Kenya Stockholm Blog

Kenya Youth Party Was A Smashing Success

For the first time in more than a year, Kenyan children in Stockholm met and played at Alby – thanks to the initiative of Catherine Maundu, Winnie, Caroline Irungu and others. There were over 20 children brought by parents to have fun. Activities were random with ideas on what could be done coming directly from parents.  Music sessions, dance sessions and a rap competition were some of the major attractions which were concluded with presents to winners. Outdoor activities also kept the children on motion.

For a start, the event was good although there are areas which will definitely have to be improved in the future. The 20 or so children who were present were few compared to the number of children Kenyans have fathered in Stockholm. At the 2002 Nyama choma Festival, a record 49 children attended leading to a shortage of presents which had been bought by organizers who anticipated about 35 children.

It was clear from the beginning that the sequence of events needs to be outlined in the future so that as children arrive, they are absorbed into activity immediately. Enough notice needs to be given for parents to plan because there are parents who had engagements they couldn’t cancel to bring their children at the Party. The notice for the children’s party was less than a week.

Even Kenyans who are well known to be good in organizing and playing with children like Mr. Laban Mberi and Mr. Joseph Munene could not postpone urgent appointments in order to help with activities. Despite the little misses, the event was good, children played and parents went home happy, hoping for another Party to keep the kids busy.

The youth party was a smashing success. The dance floor was so packed that there was not enough room to shake a leg. Youth DJs – Irungu and Percy – kept the young revelers on their toes up to 1.00 when the adults began to zoom in to conclude the event. The youth party attracted guests from almost all races and as the crowd on the dance floor built up, it became clear that the party was more international than Kenyan. In fact, this mix-up reflected the international nature of contacts of Kenyan youth in Stockholm. At 20 kr, the entrance fee was the lowest ever charged at a Kenyan party in Stockholm.

From the sample of music played by DJs and from past observations, it appears that Kenyan youth do not like typical Kenyan music. The DJs mainly concentrated on western numbers although rap and hip dominated the scene. There was no “manyake” kind of music and nobody seem to complain.  This is in sharp contrast to the taste of elderly Kenyans who normally begin to harass DJs who fail to prioritize Kenyan music, lingala, ndombolo et al.

Okoth Osewe

makosewe@gmail.com

August 6, 2006 Posted by makozewe | Events, Uncategorized | youth party success okoth osewe kenya stockholm makozewe ksb kenyans wakenya | Leave a Comment