Marcus Olang'
@marcusolang.substack.com
Multi-hyphenate.
Writing: marcusolang.substack.com
Photography: stillsbymarcus.com
Writing: marcusolang.substack.com
Photography: stillsbymarcus.com
Let me tell you a fun little thing about my latest video post on IG. Tried captioning it through the Edits app.
Started well.
Until.
Until about halfway through.
When I mention "Palestine".
Then all of a sudden, the Edits app issues a notice.
"No speech detected."
Started well.
Until.
Until about halfway through.
When I mention "Palestine".
Then all of a sudden, the Edits app issues a notice.
"No speech detected."
November 24, 2025 at 8:03 PM
Let me tell you a fun little thing about my latest video post on IG. Tried captioning it through the Edits app.
Started well.
Until.
Until about halfway through.
When I mention "Palestine".
Then all of a sudden, the Edits app issues a notice.
"No speech detected."
Started well.
Until.
Until about halfway through.
When I mention "Palestine".
Then all of a sudden, the Edits app issues a notice.
"No speech detected."
The nature of writing: Draft after draft after draft.
Some drafts feel like gold when you finish them. Then you take a short walk, cast your eye upon them one more time, and what you thought was gold turns into a turd.
Then that turd becomes fertiliser for a fresh draft. Next one feels better.
Some drafts feel like gold when you finish them. Then you take a short walk, cast your eye upon them one more time, and what you thought was gold turns into a turd.
Then that turd becomes fertiliser for a fresh draft. Next one feels better.
October 18, 2025 at 11:37 AM
The nature of writing: Draft after draft after draft.
Some drafts feel like gold when you finish them. Then you take a short walk, cast your eye upon them one more time, and what you thought was gold turns into a turd.
Then that turd becomes fertiliser for a fresh draft. Next one feels better.
Some drafts feel like gold when you finish them. Then you take a short walk, cast your eye upon them one more time, and what you thought was gold turns into a turd.
Then that turd becomes fertiliser for a fresh draft. Next one feels better.
Off my latest, “On Raila Odinga: This will be… complex.” open.substack.com/pub/marcusol...
"He contained multitudes. And we, as a nation, projected our own multitudes onto him. Our hopes, fears, resentments, dreams... a screen onto which we projected the complex, fractured nature of our identity."
"He contained multitudes. And we, as a nation, projected our own multitudes onto him. Our hopes, fears, resentments, dreams... a screen onto which we projected the complex, fractured nature of our identity."
October 17, 2025 at 6:04 AM
Off my latest, “On Raila Odinga: This will be… complex.” open.substack.com/pub/marcusol...
"He contained multitudes. And we, as a nation, projected our own multitudes onto him. Our hopes, fears, resentments, dreams... a screen onto which we projected the complex, fractured nature of our identity."
"He contained multitudes. And we, as a nation, projected our own multitudes onto him. Our hopes, fears, resentments, dreams... a screen onto which we projected the complex, fractured nature of our identity."
Reposted by Marcus Olang'
I found this nuanced analysis by Marcus Olang' (@marcusolang.substack.com) helpful and insightful, on the complex, convoluted, painful and contradictory legacy of the late Raila Odinga in Kenya
open.substack.com/pub/marcusol...
open.substack.com/pub/marcusol...
October 16, 2025 at 5:58 AM
I found this nuanced analysis by Marcus Olang' (@marcusolang.substack.com) helpful and insightful, on the complex, convoluted, painful and contradictory legacy of the late Raila Odinga in Kenya
open.substack.com/pub/marcusol...
open.substack.com/pub/marcusol...
My new piece, “On Raila Odinga: This will be… complex.” Yet it still didn't leave me enough room to delve into the complexities as much as I had in mind. In a Part 2, perhaps.
Still, given life's nuances, I make what I believe is a fair attempt at balance.
marcusolang.substack.com/p/on-raila-o...
Still, given life's nuances, I make what I believe is a fair attempt at balance.
marcusolang.substack.com/p/on-raila-o...
October 16, 2025 at 9:27 AM
My new piece, “On Raila Odinga: This will be… complex.” Yet it still didn't leave me enough room to delve into the complexities as much as I had in mind. In a Part 2, perhaps.
