Wednesday, December 19, 2007
Former Anti-Corruption Czar on the 2007 Election
FT.com print article: "Whatever the outcome, little will change without comprehensive constitutional reform and a credible anti-corruption programme. Better management of presidential powers will be crucial to a stable future for Kenya. There is a significant minority willing to tolerate a mild economic reversal in the event of an Odinga victory, if that is the price that has to be paid for a correction to what is perceived as an unjust status quo. Whether Mr Odinga would be able to carry out the necessary reforms is another matter. Kenya's future prosperity and stability are at stake."
Election Season
It's election time. America's presidential nomination battle is nearing the finish line, with the Iowa caucus in early January. There's the big three on the side of Democrats, with both Obama and Clinton seeming very electable. On the Republican side, you've got Rudy, Mitt, McCain, Thompson, and Huckabee, none of whom seem very electable... (I'm an Obama fan myself.)
I watch those races with the same nerdy political excitement that I've always had for American politics. Being in Kenya has in a number of ways heightened my appreciation for the American political system. You know what I really love about the American system? Just how absurdly (and I mean that in a positive way) democratic it is.
How many positions do we vote for? In Wisconsin, to the best of my knowledge, we vote for the president, two senators, a member of the house, a governor, an attorney general, two state representatives, county executive, county representative, mayor, alderman, sheriff, coroner, and others. Off the top of my head, that's already 14. And that doesn't include the primaries for a number of those positions. Or the referenda that come up every so often.
In Kenya, under the current system, you have just three elected positions: President, Member of Parliament, and Councilor. Those positions come up for elections every five years. In the eyes of most Kenyans, it's a long five years.
The nomination system this year was actually similar to what America had a hundred years ago: back room negotiations produced a candidate and all other presidential aspirants were supposed to give up their presidential bids and unite around the negotiated candidate.
The process led to a split in the opposition and has created a a three-way race for the presidency. We're now just eight days away from the general election. Kibaki, the sitting president, has been polling at 43%, Raila Odinga at 45%, and Kalonzo Musyoka at a distant third with 10%.
I'm not a big fan of any of the three, though I admit that, given the options, I support Raila. He promises constitutional change and I believe that he has the potential to deliver it. Why? He wants a constitution that takes power away from the president. Naturally, Kibaki enjoys his powers as president and isn't keen to give them away quite yet.
If Kibaki loses, you can be sure his supporters will do everything they can to reduce the powers of an Odinga presidency. Suddenly having a powerful president doesn't seem so desirable....
Will Raila stick to his promises? I'm betting yes. He's tied himself so closely to devolution and to his “pentagon” of five former presidential candidates who support him that it'd be difficult (but not impossible) for him to ignore them once in office.
Just eight days away. I'm betting it'll be free and fair and mostly peaceful. I hope if Raila loses, he and his supporters will calmly accept the loss. Unfortunately, I'm not sure that'll happen.
I'll be viewing it from Halako's home town, Hola. It'll be my first time meeting her sisters, step mothers, 20 half-siblings, and the rest of the family. Wish me luck...
Saturday, November 03, 2007
Empowering Deaf Kenya
I haven't written on this blog for a number of months for a number of reasons, which are not really important. While I have much, much more to say (don't I always?), I wanted to post this article I was asked to write for Empowering Deaf Kenya. It hasn't posted there yet, but I'm assuming it will soon.
Here it is:
If I had all the money in the world and all the best people at my disposal, what would I do today to empower Deaf Kenyans?
1. Develop a center for KSL and Interpretation instruction.
One of the major money-making activities for the Deaf is their language. It is no secret. Many Deaf Kenyans make ends meet by teaching KSL, just like Deaf people do all around the world.
Right now the Kenyan Sign Language Research Project is clearly the center for KSL instruction and Interpreter education. Yet, there is a serious issue looming ahead: When the KIE curriculum for a diploma in KSL interpretation is approved, will KSLRP (which is a project of the University of Nairobi) have the necessary standing to submit candidates to KNEC for certification?
