NAIROBI MEMORIES DATABASE
It would be interesting to create some kind of Nai database of 80s vocab, games, TV, music, foodstuffs, crazes, so please send me the following and I will compile them into a list for this site-80s...
View ArticleFood
I seem to remember Nairobi being obsessed – and I mean obsessed – with sausage & chips (“Ask for Farmer’s Choice sausages and win x”) & soda. Some people liked Coca cola, some people liked...
View ArticleInnocence
Some politician recently said that the internet was corrupting kids, and that kids in rural areas are now accessing all manner of filth on the internet. ‘Back in the day’ (the ‘80’s) the only filth we...
View Article1980’s teachers
There cannot, surely be teachers more sadistic than the ones who taught us. They were the most violent, irrational, uncompromising, puritanical, unpredictable entities in the history of the Kenyan...
View ArticleSchool in general
The day before start of term my stomach would be churning. Weirdly, I look back at those primo years and realise that they were ‘just’ eight. Okey, 8 years are a long time for kiddos, but when you grow...
View ArticleTV
I don’t remember the content of too many ‘80’s progis – I mean there were hardly any for kiddos to watch. I recall a weekday schedule of obscure cartoons/ children’s programmes starting at 6 (or was it...
View ArticleGames
Kiddos today might have computer games, video games, consoles, etc, but the sheer joy of playing with a mkebe in the 80s cannot be matched. I pendad ‘Shake’ (why was it called shake?) ‘cause it brought...
View ArticleAggression
Ah boys seemed to be very aggressive back then – lakini pia wasichana. Who was it that tokead with the “ngoto”- that thing where you scrape at someone’s kisogo with your knuckles, so someone would just...
View ArticlePests and Pets
Many people had dogs/cats; dogs were typically called Simba, Chui, Shaka (as in Shaka Zulu) and they were either friendly/ useless in the face of thieves, or they were kali and unreasonable. Maze those...
View ArticleMusic
The ‘80s music that we could access consisted of off-cuts from Top of the Pops, a German music show on VOK (remember that video they were obsessed with about Kylie Minogue in a spacesuit), an...
View ArticleOther Pastimes
During the holls, especially, tulikuwa na mob time on our hands. When we fikad seco we felt sweet ati we were too old to play, so people took up the pastime of re-telling movies – mnakumbuka those...
View ArticleA-Z of Only in Nairobi (M-Z)
ps:- can I begin by saying I love Kenya and Africa soooooo much. Love to you oh sweet continent and all peoples of Kenya and Africa.· Miniskirts being raruriwad– back then it was kawa to hear such...
View ArticleA-Z of Only in Nairobi (K-M)
· KCPE/KCSE school results mania: kumbuka paros camping overnight in certain primos so that they could enrol their kids into pre-unit, and people engaging in magendo to get their kids into certain...
View ArticleA-Z of Only in Nairobi (F-J)
· False advertisement: mingi “fish & chips” shops only sold sausage & chips, and you could ingia a restaurant and order the ‘dish of the day’ lakini you’d be ambiwad ati it wasn’t available....
View ArticleA-Z of Only in Nairobi (A-E)
· A school being founded every five minutes: so many academies, primary schools, preparatory institutes, kindergartens, secondaries were being opened, mpaka every ad break on TV advertised “join Mulika...
View ArticleFirst Crush
Asiyewai kuexperience having a crush on someone hajawai kuexperience youthful abandon, expectation, viewing maisha through rose-tinted spectacles, nearly hyperventilating at the mere mention of the...
View ArticleHigh School pt.I
The phrase “high school” in ulaya triggers images of cheerleaders, boys called ‘Shep’ (say what?), and teenies eating endless burgers, fries and shakes (‘meet me in Wimpy, babe’). Lakini kama uko...
View ArticleGrownups
Stay tuned for High School pt. II. Can’t say I have fond memories of high school, kwa hivyo my subconscious has dharaud a post entitled ‘high school pt II’ until badaaye.Is it just my perception or are...
View ArticleLingala Fever
Tunaiita ‘Lingala’, but really Lingala is the language. Ulaya they call it ‘Soukous’ lakini whatever you call it is is unmistakable. The moment you hear those tingling guitars, you amka and start...
View ArticleLiterature
I penda reading sana sana, yani I will read anything, when I watch TV I find myself reading something with my ears sikilizaing the tv na hata kama it’s the label of something hiyo nitasoma pia. Hata...
View ArticleFinale
I’ve been wondering about the whole blogging thing. I average around one post a month, which I’d penalise if I was the Blog-Keeper, but I blog about the past (which is static) so I guess I can get away...
View Article
