QUICK DELIVERY
Swift dispatch
Why We Tell Stories
Storytelling was an intrinsic activity in traditional African communities. Typically told by older people, usually grandmothers and grandfathers, stories were a way of life for the young and old alike, linking the past, present and future of those societies. Set as they were around a fire, the storytelling tradition strengthened communal ties between the old and the young, and as reinforced bonds among the young.
Stories emphasized shared culture, cultural values and history that were the foundation of the society’s ties. They underscored important societies’ traditions, beliefs and other norms.
From the old, the young learnt lessons about their community that to affirmed their collective identity. They learnt and internalized moral values such as honesty, courage, respect, solidarity and caring for others. Invariably, stories discouraged greed and selfishness. Further, the tales captured the essence of the environment in which the people lived while reinforcing their core values. They contributed to character-building through appreciation of the moral of the stories.
In Why We Tell Stories, Dorcas Kiptoo and Arthur Dobrin bring their storytelling experiences and expertise to the fore through a selection of from the African folklore. Even as the two look back to societies of yore to dig up the tales, the inherent lessons remain as relevant in contemporary times as they were ages ago.
About the Authors
Dorcas Kiptoo was born in Mogotio, Kenya. She attended Kenyatta University where she earned her Bachelor of Education degree. She currently lives in New York.
HOW MUCH? by Florence Bett
'How Much?' responds to those niggling questions about the life of your money, you as a Kenyan living and working in Kenya; from the time it hits your pocket to the time it leaves.
The book is for women and men in their 20s and 30s, the young and hungry – those making their own money from their jobs or businesses, most likely from both.
Cabral Pinto: Willy Mutunga Undercove...
For over 30 years, Willy Mutunga has blazed the trail in starting many important public conversations about remaking Kenya and the wider world into a better society. As a public intellectual, he has consistently challenged convenient stereotypes in an effort to bring down the social barriers erected by fear and ignorance, and led in persuading individuals and communities to re-examine widely held prejudices and to start difficult dialogues.
Between 2006 and 2011, Mutunga wrote a weekly column in the Saturday Nation. It is from these contributions, under the pen name Cabral Pinto – a combination of the surnames of the two African ideologues he greatly admired — that the 146 articles in this volume are selected.
The clarity of Willy’s moral voice is unmistakable on a broad variety of themes, ranging from exhortations for an alternative leadership that would deliver a human rights state, to an unapologetic call for mass action as a peaceful way to bring change. This collection by Cabral Pinto is the story of Kenya’s long democracy struggle, told by a pro-democracy activist.
Oral Literature of the Maasai by Naom...
Oral Literature of the Maasai offers an extensive collection of types of oral literature: oral narratives; proverbs; riddles; and a variety of songs for different occasions. The versions in this book were collected by the author from a specific Maasai community in Kajiado County of Kenya.
The author listened to many of the narratives and participated in many proverb and riddle telling sessions as she grew up in her Ilbissil village of Kajiado Central Sub-county. However, she recorded most of the examples of oral literature in the early seventies with the help of her mother, who performed the role of the oral artist. Many songs were recorded from live performances.
The examples ring with individuality, while also revealing a comprehensive way of life of a people. The images in the literature reveal the concrete life of the Maasai – people living closely with their livestock and engaged in constant struggle with the environment. But like all important literature, the materials here ultimately reveal a people with its moral and spiritual concerns, grappling with questions of human values and relations, struggling for a better social order.
This book recommends itself to the general reader. However, the book is more than this: it includes stimulating discussions of examples, as well as review questions and exercises. The book is highly recommended to students of oral literature at secondary school level and at the university.
Mwanzo wa Mwisho na Mwarabu Omari Mwa...
Kwikwi za vilio vya bi harusi zinasikika kwa mbali. Kalazimishwa kuwa mke wa mtu, ndoto yake imevunjwa na kusagwasagwa bila ya huruma. Kavalishwa gauni la kiyombo, kichwani katundikwa taji la leso lililopachikwa viwangwa vinavyong`aa.
Machozi yanamtoka machoni na kuuharibu wanja aliopakwa. Naam machozi. Si machozi ya furaha bali ya karaha. Binti wa miaka kumi na mitatu hatimaye anaenda kufunga ndoa na mzee wa miaka tisini. Je huu ni mwisho wa ndoto yake Bi harusi aliyoiwekeza toka angali kinda? Ama ndio mwanzo wa shida zake kuisha?
Mwanzo wa Mwisho ni riwaya iliyojikita nchini Fokota. Wanawake wa jamii hii wametengwa na kudharaulika. Wao hawana kauli mbele ya wanaume. Mateso, binti aliyekulia kwenye utandabui wa unyanyapaa alijikusuru kuing`oa mizizi hiyo. Je atakumbana na yepi njiani? Na je atafaulu?
