 Khalifa mese ma tu kuje tumpego di Godi Niku di Godi kani wana takakani Kuna kuna dima mewa mtri Aroka dima kali wana mtris Yushida kili kwa ni Yani kuni Sina wubaya This is BDJ Khalifa Amespin baga muni ya kaji pa jyoto Akanza buwango As you can see he has a very expensive shirt Let's just take a minute and see Baka unanzok tu atua vihazi Ata staki staki staki vihazi Yoha tani mei nivi mskini Magi yasi watua skini we know what we are Tuni mskini niawaya balun Unapenda Okay Minwa as you can see we have a very beautiful guest on set As we are currently speaking But hi kaw metu dendusai Good morning We are here rather to help you Or facilitate you to have a good day My name is Valentine or at Khalifa But tamuimuni y254 on Facebook At y254 channel Twitter hashtag is social Friday Or Y in the morning Or 2-0-1-5-4 is the text time Start with Y-2-5-4 Hi Queen Hello Hi thank you He has jokes sometimes So don't take him to the reality Satsalimia mgen Mambo msupa Bwa sanen lukwenda yaw na viluna fanya How you are mixing Trenk to learn Trenk to learn From watching Okay I'm a teacher Sawa I'm a teacher Umeske sange M.I.P. I met your teaser When do? Where were you? I'm that You make war now You make go listen to this song Yes So what is your good name? Mombi Macharia I'm a spoken word artist Creative writer and performing artist I cannot help but notice your name The one that you've given us There's no English somebody there Is that intentional? Yes it is intentional Because I like Mombi Macharia It's a very strong name Kwanzaa Mombi Yeah it is And when your ancestors actually Exactly Say before No no no I don't know what it sounds like But when your ancestors Ah okay Like when me Let's try this again Her name has a very rich and deep meaning Kwa Ya Ukoe Ya Agit Una git Agit Machop tawna Ukoe Did I tell us what it means? So Mombi was the mother of all kikuyu Well the story goes that Kwa created Mombi and kikuyu And then together they had Nine daughters Well nine or ten Ya And then when they were old enough to marry Kikuyu prayed under Mogumotri And then made a sacrifice And then from the smoke came Nine men Who married nine of their daughters The youngest one who was Wa Muyu Was too young to marry at the time But she still went on to have kids I am one of your daughters I am a Mambuinsk Wow That's why That's why Alright Tell us a little bit about yourself Why Spoken Red? So I've been writing and performing Spoken Red poetry since 2015 I started in high school I just always used to have a passion for writing And especially creative writing And creative writing that just sounds different Because there's writing that's written to be read And then there's writing that's written to be performed So I was always interested in performance So writing for performance So that's how I got into Spoken Red poetry I actually got into it once When I entered a competition An interschool competition for original works So like writing original works And then performing it at a poetry competition And because at the time There wasn't really a lot of knowledge on what exactly is Spoken Red It was poetry, the traditional way we know poetry Like it has stanzas and the rhymes When a fan is sweating No, but the thing is I also never actually studied poetry in school But I always used to love to write So remember when I wrote my first poem It didn't exactly look like how traditional poetry looked like Like it didn't have stanzas Like the rhymes were just everywhere It just wasn't the way we know poetry So remember when I submitted it for the competition I was actually disqualified Because they said we don't know what this is It looks like a composition We don't know what this is but it's not poetry So I was disqualified from that competition I have actually been following a career a little bit And you say 2015 But I started seeing your presence in 2017 That's about two years later That's when I started seeing you highlighting the screens on TV And all these other things Now, I was in high school I was in creative writing I don't know, this one was in a group of schools So DJ Khalifa and I are currently in it At two-part time Mazhe, Ajay, I don't understand Live, see fair So I ended up in a group of schools I mean, I ended up in it It's okay, I'm fine All right, so at the time we didn't really Have a grasp on creative writing It was two compositions Write a composition ending with And they lived happily ever after Or start with And the sun was shining heavily Things like this So where did you realize Ya ni wasi chi zi Yes, you don't know what I'm doing But misi chi zi Itok fikiya tuwewe When did you figure it out? Ya, we used to