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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.
The Mediocrity Of Male Characters In Rom-Coms
I'm a romantic by nature, but on any given day I would rather watch a horror movie (love those) as compared to a romantic comedy. Why? I absolutely struggle with the plotlines, the complete cheesiness of most rom-coms I've watched. I know that we are not meant to watch rom-coms as if they are based on reality, but I struggle to shut off that part of my brain when watching them.
This tends to be one of the few times I am a realist rather than a wearer of rose-colored glasses. I've interrupted one too many rom-coms to ask practical questions such as: "Really, he will just fall in love within five minutes of seeing her?", "Uhmm ... how are they going to make this work when none of them has a real job?", "How will this work when he's a vampire who can't help but drink human blood?" After a few angry looks from my loved ones, I've accepted that to ensure the longevity of our friendships, I cannot watch rom-coms with them as I always turn into the rom-com grinch.
That's why this episode of The Nod really resonated with me. They explore many aspects of rom-coms that are problematic.
Brittany schools Eric on the true nature of romantic male leads, from Marcus in "Boomerang" to Lance in "The Best Man." And she pays special tribute to a prince charming from "Living Single" who’s never gotten his due.
The Nod tells the stories of Black life that don’t get told anywhere else, from an explanation of how purple drink became associated with Black culture to the story of how an interracial drag troupe traveled the nation in the 1940s. We celebrate the genius, the innovation, and the resilience that is so particular to being Black — in America, and around the world.
Of course I cannot fault the movies for not being realistic. They are not reality — they are movies. If life imitates art though, shouldn't we be more questioning of what types of stereotypes we are letting prevail — including those of what makes an ideal rom-com man?
