Encounters

Alliance Français is the plug in hosting events. Let me let you in on a secret. When you want to be part of a vibrant crowd, socially diversified, experience art at a cost almost equal to nothing this is the place!! The events range from music performances, extra ordinary art exhibitions, plays and movies. If you are in luck, You will recognize the performing artist, most times you will get to discover new artists from Kenya and different parts of the world. It gets even better, during some French culture themed events, they serve chilled wine and tartes. They may taste foreign to the uncultured palate but with frequent visits to Alliance it becomes an acquired taste.

At some art event I was attending one evening, a gentleman approached my friend and I as we were feigning artisanship. Caught in the moment I introduced myself as an art collector and my friend stated that she was a writer. I do collect art, in my head. I remember the pieces I’ve seen that have left me in awe. I will collect art in future so I was only speaking it into existence. For now however, I just gaze at the admirable pieces and take my leave. ( most of the art pieces showcased at Alliance are for sale) We spent the evening sharing stories of our invented selves. It was amazing how naturally the stories flowed thanks to our innate reading culture and passively acquired knowledge.

Now that I think of it, I have had many firsts at Alliance. It is a miracle that all these people have never met me at the same time . I can imagine the confusion that will befall them. It would be worse than what the disciples underwent when they received the holy spirit and each was speaking in tongues different from the other. Note to self: to be more cautious and probably stick to one script.

Did I mention that we shouldn’t under estimate the power of social media. Hmm… on another Saturday, My friends and I were at Goethe institute. This is the German version of Alliance ( Lol ) but smaller with less frequent events. Yet another art exhibition but this time the art pieces were experienced on Virtual Reality. ( you see why I could pass for an art collector). Anyway, some guy approaches me and strikes a conversation. His angle is mundane topics but somehow the conversation hits off and we discover that we share mutual interests. After a few shared laughs, I’m pretty easy to convince. Naively, I tell him my real name, both names infact. You should have seen the shock on my face later in the evening when I got a friend request from him on Instagram. I had no intention of making anything out of our informal encounter.

Thursday evening, over the Christmas period, I was heading to visit my cousins in their village home from my grandmother’s place. I had always gone accompanied but this was my first time going alone. As I was trying to figure my way, Jemo who later identified himself approached me. I am normally adamant in telling people I meet for the first time my name and any information that the stranger asks. Jemo tried every trick in the book and later even suggested that I lie to him whatever name I pleased. The determination he had is unmatched.

Well, Jemo wasn’t my preferred type. You could get a whiff of alcohol from him and by his walking you could tell that he’d got Dutch courage. I later confessed that I was lost and despite his state, he called someone who knew the area better and they both accompanied me to my destination. We parted with a promise that I will tell him my name the next time we meet. In my head, this was never meant to happen hence my confidence in agreeing to it. I was leaving for Nairobi early morning the next day.

As fate would have it, my grandmother requested me to purchase a few items from the shop for her before I took my leave. You know who happened to be on that same intersection at the exact time, Jemo. He sees me and chuckles. I weigh my options; either go back home and find an excuse for my granmother or brace it.

Well, he doesn’t bite and I have curved better looking men before so a drunk village man won’t be a problem. I head towards him as I curse between my teeth. For some reason around Jemo I’m always the damsel in distress. This time round, I had misplaced money and I only realized when I stretched my hand out to greet him. Damn!! I had a hundred shillings a few minutes ago and I have no idea where it is, I tell Jemo of course in Swahili. I’ll help you look for it, he offers. We begin the search and Jemo finds it. He then insists to escort me to my destination and since I’m duly indebted, I have no recourse.

This social distancing has made me reminisce the moments I have shared with strangers. I happen to have many of such experiences. Some could actually befit a scene in a movie. When this COVID 19 pandemic is over, what I’ll miss are the hugs shared among friends, the double kiss and high -fives. It will take a while before we go back to this routine because of the social conditioning that would have taken place. For my missed stranger opportunities during this period, I hope I’ll have better encounters soon.