Anatomy of an African Trending Topic – #KenyaInThe90s

For the Ukwelii blog faithful, I must say it’s been a minute…I’ve been pleasantly distracted by my Posterous Photoblog and of course Twitter (and a couple other things, but we’ll get to the “Where’d you go, Mariko” post later on). Meanwhile, the Twitterwebs are abuzz with a new Kenyan Trending Topic (definition: a phrase – that at times with a hash # before it – that is shared by many people on Twitter over a period of time)

Kenya/East Africa’s had it’s share now, with the popularity, scale and ripple effect growing with each one. The past few good Twitter trending topics include #AVitzIsNotACar (A Vitz is not a car) which made it into the blogosphere on Al Kags’ blog and even garnered an official response from Toyota Kenya. Then there was #MWEA10 (but we’re still debating whether this counts because it was a conference, not a by-the-people-for-the-people kind of Trending Topic), and iAlen‘s #YouknowYouAreKenyan was another good one, but thanks to the you’re/your/you are dilemma, didn’t really archive well.

So, seems like Moses Baraza didn’t know he’d be starting one when he started #Kenyainthe90s but he did, and it’s been a hilarious ride through the lives of Kenyans on Twitter (Can’t forget the hashtag of the same name by “CEO of #KenyansonTwitter” – Rojahs)

Here’s a glance at what’s trending right now. (By the time this goes up, it will already be old news. Keep up to date on it here)

hilum: He paid the ultimate price…..#Renegade #Kenyainthe90s

Kitteekattii06: RT @SupremeGREAM: #kenyainthe90s when a car registration eg KAB would take a whole year to run out

kaggzie: #kenyainthe90s when kbc used to start at 4…and right after news was spiff n hercules:)

Kid_Kanye: RT @Lazizi: RT @Switcheeks: #kenyainthe90s dufu mpararo and the way we’d daka those tadpoles in the name of fishes..hehehe=>DEAD

Lazizi: #kenyainthe90s weather forecast by the 1 n only, Ngwata francis.

TheMacharia: #Kenyainthe90s Blueband Quiz show. I was on that show, and we won!

Tininai: #kenyainthe90s the doubledecker buses at bus station.

Amasy: #kenyainthe90s sabuni ilikuwa Rexona na lifebouy

asayf: We could buy something for a shilling! #kenyainthe90s

Tininai: RT @Lordacolyte: Hi-tops ie Fila, Reebok, Nike were in, and for broke asses there was Fiba, Reobek and Niks #kenyainthe90s

MoSande: #kenyainthe90s I went to Montecarlo, Hollywood and Vibestar once!

will_e88: #kenyainthe90s the ‘oxford’ geometric set…… a must have for KCPE

Mungei: @Erickogweno yeah..I rem one time during the ASK show one of the parachute guys landed on stima posts and lines..ha! ha! #Kenyainthe90s

edsamich: RT @Chiira #kenyainthe90s Ulinzi Stars could actually challenge teams like Tusker United for the Premier League title> make it AFC nt ulinzi

lyssawambui: #kenyainthe90s when u cud go 2 Uhuru Park with kenchic or city park 2 c th monkeys made mst of th sundays.

muniu: #Kenyainthe90s the Sanyo TV with sliding doors ws still cool

muniu: #Kenyainthe90s GoK had no spokesman n Moi fired guys via Radio/TV at 1 o’clock news

SupremeGREAM: #kenyainthe90s birth of head on collision. proffesor kiogothe

kiagiri: Omo Pick-a-box … the money or the box? #kenyainthe90s

matrixster: #kenyainthe90s kids used to wear shorts to school. Nowadays even kindergartens wear long pants. Even Sunshine Secondary!

flyefi: #kenyainthe90s folks used 2 chase us from watching Tropical Heat… it was PG18 them days I think

itsKwambox: #Kenyainthe90s Fred Obachi Machoka and the show is Music time…Rear watts the masai dancerz wer the starz!

Chiira: #kenyainthe90s The huge screen at Thika Road’s drive in used to work

gich99: #kenyainthe90s movie at Kenya Cinema and #wimpy lunch = #cooldates

Mukanzi: RT @Sara_Mburia: Wash and blowdry for 30 bob #KenyaInThe90s

mwanikih: RT: @nzilani: #kenyainthe90s those ink pens you had to refill < OMG! Haha! And they were so messy. Used Quail Ink!

nymou: Ending Man Computer Game #kenyainthe90s seriously, who decided to call a console that. and Nintendo and Atari

Switcheeks: #kenyainthe90s kamatana na mlazo hairstyles for back to school openings..nkkt

will_e88: RT @amisij: Ramayan, Mahabharat “JAI SHREE RAM!!!” #kenyainthe90s< lol

jusBlackman: #kenyainthe90s Maembe pilo, Kashata, Cool (Ice) mabuyu..

missmacharia: #kenyainthe90s kass kass, rastrut, and jam jimmy jam jam-a-delic!

baribonds

#kenyainthe90s wawawawa drawing cartoons in the blackboard closing day

Kimut1986: #Kenyainthe90s windows 95

Chiira: #kenyainthe90s Starehe was the school to beat in KCSE while Olympic in Kibera ruled at KCPE

Mwangy: when fuel was 40/- a litre #kenyainthe90s

wanyax: #kenyainthe90s red GreatWall TVs with a rainbow coloured film to convert them “from black-and-white to colour”!

saitonne: School Outfitters, Textbook Centre and @BataKenya the first week of January #kenyainthe90s

Chiira: #kenyainthe90s Katherine Kasavuli and Fayaz Qureshi on @KTNKenya 9 O’clock news

mwanikih: #kenyainthe90s Playing cards using the Maziwa ya Nyayo cut outs. They had, Boxing, Football and Netball cards!

RamaRamzZ: #Kenyainthe90s exchanging above the rim and spacejam vcr tapes in school.usiambie ‘odijo’

Lordacolyte: Every matatu on a route that was in the 100s ie 118 would only play roots n culture reggae. Nothing else! #kenyainthe90s

Bonus Tweet:

They even got a big-up from the official Nestle Nesquick Twitter page:

NestleNesquik: Yes .Agreed. RT @Kitteekattii06: #kenyainthe90s Nesquik in every household

That’s probably not even the best of it all, but just a taste. Here are some of the videos being shared during the trending topic, bound to bring a chuckle or two.

Stay tuned to this post, I’ll try and update it, but I’ll need your help. Give me your favourite videos and tweets and we’ll at least immortalise them here…

What’s your favourite memory of Kenya in the ’90s?