Ondego, Ogova 1968-

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ONDEGO, Ogova 1968-

PERSONAL: Born July 24, 1968, in Kakamega, Kenya. Hobbies and other interests: Reading, writing, watching movies and live performance.

ADDRESSES: Office—Artmatters, P.O. Box 842-00208, Ngong Hills, Nairobi, Kenya. E-mail—[email protected].

CAREER: Editor, journalist, publisher, and author. Formerly worked as a teacher and journalist. Publisher and editor, Artmatters.com. Kenya Broadcasting Corporation, researcher, beginning 2001; Stepafrica (bimonthly magazine), member of editorial/research staff; Africa Film and Television, England, East Africa correspondent.

WRITINGS:

Heroes Stand Alone, National Media Group, 1994.

A Virgin in God's Hands, Step Africa (Nairobi, Kenya), 1995.

Matutu Terror (autobiography), Step Africa (Nairobi, Kenya), 1995.

Also author of African Cine Week: Kenya, 2003, 2003. Editor, Unv-Kenya Bulletin (newsletter); contributor to online publications, including Artmatters; contributor to periodicals.

WORK IN PROGRESS: A documentary on fine art in Kenya; From Terror to Hope.

SIDELIGHTS: Ogova Ondego told CA: "My primary motivation for writing is the love for sharing information with other people. My work is influenced by the Hebrew prophets of old as recorded in the New Testament of the Bible. Just as they were considered ears and eyes of society, I believe I am a watchman who should be guiding my society. Writing, to me, is my godly calling rather than a profession. Writing serves a prophetic role and demands that I be bold and courageous as I practice it. I am influenced by Amos, who preached against social injustice, and Micah, who stressed righteousness. Like Jeremiah, I cannot afford silence in the face of wrong-doing. I strive to have the courage and boldness of Elijah and Nathan, who confronted their kings for evil. I can almost see myself attaining the notoriety of Micaiah, son of Imlah, who 'never prophesied anything positive' even when he was prevailed upon to 'Let your word agree with theirs, and speak favourably' of King Ahab's intended battle (I Kings 22).

"I ventured into writing while I was still in secondary school, but it was not until university that I took it seriously. I began with feature writing and then took up creative fiction writing for children. By then I was still a secondary school teacher and was revving to go full throttle on writing. I left teaching and took up journalism, beginning with investigative exposé writing. But this was short-lived as the writing rubbed people the wrong way and I had to resort to feature stories in order to survive.

"Before I write anything, I observe what goes on in society, do some research on it, and then begin writing. After a story is complete, I let the manuscript cool down and then come back to it after several days or even weeks. I read through, making corrections and rewriting before letting it rest again. Meanwhile, I continue with my other manuscripts. Although I practice journalism, I prefer working on arts and children's writing. I am determined to preserve some of the good African ways I grew up with from the onslaught of Westernisation galloping across Africa. I do all kinds of writing, from proposals to screen scripts: new, analyses, and fiction. And I believe I am getting better with time."