The Missing Bits Exhibition—A Curated Exhibition (2022)

Our decision, upon interpretation of the enigmatic phrase “The Missing Bits” as given to us by the Book Bunk squad, was to do a deep-dive into our endless fascination with old Kenyan newspapers which very few young people alive now would have access to at home (likely they were used decades ago as furniture, wrappers for moving house or for butchery/grocery purchases, drawer liners or fire starters). Book Bunk, through the 3 libraries in the CBD, Makadara and Kaloleni, have a diverse supply of these, bound into massive red, black and blue hardback volumes, lying silently in massive cardboard boxes pending re-shelving when several ongoing renovations are complete. Many of them have not even been logged into analogue or digital archives yet, so we were the first people in a long time, aside from the internal Book Bunk team, to even see or touch these newspapers. 

While the most ideal way to present these papers would be a much more structured, historical or anthropological presentation, we decided to frame this engagement much more informally and loosely, as an ode to the ways we delve into articles and media pieces now,  mirroring how we share interesting pieces with our friends by text or over social media. 

The media pieces were curated selections from various English and Kiswahili newspapers from three years: 1963, 1973 and 1983. As folk who work in culture, we were specifically interested in how our current modes of expression, values and interests as Kenyans have evolved since those times to what they are today, close to 40 years after 1983. We celebrated the heated conversations leading up to independence in 1963, from both panicky European-insider points of view and fiercely optimistic African-centric perspectives counting down to Uhuru. We experienced deep envy of those who owned the 70s when media conversation was measurably more free, happy, proudly black, and much more easygoing. We felt the significant tightening of free expression in 1983 that followed Kenya’s August 1982 coup, which we found out was one of several autonomous, attempted, and successful statecraft tensions across the Continent, involving militaries, neighbouring countries, Special Branch units, and other interested parties. 

We met and were re-introduced to several interesting conversations on social, cultural, and political issues of the day, several relatively progressive, and others more regressive; and we laughed at the large number of humorous, aspirational expressions through advertisements, cartoon strips, and more! We also added captions for each piece, with some notes on our subjective opinions, and presented additional details that add context to the time.

We leave you with the realization that we, in 2022, are actually living, through infinite challenges, tensions, successes, and dreams, the future that many in this exhibition presentation could only have dreamed of.

Project Credits—

Curators - The Nest Collective (via JP Waithera, Noel Kasyoka, and Njoki Ngumi)
Curatorial Associates - Ashly Cork and Rachel Chin (Seconded by the New Local Space, Kingston, Jamaica)
Graphic Designer - Kelvin Kaesa
Exhibition Consultation and Construction - David Oywa and team
Article Photography and Filing - Maureen Mumbua, Laura Atieno, and Yvette Wanjiru
Exhibition Printer - Richard Wachira
Special Thanks - Wanjiru Koinange, Angela Wachuka, Marianne Wamuyu, Jonathan Bii, Orpah Agunda, Trevas Matathia