A Consumate Journalist

I was reading about Wangethi Mwangi recently and was very impressed to learn of his long career in journalism as well as his accomplishments.

Currently, he is Editorial Director for the largest media company in Kenya, Africa, Nation Media Group. The refreshing thing about this journalist is that he didn't simply walk into this huge corporation and start at the top. He worked in a variety of positions and stair stepped his way to the impressive position he currently holds.

Not only is Wangethi Mwangi a successful journalist and Editorial Director, he also has a passion for food! His culinary interests lies in bringing Kenyan recipes and dishes to the forefront. He even has a blog that details various recipes!

Wangethi Mwangi also has seen the Nation Media Group grow from being staffed with mostly ex-patriots to now being almost 100% African run. A great achievement for him and his country.

THE NEWSPAPER BUSINESS AND JOSEPH ODINDO

They say that the apple doesn’t fall very far from the tree when speaking about a parent and child. It seems that this is the case with Joseph Odindo and his father. Not only is Joseph Odindo a music enthusiast that has led to a ground breaking album with Paul Simon’s “Graceland”, he is also a very respected and well-known journalist for a company called Nation Media Group.

This company is the owner of various newspapers in the African region. And, Joseph Odindo is the group managing editor for Nation Media Group. Some may think that due to his father’s influence, that he stepped into the top position of the company from day one. That simply isn’t the case.

Joseph Odindo stair stepped his way up from reporter to various other positions until he became Nation Media Group. He has had a very impressive career both as a musician and a journalist.

The Wooden Tones Resonating from Africa

It has been said that the more engaged a person becomes in their surroundings, the more varied interests they accumulate. Joseph Odindo is no exception.

While he has built an impressive career as a journalist in Kenya, Joseph Odindo also has a passion for not only journalism, but for music. The instrument of choice is a marimba which is an instrument that slightly resembles the layout of piano keys. The wooden bars give a deep resonating tone when played with mallets that have a covering on the end, that gives it a very distinctive voice. Typically, these instruments are played in groups of 4, with each player playing different marimbas in varying harmonies and keys.

In addition to the traditional African instruments, Joseph Odindo is also a big fan of Paul Simon when he meshed traditional African music with American influences. The popular effort was compiled in Simon's album, "Graceland".

Kenya, et al

Often times, Americans become frustrated and disillusioned with our political system and wheels of big business. Yet, it takes only a glance to our neighbors around the world to see that while we have our challenges, we also have it pretty good as well.

In order to see our world, we rely on journalists and analysts to report news accurately and without bias. This is a given in America. However, in other continents such as Africa, the need for journalistic honor was achingly void. All until one man, Wangethi Mwangi saw his mission.

Having an avid interest in politics while maintaining his journalistic ethics has always appealed to this veteran reporter. To provide journalistic integrity, Wangethi Mwangi joined the largest media company in Kenya; National Media Group.

This company is a key player in championing the cause of democracy in East Africa. By attaching himself to this company, Wangethi Mwangi was able to work his way up the ladder of this business and currently serves as Editorial Director of the leading multi-media house in the East African region for both print and electronic platforms.