If it will, KSLRP will have to undergo substantial changes to prepare itself to teach the KSL interpretation curriculum. If it does not, there will be need to create another institution to be the center for Interpretation instruction. For various reasons, I think the answer might be the creation of a new institution (which could have some affiliation with KSLRP).
At any rate, there is a pressing need for extensive training of interested Deaf individuals who are interested to work in this field. They will require basic training in linguistics and teaching methodology. This is an urgent need that must be taken seriously. Kenya has already turned a quick corner with the addition of KSL to the examinable subjects in primary and secondary Deaf education. While this is, on one level, a very important step, its implementation has been hasty and wrongheaded.
Successful implementation requires thorough research into KSL and a precise understanding of the role of KSL in the classroom. As it stands, you now have teachers who have poor to modest fluency in KSL teaching from textbooks that treat KSL as a written language heavily tied to English.
There is a need for interested stakeholders to act quickly to develop the necessary research, training, and lobbying necessary for this to be successfully employed.
2. Strengthen KNAD branches.
It is no secret that KNAD, as it stands today, is very weak. KNAD lacks a vibrant staff, funding, ongoing programs, capacity, trust with donors, and trust from the Deaf community it is supposed to represent. Strengthening KNAD is a popular goal, but implementation has been difficult. Just as the national political scene in Kenya has begun to talk about Majimbo and Devolution, I think there is a need for the Kenyan Deaf community to seriously consider these issues in the context of KNAD.
My understanding of KNAD is that originally it was a group of different branches that all operated independently, with their own constitutions, that were finally brought together with the creation of KNAD. In other words, decision-making was made at the branches. Donors moved away from this approach by funding a strong central governing body that was then responsible for controlling the money. When donors lost trust in KNAD, many of the branches, which now relied on Nairobi to pass around the money, also collapsed. (I know it's a simplification of the specific situations at each branch, but clearly the collapse of KNAD has severely hurt many of the branches.)
The branches should be the eyes and hands of the central organization. KNAD is only as strong as its branches. Every effort of KNAD must be reflected on the ground at each of its branches. If KNAD is lobbying for KSL to be recognized as an official language of Kenya, each of the branches must carry out the same effort in their district: contacting the local MPs, city councils, provincial administrators, whoever. Awareness-building doesn't only take place in Nairobi; it has to take place all the way down to the sub-location level. KNAD can't do that, only its branches can!
Furthermore, strengthening the branches means building the capacities of the individuals at the branch level. As this happens, more and more Deaf Kenyans can build the capacity for dealing with bigger budgets, larger projects, etc. As that happens, they can show Deaf Kenyans that they qualify to take a seat at the national level as a result of the successes that they've made at the branch level. Let's end big man politics in the Deaf community and start looking at results. Who can deliver? It doesn't matter where you're from or who your friend is. The only question is: can you make a meaningful difference in the lives of Deaf Kenyans?
3. Fund a network of Deaf leaders who can actively lobby for their issues.
In the long run, I believe the empowered branches should come back together and reevaluate what they want from a national board and who should be on it. The problem is that this process will take years.
There is a need now to begin lobbying for certain issues. The Kenyan Deaf need leaders to stand up, unite, and fight for their rights. The key to making this happen, however, is getting various leaders to put aside their differences, deal with money openly and transparently, and clearly match funding for results. I don't mean making their salaries dependent on the success of their lobbying efforts, only that they need to accomplish certain milestones to demonstrate to the deaf community and donors that they are earning their money.
4. Develop a center for the development of resources designed to help Deaf Kenyans learn other languages (esp. English and Swahili)
One of the worst problems facing Deaf people around the world is a strong proficiency in the writing of a hearing language. Yes, of course, there are a number of amazing Deaf authors who can write very eloquently, but it is clear, all over the world, that getting a child who is pre-lingually deaf and grew up with hearing parents to obtain native or near-native fluency in reading/writing a hearing language is a major challenge.
