More about Kenya

The Christian Science Monitor has an excellent article, "How Kenya came undone." It is a two part article, but I think it does an excellent job helping us understand the economic causes for this situation.

One of the things that I've been saying to my close friends in the last few years is that terrorism is fueled by a lack of hope. People whose needs are being met, who feel safe, who feel optimistic about the future don't choose to blow themselves up to kill other people. People who are desperate, who feel that their situation will never change are easily targeted by terrorists for suicide missions. It is one reason I am praying that solutions can be found for the Palestinians, that they can finally have land to call their own. I think a Palestinian homeland would reduce a lot of the stresses and produce hope for its young people - hope for a better future.

One of the things that concerned me on my Africa trip was the difference in economic situation between the visitors to the safari lodges and the local people. Our visit was short, so there was no way for me to know how much of the tourist dollars we spent made it back down to the local village people. Surely some of it did - the villagers grow vegetables and they have family members who work at the safari lodges as cooks, laundry workers, maids, guides, guards (wild animals in the night) and bar tenders, etc. Cape Town was a prosperous area, but we saw signs that security was high. Things like jagged glass on top of brick and stone fences. And I saw either a market place or a shanty town as we drove to the airport that was a sharp contrast to the more prosperous dwellings elsewhere. But I don't know exactly what it was that I saw. We heard reports about the problems and lawlessness in Johannesburg cause in part by all the refuges from Zimbabwe.

But there is something else that concerns me in the news from Kenya. This sudden tribal warfare among people who had been living peacefully together is an echo from other places - Croatia, Rwanda, Germany. I've seen some other reports from Kenya that some of this violence may have been "planned" even before the election results. Sometimes it only takes a few people with evil hearts to stir up hatred, grudges, and a sense of injustice. When this happens, it can be like lighting a powderkeg.

I don't know how unfair the situation was for the Luos in Kenya, but I suspect that it only took a few people, maybe even just one, to foster a sense of anger and rage at perceived or real problems. But . . . once you unleash this force of human rage, it takes on a life of its own. And once people start to be killed, the anger, rage, sorrow, the need for revenge increases the fuel exponentially for these horrible tales of human atrocity.

We live in the United States, historically a very prosperous place. Now, more than ever, we have many groups of people from all over the world who have come to live here to take advantage of the opportunities. But nowhere on earth are things "perfect." There can be a sense of the "haves" and "have nots." The more that the American dream of starting with nothing and working your way up to a prosperous life can remain true, the safer our society will be. But politicians and other leaders need to be very careful. We have issues that divide us - real issues. We must be very careful in how we think and speak about the people that are from other cultures or ethnic groups around us. When we start thinking and believing that our lives are worse because of "them," that we don't have a job because of "them", we lost our job because of "them," resentment can grow in our hearts.

There is too much history over the last 100 years of what horrible things can happen when we start down the road of bitterness and resentment. We need to be encouraging people to get educated, to keep opportunities open for all people, and to foster unity among the diverse cultures -unity as Americans. This does not mean forsaking our native culture rather it means we need to appreciate the other cultures around us, but also to have our identity strongly linked with being American. Even with today's problems, we have a prosperous nation. We don't always realize this, but most of our poorest Americans have access to resources that the poor in other parts of the world don't. We need to continue our efforts to help people better their situations.

I would hate for America to have to face wide spread violence targeting either minorities or the wealthy. We think right now that what happened in Kenya could not happen here. And I hope not. But, I've read and heard too many stories from other parts of the world, where they thought it could not happen and it did.

Prayer thoughts for Kenya - Father, please let the leading politicians of both sides in Kenya and the mediators find a workable political solution. Please heal the hearts of the people who have lost loved ones to such horrible violent crimes. Help them find a way to forgive. Please bring peace and prosperity back to Kenya.

More Kenya

From the Kansas City Star

From the Toronto Star

The Toronto Star finally discusses something i suspected:
"Muchayo is of the Luhya tribe, a smaller grouping with a different dialect but close enough to Luo to be seen as partisan.

Like so many others in Kibera, she put her electoral stock in the notion that Odinga's opposition represented long-awaited emancipation for the slum-dwellers. Not for tribal reasons, but simply because she believes a future Odinga government represents the best chance for the poor to finally win a share of Kenya's economic successes."

Another article I read talked about tourists staying at a $400 a night room standing on their balconies watching until the tear gas drifted up . . .

I had seen the photo of the woman being robbed in a photo blog I found . . .

For some reason, I think what is happening in Kenya right now is important. I grieve because even if the worst of the violence has ended (unknown at this point), the scars from what has already happened are going to go deep and are likely to last a long time.

So many of the blogs end with these words: Pray for Kenya!

I hope and pray that God will intervene here . . . touch the hearts of people who can truly make a difference. I also hope and pray that resources will be found to bring the humanitarian aide that is desperately need - to bring food, water, and supplies to the 250,000 people who have been displaced.

