ALBONE

An attempt to remind ourselves what Christmas is all about. I'd like you to imagine that your birthday is coming up (if it is actually is, happy birthday in advance!). You've been looking forward to your birthday for a while: it's a day to celebrate with your friends and family. It's not like this is the only day where you spend time together, but it still is special. About a month or so before your birthday, you notice that your family members have begun to put up decorations. As much as you're looking forward to your birthday, you can't help feeling a little perturbed at their early preparations. Your family have started preparing invitations as well. Finally, the day arrives. Once you reach the party venue; you hear sounds of music and laughter. Excited; you try and enter but...the door's locked. You knock on the door repeatedly, but no one comes to open it  You try calling for help. No answer; not even on your phone. No one can hear you over all the nois...

I share my thoughts on an African financial framework. The phrase 'black tax' is one which I've heard several times. However, I didn't understand what it meant until I found out the definition a few weeks ago. The idea of black tax is that any successful black individual has an unwritten obligation to provide financial support to his or her family members. The term originated in South Africa, but the concept is one I'm very familiar with as a Kenyan.  Although I haven't began employed work yet; I have seen professionals constantly being called upon to provide support in one way or another to close relatives, extended family members and even people they aren't related to. This framework makes sense in an African context: African countries tend to be more collectivist; where support is important, particularly at the community level. Various fundraising initiatives that are carried out in Kenya come to mind: WhatsApp groups dedicated to raising funds to support...

Our devices make our lives easier, but that doesn’t always mean they make them better. Sometimes I think we really take for granted what technology allows us to do. I’m living in Thailand at the moment, and I sometimes use taxis to get around. Once, I was in a taxi and the driver needed to check something on his phone (probably directions to where we were headed). He spoke into his phone in Thai, and his speech was converted to Thai script on his screen. Text-to-speech has been common place for a while, but thinking about the fact that the driver’s phone was able to process Thai blew me away, as Thai is a character-based language. The internet has made our lives easier in so many ways. Google Translate has helped me overcome the challenging language barrier in Thailand. Information that would have taken a trip to a good library to acquire can now be found with a simple online search. We can communicate with anyone across the globe as long as we have a stable internet connection or mobi...

 We may have different religious views, but respect is something we can all agree on. Let's just get straight to it; the 2024 Paris Olympics Opening Ceremony crossed a line. During the ceremony, there was a live performance which was staged to recreate Leonardo Da Vinci's The Last Supper.  I didn’t watch it (and I wouldn't advise anyone to), but the performance was said to be a disgusting farce which mocked one of the most important moments in the New Testament of the Bible: Jesus' Last Supper with His Apostle. This event centres around the Institution of the Eucharist; Jesus' Ultimate Gift to His followers. The Last Supper is commemorated by billions of Christians every Sunday in the Mass and marked in a special way on Holy Thursday before Easter.    Following backlash on social media, the Olympic Committee later apologized for the performance, but I feel that this incident is emblematic of a larger problem in our society today: a general lack of respect for Christ...

 It takes a brave man to acknowledge his vulnerability. June is Men’s Mental Health Awareness Month. Over the last few years, there has been a welcome increase in discussion around mental health, particularly men's mental health. Unfortunately, the centuries-old stigma surrounding men's mental health still persists, as if having a Y-chromosome somehow prevents you from being emotionally vulnerable. Men don't cry? Yeah, no. Men don’t feel anxious? Nope. Jesus Christ, the literal definition of a Perfect Man, was in such mental agony the night before His execution that he sweated blood (a rare condition known as hematidrosis). There are a plethora of negative societal consequences for not allowing men to talk about their mental health: such as more instances of domestic violence and higher rates of depression. According to WHO, annual suicide rates for males globally (12.6 per 10,000 people) are over twice as high as those for females (5.6 per 10,000 people).  This needs to c...

 Standing up for what's right is rarely easy, but it's necessary. Over the last couple of days, there have been numerous protests held in various Kenyan counties over the proposed 2024 Finance Bill. The Bill is part of the Kenyan government's annual budget and is in its final stages of deliberation. The reason so many Kenyans have taken to the streets and to social media to protest against the Bill is due to the numerous tax hikes it'll introduce on basic commodities and services. Furthermore, if the Bill is approved, it will result in a loss of digital privacy amongst Kenyans by granting the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) immunity to data protection laws. Like many other Kenyans, I feel as though this Finance Bill is the straw that broke the camel's back. Over the last few years, Kenya has seen a large increase in taxes. Whilst this is somewhat understandable (as there has been a global recession of sorts over the last few years and Kenya is pretty deep in the debt ...