Adornments for the mighty

Published: The East African Nation media 26 October 2019

I stared at myself in the mirror, transfixed and let out an audible gasp.  The beaded collar copied from the Egyptian queen dating more than 4,500 years, adorning my skin was the single most beautiful thing l had ever worn.  It held me mesmerized, entrenched and enchanted me into the world of beads, that l had until hereto little interest in.

Retracing an episode from Out of Africa on Ngong Hills

Above:  The obelix on Ngong Hills for Denys Finch Hatton by Kikwata Farm. Copyright Rupi Mangat

Published: Saturday magazine, Nation newspaper 14 Dec 2019

I’m setting a time period. 1900 to 1931. It’s based on Karen Blixen’s novel Out of Africa which Hollywood turned into a blockbuster in the 1980s and everyone wanted to know who these people were, that is Karen Blixen and Denys Finch Hatton. The novel Out of Africa was followed decades later by Too Close to the Sun penned by Sara Wheeler, based on Finch Hatton whose claim to fame is having been the famous lover of Karen Blixen and the famous aviatrix Beryl Markham. It is a tragi-romance.

At Kikwata on Ngong Hills . Copyright Rupi Mangat

The Waterkeepers: Communities all over the world cleaning up their rivers so that they can be drinkable, fishable and swimmable, again.

Above: Women wash carrier bags in Nairobi River for reuse in Korogocho slum, Nairobi. Copyright Rupi Mangat

Published: 9-13 Dec 2019 The Outlook, East African Nation media

The river, Nairobi, is in spate. Under an overcast sky on a chilly November morning, a group of Waterkeeper Alliance from across the world are clad in green waterproof overalls, gloves and gumboots to join Komb Clean Solution, a community-based organization from Korogocho slum to clean a two-kilometre stretch of the river that flows through the capital from its source in the Ngong Hills to the Indian Ocean, 500 kilometres south.

Kids playing in Korogocho Peooles Park by Nairobi River in Korogocho slum, Nairobi. Copyright Rupi Mangat

Carnivore Conservation in Changing Landscapes: A two-day conference in Nairobi highlights new findings and more

Above: Lion defending his prey from Silver-backed jackals and Ruppell’s vultures listed Critically endangered on IUCN Red List in Soysambu Conservancy. By Rupi Mangat.

Published: The East African (Nation media) 30 November 2019

In the complex world of carnivore conservation in today’s rapidly changing landscapes, an annual two-day carnivore conference held at the Kenya Wildlife Service in Nairobi at the end of October brought together carnivore scientists and researchers from east and southern Africa including India.

The aim of the conference was to share the latest information and knowledge on carnivore conservation and management in range states like Kenya.

Mandevu exploring in Maasai Mara. Copyright Rupi Mangat

Lukenya’s Panorama of a 360 world

Above: On Lukenya ridge. Copyright Rupi Mangat

Published: Saturday Nation magazine 30 November 2019

On the ancient granite rock-filled ridge of Lukenya, it’s a 360-degree view of Africa. A mountain climber from the Mountain Club of Kenya is scaling a vertical wall of an immense rock face, his tiny figure carefully inching his way up as we drive from the plains to the top of the hill that is a feature on the Nairobi-Mombasa highway.

Close up of the cliff face of Lukenya belonging to the Mountain Club of Kenya. Copyright Rupi Mangat

It’s on this rocky crop that our ancestors lived in the era of Stone Age, a perfect spot where the caves became homes and the plains below a rich hunting ground for food. For us modern sapiens it’s simply amazing to be stepping on the same rocks as our good old ancestors and be fortunate to marvel at the beauty of space around us.