Are writers born, made or both?

Are writers born, made or both?

A

s a writer, strive to be faithful to your subjects. Let truth be your hallmark. Balance your story. Tell all sides of the story and let every subject’s voice be heard

You cannot separate journalism from writing.  In Kiswahili, journalists are better known as waandishi wa habari (literally translated as writers of news/information) than wanahabari (journalists). Early journalism was print media. Reporters wrote news for newspapers and magazines well before the invention of radio, television and the internet.

It is only understandable that the name “writer” for a journalist has stuck to an extent of being used in the place of newsreaders, anchors and other mass media contributors.

GOOD JOURNALISTS SCRIPT EFFORTLESSLY

In fact a good journalist is an excellent scripter. He or she can write a news article and edit it effortlessly. For the journalist it is not a struggle. The words just come. It’s like an inspiration.

Which brings me to whether journalists and writers are born, made or both. I believe a talent is required in any profession. One must be competent to undertake the task they are assigned. That is why there are journalism schools teaching budding journalist so that they may later go to the field and practice.

Back to my earlier argument, journalists can be born.  This is a very beautiful discovery anyone can make in their life. Realizing that you were born to do something could be the ultimate purpose in life. May be discovering your purpose in life could more satisfying than the pursuit for happiness.

INNATE TALENT

Someone who was born a writer has an innate talent that the teacher cannot teach. The best the teacher can do is to perfect the skills the student has and watch the talent take shape. Such people have boundless potentials and it is important that they realize that and exploit the potential to the fullest.

A born writer can make a very good journalist because essentially journalism places a lot of premium on excellent writing skills. The audience has great expectations on the writer journalist. They thus cannot afford to be below par. The trend they set is emulated by their competitors and their (audiences)-readers, listeners and viewers.

Methinks many a writer journalists belong to the last category. They are both made and born. It is unfortunate to be only a made writer or journalist. This is because you will go as far as your teacher will take you. Although with experience you can improve, it will be a struggle to cope with the tough calling of journalism. You might end up quitting the career altogether or switching to another one. It is not a bad thing to change careers. But what took you so long to realize you were in the wrong place in the first place? Anyway, it is never too late to start anything in life. You can turn around things in youth as well as an elder. But the earlier you discover your place the better.

BLEEDING PASSION OF LETTERS

Those who are born writers are by nature artistic. They like critiquing literature, they love reading and definitely they write. You cannot be a good writer if you do not read intensively and extensively. For a writer there is no topic under the sun which is off limits. A born writer observes nature and phenomenon and can never lack a comment. The writer will give a candid and wise commentary that is worth remembering. Others get philosophical even. It is in their blood. If you cut their veins, they are likely to bleed letters. After all, they are men of letters.

NURTURED WRITER JOURNALIST

A writer journalist by nurture can also fulfil his or her career if he/she is committed and dedicated. The nurtured writer journalist must be willing to learn and accept that they are inadequate. To cover up for that inadequacy, he/she should practice the skills they acquire. If you are willing to learn nothing can stop you from becoming a pro. Aspire to perfect your skills. Read great literature by great authors. You can also benefit from unsung writers and journalists who have never been celebrated by anyone. They may be unpopular but have produced great works. Read them. Watch and listen to their presentation styles and try to practice what they do. You don’t have to copy but you can borrow skills that can make you a better writer and a journalist.

Writing can be inspirational. Ideas excite the writer; they tickle their imagination and provoke the writer’s creativity. If the idea is viable the writer will execute it.

A writer is supposed to be keen and observant. You can have a small note book to jot down the ideas and sketch your roadmap to a good story. With technology you can now capture ideas on your smartphone camera, save a reminder on your phone or make use of those calendar and notebook apps on your phone that are lying idle. That way you will not forget what provoked you to write a story.

INSPIRATIONAL WRITER

It is beautiful to actualize a dream.  Transferring an abstract idea from your mind to paper or to a screen, airwave or wherever is both transformational and creative. You bring forth life and contribute to knowledge.

Budding writers especially the young ones have been accused (by older established writers) of being lazy and impatient. It is true. To succeed in writing you need to be patient and hard working. You must be willing to read and think. You will be required to research on a topic that is alien to you.

I have been both a writer and an editor. I understand the pain of rejection of a manuscript and the condemnation that you get from your editor for doing a story shoddily or in a hurry. The editor wants you to be a better person. You should not give up. Repeat what you have been instructed and keep in mind that tomorrow you will incorporate the correction in your work. Eventually you will be excellent. But if you get angry that they editor is despising you, you will never go anywhere in your career. You may go far but in the wrong direction.

