Kenyans to sing our National Anthem collectively. I have written before on the power of the symbolic collective singing of our anthem and on some of the reasons different groups of people sang today. Today I’d like to share my thoughts on the, “What Next?” question.

Many people, supporters and those not supportive of Kenya28Feb, seem baffled by our advice to congregate, sing and disperse. No speeches, no rallies, no food drives, no estate clean ups, no tree planting, no IDP relocating, not even blood donation! “NO NOTHING? WHY? HOW? WHAT? USELESS!” Is it not important to donate blood, don’t we feel that trees are worth planting, and do we not cry out at the injustice of IDPs still in camps 4 years after they were first displaced, and who does not want to live in a clean estate? Doesn’t Kenya28Feb? Valid questions.

This blog post is written for the Kenya28Feb family, that is, all those who sang the National Anthem on Kenya28Feb. If you did not see the point of singing or if you were against the singing you probably won’t get much out of this post. If you didn’t see the point of singing this post won’t change your mind about that. If you did sing and are wondering what next, let’s talk.

So we sang our beautiful anthem for the 2nd year in a row. What do we do now? Why just disperse? Why go back to doing what we were doing?

My response to these questions starts with this observation, most Kenyans I meet are doing remarkable things! At Mavuno we call it ordinary people doing extraordinary things. Most Kenyans I know constantly give sacrificially whether it’s time/money/expertise to wonderful causes/initiatives that would die without their support. Most Kenyans I know are engaged in their communities, building clinics, paying school fees, protecting the vulnerable etc. When we suggest that you sing and then disperse to continue with your day, what we are actually saying is that you are already part of the solution! You are lifting up our families, our communities, and our society. You are engaged and YOU have figured out the solutions! Solutions that no one else may have seen. Carry on!

I live In Nairobi, Kenyans from different corners of the country, Lamu, Busia, Kakamgea, Eldoret etc all sang today. They know their communities better than I ever will, they know the solutions their community needs better than I do. Why then would I prescribe a solution for Kenyans who sang in those areas? I live in the Kilimani area of Nairobi; many who sang live in other parts of Nairobi. They know their communities better than I do, they know the solutions those communities need better than I do. Why wait for me to tell you what to do next? You are already doing it! Carry on!

There are three assumptions I am making here. The first assumption is that you spend your most productive time each day on positive actions that build up your community and in turn your society, that you are a provider of solutions to the problems in your community. Whether in tech, in media, in film, in music, in banking, in medicine, in law, in the police, in government, in emergency response, in the NGO world, in school, on campus etc wherever you are in this season of you life, I assume that you are a solutions provider. The second assumption is that you are passionate about the solutions you are working on. You believe in them. The third assumption is that you work on those solutions because they make an impact. Your solutions transform your community positively.

Why don’t we tell you to go out and plant trees? Some of you are already planting trees and those of you who aren’t have skills that are utilised elsewhere! Why don’t we organise a food drive, some of you are already Feeding Kenya. How about IDPs? Do we not feel for them? Of course we do, and many of us who sang today are already working on providing long-term solutions for our brothers and sisters in IDP camps. Carry on!

Why doesn’t Kenya28Feb leverage on its network? Well we are! Our network is you and the solutions you are working on. Our symbolic act of unity connected us! We celebrate you, and now all of us can help you to work on your solution! We won’t give you a solution, we’ll help you work on yours.

The point I am trying to make is this, a solution prescribed by someone who does not understand the context will never work as well as the solution advocated by you who does. Carry on!

Do not sit around “waiting patiently” for a magic solution, it does not exist. Do not sit around waiting for the mantle to be passed to you, YOU already have it. Do not pontificate about how Kenya28Feb has no ideas, share YOUR idea. Most of you who sang already get this. Carry on!

You also understand, unlike some of our brothers and sisters, that singing the anthem does not stop you from working on those solutions. You know the equation is not “working on solutions v singing the anthem”, the correct equation is “working on solutions + singing the anthem”. Some belch that all we do is sing three stanzas once a year then disappear, well we know what we do the rest of the year, working on those solutions! Doing what we were already doing before we took a pause to sing together.

Some suggestions: let us share what we are doing amongst our networks (which if you are reading this includes me) what you are doing? If you have gaps in your capacity the person who can fill that gap is probably closer than you imagine. Let us highlight those providing positive solutions with impact in our communities, let us encourage each other, let us work together, let us grow together, let us support each other and next year let us sing on Thursday 28th Feb 2013 to celebrate each other!