There are new opportunities and technologies (I mean computers, not hearing aids!) that can now be used to help Deaf people improve their fluency in a given written language. Think eLearning. Think games. Think interactive dialogs that test your ability to understand a wide array of grammatical features of a given language. The possibilities are amazing.
We just need the money and the talent.......
After having worked in and around the Kenyan Deaf community for a total of three years, those are my perceptions of some of its needs, and possible approaches to those needs. But as a hearing foreigner, I can't pretend that I know the Kenyan Deaf community or that I represent it. Deaf Kenyans need to stand up and say what they think. And that is something that I look forward to....
Here it is:
If I had all the money in the world and all the best people at my disposal, what would I do today to empower Deaf Kenyans?
1. Develop a center for KSL and Interpretation instruction.
One of the major money-making activities for the Deaf is their language. It is no secret. Many Deaf Kenyans make ends meet by teaching KSL, just like Deaf people do all around the world.
Right now the Kenyan Sign Language Research Project is clearly the center for KSL instruction and Interpreter education. Yet, there is a serious issue looming ahead: When the KIE curriculum for a diploma in KSL interpretation is approved, will KSLRP (which is a project of the University of Nairobi) have the necessary standing to submit candidates to KNEC for certification?
If it will, KSLRP will have to undergo substantial changes to prepare itself to teach the KSL interpretation curriculum. If it does not, there will be need to create another institution to be the center for Interpretation instruction. For various reasons, I think the answer might be the creation of a new institution (which could have some affiliation with KSLRP).
At any rate, there is a pressing need for extensive training of interested Deaf individuals who are interested to work in this field. They will require basic training in linguistics and teaching methodology. This is an urgent need that must be taken seriously. Kenya has already turned a quick corner with the addition of KSL to the examinable subjects in primary and secondary Deaf education. While this is, on one level, a very important step, its implementation has been hasty and wrongheaded.
Successful implementation requires thorough research into KSL and a precise understanding of the role of KSL in the classroom. As it stands, you now have teachers who have poor to modest fluency in KSL teaching from textbooks that treat KSL as a written language heavily tied to English.
There is a need for interested stakeholders to act quickly to develop the necessary research, training, and lobbying necessary for this to be successfully employed.
2. Strengthen KNAD branches.
It is no secret that KNAD, as it stands today, is very weak. KNAD lacks a vibrant staff, funding, ongoing programs, capacity, trust with donors, and trust from the Deaf community it is supposed to represent. Strengthening KNAD is a popular goal, but implementation has been difficult. Just as the national political scene in Kenya has begun to talk about Majimbo and Devolution, I think there is a need for the Kenyan Deaf community to seriously consider these issues in the context of KNAD.
My understanding of KNAD is that originally it was a group of different branches that all operated independently, with their own constitutions, that were finally brought together with the creation of KNAD. In other words, decision-making was made at the branches. Donors moved away from this approach by funding a strong central governing body that was then responsible for controlling the money. When donors lost trust in KNAD, many of the branches, which now relied on Nairobi to pass around the money, also collapsed. (I know it's a simplification of the specific situations at each branch, but clearly the collapse of KNAD has severely hurt many of the branches.)
The branches should be the eyes and hands of the central organization. KNAD is only as strong as its branches. Every effort of KNAD must be reflected on the ground at each of its branches. If KNAD is lobbying for KSL to be recognized as an official language of Kenya, each of the branches must carry out the same effort in their district: contacting the local MPs, city councils, provincial administrators, whoever. Awareness-building doesn't only take place in Nairobi; it has to take place all the way down to the sub-location level. KNAD can't do that, only its branches can!
Furthermore, strengthening the branches means building the capacities of the individuals at the branch level. As this happens, more and more Deaf Kenyans can build the capacity for dealing with bigger budgets, larger projects, etc. As that happens, they can show Deaf Kenyans that they qualify to take a seat at the national level as a result of the successes that they've made at the branch level. Let's end big man politics in the Deaf community and start looking at results. Who can deliver? It doesn't matter where you're from or who your friend is. The only question is: can you make a meaningful difference in the lives of Deaf Kenyans?
