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There is construction all over this fair city of Nairobi. It had been a while since I had been to Westlands and when I turned down on Chiromo Road into its heart, I was not sure where I had landed. There was always a run down lot next to the coral–coloured Villa Rosa Kempinski hotel since I returned to settle in Nairobi in 2009. However, that lot was not always run down.
When I first encountered that space during my very first trip to Kenya in the late 70s, it was a happening spot where people mingled and danced at the Club 1900. I first came to Kenya as an Operation Crossroads volunteer, building Kathiani Secondary School brick by brick in Machakos County. When we laid our shovels down and took a break, we eagerly headed to Nairobi.
Nairobi still feels the same way and in many respects, looks the same way. The major difference is me in my mature years verses me in my youth. I no longer take public transport like I did then. I no longer walk fearlessly around CBD or hit up an Indian movie at Globe Cinema and hang out at Club 1900. I remember walking downstairs to a dark area where we were all coloured in the warm glow of neon lights.
I have never been a drinker, even in those settings where getting ‘pissed’ was acceptable. I would sit at the bar amazed that they sold Cadbury candy bars. I did not have access to Cadbury brands growing up in the US. They were not present in my neighborhood candy store and my childhood cavities were facilitated by the copious amounts of M&Ms, Hershey Chocolates, Swizzlers and Mars Bars etc.
I first tasted Cadbury Fruit and Nuts when I came to Kenya. So, I was confused, yet delighted when I saw them on sale parked near the liquor display. My quirky youth was showing as men who wanted to talk to me, would offer me a drink and I would ask them to buy me a chocolate bar instead. I knew it would be infinitely more enjoyable to me than a beer or wine.
Club 1900 is no longer there. Its plot is no doubt being transformed into some sort of building in the sky. But my fond memories of the plot that housed Club 1900, will never be transformed.