write compositions like that But then mine would just be so extra Like I would put rhymes in there I like, my teacher would be like Wa, okay See me But it would sound nice, that's the thing And then because I used to write And I'm like, okay, if I had to perform this How would it sound? So that's what I was always writing for And so one of my teachers was like By the, this is competition For original works Like you should try And then so when I did that I was disqualified from that competition Because it wasn't poetry So they're like, okay What you're writing, it's not a composition And it's not poetry But it's there It's just there When I started off I'm a toastmaster Toastmaster is basically Give or take a public speaker So we have speeches Kuna speech one Baka, whichever And then there are different manuals So you do speech one Maybe to six This manual, La Fulanda and Deivo My first ever speech was It's called an ice breaker So the point of the speech is you have to People have to leave there Knowing something about you Just something It doesn't have to be everything but something And when I delivered my speech I went, I think, ten seconds over They're very strict on time Ten seconds, guys Seconds I had to see a game in a bowl At one minute, two minutes over time Ten seconds and I was failed My first I know! And it was history Because I didn't know what speech was I took a break for like a year, guys A year So how did you just continue? How did you, at your disqualified Because they don't understand How did you, you know Not give up Minka give up Okay, so for me because I I enjoyed doing it So it wasn't like because I was disqualified I would stop I wasn't doing it specifically for that competition It was just something I love doing So after I wrote that first piece I remember then now I started performing in school Like in assembly and stuff So I continued writing Well, at the time I didn't know it was poetry But I continued writing Spoken word And the reason you're saying that You saw my presence in 2017 But I started in 2015 Was now by the time I was making the transition from This is something that I just do And I'm doing in school And for people who are close to me Then now I found other shows And other platforms Where people were doing the same thing That I was doing So I think I found Kwani Open Mic in 2016 I found Pal in like Also late 2016 I headlined Kwani now in 2017 So it was a journey Before I actually found platforms Where I could perform And before I actually found other people Who are also doing the same thing that I was doing Um, we mentioned it was a KNT That National Theatre is rich If you have Kaunaga Form Ka Vdj Khalifa Mesema Tulale Ustusilale Tundaga tu KNT Pitaga tuwapo There's so much culture And it's so rich And you can see what the products are Very nice Mama Nangani, my friend Give us your thoughts please Hashtag is social Fry Day So now I'm thinking Every piece that you write has A different tone Ya So kaw me jam kwa'i Inki nebuta Tukona ske and love ki dogo Inki yo tukoma fry I want you to demonstrate The difference between That the vibe To say mreva So maybe give me It doesn't have to be very long A few sentences But I want to hear for myself Ia palikonatka neski eivi Ia palikonatka neski eivi Ya Um, okay so I can start with This is actually one of the first poems I wrote Um, it's called The Greatest Story Never Told So the story of Africa And through the African's eyes Was the greatest story never told I am having a hard time Trying to figure out How we went from copper, silver and gold To poverty, hunger and yankings Out in the cold See, Africa is the origin The place where we have history That the rest of the world Can shy and imitate But could never recreate So that's why they try to Feed us lies like The pyramids were built by aliens Because the idea that an African mind Could be so innovative to them Is alien They downplayed everything we own Took it, flipped it and Made it their own Made us crave their standard of beauty We'll hear everything about their encounter With us, just not the cruelty And now I hear someone say that Well, if it wasn't for them We wouldn't have roads We wouldn't have clothes And we wouldn't have phones But I pity you If you think for one second We couldn't have done any of that on our own We have the skills of the black man in Africa Who was wearing hides and skins They told us We were uncivilized before they came But we had emperors and kings And I would like to believe That the African king still lives I look at my African brothers And I say You do not look like a tom And you sure as hell Do not look like a John And I do not look