Friday, February 19, 2010

My Country, My Frustration...


-This note is for the youth, but I have to warn you, it's a little bit harsh, so if you get offended as you read it, feel free to stop and go play with your dolls or something...

-Now that I have some fraction of your attention, can I add one more thing: please don't lose interest just because you realize this is a writing concerning Kenya or politics. Try finding a better reason to do so. Oh, and let me make this clear: I AM NO POLITICIAN. I am a Kenyan...

So, shall we?...



I believe there's a Kenya beyond 2012. Everyone's focused on 2012 like it's some titanium wall that has no way around. I mean, PEOPLE! THERE IS A KENYA AFTER 2012!!! What should be in question is, what kind of Kenya will we have? That lies entirely in our hands... especially the youth. Yup... I said it. Honestly speaking, during the P.E.V. (Post Election Violence), I didn't hear of any old man with a walking cane taking to the streets to throw stones and kill each other...

If I as a young person in this country say, "I don't want to speak about it... It's none of my business..." what do I mean? Who will talk about it? Who's business is it? We need to speak... with an effort to find a solution!


In relation to our country, let me try and explain the importance of dialogue...


Part of the four agendas brought out by the reconciliatory team was to come up with institutional reforms, and also to focus on healing, reconciliation and dialogue... What we now have is the creation of ineffective institutions that do not address the issue of healing, which our country is in dire need of. We cannot afford to go back to the polls with politics in our minds. We need to sensitize Kenyans that, even though we have leaders (who do not live up to their titles), we need to understand that we do not go back home to politics, we go back to relationships. Relationships were broken in 2007, trust amongst us was broken. Who will fix it? Not the politicians!!! (that's no rocket science). Out of all this, please try and at least understand this fact: The fraudulent results did not cause the hate & spite we saw during the P.E.V., it simply revealed it. That proves beyond a shadow of a doubt, that politics has no solution to our deep seated issues that we've forever been sweeping under the carpet. 

So you see? If we want to avoid what happened in 20007/2008, we can't bank our trust on these power-hungry maniacs who have nothing better to live for than watch the country burn as their kids school in foreign countries. If Kenya burns, they have an alternative. What of that person who cannot afford a bus ticket to whichever neighboring country?

Rwanda's a perfect example. They had to go through a full genocide to realize the importance of dialogue. Most of Rwanda has already gone through healing. YOUTH, open your mouth, speak!!! Don't politicize it, don't think of it as some complex task. Try to find an opportunity, there  are forums  for this. Make it practical; for example, stop stereotyping tribal groups, no matter how light the joke is.


What? You broke your nail? You don't have cash to blow for the weekend? Grow down for once! Prioritize your existence. You are a KENYAN! DEAL WITH IT! (figuratively speaking). "Well, what can I do?" The Kenyan youth of this generation are a blessed bunch, blessed with creative minds. Think...

There are young people making a difference. You know why? Because they know they'll have kids in the future, who wouldn't want to wake up in the morning to the smell of fresh (or rotting) carcasses in the streets of Kenya. If there's nothing you can do, then don't complain about politicians. As much as you have a right, you have a responsibility as a citizen of this country. What kind of Kenya will we leave behind for them? Our older generation has failed. Will you be a part of this monotonous ritual of failure or will you make that change you think is so small? It's better  than nothing...