Mwarabu Omari Mwarabu ni mwandishi anayechipuka kwa kasi mno kwenye sanaa ya utunzi wa hadithi za kiswahili. Alizaliwa Bodo, Kaunti ya Kwale mwaka wa 2000. Mwanzo wa Mwisho ni riwaya yake ya pili baada ya ile ya kwanza iitwayo Daraja la Mauti. Kwa sasa ni mwanafunzi wa chuo kikuu cha Rongo , anasomea Shahada ya Takwimu na Tarakilishi. Pia ni mwanachama wa CHAWAKAMA Kenya.
Nizike Sijafa na Darius Makhoka
Hadithi hii ya Nizike Sijafa ina mnato na mvuto wa aina yake, imekolezwa uhalisia wa maisha katika siku hizi na dunia ya sasa. Mwandishi anasimulia jinsi mwanadamu anavyothamini mfu na kuyapa hadhi kubwa maziko kinyume na anavyomtunza na kumthamini mwenzake awapo hai.
Je, Salama Makori atafaulu katika azimio lake la kuihamasisha jamii kuikumbatia methali isemayo udugu ni kufaana wala si kufanana? Je, Salama atapata afueni na kuishi maisha yenye furaha, licha ya umasikini wa sina sinani unaomwandama na kutishia kulizamisha dau la matumaini yake kila uchao? Soma ufaidi!
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Mwandishi wa kazi hii ni Darius Makokha. Darius Makokha ni mwandishi ambaye ameibuka kuwa stadi mno katika sanaa ya utunzi wa hadithi za Kiswahili. Halima Apaa Angani na Nizike Sijafa ni mojawapo ya kazi ambazo amezikamilisha. Kwa sasa ni mwalimu wa somo la Kiswahili katika shule tajika ya Mekaela Likunda, mojawapo ya shule za Mekaela Academies – Kwale.
Family Affair by Wandera Ogana
The demise of an old family head heralds a protracted and bitter clamour for the inheritance of his property. Maina, who ranks an outsider to the throne, will stop at nothing to see to it that he remains in the mix. Little does he realize that his untoward exploits are his main undoing. Consequently, he is a disgrace unto death.
Heart of Surrender by Bosibori Bogonko
The story of Hannah is in many ways our story. From beginning to end the characters honor their part in bringing alive the heart-wrenching decisions that we sometimes have to make when life throws us a curveball. What is it that takes us through those moments?
Regardless of the situations we go through, how do we arise and come out better and stronger, clearer about who we are? How do we honor our truth regardless of the circumstances?
Heart of Surrender subtly reminds us that we are not in control, and when we let go, there is greater power within us that enables us to rise beyond the most challenging circumstances. The bonus is finding our authentic self, living our truth, and above reproach.
Simply told, Heart of Surrender calls us to self-reflect on our journeys, then like the eagle choose to die slowly, or go through the painful process of renewing ourselves at different chapters of our lives.
Lwanda Magere by Okoiti Omtatah
OKOITI OMTATA is an upcoming Kenyan playwright who has won the Nairobi Theatre Academy Original Playwriting Competition several times, including its inaugral award in 1990.
Though he has written many original plays, Luanda Magere is his first published work in the E.A.E.P. Drama Library. Luanda Magere is an eponymous account of an invincible Luo legend, skilfully written in a poetic language that is enriched with traditional idioms, riddles and proverbs.
The interplay between fate and personal disposition in an individual's destiny puts the play in the class of such works as Sophocle's King Oedipus. It is a drama of love, hate, betrayal and death.
The Art of Mcing by Dr Ofweneke and M...
The General and I by Helen Pilale Nka...
This is the story of an imposing military man whose appointment to head the country's security apparatus made Kenyans feel relatively safe again after multiple terror attacks.
A disciplined patriot and a fitness-enthusiast, Nkaissery’s sudden death, on the eve of a General Election, sent shock waves worldwide. In the list of his unfinished work, was his wish to write his life story.
His widow, Helen, steps up courageously to bear witness and realize the General’s dream. She weaves this memoir in the context of a Maasai cultural world set against a fast-changing political landscape.
At the Center of the World In Ethiopi...
This is a non-fiction book set in contemporary Ethiopia describing major aspects of the humanitarian and development work in a huge and hugely important African country. Major global themes and issues play out in the cut and thrust of the day to day work of the narrator, a senior UN official leading a major operation in the country.
Winter Sun by Saadia A. Siyat
- Winter Sun is an anthology of 107 poems. Created over a 3-year period. It covers different aspects of life, from spirituality, purpose, love, romance, virtues and principles of ideal living.
Lessons from the Streets, The Art of ...