I’ll stop there because I know you have a lot of work to do. Carry on!

(If you have not found a way in which you can become a solution provider in your community, if you are struggling to find a way to impact your community positively then this conversation is for you too. Let’s start talking about your passions and we’ll find a way to get you working on a solution you are passionate about!)

Oh God of all creation,
Bless this our land and nation!

What a way to start a national anthem. The spirit of these two lines is an acknowledgement that Kenya is God’s dream. Our fathers, in this loaded statement admitted that it is God who gave us what we have and are so proud of. The mountains, rivers, valleys, savanna grasslands, wild animals, breathtaking beaches and fertile lands – it is the God of all creation who gifted us with all these.

God of all creation is the one that created the diverse tribes that we have as a country. We cannot start to appreciate each other and celebrate our differences until we see that we are all God’s children, created equal and placed on this space called Kenya to coexist joyfully. No tribe was a mistake; we are all God’s best.

We ought to see that it is the God of all creation who has helped us bring our nation this far. We have lived in peace for decades. We have built a good nation, we have a fairly large economy, and we have a talented workforce. Our athletes are the best in the world. We see thousands of tourists come to enjoy our land every year. We are a blessed people.
These lines are an invitation of God to come and bless our efforts of nation building. Since independence, we have turned to God during tough times. When famine strikes, when our differences threaten to strangle our dream, when natural disaster strikes, and when the enemies of peace kill through explosives – we have always turned to the Almighty. God has been our strength, and will continue to be.

The first line looks up to the God of all creation as a father; a source of all the good things we are and we have. The second line appeals to that sovereign one to continue to bless us with all good things. It further acknowledges that without God we will slaughter each other, destroy our economy, experience dry spells, loose what we have and have our blessings turned into a curse.

We are a religious people who believe that God is our source (father), and that we are brothers, and that he has blessed us and will continue to bless us as we acknowledge him in our affairs. The national anthem starts with God. It is a prayer to the Almighty to bless us into greatness. A people start to deteriorate when they begin to live and act for themselves. The fear of God leads to wise decisions.

Whenever we sing these lines, may we be reminded that we are who we are because of God. That it is God who has brought us this far, and he will take us to our destiny. That through God we will become a greater nation. That in God there is the promise of justice and righteousness.

A few years ago, we allowed our political and tribal differences to drive us to the he shame of bloodshed. Today, and every day, as we sing these words, we are inviting the God of all creation to bless us with peace, restraint, prosperity and brotherhood. The Good Book tells us: Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people he chose for his inheritance. (Psalm 33:12)

Ee Mungu nguvu yetu, Ilete baraka kwetu!

We are asking Kenyans to share their thoughts on their favourite sections of the beautiful Kenyan National Anthem. Here Pastor Simon Mbevi writes on his favourite section, the first two lines of the Anthem.

Listen Now

Official Video

Lyrics

Produced & Sponsored by Bernsoft
Kenya We Pray – lyrics
Intro Julianni
Mungu Baba/
Magoti chini kwa land ulinipa/
Nalima shamba/
Hustle around town/
Green isifade i turn brown/
Kwa bendera ya Kenya/
Hii si kitambara yoyote imehang kwa mti/
Red Black and Green Republic/
Piga saluti/

Chorus June
Oh God of all creation/
Bless this our Land and Nation/
We are waiting for a sign, so hear us now we pray/

Verse 1(a) Frasha
Napiga magoti na muomba Mola/
Wakenya sikizeni tu hii sala/
Nashukuru viongozi walo pigania/
Walo kufa na walo pia simamia/
Vita ya wabeberu na wakoloni/
Ningependa tu kuwapa shukrani/
Nimejua uhuru tangu utotoni/
Na amani siku tu za usoni/

Verse 1(b) D.N.A
Kenya ni weh na mih/
Unangojea nani? Kaa si weh kuinua jamii?
Unangojea kusaidiwa umepotea nani/
Na weh ndio wa kusaidiana jitolee nani/
Juu Kenya hii Kenya hii/
Ilitolewa na ma-youth kwa mkono ya mkoloni/
Na mih ni youth nimejitolea so call on me/
Ile Kenya nataka inaletwa ni mih/

