Author: Makhokha
Date: December 30, 2006
Type of article: Commentary
Source: The Daily Nation - only available online by registration and paid subscription fee

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Makhokha's Memos - A sideways look at life

All those who hoped that socialism had died will be disappointed next year. Between January 20 and 25, Kenya will host some 80,000-odd visitors who will be attending the World Social Forum. The WSF challenges the economic and political agenda promoted by the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, the World Economic Forum and their international allies.

The Forum will be especially welcome to Kenya because the country’s spirit for holding decent, dramatic demonstrations seems to have gone with the retirement of Daniel arap Moi from the Presidency. After that, the chief rioters and hecklers in chief are firmly in government, and deign to frown on activism. The Forum brings together skills on protests from the Doha round of talks, Seattle, Gleneagles and such other places where the neo-liberals who preach privatisation and poverty alleviation like to meet.

Secondly, Kenya does not have enough hotel beds for all those arriving. Clearly, there is going to be a crisis – unless Kenyans look at this as an opportunity rather than as a bother. Consider that by mid January, all the school-going children will be away at boarding school, there is an opportunity for people with decent accommodation to take in as many guests as there are rooms in return for the handsome return of $2, or in our vernacular, Sh1,400 per head. Not bad. Maybe, the paying guest could become the way middle-class Kenyans can begin to directly reap the benefits of the tourism boom and participate in the fiesta of socialists. Just log on to www.wsf2007.org and see how to get rich on the empty space in your house.