Great solidarity to all exhibitors, restaurateurs, discothecaries, fireflies, night owls, dancers, slot machines compulsive people, sleepless billiard players and especially drinkers and tellers of the dark world.
But an unprecedented Saturday night like that of August 24, 2019 in Malindi will be remembered for a long time, or at least for another ten years.
"The streets are deserted, deserted and silent" sang someone many years ago, but there is no suicide seeker walking on the pier. The Open View pub, next to the Total petrol pump (the one can remain open "acca24" as they say today) was not prepared to close its doors because it doesn't have them. So a nice rope tied to the two poles that act as an entrance and away.
The Stars & Garters, another historical meeting place for bad nights, has its own gate.
The city breathes, you can't even hear the muezzins, as if they were also recreators.
You can turn it all around, even the tuk tuk after ten have no reason to exist, because they must not carry around anyone. No megawatts at funerals, and neither would it be fair to die during the Census.
They are all at home, the Kenyans, waiting for the event of someone counting them, as if to say that they count on them. And when does the government ever come to you if not to ask you for new taxes or to give you some unfortunate news?
But no, this time you can expect someone who simply wants to know who you are, what your name is, how old you are, what family you have built and if you have animals in your house.
He doesn't care about your money, your political ideas, your religious beliefs.
At most they ask you which tribes you belong to, but only for statistics.
You are treated democratically in the same way whether you are an emulator of Briatore or whether you live in a mud hut. It's not just curfew, it's dictatorship. This is freedom.
For once we won't go bankrupt for one night's savings, for one glass not drunk or one lobster left in the freezer, for one missed meeting or one brand less.
Africa is also this, pleasure to be surprised.
All you have to do is want to live and have a little sense of humour.

Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator