What’s Good LIVE produces Sheng Talk videos, which largely consist of two interviewers speaking in Sheng with Nairobi youth about upcoming trends in fashion, transportation, music, the language Sheng itself, and even topics related to political corruption in Kenya. While some videos focus on elements of popular culture and the conversations are in Sheng, others directly address new terms that have been added to Sheng, keeping viewers up to date with the language. In the first video, teenagers in Kibera, the largest slum in Kenya, are interviewed. In the second video, the setting is on matatus, or buses, and bus stations. I am currently searching for translated versions of the Sheng Talks videos so I can better understand the conversations rather than simply relying on context clues. I hope to incorporate the concept of Sheng Talks and their discussions with Nairobi youth on Sheng to see how this language evolves and is used amongst these teenagers.
Hannah Markey