To legalize or not?

Legalize or not is the question. I am talking about legalizing prostitution or if I am to be politically correct I am talking about commercial sex.

Nairobi Mayor, George Aladwa waded into this age-old debate with his declaration that City Hall would make prostitution legal but shortly thereafter he was forced to retract his statement as Kenyans bayed for his blood. It got me thinking and resulted in this post.

I need to issue a disclaimer. I have never procured the services of a hooker. I do have friends who are hookers.

I think that the allegation that legalizing will result in increased immorality and an increase in the number of hookers in Kenya is a load of bull. Kenya is currently Sodom and Gomorrah. If you can think it, it is being done and surprisingly by folk who shout loudest about morality. Kenyans are unfortunately hypocritically conservative.

I will go as far as saying that hookers are the glue who keep together marriages and relationships in Nairobi. Yes, it is a big statement to make but hear me out.

Yes, men do go to the hookers for the kinky, non-conventional sex but that is not the essence of the service the girls provide. Most often than not, the man will pay for an hour with the girl not to get down but rather to have a nag-free, non-expectation, and demand-less conversation which he does not get when with his wife or girlfriend.

A man is his ego. A man whether Bill Gates or the majengo guy both want their women to treat them like Kings. However women are trying to be men and thus forgetting to be women. Thus a man is 101% on fight mode, at work, in traffic, basically everywhere. Then when he gets home to his castle and he seeks to be King he has to compete with another king (wife).

So why won’t he go to the bordellos which are in every street in the CBD or in every estate, get King Treatment then by the time he comes home he is all f’d out or talked out to be bothered by the nagging?

Hookers know men. They completely understand the man’s psyche. So when today’s woman is being all independent and brash, the hookers are getting the men and making them feel like men.

Hell, I will go as far as saying that hookers should be offering bridal shower advice to the clueless women. Yes, I know that women typically look down upon the hookers and are quick to judge them but take my word, befriend one, learn from her and that may be the best thing that would have happened to your marriage/relationship.

I am not a chauvinist but I believe that there are male and female roles. I also believe that women are the foundation of the society and it beholden upon women to pause and reflect where the rain started beating them. (Feels like I should do a men v women post)

Also I am not glorifying prostitution or the hookers. I believe in individual morality and everyone being accountable for their actions and their consequences. I am just painting the picture of the reality on the ground.

I am pro-legalization because I reckon it will enable the girls to be safe, to access regular and constant medical check-ups and increase usage of protection.

As a lady you may think that whether the girls are safe medically or that they are in a place where they can demand clients use protection is none of your business but it is your business.

The hookers tell me that MOST of their clientele are married guys or guys in relationships. So hubby/boyfriend sleeps with hooker then hubby/boyfriend sleeps with wife/girlfriend. Zero degrees of separation.

So maybe the women should be in the foreground campaigning for the legalization of prostitution for their own sakes.

It is just a thought. Do not shoot the messenger!

PS: Always remember the ABCs of sex : Abstain, Be faithful, Use a condom.

Other side of the coin!

I do not claim exclusivity to being right. My desire is to stimulate conversation on topical issues and in a small way make Kenya a better place.

One of my friends, M passionately shared her opinion on the question on whether to legalize or not. This is what she had to say:

” I dont agree with you on this one, sorry. I don’t hate hookers, I just don’t think it should be encouraged by our law. Just because its happening doesn’t mean the society should accept it in writing. I speak as a Christian, its a sin, it’s been a sin.

As for protecting the girls, they should have access to information on its dangers then encouragement on how to make ends meet in more acceptable and productive ways. A man shouldn’t go to a prostitute in the institution of marriage in the first place. I will never agree with you!

Prostitution demeans women by allowing men to view them as sex objects; it separates sex from love, respect, commitment and relationship. It undermines the institution of marriage by encouraging promiscuity, it encourages promiscuity among single men and adultery among married men. Lastly, it lowers the health of the community and we both know this shall not be solved by legalization.

My two cents!”

Wow! She is passionate. It definitely is food for thought..

 

GOD BLESS KENYA!

Shuga 2 Premiere – Episode 1

Shuga 1 caused quite a stir with its frank portrayal of Nairob’s youth flashy and promiscuous lifestyle. It was thus no surprise that Shuga 2 was highly anticipated. It was shot last year and finally had its red carpet launch on February 10, 2012.

Its TV launch was symbolically set for Valentine’s day 2012 and these are my thoughts on the first episode.

I felt they got the scheduling wrong. I get the symbolism of Valentine’s Day but it was a bad day to pick since folk would be otherwise engaged.  Champions League football resumed on the same day and this also pulled away audiences. The 2230 time slot is pretty late for your average viewer. They opted to premiere it on KBC (I guess for mass appeal) and KBC delayed transmission by 20 minutes so it finally aired at 2250.

So they picked wrong day, wrong time slot and wrong station to premiere it. Definitely not a great start.

The first episode was certainly less dramatic than Shuga 1. I wondered whether that was deliberate as a result of shocking many folk with Shuga 1.

I am unsure about the quality of some of the acting, scripting and directing and I felt that there were too many story lines competing for attention.

Shuga would not be Shuga without club scenes but in a 20 minute episode the girls went out on two nights. Overkill? In one of the club scenes there was randomly girl-on-girl dancing. I wondered as to how it furthered the story.

The sound tracks were overkill. Almost every scene had a sound track and that was pretty jarring.

Felt that V’s character could have been more expressive and less rigid. As for V’s ‘shagsmodo’ parents, I am lost at to what they are meant to portray. They are 101% at variance with V. Their casting and dialogue sequence is wanting. V’s use of Kiswahili with her parents also made their dialogue unreal. The lunch scene between V and her mum and the classroom and car scene between V and her dad could have been more emotional.

I was pretty impressed by Baby. I have seen her act at for years at Heartstrings as an unruly teenage girl who speaks Swa-English and I reckon she has transitioned brilliantly from stage to screen. I think Shuga 2 will be her big break.

In conclusion, V and Baby are the standout characters of episode 1. There was no standout male character. I felt that the director opted for a lot of movement over substance and that there were some scenes that could have been more tightly cut.

First episode I give it 5/10. You can watch it HERE. Waiting for Episode 2.

PS: Given that the cast and production house and most of the people involved with Shuga are pretty young and internet savvy one would have expected them to have a stronger online presence and dispense info well on social media. That is not the case. Up to to before it aired I was not sure if it would air on KBC, KTN or NTV. Even now I have no idea when episode two will air.

PS: From the credits I noted that Lupita Nyong’o is now Co-Director and that Alison Ngibuini is now an Associate Producer. Clearly there were demotions and promotions. I wonder what is the story!

Update:

I have watched Episode 2, 3 and 4.

I still rate it at 5/10.

I feel they crammed too many story lines into the plot and they are thus forced to rush the stories and not fully develop them. I still have issues with acting, scripting and also wardrobe and makeup.

But let it be clear that I appreciate the effort put into it and that I may also not be exactly the target audience.

GOD BLESS KENYA!