EARN TRUST AND DON’T JUDGE

Trust is earned by a good writer. Journalists know this better. Your subjects need to trust you that you will tell their story as they would. This is a high standard by any criteria. As a writer, strive to be faithful to your subjects. Let truth be your hallmark. Balance your story. Tell all sides of the story and let every subject’s voice be heard in your composition. Do not suppress the opposing characters in your work. Above all, leave the audience to judge. Making sense of a situation does not mean that you dictate what the audience will perceive as reality. Remember they are also intelligent. Don’t insult their intelligence.

Develop a reputation of a faithful medium of the many stories that you will be entrusted to cover in your career and you will be trusted with high level assignments that will not only grow your career but also positively change the lives of the people that you so passionately want to let their narrative be heard.

Musyoka Ngui a final year Communication and Media student at Chuka University and a blogger at Youth Issue (musyokangui.blogspot.com) and also a technology blogger with culturemob.com.

Boy, after you lose, no one will remember you/May be, but when you lose, no one will let you forget*

Boy, after you lose, no one will remember you/May be, but when you lose, no one will let you forget*

S

adly, the best leaders are the ones who never were. They are the presidents that never got elected, the managers who never got appointed and the drivers who never occupied the steering seat.

BY MUSYOKA NGUI

When Nigerian writer and 1986 Nobel Laureate for Literature Prof. Wole Soyinka was asked by Talk to Al Jazeera host Folly Bah Thibault, what influence or the enduring legacy he would want to leave behind he said: “Oh, simply the recollection of the fact that I passed through.”Soyinka seems sure that he will leave indelible footprints in the sands of time. He claimed that definitely there will emerge other better writers from the African continent but was not sure whether they would advance the ideology of concerned humanist that he is. He dismissed them (young writers) as lazy and insincere.

Soyinka’s worries cannot be wished away by those who care about the future of their lives and what will become of their destinies if someone else took over the reins of power. Will they be promising or they will just collapse into a heap of despair after years of hard work and dedication?

I have been poring through literature and looking at the question of legacy in the face of leadership and how that shapes how the memories the prominent people linger around in the minds of their subjects. I am sorry that some of our actions will not outlive us. Writers like Soyinka have the privilege that their works will immortalize them forever.

NOT MERE MORTALS

So what makes people remember Tom Mboya, JM Kariuki, Pio Gama Pinto, Malcom X, Nelson Mandela, Mother Theresa of Calcutta, Mahatma Gandhi and Dr. Rev. Martin Luther King? They were not mere mortals. They are eternal heroes and heroines who secured a permanent place in the annals of history.

Some leaders in history will be forgotten as soon as the mourners leave their funeral requiem masses. Before the cement on their graves dry and long before grass grow around their burial site.

BAD EXAMPLE

To be remembered by humankind you must do something exceptional. Be their hero. Deliver them from the jaws of disasters- human, artificial or natural. Be dependable, reliable and indispensible. It’s about excellence. Take the call of duty to serve passionately and make a difference in the lives of your people. But if you are mediocre and average no one will remember your input. You will be forgotten actively like a bad dream. Children will be raised by being warned by parents that they should not be like you. You embody a bad example not worth emulating. Generations will be reminded how not to be like a tyrant, a dictator and a ruler that ran down a once promising economy by stashing public funds in foreign accounts and appointing cronies and relatives in strategic posts to continue the dark tunnel vision of looting, predation and anarchy.

Role models will be cherished. They are honest and sincere. They talk truth to power and offer constructive criticism. They are the alternative thought when the authorities are stuck in obsolete methods which do not work. They should be listened to when they speak because they ooze intelligence, wisdom and rare knowledge that they wilfully offer for free for the sake of humanity. What more service can the society want from them?

GOOD RIDDANCE

Sadly, the best leaders are the ones who never were. They are the presidents that never got elected, the managers who never got appointed and the drivers who never occupied the steering seat. People are left wondering and imagining how the world would be advanced if such fellows were given the opportunity to serve. But I say good riddance for ignoring a prophet at home. The problems you go through will forever remind you that it is because you rejected the concerned humanists and kissed the tyrant because he was moneyed or was born into wealth but lacked both the will and ability to lead you.

Concerned critics end up being unpopular with the ruling elite. They vie for elections and fail, they apply for jobs and get rejected and pay the ultimate price of their unshakable stands against wrongdoings in the society. They are murdered or mysteriously disappear and their fate basically is shrouded in intricate controversy and mystery so much so that we will never know what actually caused their death.

*The title of this piece was adopted from the animation movie “Monster University”.

