Shortlist for Community Management Trainee is out!

Hello friends,

We received quite a number of applications for the position of Community Management Trainee. Lets just say, we have quite a number of jobless people out there, people who are seeking every possible opportunity to advance.

Unfortunately we could not hire everyone, so we have narrowed down to 6 candidates, 3 men and 3 women, to maintain fairness and order of the constitution and society. They will be called for the interviews soon.

We also found some interesting things that often disqualify candidates from prospective positions and make them look stupid naive and often, stupid. We pulled out some of those and are willing to share with you, not to victimise the applicants but in order to share valuable lessons with everyone.

We came up with a few tips to help you when applying for a job.

1. Do not forward a CV you sent to a previous job – it doesn’t work, it doesn’t portray you as a serious human being. It makes you pass for a blindfolded hunter who expects to shoot a fat deer and bring home dinner.
2. Check the context of the job you are applying for VERY keenly. You can’t be a cook  from Utalii College of Kenya and apply for a job at the senior security advisor to the president of the United Republic of Chase Bank, while you cant demonstrate experience in security.
3. Submit an application that is within your level of experience. If you have a masters degree and apply for a cleaners job, you pass for being cheap, desperate and unfocused. Know your worth!
4. Of the many applications we received, only one candidate submitted a proper motivations statement. There is a difference between a cover letter and motivation statement. Go do your homework.
5. We know templates for CVs, cover letters and recipes exist online. First avoid copy pasting; and if you must, be careful not to sound too sophisticated without a backbone to support that level of sophistication. The best way to fire someone is by promoting them to a level of incompetency.
6. Grammar, sentence construction and punctuation  tells a lot about a persons attention to detail. Starting a sentence without a capital letter tells much about your English teacher or yourself. Mixed fonts types and jumbled font sizes warns a prospective employer of the amount of time they have to spent teaching you what that computer college in Githurai didn’t.
7. Coherence between academic and career progression as well as interests is a good sign of consistency. There is only a handful of people who can be a jack of all trades, but that’s after some level of specialisation. Whereas it is quite unfair, our society still requires you to demonstrate that you can do one thing and do it well – its called specialisation.
8. If you have a degree in divinity and you are seeking for an arts management job, please read the verse in the bible which says “do not mix water with wine.”

Till the next time, good people.

WiBO Highlights: Art@The Bus Wkend Vol. 2

G-Cho Pevu Poet

The second edition of Art @ The Bus from April 1-3 was an afro-licious weekender. Fresh and electrifying acts took the stage and positive vibes reigned supreme in the collaborative space that is The Yard.

Here are some forward thinking artists who are taking their exploration to another level visually and musically. Listen to our podcast on here to get a taste of what stole our ears and hearts.

Awuor Onyango

Awuor is a writer, visual artist, photographer and budding film-maker. Her practice is concerned with claiming public space disallowed to people considered black, woman and other, whether the space is intellectual, physical, in memory or historical. Her work was included in Walking the Tightrope, Poetry and Prose from LGBTQ writers from Africa, published in 2016.

Her latest work, Give me Back my Black Dolls is the space from which Awuor launches an inquiry into blackness and the feminine. By using the work of a chemical engineer turned “archivist” Watson Kintner she questions the link between his supposedly objective white gaze into culture and history and our own view of the black and feminine. Through her imagery in she delves into self-perception and its influences.

Awour Onyango

Give me back my black dolls

 

Wahenya Wenyeji and G-Cho Pevu

On stage, Wahenga Wenyeji could pass for a typical band, a drummer, vocalist, a bass player, save for two unlikely additions – a young boy and girl. Esther sings and plays a guitar twice her size, and little Chris has the confidence of a star. They are redefining the art of performance within the family setup.

Have a listen to the WiBO Culture podcast with Mwl. Gregg Tendwa, as he explores their music on https://soundcloud.com/wiboculture

Chris and Esther of Wahenga Wenyeji Band

Their father Musa, is nurturing the two young ones to become professional performers. He believes that artistic talents should be encouraged amongst the young, because their gifts and interests are a way towards a good livelihood.

The band believes that their music can be a vehicle of social change, through using art to educate and inspire the youth.

Musa “Baba Yao”

Musa and his children Esther and Chris during an interview

Wahenga Wenyeji has been together for two years and has performed at a number of shows and festivals in Kenya. The band also collaborates with G-Cho Pevu, a spoken word artist.

Spoken word lyricism is on the rise in Nairobi, as young word slingers are finding new ways to blow your mind. G-Cho Pevu is one such poet and he is taking Nairobi by a storm.

G-Cho began experimenting with spoken work poetry in 2012 and felt inspired to become a voice for the voiceless. By speaking for the people who cannot speak for themselves, he is paving way for the dawn of sheng spoken word poetry.

G-Cho Pevu Poet

G-Cho Pevu and Wahenga Wenyeji Band

Through his social commentary, G-Cho wants to activate the youth to spread love and positivity. He calls out to fellow artists, telling them to shy away from creating art which derails the masses; instead to create art which inspires even the generations to come.

As a spoken word artist, G-Cho wants to “take spoken word poetry to the Grammy Awards”. He urges artists to make positive contributions to society.

“If you can change the society, you can change the universe.” – G Cho Pevu

G-Cho gives us a piece of his mind on https://soundcloud.com/wiboculture

Afro Simba Band

The Afro Simba Band represents a strong front of live African music. Their music goes beyond showing off musical or technical skill and flaunting the latest rhythms. It is music that tells a story.

The drums and bass guitar set the pace and you can immediately pick up a distinct Mijikenda melody and beat. As Kombo lays down a classic rock riff, it all comes together.  One can see that they are having fun up there, telling their story.

Kombo

Afro Simba Band