"Kenyan celeb wins the Boston marathon" This would have been a definitely a mistake had a heading in the paper read
that.
Why am I being so skeptical?
It is because of the tags we attach to people.It is precisely for this reason that a Kenyan athlete will never be called a celebrity. In Kenya and am sure in most other regions a celebrity is most often given a narrow and often subjective
definition. this definition often revolves around money, sex, flashy cars, flashy dressing and in most cases certain proffessions which in Kenya should read musician.Failure to posses most of these qualities will mean that one is not a celebrity.
It is for this reason that Kenyan athletes will never pass as
celebrities not that lack the qualitities but because often more than not they tend to individuals who tend to who prefer laid back life styles shuning the limelight. But in these humble folks often refered to as rural lays the true Kenyan celebrity.They have brought Kenya so much glory and hardly a month will pass without you hearing of a Kenyan athlete causing a stir somewhere by winning a medal.
At this juncture the question that I pause is that do we really apprecite our true celebrities? This question is poignant at a time when our Kenyan athlete are recognised by other countries and are poached for their talents.The athletes who change nationalities often feel that they are not appreciated well enough and opt to emigrate to countries which they feel will reward them better. The countries that have benefited from such programe include Qatar and the USA and for good measure recognition has come their way in these fields.
It is clear that our definition for celebrities is driven by skewed values and fuelled by the media. A look at any one of the Kenyan daily newspapers on a weeked will tell you what am talking about. Weekend in weekend out you will be sure to find the often recycled faces of the celebrities in these papers to the extent that even a six year old has bcome so intimate with the life styles of these celebrities that they can even tell you the brand of underpants a particular celebrity puts on.
That is how much we worship our celebrity idols.But who is a celebrity to you?