Our attention is finite, yet we spend it everywhere but where it matters. This is not a moral failure. It is a structural one. Attention economics is the idea that in a world overflowing with information, human attention becomes the scarce resource. Whoever captures it, holds power. Over time, this has reshaped not just markets, but inner lives. What we notice. What we ignore. What we can tolerate. What we can no longer sit with. For a long time, people warned that television would rot our brains. In hindsight, television looks almost generous. A show required you to stay for forty minutes. A film asked for two hours. A detective story invited you to notice details, to remember names, to hold multiple threads in your mind at once. You watched. You followed. You waited. Listening to music meant staying long enough to learn lyrics. Reading meant sitting with confusion until meaning arrived. Writing a poem meant wrestling with language, not skimming it. Even boredom had a purpose—it ...
Alcohol has long been part of Kenyan life. But how it is made, consumed, and understood has shifted dramatically across time. From its ritualistic, sacred roots in indigenous communities to its transformation into a widespread social escape and public health crisis, Kenya's relationship with alcohol is deeply tied to its history, politics, economy, and cultural evolution. This piece traces how we got here — not in metaphor, but in fact. 1. Pre-Colonial Period: Brewing and Ritual Long before colonization, communities across Kenya practiced traditional brewing. Alcohol was not only accepted but woven into social and spiritual life. Different ethnic groups brewed various fermented drinks: Muratina among the Kikuyu, made from wild fruits and honey. Busaa , common among the Luhya and Kalenjin, made from fermented maize and millet. Mnazi (palm wine), tapped by Mijikenda and coastal communities. Uji ya Kigage , a mildly alcoholic porridge used in both everyday and ceremonial contexts. T...