I had no idea that there was a Kenyan edition of Cosmopolitan Magazine until I came across this photo of Ajuma Nasenyana on the cover.Apparently, it launched in 2005 but I couldn't really find much else on the web about it. I'm not even sure if it is still being published.
It's the second African edition of Cosmo (behind South Africa) and the magazines have many similarities. First of all, they share content, but there are an additional 30 pages of local content added to the Kenyan edition. Kenyan Cosmo also has a unique cover and chooses models for the editorial images which makes the Kenyan section "blacker" than the rest of the magazine. Lastly, the frank sexual discussion which made Cosmo famous in the US and other parts of the world are toned down quite a bit to bring it in line with local social mores. According to The Guardian, this is the target audience:
She is proud of being African, though she prefers to wear her hair straight. She is just as interested in having a career as a western woman, though perhaps more coy about sex.
I can't remember the last time I picked up an issue of American Cosmo. When I was younger it was always front and center in the supermarket right next to People Magazine by the cashier. Back then, reading it held a vouyeristic appeal. I may have been stuck in Tacoma with a bus pass that only worked on weekdays before 6 pm but they gave me a glimpse into what life was life for real women - women who traveled a lot, dated all kinds of men, had an unusual amount of sex and dressed like extras from Dynasty. I imagined that all the ridiculous monthly quizzes were what these worldy women did to pass the time on their flights to exotic locations. I had a really active imagination back then.
I'm not sure why no one ever imports these magazines for US consumption. I can only really speak for myself but I'd be very interested in reading African lifestyle magazines. I'm also continually peeved that networks like BET or TVOne haven't bought the rights to the Nigerian versions of Big Brother or America's Next Top Model. It would be a hell of an improvement over what they are airing now.