Still, given life's nuances, I make what I believe is a fair attempt at balance.
marcusolang.substack.com/p/on-raila-o...
Still, given life's nuances, I make what I believe is a fair attempt at balance.
marcusolang.substack.com/p/on-raila-o...
“In his last seconds of public discourse, his instinct was not to engage, not to reflect, but to casually insinuate and divide...
No grand statement. No compelling closing argument. Just... deflection.
Seconds later, the sound of a pop. Screams. Chaos.”
marcusolang.substack.com/p/charlie-kirk
No grand statement. No compelling closing argument. Just... deflection.
Seconds later, the sound of a pop. Screams. Chaos.”
marcusolang.substack.com/p/charlie-kirk
Charlie Kirk said many things. So many things.
Let me tell you a story. It’s a story about a man. And the world he tried to build with his words.
marcusolang.substack.com
September 11, 2025 at 9:35 PM
“In his last seconds of public discourse, his instinct was not to engage, not to reflect, but to casually insinuate and divide...
No grand statement. No compelling closing argument. Just... deflection.
Seconds later, the sound of a pop. Screams. Chaos.”
marcusolang.substack.com/p/charlie-kirk
No grand statement. No compelling closing argument. Just... deflection.
Seconds later, the sound of a pop. Screams. Chaos.”
marcusolang.substack.com/p/charlie-kirk
Been nagging me what it is about the iPhone 17 Pro that feels so familiar yet so out of place. It just hit me: It reminds me of a suitcase.
September 11, 2025 at 4:53 PM
Been nagging me what it is about the iPhone 17 Pro that feels so familiar yet so out of place. It just hit me: It reminds me of a suitcase.
I watched the latest Apple Event. I had... thoughts.
marcusolang.substack.com/p/church-of-...
marcusolang.substack.com/p/church-of-...
September 9, 2025 at 11:12 PM
I watched the latest Apple Event. I had... thoughts.
marcusolang.substack.com/p/church-of-...
marcusolang.substack.com/p/church-of-...
I fell asleep editing this, phone in hand. Happy blood moon. May your beloveds find joy at the sound of your voice, and may your enemies shudder at the mention of your name.
September 8, 2025 at 4:41 PM
I fell asleep editing this, phone in hand. Happy blood moon. May your beloveds find joy at the sound of your voice, and may your enemies shudder at the mention of your name.
If you know the proprietors of this place along Kiambu Road, please tell them to fix that sign. Those two missing letters are very important for clarity and context.
Thanks for your attention to this matter.
Thanks for your attention to this matter.
July 22, 2025 at 8:40 PM
If you know the proprietors of this place along Kiambu Road, please tell them to fix that sign. Those two missing letters are very important for clarity and context.
Thanks for your attention to this matter.
Thanks for your attention to this matter.
"For the longest (deliberate Kenyanese is deliberate), I used language as outfits: English suit for the office, nice Swahili kanzu for my time in Diani, comfortable jeans & t-shirt of Sheng or Dholuo with family/friends, soupçon of French when feeling fancy…"
marcusolang.substack.com/p/it-started...
marcusolang.substack.com/p/it-started...
July 11, 2025 at 3:37 PM
"For the longest (deliberate Kenyanese is deliberate), I used language as outfits: English suit for the office, nice Swahili kanzu for my time in Diani, comfortable jeans & t-shirt of Sheng or Dholuo with family/friends, soupçon of French when feeling fancy…"
marcusolang.substack.com/p/it-started...
marcusolang.substack.com/p/it-started...
"And right there is the punchline to this long, historical joke... The machine, in its quest to sound authoritative, ended up sounding like a KCPE graduate who scored an 'A' in English Composition. It replicated the linguistic ghost of the British Empire."
marcusolang.substack.com/p/im-kenyan-...
marcusolang.substack.com/p/im-kenyan-...
July 9, 2025 at 10:07 AM
"And right there is the punchline to this long, historical joke... The machine, in its quest to sound authoritative, ended up sounding like a KCPE graduate who scored an 'A' in English Composition. It replicated the linguistic ghost of the British Empire."
marcusolang.substack.com/p/im-kenyan-...
marcusolang.substack.com/p/im-kenyan-...