3. Fund a network of Deaf leaders who can actively lobby for their issues.
In the long run, I believe the empowered branches should come back together and reevaluate what they want from a national board and who should be on it. The problem is that this process will take years.
There is a need now to begin lobbying for certain issues. The Kenyan Deaf need leaders to stand up, unite, and fight for their rights. The key to making this happen, however, is getting various leaders to put aside their differences, deal with money openly and transparently, and clearly match funding for results. I don't mean making their salaries dependent on the success of their lobbying efforts, only that they need to accomplish certain milestones to demonstrate to the deaf community and donors that they are earning their money.
4. Develop a center for the development of resources designed to help Deaf Kenyans learn other languages (esp. English and Swahili)
One of the worst problems facing Deaf people around the world is a strong proficiency in the writing of a hearing language. Yes, of course, there are a number of amazing Deaf authors who can write very eloquently, but it is clear, all over the world, that getting a child who is pre-lingually deaf and grew up with hearing parents to obtain native or near-native fluency in reading/writing a hearing language is a major challenge.
There are new opportunities and technologies (I mean computers, not hearing aids!) that can now be used to help Deaf people improve their fluency in a given written language. Think eLearning. Think games. Think interactive dialogs that test your ability to understand a wide array of grammatical features of a given language. The possibilities are amazing.
We just need the money and the talent.......
After having worked in and around the Kenyan Deaf community for a total of three years, those are my perceptions of some of its needs, and possible approaches to those needs. But as a hearing foreigner, I can't pretend that I know the Kenyan Deaf community or that I represent it. Deaf Kenyans need to stand up and say what they think. And that is something that I look forward to....
Wednesday, August 01, 2007
"You are Walking on Soil Where Your Ancesters Are Sleeping"
I'm reading too many books right now. I'm at that point where I'm generally interested in three separate books, but haven't really sat down to finish one.
I'm reading E. Kezilahabi's Dunia Uwanja wa Fujo (The World is a Chaotic Place) and really think that this author needs to be translated into English. It's that good. (Incidentally, he got a graduate degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.)
I've read Rosa Mistika (a girl's name) and was quite impressed by it. Today, I came across this paragraph in Dunia and just really wanted to share it.
A mother, ill and dying, is giving her final farewell to her teenage son, who now stands to inherit a good deal of money and the family wealth all on his own. She worries about his judgment and his ability to handle the responsibilities that now await him. She gives three pieces of advice.
First, she says, don't marry for beauty. Marry a woman who has good behavior. Second, be careful with the money that you inherit.
It's her third point that I want to share:
"You are walking on soil where the ancestors are sleeping." Few people really stop to think about this. That millions of people have come before us and when their time ends, they are gone. We inherit the earth from them. And, with our every step, we should remember those who came before us.
It is the hope of the dying and, to the living in this day and age, sounds more like sappy poetry...
I'm reading E. Kezilahabi's Dunia Uwanja wa Fujo (The World is a Chaotic Place) and really think that this author needs to be translated into English. It's that good. (Incidentally, he got a graduate degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.)
I've read Rosa Mistika (a girl's name) and was quite impressed by it. Today, I came across this paragraph in Dunia and just really wanted to share it.
A mother, ill and dying, is giving her final farewell to her teenage son, who now stands to inherit a good deal of money and the family wealth all on his own. She worries about his judgment and his ability to handle the responsibilities that now await him. She gives three pieces of advice.
First, she says, don't marry for beauty. Marry a woman who has good behavior. Second, be careful with the money that you inherit.
It's her third point that I want to share:
Jambo la tatu na la mwisho ni hili. Tukumbuke sisi wazazi wako. Kumbuka unatembea juu ya udongo ambamo ndani mwake wahenga wamelala. Kwa muda wote utakaokanyaga undongo huu, tukumbuke kwa kila tendo utendalo, kwani matendo mabaya huwachukiza wazima na wafu.
The third and final thing is this. Remember us, your parents. Remember you are walking on soil inside of which the ancestors are sleeping. For the whole time you step on this soil, remember us in everything you do, after all, bad actions cause hatred among the living and the dead.
