The only housing estate hosting a United Nations office is Kibera. So Soweto area, is to Kibera what Gigiri is to Nairobi.
In Nairobi, you can take a shower anytime, in Kibera you take a bath early in the morning or at night. I had to listen to a Tanzania Bongo Flava musician, cant remember his name, but I will call it the Oracles of shanty miseries to understand this. The artist sings about how one cannot take a shower during the day in a slum, he will be asked where he is going. All bathrooms are outside the house, or rather- the houses are not self-contaminated. As I ventured into Soweto, I saw a man washing his feet, oh yes, he did not want anybody to know his mission.
Another joke I heard as I talked to Kiberans is that when a Lunje (Luhya) goes to look for a house in Kibera, he will check how far the posho mill is from the house, very important. So I got this pic to tell my lunje friends that they are welcome in Soweto.
Kibera citizens are not so thankful to the Prime Minister in Nairobi who claims to love them so much. We have been giving him our votes, so he decided to build for us flats in Soweto. Let me tell you the story, the inhabitants of Soweto were given money to move to Migingo across in Langata. This created space for another highrise flats project. Wait a minute- Kibera had its own flats long before some people thought of upgrading them, they upgraded themselves..
And this one...
Anyway, the next time you visit Soweto, these flats to the right will be complete...
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| The road to Migingo |
Meanwhile, I will do my best to venture deep into the slum to bring you the stories you never knew about Kibera. There is a slum mentality that will take more than just upgrading settlements to change.
Kweli, Kibera si Nairobi....
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