people-from-nairobi

"I thought I was going to inspire them [the children]. Instead, I was inspired too."

"I would like to build an observatory there and invite people to come and learn about space and watch special events like meteor showers. I want to have a little base, somewhere for us to sit and enjoy the sky with whoever wants to share it."

"There’s something about the sky that makes you want to experience it with other people."

"There’s a satisfaction you get from going to a school, talking to the children, and seeing their reaction and their anticipation. A 12-year-old boy in eastern Kenya even told us, ‘I used to think scientists lie, but now I believe in science."

"Interpretation of Scripture occurs within one’s worldview and culture, which enhances our understanding and ability to apply Scripture in the world. However, few books address Bible interpretation from an African perspective and no other textbook uses the intercultural approach found here. This book brings both an awareness of how one’s African context gives a lens to hermeneutics, but also how to interpret texts with integrity despite our cultural influences."

"I'm proud of our name because my brother has really carried our name up there ... it's made its mark in the world."

"Younger Africans and Kenyans are this eclectic mix of a new confidence about being African mixed with not feeling like you have to completely reject things of the West. Really realizing, hey we’re on the continent, we’re here to stay and we can create things we can relate to."

"A few years ago after making a few different feature films of my own, I really began to notice, to really notice how difficult it was to raise funding, how difficult it was to find a sense of community amongst filmmakers back home in Kenya. By founding and starting Docubox I was able, with my colleagues, to raise funding first of all, make a call and in quite a curated process, select a number of independent documentary filmmakers who over the past four years have been doing a lot of grueling work making these incredible films that are going to be seen come the beginning of the end of this year."

"Often many filmmakers will want to tackle something that has to do with corruption. Many want to touch upon things that are happening to them, issues of drug taking and so on. Others want to express themselves as musicians and to accept themselves as individuals."

"Take notice of the new wave of filmmaking coming out of the continent and start writing stories."

"It’s one of the most remarkable times to be African."

"Germans always like to think that they have a very liberal attitude towards Africans. But when you scratch the surface you can see that they they still carry around the prejudices of their childhood. In German fairy tales black people always appear as the bogey man. You don't forget things like that so easily."

"I felt a kinship with him automatically. I was very nervous and worried about not connecting immediately and then having to be in his home—because I was going to be staying with him. But when I met him it was so easy. We just started talking as though we’d known each other always, and that was actually something really special."

"My brother is authentic. He really believes in what he is trying to do. So there’s no hidden agenda. In that sense, he really is an open book. And I think that authenticity, that passion, and the image and the drive—it resonates with people."

"If it’s just about my brother, I’ll never be a role model."

"I work for my own foundation, called Sauti Kuu (Powerful Voices) Foundation, which I started about two years ago. The focus of the work is to teach young people—girls, in particular—who are from underprivileged backgrounds, that there are valuable resources they can use to improve their lives before they look outwardly to see whether someone will give them relief food or clothing or all of the other things we give them so often in the humanitarian world."

"I had really nobody in my family whom I could talk about these things with. This passion for making a difference, the passion for helping young people find out who they are, gain strength in their own identity, those were things I was struggling with as well. I realized very young that if I don’t do it myself, nobody can really do it for me. I think young people need to be helped toward that realization."

"I manage that because Barack Obama’s in his present situation as the president of the United States is a very new thing, and it’s also something very temporary. I’ve been around for a lot longer, so I’ve already defined myself long before he became the president of the United States so in my own right I have my own identity. So in that sense I am able to, well, actually I’m learning, and I keep having to adjust to being Barack Obama’s sister, who is the president of the United States. But being me as Auma Obama, that is not an issue. It’s trying to accommodate the “new” – this new role that I’m received in, the attention I get, this visibility I get. In terms of my identity I think I’m pretty secure, as best one can be."