"You are walking on soil where the ancestors are sleeping." Few people really stop to think about this. That millions of people have come before us and when their time ends, they are gone. We inherit the earth from them. And, with our every step, we should remember those who came before us.
It is the hope of the dying and, to the living in this day and age, sounds more like sappy poetry...
Tuesday, July 17, 2007
Five Days of Earthquakes?
Nationmedia.com | Daily Nation | NEWS | Tremors shake the country again: "Earth tremors shook several parts of the country intermittently for the fourth consecutive day yesterday as local experts conceded that they were yet to gather enough data on the unusual occurrence."
Originally I was going to comment on this story to say that I cannot believe that there have been earthquakes here for four days and I never felt any of them!
Then, while I was writing that last post, the ground started shaking under my feet and my desk started shaking too. I heard a low rumbling sound and it hit me! My First Earthquake!
Others were reported as being less than excited about their earthquake experience:
“From midnight, we had a restless night after the first tremor. We had all moved out of our five storey building with our belongings and entered into our vehicles prepared to leave,” a resident of Parklands Aqilah Kauser said.
Originally I was going to comment on this story to say that I cannot believe that there have been earthquakes here for four days and I never felt any of them!
Then, while I was writing that last post, the ground started shaking under my feet and my desk started shaking too. I heard a low rumbling sound and it hit me! My First Earthquake!
Others were reported as being less than excited about their earthquake experience:
“From midnight, we had a restless night after the first tremor. We had all moved out of our five storey building with our belongings and entered into our vehicles prepared to leave,” a resident of Parklands Aqilah Kauser said.
The VP Offers Insight Bure
Nationmedia.com | Daily Nation | NEWS | Sh80m survey to gather data on the disabled launched: "The Vice-President, Mr Moody Awori, who officially launched the exercise at Bontana Hotel in Nakuru, said many of the disabled cases had not been able to fully take advantage of the free education because they lack hearing devices." (emphasis mine)
Now, in case you ever become vice president and find yourself talking about "disability," I thought I would give you all some pointers so you don't a) seem unaware of the issues and b) annoy people who are.
1. Not all disabled people are deaf or hard-of-hearing. I'm not even sure it's fair to say that most are. The fact that no one really knows roughly how many disabled people there are, let alone deaf vs. non-deaf, makes this an important study.
[Update: I'm not exactly sure if Awori means to imply that most of the "disabled cases" are deaf students or if most of the "disabled cases" that have failed to take advantage of the free education are deaf students. I'm skeptical on both claims.]
2. Not all deaf/hard-of-hearing people benefit from "hearing devices." People become deaf for different reasons. Some deaf can benefit from receiving amplified sound, others benefit from receiving electrical impulses to auditory nerves inside the cochlea. Others are just plain deaf.
3. Even those who benefit from devices like cochlear implants or hearing aids (see links above) will likely still need to learn a signed language (in Kenya's case, KSL). Sticking a deaf kid with a hearing aid in a hearing classroom will definitely boost attendance of deaf children in schools, but brings with it a whole host of problems.
4. Deaf kids aren't benefiting as much as their hearing counterparts from the government's free primary education because.... the deaf schools (residential programs) are not free! The government program does not cover boarding schools.
And, on this point, I'd like us all pause for a brief Swahili lesson: bure.
This word conveys two different concepts.
Concept #1: Serikali hii imesaidia wananchi kwa kuanzisha elimu bure kwa shule za msingi.
English Translation: This government has helped the citizens by starting free primary education.
Meaning of Bure: Free
Concept #2: Ubaya wake, lakini, ni kwamba hii elimu ni bure!
English Translation: The bad thing about it, though, is that this education is useless!
Meaning of Bure: Useless
I like that bure means both of those things. It takes you down the same path as "There's no such thing as a free lunch." If it is free, it's probably useless.
Seeing free primary education in a hearing school with 1,500 students and 20 teachers, I saw elimu bure.