Verse 2(a) Joey
You know we the chosen ones all we do is win in them races/
Blood, sweat & tears: streets is where my base is/
We fought for this. Birth of a nation/
Two thousand and ten we copped that new constitution/
Hash tag, emancipation/
Work and dedication/
Read the equation/
You plus me thats a sensible solution/
Its Joey on the mic, yoh honorable mention/

Verse 2(b) Collo (Klepto)
Lord give me a sign/
Let me show the devil he can never eat me alive/
Ni mbali tulipotoka, bariki tunapoenda/
Bariki Kenya nakuomba Baba ndio tu-survive/
Wakenya wote tujivunie kila upande/
Kumbuka kuwa uzalendo sio kipande/
Celebrate homage as we pay/
Oh Lord hear us now God as we pray!

Verse 3 JuaCali
Vijana tuamke wote tijisaidie/
Leaders wa tommorrow ni uongo usiwaskize/
Zile kazi walisema ziko wapi?
Zile promises walitoa ziko wapi?
Vile mi naona tutaendelea bado kuumia/
Huku mtaani hakuna MP anashughulika/
Hewa chafu mamtaro zinaziba/
Ni noma makarau pia wanaiba/
Kila siku tunashindwa tutakimbilia nani/
After kila election naomba kukuwe na amani/
Roho inauma ukabila ni kitu kubwa/
Unanibagua aje na damu haina lugha?
Nipe kazi nime-qualify kuifanya/
Utapatia aje cousin yako na unajua hayuko sawa?
Eh Mungu nionyeshe njia ingine ya kupenya/
Najua shida ni mingi lakini bado napenda Kenya/

Climax Angie (Tattuu)
Ewe Mungu wangu weh uliye binguni shuka kwangu shuka kwangu/
Ewe Mungu wetu weh uliye binguni shuka kwetu shuka kwetu/
Shuka!

Kenya28Feb: Sing, unite, and DISPERSE
(Not in any way associated with Bunge La Mwananchi or Article 43 march)

Today, the 28th of February 2011, Kenyans will stop what they are doing, wherever they are and sing the national anthem in unison at 1pm. The idea behind Kenya28Feb is to unite Kenyans in one action and provoke reflection about personal responsibility for fostering unity and peace.
We can only change Kenya if we support unity at a personal level, unity is a personal responsibility.

To this end we wish to reiterate that

• Kenya28Feb is NOT a political event or protest!
• Kenya28Feb is NOT a political rally
• Kenya28Feb is ONLY about unifying Kenyans by singing the national anthem: there will be no speeches, before or after, nor any other related activities on this day.
• Kenya28Feb urges participants to congregate peacefully, sing the national anthem, and then disperse and carry on with their day.

As such, we hereby dissociate Kenya28Feb from any attempts to turn Kenya28Feb into a political rally; we disassociate Kenya28Feb from any attempts to turn Kenya28Feb into a political march.

As clearly stated in all promotional material, we urge all participants to remain true to the aims of this initiative: to congregate peacefully, sing the national anthem, and then disperse peacefully and carry on with their day.

Ni Wakati! We Are Kenya!

On 28th of February at 1 pm, 1 people, 1 nation, 1 anthem, united for 1 Kenya!
Asante sana John!

Bill Lay, CEO of General Motors East Africa, explains his reasons for supporting the Kenya28Feb campaign.

Thank you Bill and General Motors East Africa for the support!

KCB Lions RFC endorses Kenya28Feb

Kenya Commercial Bank RFC, popularly known as The Lions, one of Kenya’s most successful rugby clubs, endorses Kenya28Feb.

Thank you for the support gents!

Kenya Harlequins RFC, Kenya Rugby Champions 2011, support Kenya28Feb!

Kenya Harlequins RFC, Kenya Rugby Champions 2011, support Kenya28Feb!
Thank you for the support gents!

The car park between RFUEA and Ligi Ndogo on Ngong Road is a Kenya28Feb venue where Kenyans will congregate to Sing and Unite.

Chris Bittok, jazz saxophonist extraordinaire, plays the National Anthem of Kenya for the Kenya28Feb.

Chris also supports Kenya28Feb. Thank you Chris for taking time to demonstrate your love for your country!

Watch Chris Adwar playing the Kenya National Anthem. Chris is the Music Director for The Villagers band – A Fusion Band from Nairobi, Kenya, that blends rich afro sounds with smooth western overtones. Thank you Chris for supporting Kenya28Feb.