The Blurb
Lessons from the Streets ~ The Art of Money
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~ Vincent Ogutu
 Inside these pages
 Lessons From The Streets ~ The Art of Money, the author’s sixth book, is an acknowledgement of our street vendors, their hard work and their resilience. It defines hustles, side hustles and the informal businesses which while thought less of, are actually one of the key drivers of our economy. In his unique captivating style, the author tells the story of our heroes and heroines - the street entrepreneurs, leaving the reader in no doubt that our informal businesses are therefore deserving of greater recognition and appreciation. The book is also a call to all of us to realise the potential that is literally and figuratively on our streets, not only for others, but for anyone who will take these profound lessons and make them work for oneself.
 The Author
Vincent Ogutu, an avid reader and prolific author, is the founder of Entrepreneurs Corner, an online entrepreneurial ecosystem. He is also the Chairman of Forteleza Investments Limited and a Business Coach under VOVO Valuable Observations. During the last 5 years, the author has mentored entrepreneurs from Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria and Tanzaniathrough the Tony Elumelu Entrepreneurship Program (TEEP). With that, he has proven the fact that most of the principles of entrepreneurship are universal.
Vincent’s second book Who are the Top Billionaires in Africa won the African Christian Authors Book Awards (ACABA) in the 2022 Awards in the Business and Finance Category.
Footprints in the Sand by Stanley Gaz...
A train is huffing and puffing across the Kenyan landscape. It looks like something out of the early colonial era, but inside it is fitted with everything a modern passenger could wish for. Aboard are people from all corners of the nation and walks of life.
They have traversed radically different paths to get here: worked in the gloomy warehouses of Nairobi’s industrial districts, made drug deals in the foothills of the country’s mountains, migrated from their upcountry villages to the city. Their stories are entangled with those of the people who were not fortunate enough to win a ticket – mothers and fathers, street hustlers and gangsters, generous strangers and mysterious lovers.
Footprints in Sand is a story of Kenya at the turn of the millennium, about crime and corruption, hope and ambition, pasts that its people try to leave behind and the future for which they wait. This novel, long in the making, is a modern Kenyan epic that travels along forking paths and between genres and modes of storytelling. It is an indictment of postcolonial greed, a crime novel without a villain and a fairy-tale about enchanted objects and dangerous encounters.
A Marriage of Dolls by JB Omukangala
A Marriage of Dolls is a hilarious account of events that happen in most families and marriages. The novel points out various challenges faced by both men and women when choosing a life partner and humorously shows ups and downs in new marriages before the couple finally understands each other and learns to live together and solve their
issues amicably.
The dramatic events in this book are rib-cracking and portray the partners as somewhat juvenile and crazy, hence the title.
The book also explores various cultural practices, beliefs and values
among the Ameru, Luhya, Akamba, Maa and Agikuyu.
A Marriage of Dolls is the second part of Torn Between, which is the author’s first book.
Slaves, Priests and Kings by Kimari K...
What did the discovery of King Tut's Tomb and Rossetta Stone mean for Egypt?
This book is about everyday solutions to complex social problems.
- How do you motivate students to try and solve real world problems? Or workers to self supervise.
- How do you foster the spirit of innovation amongst barely literate rural folk
- Why are some communities social economically more dominant than others.
- The answers, though not obvious, are deceptively apparent.
Design Your Life Personal Planner ...
Design Your Life Personal Planner is an essential planning tool in life organization, designed to help you identify and map out the big picture in your life and break it down into executable actions. It has the bonus point of having both planner and journal features. Some features include:
Vision Board,
Finance Planner, Goal Setting,
Monthly Planning and Review,
Weekly Planning and Review,
Daily Habit Tracker, Rating,
Journaling pages and so much more.
Squatters and the Roots of Mau Mau: 1...
This is a study of the genesis, evolution, adaptation and subordination of the Kikuyu squatter labourers, who comprised the majority of resident labourers on settler plantations and estates in the Rift Valley Province of the White Highlands.
The story of the squatter presence in the White Highlands is essentially the story of the conflicts and contradictions that existed between two agrarian systems, the settler plantation economy and the squatter peasant option. Initially, the latter developed into a viable but much resented sub-system which operated within and, to some extent, in competition with settler agriculture.
This study is largely concerned with the dynamics of the squatter presence in the White Highlands and with the initiative, self-assertion and resilience with which they faced their subordinate position as labourers.
In their response to the machinations of the colonial system, the squatters were neither passive nor malleable but, on the contrary, actively resisted coercion and subordination as they struggled to carve out a living for themselves and their families….
It is a firm conviction of this study that Kikuyu squatters played a crucial role in the initial build-up of the events that led to the outbreak of the Mau Mau war.