Paukwa? Pakawa!
Paukwa is a place dedicated to positive stories about Kenya. Our story house is named for the Swahili word that is an invitation to a story – Paukwa. It’s an age- old term, well known across East Africa. Paukwa invites one to remember the joy of stories from their childhood days and to get lost in new, familiar or unknown ideas about the daily things that surround us.
Each day ordinary Kenyans are pushing our nation forward. As volunteers, as SME owners, as creatives, teachers, farmers, counsellors, techwizards and more. There is a bigger story as they build our nation each day through their tenacity, hard work, positive attitude, search for excellence, and sheer hustle.
Through their efforts we all grow.
At Paukwa, we shine a spotlight on the everyday builders of our nation and the history we almost forgot.
This digital storybank celebrates memory, culture, modernity, but most of all, the positive. Dive in and discover a story of Kenya you didn’t know you never knew!
#KeArtists
Art is all around us. On streets, where matatus silently compete in ranks of the latest artwork, in galleries where murals and sculptures preside, in malls, in public parks and even in cafes. Art tells a story, and as storytellers we continue to seek narratives that inspire. So then what is the story of these works of art around us? We believe it all goes back to the
Paukwa? Pakawa!
Paukwa is a place dedicated to positive stories about Kenya. Our story house is named for the Swahili word that is an invitation to a story – Paukwa. It’s an age- old term, well known across East Africa. Paukwa invites one to remember the joy of stories from their childhood days and to get lost in new, familiar or unknown ideas about the daily things that surround us.
Each day ordinary Kenyans are pushing our nation forward. As volunteers, as SME owners, as creatives, teachers, farmers, counsellors, techwizards and more. There is a bigger story as they build our nation each day through their tenacity, hard work, positive attitude, search for excellence, and sheer hustle.
Through their efforts we all grow.
At Paukwa, we shine a spotlight on the everyday builders of our nation and the history we almost forgot.
This digital storybank celebrates memory, culture, modernity, but most of all, the positive. Dive in and discover a story of Kenya you didn’t know you never knew!
#KeCrafters
African artistry has its own special vibe about it – as its often beauty and function wrapped into one. Our history is littered with artefacts from time immemorial, some of which we see or experience in museums, at home and abroad; while many other pieces are found in our homes and neighbourhoods, providing functionality for the people within and around it. This campaign celebrates the creators. Those people who
Remember the story of...
The 24th World Scout Conference Stamps
The green beret, the brown uniform, and the logo sewn on the right breast pocket should be enough to identify a Kenyan scout. And if you’re familiar with scout ranks, the colour of the scarf will tell you all you need to know. But in case you don’t, there’s four kinds of scarves: yellow for a Sungura (cub scout), green for a Chipukizi (junior scout), maroon for a Mwamba (senior scout), and orange for a Jasiri...
Our audio stories
A note from our team
ON GRATITUDE
Allow us to take a moment of reflection. We are grateful for the journey of time, for the learnings we have experienced about our country as we have spent time in archives, in interviews, on bumpy roads crisscrossing the nation, in online rabbit holes in our quest to build stories of Kenya. We are incredibly grateful for the community of readers we have and all the feedback, thumbs up, questions and exclamations that you have shared. We have enjoyed spending time in new spaces bringing our story collections alive in forums, on panels, in festivals and in virtual settings. Through each of these endeavours we are continually sharpened by others, we have found our tribe of individuals and collectives as curious as we are about our history, and we are comforted and emboldened by the reminders that we are not alone on our quest and indeed – this work of narrative shaping, of history building, of spotlight shining is important. With reflection comes gratitude, introspection, and hope and so we thank you for being part of our Paukwa journey.
TEAM PAUKWA
A note from our team
JOURNALISM AS SERVICE
If you were to look up the purpose of journalism, you would probably find something along the lines of empowering citizens with the information they need to make the best possible choices in their everyday lives, and for their communities and government. In our #MagazetiYetu and #KePhotographers collection,s what strikes a chord is the sacrifices that journalists throughout our history have made to give us the power of decision-making. When we take a closer look at our media history, it is clear that these professionals went far beyond the call of duty to secure the credibility of information reaching the public. And for this sacrifice, we can’t help but label these journalists the epitome of servants. These heroes have stood for truth, democracy and our nation time and time again – even to their own detriment. Be emboldened by the figures who remained uncompromising in their values. May we stand on their shoulders.
TEAM PAUKWA
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