OL’ SKOOL MEMOIR

The 80s were an astounding era in history, marking the change from the world of black and white to the vibrant one we live in today. Rhumba and hip-hop dominated the music industry when vintage photographs took up to ten days to print. Televisions were so hefty that the aerials required rotation every other time to obtain clear reception. Boombox radios used cassette tape. To unravel the cassette tape, you were required to turn the left reel clockwise by inserting a pen through the cassette reel until it made contact. Two decades later, we are producing Bluetooth sound bars and Smart TVs. 

My name is Isabela born and raised in Nairobi in the late 80s. Let me take you through the slides of how I grew up when life was more plainspoken and wholesome.

I touched down when nappies and vibindas(cut lesos)were the non-disposable diapers, toddlers wore rompers, monkey face caps, and “sandaks” which burnt like “makaa moto” during sunny weather due to their plastic nature, mommas were event planners, if not bakers, who baked for birthdays, Christmas, and all social functions, The population then was more devoted, committed, and cohesive than it is now. We were forced to mature as children due to the discipline besides that we still had the opportunity to be naughty in secret. Being innovative was a part of our upbringing.

I am here attempting to navigate life as it once was. The only phones I can recall were coin-operated booths where people would wait patiently for hours for their turn, laughing at the jokes of the callers since they were either unaware of the concept of privacy at the time or ignored what other people thought. The call conversation would range from gossip to family, general life, and animals. Numerous times, a bystander would answer the lonely booth ringing phone to find someone in love, possibly saying, “Harroo, is that my rovery Marjory? “It would be too late for poor Marjory because she would be long gone.

Looking back, it seems like an antiquated and enjoyable time from the Flintstones. With no smartphone distractions, we would all have dinner together, watch movies, and converse. The distance between Nairobi and Mombasa could be covered in one to two days by rail or by taking the coastline route in a single day while only seeing the natural world. 

Compared to the oldskool days, everything has changed drastically. New technology is available for everything, the manufacturing of new gadgets to make life easier, more information is available globally, and innovations like barcodes in the supply chain enable businesses to operate more effectively, safely, and cooperatively anywhere in the world.

Transitioning from the fourth industrial revolution to the fifth, we have become so used to the fast pace of innovation that we expect more effective and work-efficient technological solutions. Smart Technology is developing expeditiously, making innovations outdated almost as quickly as they arrive by offering benefits across multiple industries. The Smart Technology trend has already become widespread and shows no sign of abating. 

‘’Regardless of different times we are in, I still look back on the past with nostalgia, oldskool purity is worth being vocalized.”