IGNORANCE HAS NO DEFENSE

I used to ignore each and every event that I was invited to by friends on Facebook for I simply  didn’t take them serious but this one caught my eyes and heart. It was the Writer’s Guild Passion Cocktail Party (Season 3) that went down over the weekend at KCA University.

I remember approving my attendance in the afternoon of Friday 22^nd, just a few hours to the event. My friend Patricia Mollyne Mataga who had invited me to the event had stated in a post on the page earlier on that we were to call Ralph Okudo in case of more information. I made the call. Ralph told me that I had to make reservations with a tiny 200 bob. Tiny indeed yet all I had at the time was 150 Kes, my bus fare home included.

I had to attend this event at all costs. Something at the back of my mind insisted  that, I would regret missing the event. So I went home. I didn’t mention to anybody about the event despite the fact that I had only 100 Kes in my possession after paying bus fare home but I prayed over it for God never disappoints. I woke up the next day (the eve of the event) and embarked on my chores. Underway with the chores, I mentioned to my brother of the event and the fact that 200 Kes was the reservation fee required of me and I didn’t have it. He didn’t have money! So what was I going to do yet time was running so fast? No! I just couldn’t go to my parents for that tiny thing!

12 noon, still I hadn’t managed to raise the money but the 100 Kes I had, had risen to 150 Kes thanks to the fact that I had been sent to buy breakfast and I kept the change. Bad manners huh? I still needed something close to or beyond 150 Kes since I happen to stay in Donholm and getting to KCA would cost me close to 60 Kes. I just wanted to get there and I didn’t care how I would get back. 12.30, still not enough money but I went to the bathroom took a shower and went to my room to prepare myself. When I was ready, I went to the living room and told my brother that I was ready to leave hoping that he would change his stand of not having money. He just responded with, “sawa”. I felt disappointed and miserable. 1.00 pm, the time the event was scheduled to start was fast approaching yet I hadn’t even left the house. I swallowed my pride and went to my Sister In Law and asked her to lent me 200 Kes that I would pay her back when I get my first salary from the Law firm that I had just started working for in the capacity of front office. She gave it to me and insisted I should pay it back. I breathed a sigh of relief and left the house.

1.10 pm. Had the event started? Was I missing out? These questions lingered in my mind. I got to the Donholm round about and the traffic jam there was crazy! I decided to walk to umoja and save on time and money. Even a tiny 20 bob was valuable to me at the time. I got to Caltex Umoja at around 1.45 pm and boarded a Forward Travelers Sacco mini bus that got me to Kariobangi round about. I made the relevant connections and got to KCA University at around 2.20 pm. Feux! The event had just started. The African time had worked in my favor or was it God? I paid the 200 Kes at the entrance, was given a pin number, got into the Hall and positioned myself for the entertainment bit which was underway. I enjoyed the music and poetry in the house. Oh how I love both!

Was that Magunga William I was seeing seated on the guest of honors table? To those who don’t know, Magunga was the 1st runners up in the just concluded Kenyan Bloggers Awards. Boy! Didn’t I just have so many questions that I needed to ask him! I happen to have a blog that I created when I was pursuing my Diploma. It was a unit requirement but for the love of writing, I decided to maintain it. I write and post articles on it but I so much would love to blog professionally! Magunga was here and so my coming to this event wasn’t in vain. I so much envy him! Did he drop out of Law after four years to specialize in writing? What a passion for writing he has! I can just imagine what my parents would do to me if I decided to drop out of Journalism to pursue music because that’s another of my passions. Anyways, in this life you can’t please everybody at the same time right? You got to love yourself more to make it and for that, I respect the blogger a whole lot!

I did not get a chance to have a one on one with the blogger but, he taught me a lot. Never did I know that a blogger needs an editor who has to edit their work countless times before it is published. I thought blogging was all about writing and posting. No wonder the likes of Njoki Chege and Kabuga to name just but a few, have very posh articles. He also said that everybody can write but only the patient and tolerant can be writers. Most people lack patience and this therefore rules them out.

Samuel Njenga, the Business Development Manager of the Association of Certified Accountants (ACCA) had these for the young people looking to be employed or self employed: Think ahead, see a million steps ahead, start with the end in mind, work your way up to where you are and most importantly have patience. Red bull which had sponsored the event indeed gave me wings and I stayed alert to the end of the cocktail party!

Though I did not gain in terms of money, I left KCA richer. I was now knowledgeable of so many things and from then, my life was not going to be the same again. I even got the mobile number of Obura Ogeto the Associate editor at Writer’s guild. My, my, my! My hopes were revived and I realised that I had a lot of potential and soon, people will start reading of my published articles locally and internationally!