"When you see our work, what are you really seeing? Are you seeing a robot's soulless prose? Or are you seeing the image of our Standard 8 English teacher, Mrs. Amollo, her voice reminding us to connect our paragraphs with a suitable linking phrase?"
open.substack.com/pub/marcusol...
open.substack.com/pub/marcusol...
July 8, 2025 at 8:02 PM
"When you see our work, what are you really seeing? Are you seeing a robot's soulless prose? Or are you seeing the image of our Standard 8 English teacher, Mrs. Amollo, her voice reminding us to connect our paragraphs with a suitable linking phrase?"
open.substack.com/pub/marcusol...
open.substack.com/pub/marcusol...
Nairobi, Kenya | July 2nd, 2025.
July 3, 2025 at 9:18 PM
Nairobi, Kenya | July 2nd, 2025.
Calvins Omondi Onditi. Found dead in his cell Sunday morning.
- arrested around midnight.
- taken to Kipasi Police Post 3 hours after his arrest.
- officers tell family he was transferred to Mbita.
- family start going to Mbita, then called back to Kipasi.
- "suicide".
nation.africa/kenya/counti...
- arrested around midnight.
- taken to Kipasi Police Post 3 hours after his arrest.
- officers tell family he was transferred to Mbita.
- family start going to Mbita, then called back to Kipasi.
- "suicide".
nation.africa/kenya/counti...
June 18, 2025 at 9:30 AM
Calvins Omondi Onditi. Found dead in his cell Sunday morning.
- arrested around midnight.
- taken to Kipasi Police Post 3 hours after his arrest.
- officers tell family he was transferred to Mbita.
- family start going to Mbita, then called back to Kipasi.
- "suicide".
nation.africa/kenya/counti...
- arrested around midnight.
- taken to Kipasi Police Post 3 hours after his arrest.
- officers tell family he was transferred to Mbita.
- family start going to Mbita, then called back to Kipasi.
- "suicide".
nation.africa/kenya/counti...
At a protest.
About the killing.
Of a Kenyan.
In the police custody.
A police officer.
Shot an unarmed man.
In the head.
And casually walked away.
An unarmed man.
Selling masks.
Minding his business.
Shot in the head.
Literally minding his business.
About the killing.
Of a Kenyan.
In the police custody.
A police officer.
Shot an unarmed man.
In the head.
And casually walked away.
An unarmed man.
Selling masks.
Minding his business.
Shot in the head.
Literally minding his business.
June 18, 2025 at 9:27 AM
At a protest.
About the killing.
Of a Kenyan.
In the police custody.
A police officer.
Shot an unarmed man.
In the head.
And casually walked away.
An unarmed man.
Selling masks.
Minding his business.
Shot in the head.
Literally minding his business.
About the killing.
Of a Kenyan.
In the police custody.
A police officer.
Shot an unarmed man.
In the head.
And casually walked away.
An unarmed man.
Selling masks.
Minding his business.
Shot in the head.
Literally minding his business.
What happens when you take some fresh sloppy cow dung, spray air freshener on it, and put it back on the ground?
That’s right: It’s still cow dung.
That’s right: It’s still cow dung.
June 3, 2025 at 8:15 PM
What happens when you take some fresh sloppy cow dung, spray air freshener on it, and put it back on the ground?
That’s right: It’s still cow dung.
That’s right: It’s still cow dung.
Earlier: The beauty goes beyond sun and sunshine.
June 3, 2025 at 10:33 AM
Earlier: The beauty goes beyond sun and sunshine.
Your MP/ MCA/ senator/ governor should be your paid activist. Your president should be your paid activist.
You're PAYING them. Their literal job is to act IN YOUR INTEREST.
But because they aren't doing the jobs they SWORE AN OATH to do, they have to be minded.
Tunaelewana?
You're PAYING them. Their literal job is to act IN YOUR INTEREST.
But because they aren't doing the jobs they SWORE AN OATH to do, they have to be minded.
Tunaelewana?
