Patriot's Diary # 23: Patriots have opinions…however queer…

I asked a friend what she loved about Kenya and for the first time I met someone who managed to answer that question without gazing into the sky really raking their brains for an answer. She said that she finds it commendable that Kenyans don’t just have an opinion but a political opinion about anything and everything.

As I write this I am still not quite sure whether that is a good or bad thing. Maybe because it can be equated to a higher level of literacy and awareness of what is going on around them? Maybe? I am not sure. I think what I love about Kenyans is the fact that they are so opinionated.

Let me give an example. My friend and I were in the CBD till late and were not quite in the mood to go home and cook meals. We passed by a fast food restaurant to get the famous Kuku sama and chips (grilled chicken and chips) with a sparkling bottle of sugar and cholesterol carbonated in the form of a soft drink. While I was grabbing my chicken from the chicken section I heard my friend laughing and she had a hilarious look on her face.

As we were exiting the restaurant she told me what made her laugh in shock. Her ear studs generated a mini debate on why women detest female genital mutilation. The gentleman behind the counter, whose colleague was busy trying to fish out my tribe and woo me to his fancy soda display, asked my friend why women detest female genital mutilation yet can withstand having their ears pierced.

If I was a female activist extraordinaire, I may have probably run back into the restaurant and pulverized the cashier for asking that question. But I was left stunned wondering how a simple observation dug out such a question. My friend was stunned and said nothing but changed the subject. No form of analysis of that mini conversation can prepare you for reasoning of that kind. I am not quite sure what to think, but all I can say; I found it fascinating. Because he asked the question with childlike innocence.

I know some of you must think I may be psychotic right now, but before you rip your hair out, you need to understand why people will create an entire line of conversation from something simple. Like in my friends case, from ordering chips to a simple observation of pierced ears came Female Genital Mutilation.

I am still stunned and not quite sure what to write. All I can say is you never are quite sure what will come out of a Kenyans mouth. I guess that’s what makes discussions amongst us so engaging. It reeks of controversy, provocation and of course politics. They said it; I report it and right now just sharing that story has left me stunned. I still love Kenya!