like a Lisa But isn't that the type of name That I want when I'm applying for a visa? They took away our names Put our pictures and museums and frames Made us forget that we are all the same Made us feel ashamed Now they want fuller lips and bigger hips We are just profiting of our fame They played us at our own game Everything they put us down for They would trade the world for Africa is the future Africa is the past Africa is now But when someone stands up to say Fight the power We all say How? So stop telling me to stop making of us This is something we need to discuss See, colonization was not African history Colonization interrupted African history Wadumutabaruka So go ahead Telan African queen Her hair is too rough Telan African king His name is too tough enough Is enough And if I have offended Bring me before whoever you think is greater Until the my name is Mumbi Means creator That's exactly how I wanted you to feel We have a point flag and we have a handle We follow big something We follow big something We follow big something I have a radar I have a radar I have a radar Say it to your point I will tell you If you know you know If you know you know Anyway, we shall get to you shortly Janana I want to choose I have a very heated debate We have to find out We have to find out I want her to tell us We can definitely say We have to find out We have to find out We have to find out We have to find out We have to find out I want to live Did you know that We can't pray We are going to meet Sijuina ni, he? Who told him we are savages? Sure. You see how I relate. I feel you. Actually I'm born feeling you. I once watched a play called The Revolution Ate My Son. It was very deep. Miskwana imagine takwa kitu deep people. But they asked us at the end where we kama kalifa ni kuleze. Can you imagine being in exile as in sasa wewe kama kalifa umediside kwingia game kama Chris Darling sasa umesmami akiti. Lafutseme wewe upewe. After usha pewa sasa umanzu kongia sauti, sauti, sauti. Then suddenly they don't like what you're saying. So you run away and then you can't just come back home. Can you imagine? Kuna wacha ni imagine. Kuna ka clip flani kuna umse kuna MP I think it's in Colombia. Nalun magile Colombia. It's in Colombia. This MP alivotiwa after five years akarudi. Then wakama onyesha bridge ali Tengeneza, which icon exist. Sasa wana kujokumonyesha kujonei bridge. Wana kudura kujakufi gapa na patakuna bridge. Wakams kuma kwa mto. Ya it is there. Jika mayona. And in Mexico they didn't like the mayor the mayor and his assistant. So walingi akofisi ake wakama alisha as in dress Dera. Mekia pink. So maybe we should have an uprising also as kama creative. Kia, kuna kuna I think it was in Nigeria. Kuna this MP then of a sudden alitawatu congress oku jonge. Sasi watu omekam. Wakana ni yae, wakatao kaya kumakia kaba kina jongelesha. So kumbe we have a voice. Okay. There's another piece of yours that you living in Guza. Sikwana joa piya, sikwana joe kwa deep. It's like ujui ukorivaso na jo nenda shaloend kumbe u nengia deep. So yes kuna maji, but u nenda kwa u nengia kwanda kabla. Kabla ok. I cannot recall the name but I do remember it's about suicide. I think ya. Ya it's called live for me. And then it's the one where you start when you sing. Why don't you sing? No, so that one it's my guitarist who was singing on that one. I really thought it was yours. Ya, no, my singing is. Ya, but she sounds so nice so it begs, I mean it's just science. I'm also still wonder me. I'm sure you have a lovely singing voice. But tell me the inspiration behind that particular. So that piece it's called live for me and it's just dedicated to anyone going through depression and anyone contemplating suicide. So basically it's the same live for me. It's giving like reasons to live. And also dedicated to people who've lost someone through suicide or through depression. And it's just empowering people to be able to empower other people around them who might be contemplating suicide or might be facing depression in any way. Khalifat, have you ever been depressed? Have you ever known or met someone who is going through depression? I'm not depressed. I've never been in a club. Oh. Okay. Imagine someone who is paying rent with that man. Oh. So you have a story. So you have a story. So you have a story. So you have a story. So you have a story. So that's how you know next week where you know you have a baby and you know you're in a mini. But at least he came through okay, he has no depression but he'll be okay after that. After that? kusia ku'u na kwa nida kinii ni wana ati but laatru ku kumiti swissend. Ati ita o join jeshi, ama