For many deaf children, the government's promise of elimu bure has been just that, elimu bure.
[Update 2: It occurs to me that I say "useless education" when what I really mean is useless "free education."]
[Update 3: A nod to Kyle for the advice on making the distinction between "sign language" and "signed languages." There is no one "sign language", there are different "signed languages" that share features as a result of being signed and not spoken. To wit, saying "speech language" implies it is one, "spoken languages" acknowledges there are many.]
Now, in case you ever become vice president and find yourself talking about "disability," I thought I would give you all some pointers so you don't a) seem unaware of the issues and b) annoy people who are.
1. Not all disabled people are deaf or hard-of-hearing. I'm not even sure it's fair to say that most are. The fact that no one really knows roughly how many disabled people there are, let alone deaf vs. non-deaf, makes this an important study.
[Update: I'm not exactly sure if Awori means to imply that most of the "disabled cases" are deaf students or if most of the "disabled cases" that have failed to take advantage of the free education are deaf students. I'm skeptical on both claims.]
2. Not all deaf/hard-of-hearing people benefit from "hearing devices." People become deaf for different reasons. Some deaf can benefit from receiving amplified sound, others benefit from receiving electrical impulses to auditory nerves inside the cochlea. Others are just plain deaf.
3. Even those who benefit from devices like cochlear implants or hearing aids (see links above) will likely still need to learn a signed language (in Kenya's case, KSL). Sticking a deaf kid with a hearing aid in a hearing classroom will definitely boost attendance of deaf children in schools, but brings with it a whole host of problems.
4. Deaf kids aren't benefiting as much as their hearing counterparts from the government's free primary education because.... the deaf schools (residential programs) are not free! The government program does not cover boarding schools.
And, on this point, I'd like us all pause for a brief Swahili lesson: bure.
This word conveys two different concepts.
Concept #1: Serikali hii imesaidia wananchi kwa kuanzisha elimu bure kwa shule za msingi.
English Translation: This government has helped the citizens by starting free primary education.
Meaning of Bure: Free
Concept #2: Ubaya wake, lakini, ni kwamba hii elimu ni bure!
English Translation: The bad thing about it, though, is that this education is useless!
Meaning of Bure: Useless
I like that bure means both of those things. It takes you down the same path as "There's no such thing as a free lunch." If it is free, it's probably useless.
Seeing free primary education in a hearing school with 1,500 students and 20 teachers, I saw elimu bure.
For many deaf children, the government's promise of elimu bure has been just that, elimu bure.
[Update 2: It occurs to me that I say "useless education" when what I really mean is useless "free education."]
[Update 3: A nod to Kyle for the advice on making the distinction between "sign language" and "signed languages." There is no one "sign language", there are different "signed languages" that share features as a result of being signed and not spoken. To wit, saying "speech language" implies it is one, "spoken languages" acknowledges there are many.]
Friday, June 29, 2007
More Videos From Josh
Josh is continuing to post videos to YouTube. He says he is now "hooked." I'll take his word for it. He's posting videos here. Keep an eye on his useful and rather humorous descriptions for his videos. On "Jomo Kenyatta... and his International Conference Center":
Just a couple hours ago I did a test of my internet connection. This was the result:
Update: I tried again. This time I got a whopping 62kbps! I went ahead and opened all of the videos... Pretty good stuff. I also took another look at the KSL video. Must have been a bit nervous because I'm signing fast.
Here is a poorly filmed peek at the Jomo Kenyatta International Conference Center in downtown Nairobi. Jomo Kenyatta was Kenya's first president (1964-1978). The guy's on their paper money. The airport I flew into is Jomo Kenyatta International Airport. To make an American comparison, he's like Reagan on steroids over there.Now, to be honest, I haven't viewed most of these videos because my internet connection is a little bit less than good.
Just a couple hours ago I did a test of my internet connection. This was the result:
Update: I tried again. This time I got a whopping 62kbps! I went ahead and opened all of the videos... Pretty good stuff. I also took another look at the KSL video. Must have been a bit nervous because I'm signing fast.
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