"I don’t get tired of being called Barack Obama’s sister because I am. I get tired of being called Barack Obama’s “half-sister” because I’m not. In our culture he’s just my brother, I’m his sister, so being called Barack Obama’s sister, I have no problem with that at all. I guess it becomes an issue when people see me as an extension of him and focus on that. So I guess this sense of “we’re inviting Barack Obama’s sister”, “we’re speaking to Barack Obama’s sister” to get closer to Barack Obama and find out more about him. To an extent it is justified, but that’s not all that I’m about, so I’m very conscious of that, and I’m conscious of making people aware of that and trying to make that clear that is part of the conversation."

"If I’m teaching young people to use their voices and be active in making their lives a success."

"You can’t do this or that because you’re a girl. Or, You have to do this because you’re a girl. I asked Why? I’m a human being first."

"Poverty is no excuse. Development aid has to be linked to economic development,"

"Once others hear your voice loud and clear, they realise you exist."

"It's special for us and for our children and for our communities because it tells every child that if you work hard you can do whatever you want in this world. You can make you future"

"I can’t believe that these young people are just trying to demonstrate for their rights and to tell them that we understand that they need to use their voices, and we are being tear-gassed. We’re being teargassed! We have flags and banners, nothing else."

"How can you tear-gas your own people? Listen to them. Listen to these children; they’re the future."

"He wanted to know everything about us, everything about my father everything about our family. I took him to so many relatives. It was part of finding about his own identity."

"Why am I taking part? Because I love to dance. And whether I can dance well—I'm like those who sing in the shower. I think I can dance well, but we’ll see in a few days if it’s really the case."

"Be kind, be loving, the world needs it so badly"

"Put God at the centre of everything. That’s my biggest piece of advice. I don’t know how people do it without God. For me, it was the best thing ever. Marriage takes work, but it works"

"When God gives something it's not only for yourself but pour it to other people and help uplift them as well"

"Self love and value to know which opportunity you should take and which one you should leave"

"“People define success as making a lot of money and going up the corporate ladder. For me, my success was getting up every day and going to work in spite of how I felt.”"

"“I think we don't give ourselves enough time to kind of get to know people.”"

"“People only like you when you are at your best when you look proper when you look together thats when people like you.”"

"“At some point I just wanted it to be over. I was just tired. I was really, really tired of the fighting, of the struggling, of being sick“"

"“Television is great l think its going to move if we talk about an online show l would want to get into a more conversation show.”"

"“A key thing is be very clear about what your own objective is find your your voice and then use it.”"

"“Don't just go into be oh grace is doing this l want to do this what do you bring and what is it that is authentic about yourself because the minute you are authentic you will be surprised.”"

"“If you could be anything in this world be yourself.”"

"I am convinced the days of reckless corruption in this country are numbered. Even now, history is drawing a line in the sand and there is a war that rages. Consider whether you will fight on the right side when the rule of integrity is finally realised. Because that day is coming. As much as integrity, impartiality is a good principle to espouse and a difficult practice to achieve. Yet achieve it you must. The purpose of the police is to enforce the law, and the law favours no man. Your decisions as such, must never be subject to the charge of discrimination."

"I assure you again that under my leadership, Kenya will strive to uphold our international obligations, so long as these are founded on the well-established principles of mutual respect and reciprocity."

"We will embrace partnerships based on mutual respect and win-win scenarios. We will not accept partnerships that do not recognise we also have the intellectual capacity to engage on equal terms. Africa has a voice. Fifty years after independence, Africa demands that its voice must be heard."

"Chapter Six of the Constitution must be used. We must vet all those who want political offices."

"To build a nation we need to put the country first and tribes second."

"Good legacies form a stepping-stone of future leadership and the foundation of development in the country"

"Talk of a one man army trying to take the world by storm and to his credit, his sail is largely without dirty baggage."

"Kenneth belongs to the 'Kenya tribe'"

"Even as my name suggests, I am not a tribalist like the others. I am acceptable to all Kenyans and confortable with all. It does not matter whether one is Somali, Borana or Kikuyu because they are all Kenyans."

"I will be tough on crime and tough on the causes of crime. I will drastically reduce crime throughout the country within the first three years of my administration."