Musyoka Ngui is a final year Communication and Media student at Chuka University and a technology blogger with culturemob.com.

Public stripping degraded the dignity of womanity and exposed primitive touts in a largely civil society

Public stripping degraded the dignity of womanity and exposed primitive touts in a largely civil society

A

rguing that the lady provoked the men to commit rape is illogical. No one strips men who sag trousers or wear figure-hugging jeans and contour- cutting T-Shirts. If it is a matter of emotion-arousal why does it not cut both ways if it is genuine at all?

BY MUSYOKA NGUI

Email: musyokangui02@gmail.com

Blog: musyokangui.blogspot.com

Website: culturemob.com (Technology Reviewer)

This week witnessed a distasteful incident in Nairobi which touts descended on a woman they thought was indecently dressed and stripped her.  In the past these incidences have grabbed media headlines.  The touts who did this were caught on camera and should face the law. Every person has rights and responsibilities and they should enjoy the liberties without infringing or violating the freedoms of others.

MORAL POLICE

No one should be a moral police. Taking the law into one’s own hands is caveman. If the jungle maxim of the survival for the fittest is unleashed there is no need of upholding the Constitution as those who are perceived to be weak will be exploited by those who are “strong”.

To get the basics right consider this situation. If the lady who was in her private space (read house) and walked naked around the house it would not be a big deal. After all, she will be enjoying herself and admiring God’s workmanship without coveting.  But when she decides to walk in public in skimpy dresses she will have to fend off public ridicule and condemnation. That is what our society is: pretentious, hypocritical and “religious” and “African”.

EXERCISE RESTRAINT

The Director of Public Prosecutions Keriako Tobiko has forwarded a case file to the CID for investigation into this degrading incident. This is a good gesture. The law as it is should be our defender. If the burly touts cannot restrain themselves after seeing a few inches of flesh they should have their boiling testosterone confined in jail. Arguing that the lady provoked the men to commit rape is illogical. No one strips men who sag trousers or wear figure-hugging jeans and contour- cutting T-Shirts. If it is a matter of emotion-arousal why does it not cut both ways if it is genuine at all?

Radio host Maina Kageni called the touts who stripped the Nairobi lady “rowdy uncouth fork jembes”. His colleague Adel Onyango at a different forum expressed fears that if the public stripping goes unpunished it will open floodgates for violation of women rights especially gender based violence. If we do not speak because she was not our sister, daughter or mother next time it could be one of us. Worse still, it could be us.

STOOPING LOW

The woman should fulfill her part of bargain too. Do not be desperate for attention and cheap recognition from anyone. Once you dress and look in the mirror and ascertain that you are presentable you need not be told you are smart. You do not need a whistling confirmation from a tout to know that you are “hot.” That is stooping too low.

Talking of stooping low, do not let your self esteem sink by giving a chance to judged by touts yet you know the obvious: that your dressing will arouse controversy and you may be a victim of your own actions.

We operate in a civilized society, or so we assume. The few touts giving the rest of men a bad name should be identified and be punished.  Meaning is derived from the cultural context. For example, Turkana women walk in bare chests but they do not risk being raped or stripped like in Nairobi. The weather in Turkana dictates you dress light. In most traditional African set ups people wore flying hides and skins and again rape and stripping was unheard of. Today, Nairobi is the cultural hub of Kenya and East Africa but it is a bad example.

Kitui rising: The story of coal city as told by a resident

Kitui rising: The story of coal city as told by a resident

BY MUSYOKA NGUI

K

itui town’s potential is indisputable. The challenge is for the local leaders to harness the huge human and natural resources at its disposal so that they may transform the lives of Kituians and Kenya at large.

Being the headquarters of Kitui County, my town Kitui has many feathers decorating its hat. It is the seat of the expansive Kitui County Assembly where the MCAs discuss county bills and legislation agenda. The County Assembly also acts as the watchdog for the devolved executive led by Governor Dr. Julius Malombe.

           Economically, the town boosts as home to leading commercial backs such as KCB, Equity, Cooperative, Barclays, National Bank, Post Bank and Family Bank. These attest to the financial potential of the town as well as the entire county.

           The Kitui County Government is expected to be the next frontier for mining. This is due to discovery of colossal coal mining deposits in Mui Basin and a Chinese firm Fenxi Mining Cooperation did exploration and mining is set to kick off once the legal and environmental issues surrounding the natural resource are resolved.

          The Law Society of Kenya Chairman Mr. Eric Mutua, who is the lawyer for the residents of Mui  has been on the frontline to make sure that the owners of the land where the coal sits are compensated and do not get evicted inhumanely. Of course some of the dollars accrued from the mining business will trickle down to Kitui because is the main investment hub in the county.

