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piqer for: Global finds
Ciku Kimeria is a Kenyan author "Of goats and poisoned oranges" - (https://www.amazon.com/goats-poisoned-oranges-Ciku-Kimeria-ebook/dp/B00HBBWPI6), development consultant, adventurer and travel blogger (www.thekenyanexplorer.com). She writes both fiction and non-fiction focusing on African stories that need telling. She has worked on diverse pieces for various international and local publications including Quartz, Ozy, The East African etc. She has travelled to 45 countries – 16 of them in Africa. 153 countries to go and 63 territories!
"Of goats and poisoned oranges" has been extremely well received in Kenya and beyond. It tells the story of a Kenyan middle aged power couple and their complicated marriage. The novel explores issues of greed, revenge, betrayal and murder. It runs from the 1960s to 2013. It has been described as “Wicked, funny, poignant, wacky, human, a big ball of fun and danger”, “A unique and captivating book”, “Fun and intriguing”, “Impossible to put down once you start reading.”
She recently moved to Dakar, Senegal from Kenya to work on her second novel. She also works at as the Africa Communication Manager at a leading global strategy consulting firm.
She holds a B.S. in Management Science from MIT with minors in Urban Planning and International development studies.
Inside The Gated Communities Of WhatsApp
This humorous piece by Kenyan journalist, Joseph Warungu, explores the politics inside WhatsApp groups. Anyone who has ever had the fortune of being in a WhatsApp group can relate to the political intrigue that lives in them, the fake news that is sometimes shared so callously, the awkward political or religious videos that are constantly shared — often to the annoyance of WhatsApp group members who see their data bundles diminish thanks to these videos. This particular piece focuses on one issue — the power that is held by the different administrators of the WhatsApp group and how they wield this power.
There are those who, having failed to find a country to control, exercise their dictatorial powers in WhatsApp groups — exiling those who fall out of favor with them, handing out administrative roles to those they like, silencing those who go against them.
1: Digital Dictators: These are power-hungry admins. No-one elected them, but everyone fears them. A West African friend told me how a digital dictator of his group was accidentally relieved of her admin powers when she lost her phone. She pleaded with the interim admin to readmit her on a new telephone line. As soon as she assumed her executive WhatsApp powers, she instantly ejected the acting admin from the group. It took the intervention of a senior military officer who is a silent member of the group to plead for the poor member to be readmitted.
There are those who love talking to themselves — treating the groups as a diary where their constant entries are to be found. Others are Machiavellian in their approach — running the group from behind the scenes, exerting influence in ways that remain unseen to the common members.
It's a humorous read that gives insight into how WhatsApp — one of the most used social media platforms in Africa — is being used and sometimes abused.