wanseku kua street pusembadi, dwa kufa in the line of duty. That's a bit heartless, yes, but I kuna poyan tapo like we I used to think and this is largely an african thing. We just think that mental health, or depression, or things like these. kutuza wa zungu mazei. Tega titerapi za wa Afrika, that does not make any sense. Chutafanya kazi majtongi, habitu nimbili, as in we did not really grasp that what one is a fanya kitukayo. And I like that spokenwadi na tuli, nika rege, na tufayot kwekwanshas. Rege? I know, and nobody can stop rege ho. So if it's spoken word, I don't think anyone can stop it. That's what spoken word is, I think. It's just using words in a unique way to pass a certain message. I like to think of spoken word as a, it's like speech and song combined. Apokatikati na this spoken word. It's only in Kenya where you meet a very creative person. Alafu badila tukumu mwambia a, you're so creative, good job. Unwambia e wewe, you bangiuna tafuna. Hei, hei, you bangiuni, mazikwadi miwa, sujuwi, wakenja, why are we like this? We can't just give a compliment, you are creative, we can't. Have you ever had, have you ever had people insinuating that you're under the influence while you're coming up with certain things? Not really, but for me, when I'm on stage performing and how I am, just normally, I like two different people. So in my normal day-to-day life, like Sinamambu mwambia, but then when I get on stage, it's like I'm coming for everybody. Ya, so I've gotten that before, like before you were on stage. Buna pitya maali. Ya, I've gotten that before. But I failed because even me, I'm like that. There are people who find me just keeping quiet. Like, well, are you okay? Ya, mwambia na tukumu mwambia mwambia mwambia. Sometimes it's good to keep quiet so that you hear and learn. Sure, sure, sure. Kalefuna kawkuna suali. I'll talk to you then. Ya, tatiwa endele. Endele? Endele na nezaulizu, seng. Onakwanya 18. Aa, me, me, me change. Me change. Mr. Kujajin. Aa, endele, endele. Autani fanya ya stop sign, ki conscience. Nolenda conscience. Aa, zi. Me spend in dramas. Urisken ki se mami story na events. Uta gizu. We make life together. But events. Nutupatana na maudiwa. Maze, kwenzoatulikwana piga oda za mazimu. Nile teni wawa wei. Ha mazini ni. I don't really hear of spoken word events to send me vujut mongita events unless it's somewhere in the National Theater. Kitambu ukulikwana, have you ever performed at Phoenix? Yes, I have. I loved that. I loved it. So beautiful. Zia tili kwa kitu kubwa amazing opera looking. It was small but very authentic. Mi pwanaskia enyewe pieta liansia wuku. Why are there no such events? I think first of all, it might have to do with the fact that there are no spaces. Well, there are but there are few. Spaces where poets feel this is our space. Because I remember when I started organizing events a few years ago and say like maybe at restaurants or places you would go to host an event you feel like this space was not created for me. You feel like you're going to put spoken word poetry. You're just trying to make it fit in a place where one, the audience does not want to listen to spoken word poetry because they don't understand it. So the venue itself or the space itself has not been curated for spoken word poetry. So I feel like that is one of the reasons that discourages us from wanting to put out more events. And then also too, you always have to ask yourself will people come even if I host the event? Will people really come? So there are so many discouraging factors. How do you live? Do you have an age to five? So currently I am a bartender. No, I didn't see that coming. So I work at a captain's terrace restaurant on Mombasa Road as a bartender and I completed my law degree in May this year. Tendu wuko? Tendu wuko tum support? Because I miss Kasturia. Ni captain terrace niya iwa rounda apu? Opposite it's on Mombasa Road Like next two. Yeah, the fly over? Yeah, kwa apu. So you know what you are talking about. They were the best. So it was a gods story. Hakifu wo riyo. Ya. I was told after gig, you never know. So it was really fun. Kwa DJ, Kwa kwa bar, I saw you host. We were like a plan. I was wondering Ushaifani event nga jipata uko pekia uko event? Fortunatili, no. Fortunatili. Niza hapen. It can happen, it can happen. And this old Izatfi, I remember the first event I ever hosted was called Mindful, which was at Creatives Garage. And it was just a music and poetry event. And I remember to break even, like to be able to pay the venue and the artists and to be able to incur all the costs, I needed 35 people to come and buy tickets at the gates. So there was that