To Canaan? How phrase triggered online craze

Anto NeoSoul, the brain behind the Canaan quiz [Photo: Courtesy]

Are you going to Canaan?

This is probably one of the most asked question this week – at least online.

The phrase became a sensation when it was first shared through a Facebook test quiz on Tuesday night.

In three days, it had nearly 500,000 shares with most users enjoying the hilarious and ridiculous answers they got when they took the test.

The man behind it is local artiste Anthony Mwangi, popularly known as Anto Neosoul. He says when he came up with the test, he never imagined it would pick up and break the Internet.

“I had insomnia so I went online and saw tests that had been done by different people globally. I decided to do one about going to Canaan,” he says.

He created a quiz, provided tongue-in-cheek answers, shared it on his page and went to bed.

When he woke up, he was overwhelmed by the many notifications beeping on his phone.

A little laughter

“I had forgotten about the quiz, and for a moment thought something was wrong,” he says.

The messages were from users amused by the ingenuity and creativity he had put on the quiz. Others were congratulating him for injecting comic relief in an otherwise serious campaign period marked with tension and suspicion.

(Photo courtesy of Facebook)

“The test was being taken by people across the political divide. It became a uniting factor; the thing that made them laugh,” he says.

The test which is available for Facebook users ‘predicts’ their ‘eligibility’ of getting into ‘the promised’ land and gives funny answers upon completion.

Some of the answers include: Canaan is not your portion, The land of milk and honey is just six days away, Where is Joshua, get Joshua first, can you go visit your relatives first, among other outrageous and hilarious answers.

The narrative on moving to Canaan has a biblical background, but was made popular when the National Super Alliance (NASA) picked Raila Odinga as the flag bearer.

In his speech, Raila said if elected president, he will be the ‘Joshua’ who will liberate Kenyans from ‘Egypt to Canaan’. That statement immediately took a life of its own, and became a moniker Raila has carried since then.

Since Anto Neosol posted his question, many people on Facebook have come up with quiz questions such as: Is there space for me in Canaan? What Job will I be doing in Canaan? What name will Joshua give you in Canaan? The questions provide equally hilarious answers like: the husband of your dream is waiting for you in Canaan, be prepared, You will be a farmer, a good cook, a provider to all Canaanites, forget the office mentality. There have also been memes about moving to Canaan, and counter reactions teasing those who post about the move.

“It is all in good faith. For laughter and a little silliness. Kenyans are known for finding humour in all circumstances,” says Anto.