Category: Day-to-Day
Scrap sculptor
In Kenya, informal craftsmen are known as jua kali. When jua kali complete their apprenticeships, they save enough money to buy a welding machine, obtain premises, and start a workshop in the informal sector. This is the story of Moses, who established his workshop six years ago along Ngong Road. He started by fabricating typical furniture pieces, but switched to sculpture three years ago when he came across an interested European buyer. Now he makes these high-end sculptures out of scrap metal and is one of the most successful entrepreneurs in the area.
Up and running
Sorry for the delay, folks. Took a break from blogging for the fall semester, but I’m back in Kenya for winter break. Here’s what I’m up to. I’ll be here for two and a half weeks with the following goals:
- Further investigate Kenya’s jua kali sector of informal artisans and engineers
- Meet with any relevant organizations, NGOs, or academics
- Spend some time near Kisumu helping plan the engineering curriculum for the new Bondo University
Back upcountry
After our wonderful trip to the Mara, the team morphed into crunch mode. With Maseno as our home base, we are out in the field and performing research all day every day. The most telling indicator that you’re back upcountry is the hoards of Kenyans (kids and adults alike) bombarding you with greetings and photo requests.
Kids tend to multiply when you’re not looking. It can get overwhelming…
Profits in poverty
C.K. Prahalad, father of the Bottom of the Pyramid movement (a model to alleviate poverty through enterprise) is speaking in Nairobi pretty soon. I know because he is featured on banners pasted all over the city and on TV commercials (there aren’t that many different commercials, so you tend to see repeats).
Guess how much he’s charging. 74,750 KSH (that’s about 980 USD!!) Not exactly “BOP” prices.
Nairobi perks
Being back in Nairobi has its perks. Moving from the deep rural into the city makes you realize why so many flock here, even though most will not be able to access even basic infrastructure or resources. Many purchase food or supplies to bring back to the villages, though the slum dwellers who can’t afford it simply don’t visit home since expectations are so high.
Nevertheless, here are some of the comforts I have come to appreciate:
- Consistent power and (hot) water
- Limited, but extant, internet access
- Convenient shopping, including malls
- Of course, I saw Harry Potter the day it came out.
- Most importantly, Western food. I salivated all over my King Steer Value Meal yesterday.
And then some downsides:
- Everything is cheap looking and modernist. None of Kisumu’s beautiful painted buildings.
- The air is almost unbreathable.
- Traffic takes up about half your day. We sat in a single spot for a full hour today.
- The matatus are insane. Nairobi needs to rethink its public transit.
Today in Kenya
- Swine flu rages through Kenya with one case reported. Everyone is up in arms and wonders why we even want to go to the country during a swine flu “epidemic.” I thought it was insane considering the other diseases that are acually pandemic to the region, but it makes sense when you consider that Kenya is in no way prepared for a real outbreak.
- Everyone is talking about the “envelope” that Kofi Annan is handing over to the Kenyan government. It contains the names of suspected masterminds behind last year’s post-election violence.
- Kenyans, who now feel slighted by Obama’s visiting Ghana over Kenya (and his recent criticisms of the Kenyan government), can SMS him comments and questions at standard messaging rates.
Muzungu muzungu!
If you are white, the first Swahili word you will learn in Kenya is muzungu, which mean’s “white person” or more literally, “something strange and startling.” Since white people usually stick to Nairobi and Karen, children in rural areas affectionately yell “Muzungu muzungu, how are you!” (“How are you?” is the first English phrase taught in school) and gather all of their friends to observe the white people. I have to admit it’s kind of nice to be able to make people so happy just with your presence. The effect is many times more powerful if you have a camera. Everyone in rural Kenya—kids and adults—usually want you to take their picture, and children may hint by posing as soon as they spot a camera.
Analogue Digital explores how human systems interact with digital ones: how interfaces affect our relationship with the world, how craft culture and modern technology are colliding in unprecedented ways, and how to reach those who have yet to cross the digital divide.
I'm Steve Daniels. I study the transformative impact of technology on individuals and societies. I am the founder of the Better World by Design conference at Brown University and the Rhode Island School of Design and a founding partner of Revolution x Design, a Providence-based research center that uses design to address meaningful, real-world problems. Currently, I work at IBM Research, where I study mobile social computing in emerging markets.
I am particularly interested in how people create, adapt, and use technology in resource-constrained environments, which I have written about in my book Making Do: Innovation in Kenya's Informal Economy, which you can read here.
I also design and develop websites. Here's my portfolio.
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