Nairobi, We Have A Deal
Everybody in my parts is wishing everybody a Happy New Year.
So, Happy New Year.
Today is when 2008 begins for us.
I read from Oyunga Pala that Dr Frank Njenga, probably Kenya's most reknown pyschiatrist, had listed 'not being able to stop talking about politics' as one of the symptoms of post-election trauma in Kenya.
Well, then, Traumatised Are Us.
But now, we have a deal. Sigh.
The journey to healing can begin.
There's much to be done to resettle the displaced, to disarm militia, to rediscover or invent nationhood. Building what we've destroyed will be a long and arduous task.
I worry that we have at the helm leaders who are not up to the task. But, they're all the leaders we have for now so they'll have to do. And they deserve some credit, at least, for getting us to this place of compromise, even though it should have happened much sooner.
I worry also, about loosing the momentum. I do hope we're not deluded enough to imagine that we can now just go back to 'business as usual.' And I pray that we have the courage to resolve the issues that have boiled viciously onto the surface these past couple of months.
I don't want to ever come back to this place again, so I'm willing to spend a little more time here, this time around, poking and probing, trying to get to the bottom of the matter.
Someone reminded me the other day about a prophecy that did its rounds in the Christian circles in Kenya in the late nineties: that Kenya was destined to be a great nation in the 21st Century; that we would be amazed by where we would go and who we would be.
Everything that happened these past two months seemed to fly in the face of this prophecy. But perhaps it was about the seed dying so that an oak could grow out of it.
I'm with June Jordan, Alice Walker and Barack Obama:
We Are The Ones We Have Been Waiting For.
And, our time has come. Time not to celebrate, but to roll up our sleeves and get to work.
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The task ahead is huge, gigantic there are 35+ million traumatized people to be cared for, 500,000 displaced to be placed somewhere and international image to be rebuilt... the list is long.
But am hopeful that by the grace of the Almighty one we shall get through this much better.
That we will try to really get to know people from the "other" sides what makes them tick and we will rebuild the broken trust and hold hands once again.
Godspeed Kenyans!
If constantly talking about politics is a sign of trauma, what for a sign is constantly blogging about it?
I hope that this deal lasts for a while, so everyone can get some rest, people can finally plant maiz and the "displaced persons" (a way to harmless word for what it discribes) will get the chance to return if possible and will get help with a new start.
But I think that the little trust people had in the politicians is really gone. And I agree that it is important that the momentum does not get lost. People have to get organized, we need a strong civil society, we need new parties with agendas instead of politicians.
Looking at all the horrible things that happened, we have to look for perspectives for a better future.
Thank you for charing your thoughts, great blog!
Only one outlook when the only way to go is up..... God Speed
i think we can celebrate. But yeah, the agreement may have been the easiest thing yet.I remember that prophesy, one of my teachers in high-school really tangazad it at assemblies. Like you, I hope that Kenya will be great because we learned from the valuable lessons given during this time.Here we go...
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