Researching Kenya's War on Terror

Many of you know that I have accelerated the writing of my second novel, Arlen’s Harem. February 1^st was the original date target, then March 1^st. Well, it looks like the target date will have to be moved again. I hope my supporters are okay with that.

I’m taking a short break from it to do some research on and write about Kenya’s role in the War on Terror, as requested by one of my readers. And this is something which may have a dual purpose, as it could be a part of a longer work about my father’s home country.

Now that Barack Obama has galloped off into the sunset, there might not be that much interest in the country anymore. However, for obvious reasons, I’m still interested and I hope that a few others are as well.

To begin a small primer on the topic, start with Kenya's Dadaab. It's the largest refugee camp in the world and the refugees are, primarily, Somalis--both in the ethnic and citizenship sense.

Dadaab

Every Tuesday and Saturday, I blog at the award-winning Da Tech Guy Blog Latest Blog post: The Social Justice War on Blacks and Browns.

This is my JOB. It pays for: A Roof Over My Head, the writing of My Next Book(s), and Utilities--especially Internet and COFFEE! Yes, coffee is a utility.

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Fun Story

Note: My trip to Kenya to see my biological father and meet the rest of my family has been postponed to February 21^st and cut down to one week.

My American dad--as opposed to my Kenyan one--works part-time as a host in an Albuquerque hotel. Dad is an excellent cook, just as good at presentation and, best of all, a people person.

One day, a few years ago, he hosted a lunch for a group of Kenyans. After they finished their meal, he came over to their table to do his host thing. They were pleased and he had a fun conversation with them.

“You all are Kenyan, correct?”

“Yes.”

“From the Luo tribe, right?” They looked at him quizzically.

“Yes. How did you know?”

“Because my daughter is Luo.”

Dad says that they all looked at him like, “Ni**a, you ain’t no Luo.”

When he laughed and explained the situation to them, they said he was pretty much a member of the tribe and invited him to sit down and have a drink with them, but, of course, he couldn’t.

When Dad told me this story, I asked him how he knew they were Luo. He said that they all looked just like me.

I just shook my head and, at first, Dad thought I was offended.

“No Dad, it’s not that. Sometimes, when a person asks me about the origin of my name, they’ll also ask if I’ve ever been to Kenya. When I tell them that I haven’t and they ask why not, sometimes I’ll tell them that every Kenyan I’ve ever met looked just like me and I’m afraid that if I go there, they might not let my black ass come back home!”

I guess we’ll find out if this is the case or not soon enough.

Related: My trip makes the Kenya news.

Don't forget: every Tuesday and Saturday, I blog at the award-winning DaTechGuyBlog--including during the Kenya Trip. Tuesday's post: Battle Account in the PC Wars.

Please contribute to Juliette’s Projects: A Roof Over My Head, my new novel, this blog, and my Internet--to keep them going and to the COFFEE fund to keep me going!

One Week Before Take-Off (UPDATED)

UPDATE: My trip has been postpone for a week. I leave on the 21st.

ORIGINAL: A couple of years ago, I started the Kenya Project. It was intended to assist Americans in understanding Kenya and, because of my heritage I felt that I was in a unique position to do it. Well now, the Republic of Kenya and I will actually meet in person for the first time.

Before, I felt that it was important for us to see what Kenya really is--especially the Luo tribe--since both President Obama and I stem from that ethnic group. And though his presidency will end in less than a year, I still think that I may be able to bring some truth to the distortions which still circle about regarding the country and its people.

I’m no trained travel writer or historian, to be sure, but I wasn’t a novelist when I set out to write my novel. So take those things into account.

I’ll be staying in the country for two weeks. I’m a bit apprehensive, since this will be the first time I’ve traveled abroad to a Third World country. Sure, I went to Germany and Japan at the behest of the USAF, but the military creates a huge safety net for its non-combatants in other countries and, to be honest, Germany and Japan are incredibly safe—well, at least Germany was safe back in the good old days of the Cold War. Now?

For those who don’t know, this trip and the lodging was a gift from a friend of my blogs whom I will name when he gives me permission. This gift is emblematic of how my life has gone in the past few years: great trials topped off with tremendous blessings.

So the Kenya Project is back on. Back when I started the Project, I had high aims, but they are more modest now. I just want to look, listen, take pictures, write about it, and pass it along to my small reading public. Of course, the most tremendous part if the trip will be to meet many members of my family for the first time, and to see my father, Philip Ochieng, face-to-face for the first time in almost 55 years.

There are some things that I will need to pay for while I’m there: food, transportation, and Internet time. There is Wi-Fi in my hotel, but it isn’t free and when I’m away from there, it’s only available in dedicated cafes, as my brother, Charles Otieno Ochieng, tells me. So please feel free to donate to my PayPal account. I also have a Kenya Wishlist on Amazon with a mere few items on it. The item I need most is a camera. Otherwise I'll have to settle for photos taken with my Coolpad phone.

UPDATE: I have restarted my Go Fund Me Campaign.

Don't forget: every Tuesday and Saturday, I blog at the award-winning DaTechGuyBlog--including during the Kenya Trip. Saturday's post: Natural Maintenance.

Please contribute to Juliette’s Projects: Kenya Trip, A Roof Over My Head, my new novel, this blog, and my Internet--to keep them going and to the COFFEE fund to keep me going!