At first, it was not possible to tell what would happen at the Wazee wa Kazi Party that had been thrown by a group of Kenyans who feel that it was time for such a Party. In the end, it turned out to have been one of the most attended parties at Märsta and Otie, the organizer, together with his crew sounded satisfied with the outcome of more than 60 people.
One by one, the Wazee started trickling in, saying hi and settling down on their seats. The atmosphere was serene, the physical environment cushy and the music deliberately made nostalgic by the DJ in response to the occasion. Kenya food was there in plenty and as the night began to move towards mid-night, activity on the dance floor also began to increase.
Kenya-Stockholm War horses who could be associated more with retirement than Ndombolo dancing suddenly breezed in to enjoy a night that, for the first time, was preserved for the grey powered Wakenya. Of cause, a few youth popped up to spy on the Wazees but their presence had no consequence on the interactions on the floor, save for occasional “special requests” to DJ Jimmy who was not so rigid.
Up-coming Wazee (young adults with little kids who rush to the door whenever you get back home after selling your blood to feed them) were also represented. They had come to pick up words of wisdom from the veterans and exploit the opportunity to complain about “family life” and its various hazards.
Apart from the dancing and the vapid conversations that dragged on continuously, it was the stories of yesteryears that piqued the interest of KSB and they were endless.
There was the tale when you came to Sweden without a visa and if you wanted a Residence Permit, you just had to go to Police and say that you wanted to stay and that was it.
THE ARRIVAL OF “KENYAN DISSIDENTS” IN STOCKHOLM
If you were a “tourist” and you suddenly became broke, you just had to have the energy to walk into a Welfare Office and say that you were broke then you would be given cash to last you for three days then told to return when the quid had dried up. If you continued coming, you would be advised to get a Permit, given a job and an apartment to begin a new life and stop bothering the system. That was life in the 70s.
Many Kenyans who came to Sweden during the 70s came through Eastern Europe where they had gone to study. It is members of this generation that started inviting their contacts to Sweden. According to one Mzee, they came to Sweden to look for summer jobs but because the situation in Sweden was better than their countries of study, they abandoned their study bases and settled in Sweden.
At first, they thought that they would return to Kenya but these hopes began to shrink as they became entrenched into the Swedish society. They were full of regrets that “Sweden had changed” and that the situation in the country was worsening. At the beginning of the 80’s, political exiles from Kenya started arriving in the country thereby creating a demarcation between “ordinary Kenyans” and dissidents.
Many “ordinary Kenyans” feared mixing with dissidents like Mr. Martin Ngatia, Mr. Onyango Sumba, Mr. Karundi Mathenge, the late Mr. Ayieko Singoro and others fearing that if they interacted with them, they would be arrested by the Moi dictatorship during trips to Kenya. The regime had become paranoid about activities of Kenyan exiles especially in Scandinavia which was largely regarded as a “political hot bed”.
In 1990, the “Young Turks” began to arrive in Sweden and it is at this point when the pioneers began to take a back seat. The Wazee were in control of the situation up to November 1995 when Kamukunji, a social meeting place that was under the Kenyan Embassy was closed down.
By then, young and middle aged Kenyan asylum seekers like Pastor Beatrice Kamau, Mr. Dick Kamau, Mr. Daniel Mwaura, Mr. Patrick Mwangi, Mr. Githuku wa Muirani, Mr. Titus Wakaba, Mr. Edward Kamau and others had already arrived in Stockholm and joined veteran dissidents in the anti-Moi struggle.
“WAZEE HUKUMBUKA CLUB” IDEA
Demonstrations at the Kenyan Embassy in protest against the Moi dictatorship became common. Then in 1996, a group of 50 Kenyan asylum seekers jetted in to increase the population of young Wakenya who were seeking ways out of the political and social crisis in Kenya.
Prominent among this group were Mr. Jamlik Muritu, Mr. Kenneth Wamburi Munge, Mr. Joseph Munene, Ms Caroline Irungu, Mr. Bryan Njoroge, Mr. Dan Warutere and the list goes on.
There is a Mzee who was like a “Gold mine” when it came to information about Wakenya in them days. He new those who had arrived from India to begin their struggles here while he also had, at his fingertips, who brought who and who accommodated who during their first days in Stockholm.
There was a lot of solidarity among Wakenya in those days as opposed to now when hot gossip, negative rumours and cheap propaganda dominate especially on the phone lines.
There were stories when Wakenya used to drink at a pub called Valhunenen which used to be at Vasagatan. Today’s equivalent of the pub is “The Temple of Vasa”. Valhunen is where newly arrived Wakenya used to pick (or be picked) by white Swedish girls looking for a black talala for a bedroom swallowship. In them days, there was nothing like Kenya Wafarisai because everybody was a believer in the “Ways of the Temple” (Kumeza vinywaji).
This is where you could meet a newly arrived Kenyan or go about asking Wakenya who had contacts for that extra cleaning job and so fourth. Today, it is “everyone for him/herself and the Swedish State for us all”.
Don’t make a serious job enquiry from any Kenyan because your name might begin to circulate in the “Hot gossip conduit” without your knowledge – Nani does not have a job these days. No wonder, he has disappeared. He used to jiskia with that ka ramshackle Toyota of his when he used to scrub at MacDee. I think he is just stupid. He has been here for more than ten years and the other day, he was asking me to help him find a job. This could be you under description so chunga maisha na Wakenya!
The Wazee Hukumbuka Party was a unique experience and it should happen quite often. A positive thing is that there was a general agreement that a “Wazee Hukumbuka Club” needs to be set up to chart the future of social interaction of Kenyan Wazees in Stockholm. KSB can only hope that this idea will be followed up to become reality. By responding to the Party, the Wazee proved that “They are still there”. We will rest it there for now.
Okoth Osewe
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