Congratulations On The Gold Medals…But Oh Lord,When Will This Communication Embarrassments Ever End?‪ #‎GroomOurAthletes

The World has become so accustomed to Kenyans winning,nay,sweeping all the Gold Medals in almost all athletic games,that there even are special jokes made by iconic World comics about our track prowess.

And as they say,you know you’ve made it when comedians involve you in their act.

Well,Congratulations to us. And may we win even more of those. And more and more. And sure we will.

And while we commend and applaud our track legends for the many Gold hauls,I must also point out that, like I’ve pointed out before here,it does really hurt our image when these athletes, after winning,give some very disjointed and grammatically incorrect answers to International reporters.

After every euphoric win,we are always almost immediately plunged into National Ridicule immediately these superstars start talking.

And while we admit and accept that most of these track icons were brought up in the villages,and some didn’t even have the fortune of attending school for lack of funds,it also is no excuse for these runners to show such absolute ignorance and display such low grasp of global communication.

There is a video that has been trending since last week. I actually chanced upon it after it was shared by Caroline Mutoko. But pretty much everyone has shared it by now.

                            {youtube}8QC6AbK8nrw{/youtube}

In the video,a triumphant Kenyan athlete,whose just scored a pricey medal,is asked questions by a Western reporter. And what makes the video go viral is the laughable way in which the athlete,panting and sweating,answers the questions. His grammar is all messed up,he can barely articulate himself and can’t even construct a comprehensible answer. Or understand the question.

And,really,he’s not the ONLY one. 98% of the Kenyan athletes have such wanting communication skills that it’s a pain to watch them talk. And worthless to anticipate their answers.

I saw some fellows on Facebook say that ‘It’s OK,sio lazima ajue Kiingereza. Bora alete Gold medal nyumbani’ while some other brainless chaps opined,’mnacheka hapa na amewin Ksh. 6 million just for running na wewe bado uko jobless… ‘

What nonsense!

We cannot all run and score Gold. We cannot all pocket hundreds of thousands of dollars in less than 9 minutes and six seconds. That’s a talent. And that’s why we LET them do it on behalf of the Country.

But still,the same national pride we are chasing after by winning all Gold medals quickly gets massively eroded by the intellectual levels these athletes exhibit.

An athlete is more than just a skinny guy that runs and breaks records and scoops the Medal; An athlete is an investment,a national investment. An athlete is more than just some random guy who can run fast. An athlete is a brand,a global brand with millions of fans and whose heroics are witnessed by millions of sports lovers globally.

You cannot just sit back and think that a medal is enough. Not it’s NOT. And it never will be!

You,as an athlete,also need to be refined,mentally smart,up-to-date,media savvy,intelligent,coherent,alert,sharp and able to talk and express yourself. You need to be a full package; International package.

What good is a medal for if the winner cannot even express his happiness and send his decent shoutouts in a Global language without resorting to his mother tongue.

English is a global language. And knowing it does NOT mean that we are colonized and abandoning our cultures.. It means that we are ready for international business and ready to represent ourselves at any World forum in a way that says we are educated and able to handle the rigors of fame,exposure and global relations.

These are NOT just Kenyan athletes…They are GLOBAL athletes who regularly go to Chicago,Los Angeles,London and Washington for their many races.

Surely,these people must LEARN how to talk. Or to better put it,LEARN ENGLISH.

Every time they win,they reduce themselves into an embarrassing spectacle with the shameful manner in which they talk.

Gold medals are good. But the Government MUST rehabilitate these track stars in a facility that involves PR,proper communication skills and how to even TALK an international language.

You earn so much money anyway! Walk into some classroom someday! Hire a PR team! God,grab a book!