Kenya blogs

I have to confess that the situation in Kenya prays on my mind. For one thing, we've been to Africa this year . . . it gives me an interest and some understanding that I did not have before. For another members of our church here in Austin were in Kenya visiting family when this broke out. I knew people who were in harm's way . . . Thank the Lord they are all back home in Austin safely!

So I find myself searching the web to get enough information to really understand what is going on.

Here are some interesting things I found today.

From a missionary's point of view:

Pure Christianity

four kenny's

S I M P L I C I T Y

More blogs from various bloggers:

This blog lists a number of blogs that can be read to see what people who live in Kenya are saying. White African.com

This blog talks about how the internet, cell phones, and blogging are helping to spread the news in ways not possible before. It also gives some links worth chasing to gain further understanding: I&D blog - Harvard

P.S. One more African Path

Kenya - more information

I'm googling news about Kenya - It is amazing how as you read the various news reports you learn a little more about why this has happened.

These two political leaders had once worked together - been friends. But the trust is gone . . . and both sides are digging in. Unlike in 2000 in the United States, where life went on normally while the election results were debated - many people in Kenya are not able to work, have been displaced from their homes, may not have access to food, and neighboring countries' daily lives are being disrupted as well.

Too much human tragedy . . .


From CBS News

From the New York Times

Kenya - Humanity's Dark Side Part 1

A week or so ago, I had seen a photo contest where the grand prize was a 14 day safari in Kenya. Now whether I have a good chance at that grand prize is anyone's guess. But I had heard good things about Kenya - and most of the photographic safaris I had researched seemed to go to Kenya. I had also heard it was a "safe" place to visit. I was looking forward to entering it and at least living with the hope for a month or so that maybe . . . just maybe . . . one of my photos could win that prize. I had even sneaked a look at the South African Airfare (since airfare was NOT part of the prize.)

And then . . . from seemingly out of the blue . . . an election . . . violence, rioting, talk of genocide, and the horrible story of the church where people were intentionally burned to death - women and children.

There is something about Africa that touches your heart when you visit it. Since this crisis has hit Kenya, I find myself reading the news articles every day - wanting this to be a short term aberation - rather than a long term, escalating civil war.

I've tried to reason out why this particular election and this particular set of charges of rigged voting was such a powder keg. What were the underlying politics that a casual tourist might not see? Under the surface, was it issues over how the tourist dollars trickle down to the average person? Were economic issues part of the issues? Since this seems to have fractured between tribes - what past grievances that have been simmering in the background are now boiling over?

So, while I had other things with higher priority - I have been reading the headlines, hoping to understand, and hoping that a peace process would work.

A somewhat similar time in American history also kept coming to my mind - the Watts riot in Los Angeles. I was a teenager at the time, so I had to look it up via the internet. According to Wikipedia, the Watts riot happened in 1965 and started with a traffic stop over alleged drunk driving. Things escalated at the scene of the stop and the riot lasted 6 days. Thirty four people died, 1072 people were injured, 4,000 people were arrested, and 1000 buildings were damaged or destroyed. This was not the first or last of the riots in America at that time. Rochester, Philadelphia and New York had had riots the year before. San Francisco, Cleveland, Detroit, Newark, Baltimore, New York and Chicago also had rioting during this time period. Unemployment, inferior housing, and poor schools were identified as some of the root causes of the Watts riot. But it was also a time in which black Americans were working toward civil rights. And, thankfully, since that time, African Americans have many many more opportunities than during that tumultuous time period.

Americans have also weathered an election crisis back in 1998 when Gore refused to concede until the votes in Florida had been recounted. The final determination as to who would be the next president was not resolved until December 13th. But America had a rule of law that prevailed, people remained calm, business pretty much went on as usual, but the stock market fell because of the uncertainty.

So . . . what happened in Kenya? Why now? Why this election?

Tonight I found at least a glimpse of an answer. The Seatle Times had an excellent article that went into more detail about the history of the President Mwai Kibaki's Kikuyu tribe and the issues.

Kenya has 42 tribes living in an area about twice the size of Nevada. Some are larger and more powerful than others. These are people who have lived generations on the same land and sometimes intermarried. I can't help but wonder how many languages exist between these tribes. But things had been peaceful. According to Geography.About.com, elections in 1992 and 1997 had both violence and fraud but were seen to be an honest view of the will of the people. This December's election had one of the highest turnouts in Kenyan history. People were optimistic, but when the election irregularities and the immediate swearing in of President Kibaki occurred, people felt very betrayed.

Read the article from the Seattle times . . . . The other news stories that I googled tonight keep me concerned. Naturally the government of Kenya would like to work this out by and for Kenyans. And an opposition rally has faltered, the people are tired. Reports are that 250,000 have been displaced. Food supplies have been disrupted. What happens in Kenya also affects trucking of oil and food to the interior countries of Africa. I hope and pray that these Kenyan leaders (and the diplomats that are trying to help) can find a way to work out this situation quickly and restore the confidence in the Kenyan government. And I hope and pray that people will rally together to rebuild what has been destroyed.