May 22, 2025 at 6:22 PM
Your MP/ MCA/ senator/ governor should be your paid activist. Your president should be your paid activist.
You're PAYING them. Their literal job is to act IN YOUR INTEREST.
But because they aren't doing the jobs they SWORE AN OATH to do, they have to be minded.
Tunaelewana?
You're PAYING them. Their literal job is to act IN YOUR INTEREST.
But because they aren't doing the jobs they SWORE AN OATH to do, they have to be minded.
Tunaelewana?
One of the things that stayed with me about this day was the genuine humanity amongst Kenyans.
I saw street vendors, of their own volition, offering up bottle of drinking water.
I saw street vendors, of their own volition, offering up bottle of drinking water.
April 28, 2025 at 9:11 PM
One of the things that stayed with me about this day was the genuine humanity amongst Kenyans.
I saw street vendors, of their own volition, offering up bottle of drinking water.
I saw street vendors, of their own volition, offering up bottle of drinking water.
I've been under a self-imposed expectation - an elective delusion - that whenever I share a picture, it must be accompanied by an elaborate essay with the backstory, or the thoughts it inspired.
No more.
Images shall henceforth be presented as the moment wills it. Starting now.
#SliceOfLife
No more.
Images shall henceforth be presented as the moment wills it. Starting now.
#SliceOfLife
April 27, 2025 at 7:50 PM
I've been under a self-imposed expectation - an elective delusion - that whenever I share a picture, it must be accompanied by an elaborate essay with the backstory, or the thoughts it inspired.
No more.
Images shall henceforth be presented as the moment wills it. Starting now.
#SliceOfLife
No more.
Images shall henceforth be presented as the moment wills it. Starting now.
#SliceOfLife
I have a deep love for stories. Always have. I credit my childhood and upbringing for that.
So imagine what it feels like to have such a core part of who you are incapacitated at its very root.
marcusolang.substack.com/p/my-brain-i...
So imagine what it feels like to have such a core part of who you are incapacitated at its very root.
marcusolang.substack.com/p/my-brain-i...
My brain is broken.
I've been trying to jumpstart my brain for 2 years. It’s not working.
marcusolang.substack.com
March 7, 2025 at 11:02 AM
I have a deep love for stories. Always have. I credit my childhood and upbringing for that.
So imagine what it feels like to have such a core part of who you are incapacitated at its very root.
marcusolang.substack.com/p/my-brain-i...
So imagine what it feels like to have such a core part of who you are incapacitated at its very root.
marcusolang.substack.com/p/my-brain-i...
Reposted by Marcus Olang'
Uncontacted by “who?” i am sure they contact each other. Y’all need to leave them alone!
Exclusive: photographs reveal first glimpse of uncontacted Amazon community
Exclusive: photographs reveal first glimpse of uncontacted Amazon community
Automatic cameras in the Brazilian rainforest show images of the Massaco people, who are flourishing despite environmental threats
* Read more on this story: New images show Brazil’s uncontacted people are thriving – but with success comes a new threat…
www.theguardian.com
December 22, 2024 at 7:18 AM
Uncontacted by “who?” i am sure they contact each other. Y’all need to leave them alone!
Following today's #EndFemicideKE, seeing the violence shamefully meted out, we'll start to see paid actors ramping up divisive narratives around 3 specific themes:
1. "What about boychild" / "femicide is a myth".
2. Tribe. (Distraction)
3. "Funding".
Their angles stay predictable.
1. "What about boychild" / "femicide is a myth".
2. Tribe. (Distraction)
3. "Funding".
Their angles stay predictable.
December 10, 2024 at 3:09 PM
Following today's #EndFemicideKE, seeing the violence shamefully meted out, we'll start to see paid actors ramping up divisive narratives around 3 specific themes:
1. "What about boychild" / "femicide is a myth".
2. Tribe. (Distraction)
3. "Funding".
Their angles stay predictable.
1. "What about boychild" / "femicide is a myth".
2. Tribe. (Distraction)
3. "Funding".
Their angles stay predictable.
Kenyan women are the absolute greatest.
December 10, 2024 at 12:00 PM
Kenyan women are the absolute greatest.