fear of if 35 people don't come, I will have to incur the cost of everything. And I remember that day we had about almost 80 people come for that first event. So yeah. Okay. There are questions coming in from the gallery, but I'm also feeling that you could also send us some kwaishichons if you had any to ask the lovely Moombi, White Five on Facebook at White Five on Twitter. Hashtag is social Friday. They're asking me, not so low key, now that you're a bartender, does your significant other comply with the terms and conditions? Is he okay with where you work and things like this? One, assuming there is a significant other. Let's just go with these. Assuming. Assuming there is one, he would probably be a creative as well. And get the life. Yes. Yeah. So it's important to be with someone who, I think, understands your line of work. Yeah. But I find opposites attract. I am creative too. So, e kukarebu kuchoma. So the others, the opposite of creativity, not really dull, but he's a bit more solid. He's into administrative things. Say like someone in the corporate world. Yeah, yeah, yeah. But with a still a little bit of flair somewhere. So he's not at all that body. She defabliates kuhu. Kali futa nemei vo Julena group of schools. My choice is okay. All right, so I want you to invoke another feeling for me. Just one more. Okay. So this is a letter to the son I might have one day. So to the son I might have one day. You're not the first boy I've had to raise. You're not the first boy who I've had to teach right from wrong. You are not the first boy who I've had to teach how to approach a woman. See, my job is to ensure that before I send you out into this world that you are right within and that you know how to respect people from the head to the feet and everything in between. See, I will do my best to ensure that you never have to know the affliction of a cane. And I will try my best to ensure that you never see the color of your skin as a stain. And when you learn how to walk, may you walk with your mother's pride. May you step with her mother's stride. When you learn how to walk, may you learn how to go the extra mile. When you learn how to talk, may everything that comes out of your mouth be better than silence. May you learn how to hold back and swallow any rude comments, misogynistic jokes, lies, may they rot in your throat so that they never have to see the light of day. When you learn how to talk, may you learn how to ask questions like, does Lake Victoria ever want to be known by her African name? Does Lake Victoria ever want to pause and say she doesn't want to go into the Nile because that will mean leaving everything she has ever known or does Mount Kilimanjaro ever want to cross the border and come back home? And when you have your first crush, may you be wise enough to know that pulling a girl's hair or trying to fight her are not appropriate ways to tell a girl that you like her. But if you're lucky, maybe your mother will teach you her way with words. Maybe you will learn to lose yourself in the words you create on paper the same way she does. And when you grow up, may you never fall prisoner to the chains around your neck in the name of flex. May other boys think they are kings until you come next. And if I have to promise you one thing, I promise you this, that every day I will take my pen and my paper and I will sketch you in all of my books and I will open them up to look at you whenever I forget how God looks. There are boy children who have been agreeing with how on the floor. I don't think you so. Yeah, kutu. Mm-hmm, mm-hmm. Mm, nason vizuje. Sam. Mm, mibuza kali for maali. If you are a girl. Boreid. Boreid. Boreid. But that's how you feel, please. Meshika yo. All right, so as we go, would you like to give us your social media handles? How we can keep up with you, but what we cannot find? Yeah, for sure. On Instagram, at Mumbi Poets. On Facebook, Mumbis Book and Word. On Twitter, Mumbis Seid. On Empersas. Yay! I like you very much. Biskava yama. Toa, zemo. Kukuku apa, zi. Rada kumisa. So na zi, I'm cuffed. Ah. I'm cuffed, I'm cuffed. Nii, Empersa tutu kwa tuna, tata. Sivi tu zingina. Kukuku onu famidiina. Eh, yako. Na siya tutu beten bob. Siya tutu beten bob. Tensia zi tuti. Zau. Tutu mabia bai. Kukuku mabia niya mwisha. Tutu bata ni, Captain? Captain Starras. Yeah. Uni bewa matatru, so tutapu jasina. Yeah. Alright. Thank you so very much for watching. We are coming right back with Sir Aleki. And we have some social media things to read out. So please don't be left behind at 25 on Facebook at Y254channel on Twitter. Hashtag is social Friday. And happy birthday, Michael Kitahi.