Makmende Rocks
Kenyans have a knack for springing surprises once in a while and Makmende is one of the biggest they have come up with yet !!!.
Makmende a Kenyan Hero who is a metamorphosis of Chuck Norris and Shaft combined, therefore a real badass has taken the Kenyan Twitterati and Cybersphere by storm.
Who the heck is Makmende?
This storm has blown Makmende dust internationally and has resulted in Kenya being identified as an internet hotspot and quite possibly a center/focal point of innovation for the Wider Africa and Middle East region.
But how is it that a country that has barely gotten connected on the internet (Read/Listen More on Fiber Optic in Kenya) has managed to shore up so much BUZZ on the internet?
Kenya Technology Scene Buzzing
Remember what has been underway in Kenya is really a Mobile Revolution [Read More] not necessarily an Internet one. Indeed Kenyans continue to access the internet primarily through Mobile Phones and therefore have jumped over the PC revolution so to speak. This will mean that local applications and ideas like Makmende will have to focus on the Mobile realm as opposed to the PC realm.
In this regard Makmende needs to be mobile, but how so? The answer lies in its creative talent pool and savvy techies who have joined together (at least in this case) to produce one of Africa’s most pervasive and interesting character.
When just a band (an Afro Techno Band) created Makmende they probably didn’t think that their creation would expand beyond the borders but what happened next was truly amazing…
Two twitter like websites sprung out of nowhere i.e. Makmende.COM and Makmende.NET both which command about 40,000 followers and thousands upon thousands of hits. Makmende Jokes now number in the 10′s of thousands and counting… However, what really drove this growth is what really lies at the heart of Kenya’s cyber power its HYPERSENSITIVE BLOGOSPHERE.
Moses Kemimbaro a co-founder of leading Tech Company DotSavvy broke the story other Kenyan Bloggers like Afrinnovator and TechMtaa put the Makmende story on map enabling it to be picked up by Old Media such as KTN Kenya (through Larry Midiwo), CNN, Wall Street Journal and even New Social Media like Fastcompany.
Makmende Makes CNN
Without this blogging power Makmende may just have been a local brand and may have not gone social. What happens next is up to the forces that created Makmende.
Can they create Kenya’s Technology Scene in Makmende’s image?
I think we should Keep things simple and adopt TED (Technology, Entertainment and Design) principles to lay the foundation for future growth for those who create and invent in this country(See Kenya’s TED Fellows).
TECHNOLOGY Kenyan techies have the challenge of arming Makmende with the appropiate social media tools. Such as Twitter and Facebook Applications (See Example Here)
ENTERTAIMENT Just A band have a huge challenge in Keeping the character alive through new editions of content (a movie perhaps).
DESIGN Tshirts and other Makmende wear have began cropping up. This is important for giving the brand visibility and a vibrant life. The elephant in the room remains who owns the Makmende Brand… I would advise its creators JAB to register it as an Open Brand to allow other creative Kenyans to add their creativity to it.
Open Source your idea here and watch it grow….
In conclusion Makmende has shown us it is finally possible for Kenyans to break the old walls that had been hitherto boxed in by what Agosta Liko of PesaPal calls Old Money and Old Possibilities.
Makmende is so powerful he showed us who we truly are.