          The South Eastern University of Kenya (SEKU) in Kitui has devised academic programmes touching on dry land and geology to make it relevant not only in Ukambani but also nationally and globally.  The national schools around here such as Muthale Girls and Kitui School have managed to send renowned intellectuals to the university. For instance, the former Vice President Kalonzo Musyoka is an old boy of Kitui School. Gospel artiste Hellena Ken of Ngoo Yakwa (My Heart) and Mambo Yabadilika hit songs is an old girl of Mulango Girls in Kitui.

           Kitui also has bragging rights as host to several technical and middle level colleges such as the Kenya Medical Training College and Kitui Institute of Professional Studies. Kenya University has a satellite campus at Kwa Vonza too.

   The cosmopolitan nature of Kitui is captured by the peaceful coexistence of the dominant Kambas with Somalis and Kikuyus among others. The Kikuyus bring farm produce to Kitui market where they sell without discrimination and the Somalis have set up various cloth shops along major streets such as Biashara and Kilungya streets which are strategic enough to attract customers. This being the Ramadhan season, Muslims frequent the Jamia Masjid Mosque at the heart of the city to pray and fast. There is also a sizeable Arab and Swahili population.

          Kitui’s Nzambani rock attracts tourists who relish the myth that climbers in the past used to change genders after making seven rounds along the perimeter of the giant rock. Adults pay only KSh.100 while children pay KSh.50.

There are plans to upgrade Kitui Level Four Hospital to Level Five in order to offer better services to the Kituians.

  Local politicians have invested heavily in the town. Leading by example is Kitui Senator Mr. David Musila who owns the Muli Mall. Muli Mall houses County FM which the senator holds shares and Britam Insurance Company which operates from there. Kalonzo has interest in Athiani FM while the Lands Minister Charity Ngilu provides employment opportunities for Syokimau FM journalists. Other prominent leaders who hail from and around Kitui include Chief Justice Willy Mutunga, LSK Chair Eric Mutua, Former Committee of Experts Chair Nzamba Kitonga S.C. and Prof. Makau Mutua S.C., Dean Sunny Buffalo University in the US.

          The opening of Masii-Machakos road by Machakos Governor Dr. Alfred Mutua opened Kitui County to Machakos and Nairobi regions and this is set to boost business. Kitui also enjoys close proximity to Nairobi-Garissa highway.

           However, Kitui is bedeviled by perennial water shortage and incessant food insecurity. Being an Arid and Semi Arid Region (ASAL), rain is unreliable thus making crops to dry up before being harvested when the rain ceases. Governor Malombe’s government should tour the entire county to appraise itself with the dire picture of those who lives in remote regions. In some areas they are further from the county headquarters that they are from Nairobi. Residents walk for long distances in search of water which is unfit for human consumption. In some places as Tseikuru, the water has a lot of fluoride deposits which make the teeth of the users brown. The common beast of burden in Kitui rural is donkey and where conditions are worse like in Mwingi and near Garissa they use camels.

           Kitui town’s potential is indisputable. The challenge is for the local leaders to harness the huge human and natural resources at its disposal so that they may transform the lives of Kituians and Kenya at large.

Battle of the radio queens as game to win followers heats up By Anjellah Owino and Esther Muchene Updated Friday, October 31st 2014 at 15:59 GMT +3 Tweet 0 inShare If you weren’t a radio presenter: I would be a doctor. I was in medical school and at the time it was something I was expected to do then I decided to follow my passion. Monique: Hot 96 Show: The Hot Breakfast and The Hot Spot. How did you get into radio: I initially started on TV as the host of Afrodizia on Citizen and I would get compliments on my voice and so I tried out for radio and got into Homeboyz before I got into Hot 96. First radio show: AfroCentral and Caffe Mocha while I was at HBR. Most embarrassing moment on air: Being over-complimented, which can get out of hand or when I get flirty comments. Challenging bit of radio: Compartmentalising your life; separating your life from radio and people’s perceptions of you can be challenging. Accent: I don’t think I have a heavy accent but maybe it’s because I’m not Kenyan. Then I also didn’t grow up in one place. If you weren’t a radio presenter: I would be doing music in some way. I would still be surrounded by music. On studies: I did community development and started social science but I didn’t clear my course. Relationship status: I am loved and happy at the moment. Work takes most of my time but there’s a special someone.
Read more at: http://www.standardmedia.co.ke/entertainment/pulse/article/2000140018/battle-of-the-radio-queens-as-game-to-win-followers-heats-up?pageNo=6