Don’t keep my name out of your mouth
We were not ready for a slap, we just wanted to see who won the Oscars. I mean honestly, did you see Lupita’s face behind Will Smith?! A Kenyan will always be a Kenyan even in Hollywood. I’m not being toxic, but that was some real prime-time entertainment.
When you think about it, the joke did sound wrong at the time, and Will, like any human being, had every right to be upset. After all, it was his wife’s name that was being dragged through the mud. No one likes it when theirs or their loved one’s name is called out for malicious reasons. There’s an undeniable feeling of discomfort that engulfs you when you walk into a room and suddenly everyone goes quiet, and you know, instinctively, that you were the topic of discussion.
However in these streets, your name being mentioned in a positive light, in certain spaces may actually be exactly what you need for your next big opportunity.
July 20, 2021: A friend of mine passively mentions where she works and how they’re looking for an extra hand in their project. I so willingly offer to help her find someone. She however had other plans with that information. She may have accidentally taken my concern for interest and guess what, dearly beloved, the sister decided to refer me.
Aug 4, 2021: I got called to interview with Impact Africa Network’s HR Team. And if I’m being completely honest, I didn’t think I’d pull through. This was a company I had found out about only a month prior to this. Needless to say, I wasn’t surprised when I was at first rejected.
Sep 27, 2021: Surprise! Surprise! I’m being on-boarded into a company that, quite frankly, sounded to me like it came straight out of Elon Musk’s brilliant brain. Before this, I had led a pretty uninteresting life. I specialized in speaking on radio while wearing my comfortable pajamas and eating ‘smokie pasua’ because, it’s radio, who’s watching me anyways? Building a startup was way out of my purview. Not in my wildest imaginations had I dreamt of living and working in this new reality. So imagine, for a second, how it felt to be thrown at the forefront of building a startup community.
I found myself asking;
Who and what is a startup?
These talents we’re looking for, are they like artists or singers because those are the talents I know?
7 months later and here I am with absolutely phenomenal people, working on a vision that I did not know I’d resonate with this deeply and this personally. All this time, all I craved was to derive meaning from what seemed like a dull, uneventful, purposeless existence. Sounds depressing, I know, but it’s true. I really was just existing, with no drive, no motivation, no bigger goal to look forward to.
But Jessica, sweet Jessica from our campus days, mentioned my name in the RIGHT space at the RIGHT time, with the RIGHT audience and here I am, talking to people I never thought I’d talk to, sitting in spaces that I would have taken years to qualify for. Here I was, thinking nothing would bloom out of my campus interactions. Here I was, waiting for life to happen forgetting that life is what happens when you’re not conscious about it. Life is what happens behind your back without your presence.
The most important asset you can acquire in this day and age is not how much money is in your account (slowly regretting saying this because I want money). Your greatest asset is people. The people you surround yourself with, the people you call friends. These young Africans you work with, these are the people you need to guard jealously. These are the people who’ll mention your name when you’re not in the room, vouch for you when your skills are brought to the test, probably even refer you before they refer themselves (and the people of God say AMEN).
Invest in the quality of people you have around you. The quality of your interactions and circles determines the quality of spaces you get mentioned. It’s not just enough to have an inner circle, their quality (and not in terms of monetary value but wisdom and proximity to opportunity) will determine whether you’ll be mentioned in front of a CEO or a group of younglings who want your number. Not bad, but after you get my number if you’re not sending me money then at least refer me to a place where I’ll get some and not spend some.
This is what I needed, not empty words we constantly hear about “form ikiivana ntakushow” and sweet Jessica proved beyond any reasonable doubt that I didn’t leave Daystar University with just a degree, but with authentic relationships to last me a lifetime and a half.
So by all means, mention my name, go ahead and keep it in your mouth. I trust that you’ll do that in the right spaces just like Jessica. She’s not here to see me do it but I’ll be damned if I let her sacrifice go to waste.
No, I won’t hit you when you do.
No, I won't send you kitu kidogo the Kenyan way.
However I will remember you in my latter days, and you’ll be seated right next to me on the high table.
With love,
EA.
