Thursdays in Nairobi

A personal account of vibrant expat life in Nairobi.

About this book

‘Nairobi enchants, like the eyes of a loved one, like their smile, like their kisses, like their caresses, like their very thought.’

Thursdays in Nairobi is a personal account of an expat’s life in Nairobi, related through a unique collection of vignettes about Kenya´s capital city. Written by Mexican journalist, foreign correspondent and former diplomat Diego Gómez Pickering, and translated from the original Spanish by Aaron Rosenberg, this unique travel narrative offers testimonies about the city’s characters, history, neighbourhoods and atmospheres.

Writing with affection and intensity, Gómez Pickering reveals Nairobi to be a cosmopolitan, vibrant, unequal and contrasting place where life becomes an addictive, exhilarating experience for both the chronicler and its readers.

Join Gómez Pickering in exploring this Equatorial African city, sitting on his shoulder as he peers behind the scenes of diplomatic gatherings and keenly observes political life. Become a fly on the wall during Gómez Pickering’s intimate interview with Sarah Onyango Obama, the third wife of Barack Obama’s grandfather – and the woman that the former US President calls ‘Granny Sarah’. Enjoy safaris within spitting distance of skyscrapers or brave a first-hand account of interethnic violence in East Africa.

For something different, venture with the author into Kibera, the continent’s largest urban slum, or head out after dark to experience Nairobi’s offbeat nightlife (and, vicariously, the sex life of its inhabitants).

This unprecedented collection of real-life stories celebrate the beauty, diversity, intrigue and visceral reality of one of Africa’s most famous cities. Compelling, authentic and wide-ranging, Thursdays in Nairobi is a portrait of a capital where life is saturated with vitality, where emotions run high, where life is deeply felt.

‘In Nairobi, one misses more, loves more, suffers more, laughs more. In Nairobi, questions that have never been asked are answered. In Nairobi, opposites meet; in Nairobi, halves unite.’

Contents

1 One upon a time
2 The first day of the rest of my life
3 Grace
4 The Queens of the night
5 Why Darwin was right
6 Little India
7 Nyama Choma
8 Nairobbery
9 Why I hate Thursdays
10 Pole pole
11 Neither from here nor there
12 Sex, shame and tears
13 No-one like you
14 Uhuru
15 Kibera
16 Letters from Kisumu
17 Thursday 27 December 2007
18 TIA
19 Mrs K
20 Masai
21 His Excellency
22 Green hope
23 Fancy that at his age
24 Kip
25 Haki ya Mungu!
26 Mr President
27 Harambee
28 Le mal d’Afrique
29 Overdose
30 I learnt it from you
Glossary

About the author

Diego Gómez Pickering is a Mexican writer, diplomat and journalist. He started his career as a reporter and staff writer for Mexico’s leading newspaper, Reforma. His bylines include the most relevant outlets in the Spanish-speaking world, including El País, Gatopardo, La Jornada, Letras Libres and Nexos, plus The Washington Post, The Independent, The Huffington Post and National Geographic Traveller. He has served as diplomat and foreign correspondent in various locations across Latin America, the United States, Europe, Africa, India and the Middle East. He is the author of a novel, a collection of short stories and a poetry compilation, plus five non-fiction titles that reflect wide-ranging overseas experiences. His works have been translated into seven languages. He was appointed an Honorary Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order by the United Kingdom and an Honorary Knight Commander of the Order of Antonio José de Irisarri by Guatemala.