“A story must always have motion.” I don’t know if it was a scriptwriting workshop, or a novel writing workshop or just dinner with some writer friends. I do, however, remember this being said and sticking with me. In a story, everything that happens exists to push the narrative. Each moment is supposed to tell you something about a character,…
Category: Commentary
Life is short but afternoons are long
When Mark Twain wrote “I didn’t have time to write you a short letter so I wrote you a long one,” he captured the paradox of life in a way I love to use as an approach. The Husago, as described by Anyidoho, the forward backwards forward backwards dance of life. Particularly I like it as an approach to time…
Weigh the anchor, here she comes!
We attach meanings, histories, worlds and stories to words. And, when these words are moved, the things that are attached to them move as well. This is particularly true of identity. The simple words that describe where we have chosen to anchor our selves, keeping us drifting, lost at sea in the collective consciousness, also determine our path. Even before…
How to hunt a Springbok
Before you embark, it is important to note that this will be no easy task. The Antidorcas Marsupialis, or Springbok, have adapted to harsh territory. Their uniquely shaped horns allow them to easily pierce through any defensive flesh. Their powerful legs allow them to jump high and run fast. Coming from a desert with little water, they can survive longer…
e-god (egod? egoed)
It’s easy to see how the sun was seen as a god by many cultures. Now, given things we know and take for granted, it seems a bit odd. But, watching the sun set over the misty green interspersed with city, it’s easy to see this. Perhaps in this same way, humans will sit somewhere and think “it’s easy to…
To Throw a Straw on a Camel’s Back
Clarity is what broke them. The problem with time is that it doesn’t have a respite. It can’t be saved, banked, stored for future use, traded or even farmed. For all it’s infiniteness time itself is a finite, indefinite resource. With the rise then, of the control of time came the rise of clarity. Which would be perfectly okay if…
These Hands
When it comes down to it we must demand – demand – that the spaces that we end up creating make room for us. Which is to say that we need to be very conscious that our needs are takeninto account when spaces are created. After all, it is only when we create spaces for ourselves that we can really…
Mine
And therein lies the lie. That there is a form a knowledge, of possibility, of being, of doing, that is outside your reach. That there is a way to be that is not only available, but readily tailored to your needs. That somehow, to exist is not only to defy them, but to destine oneself to a life of never…
Freedom Interrogations
But what do you know of the freedom that you seek? Do you think you will find it somewhere in the middle of the street between njugu za ten bob and knock off sunglasses? Do you think it can be mass produced? What do you know of this freedom beyond chanting slogans and sharing dreams? I know that at…
Look Up
(For Geoffrey Githaiga 1987 -2015) In rugby, as in life, play what’s in front of you. Few things are more embarrassing than being the forward marking the base when a scrum half throws a dummy pass. The idea of writing tributes is confusing. Words are not enough to capture essence, or to pick you off the ground after the scrum…