After 23 years of publishing a text-based issue; from January 2024 AwaaZ will move into new formats.
We shall no longer be producing our print edition as you have known it. When we published our first issue in the year 2000, we had no idea what the journey would hold for us. Many colleagues thought we would not survive beyond a couple of years but the consistent support and enthusiasm from our community of readers, writers and sponsors has been immensely gratifying and heart-warming. We have interacted with families, individuals, social causes and the human rights community and been privileged to have been part of their stories and struggles. To you all: a very sincere thank you.
AwaaZ’s raison d’etre has always been to champion social justice causes, and not communal issues and in that we have been steadfast. We have also tried to avoid elitism and be the ‘AwaaZ’ (Voice) of the minority. We hope we have met some of your expectations. We would like to make special mention of our writers and regular columnists who have written for the magazine pro bono for these last 23 years. We cannot say thank you enough for their contribution. And to our small band of loyal individual sponsors who even in the toughest of times during the pandemic kept faith with us. ‘Asante Sana’ to all of YOU.
For this 23-year old body of work please read our online edition at www.awaazmagazine.com; all our issues are downloadable at www.zandpress.com. We have a limited edition of our past print editions available; do contact us at editors@awaazmagazine.com for your memorabilia collection!
So what’s next?
We are diversifying AwaaZ content by:
- Converting our archival material to film in order to reach a more diverse audience; and using the new and emerging digital platforms creatively.
- Curating Exhibitions. Our first Exhibition is already underway, ‘Pio Gama Pinto’ was launched in March 2023 and is now touring various towns in Kenya (presently it is at the Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Mausoleum in Bondo). The ‘Best of AwaaZ’ over the last 23 years and a memorabilia Coffee Table Book are some of the dreams for the future.
2023 was another busy year for us as we produced three more issues of AwaaZ, launched the Pio Gama Pinto Exhibition and organised a range of community-based events at the Samosa Festival. We have documented the latter extensively in this last issue of 2023 which will be the last print edition of AwaaZ.
In this issue we have also covered the 3rd Edition of PAST CRICKETEERS RE-UNION 2023 which recognised and paid tribute to veteran Kenyan cricketers who put Kenya on the world map. Considering the pathetic state Kenyan cricket finds itself in at presently, perhaps the younger generations can be inspired by the achievements of these cricketers of yore.
Zarina Patel, our Managing Editor, in ‘A LACUNA IN KENYA’S ANTI-COLONIAL HISTORIOGRAPHY’ reflects on and draws lessons from a much-ignored period of our history.
So for now we say ‘Kwaheri ya Kuonana’, and hope that you will stay with us as we embark on the next exciting journey.
The Editors
Zahid Rajan and Zarina Patel
