Tuesday, January 22, 2008

There is Hope

As we begin the third week of 2008, the situation in Kenya remains unstable and the future is unforeseeable. The death toll continues to rise, and new areas of conflict are igniting around the country. The international community reverberates with calls for a political resolution as the political leaders here in Kenya stand firm in their positions, each mouthing that they are ready to talk. But far from the circles of power, in the local communities, it is the common citizen that is suffering.

Theories and commentaries abound. The most comprehensive sounds like this from Kariithi A. Ngeera, “Hidden under the thin veil [of a political feud] is an explosive concoction of land grievances, economic inequalities, raw hunger for power, political thuggery, historical ethnic suspicions and hatred, and interference by foreign powers.” (as quoted in the Daily Nation by the Watchman in his daily column “The Cutting Edge”)
One wonders where to begin to unravel the roots of this conflict, and yet one must be humble and courageous enough to begin with the situation as it is presented at hand.

The peace team began our response by volunteering at our local parish, Our Lady of Guadalupe, to accompany the trauma survivors. This parish is one of the largest in Nairobi. Seventy percent of the parishioners are urban poor that reside in the largest marginalized community called Kibera. This was disturbingly noticeable on the two Sundays following the December 27th poll, when the church was nearly empty during liturgies. From Epiphany Sunday, Jan 6th, the parish team called for volunteers and organized a response to the situation.

The police have barricaded Kibera, restricting access in and out of the area, and violence continues to erupt within. Twenty six social agents from the parish have been going into the neighborhood three times a week to visit those people effected by the violence, to assess the situation, and to give assistance where needed. To date they have registered nearly 600 families in need, and expect that number to reach 1,000 before the crisis is over. These people have lost loved ones, homes, belongings, or their small businesses. Toi Market, an outdoor retail market where many set up small shops to sell vegetables, fruit, used clothing, or small merchandise, was destroyed during the first week of violence. Many single mothers lost their small income business when this happened and are now left with nothing to support their children.

The emotional suffering and trauma are still secondary to getting basic needs met. People cannot address their emotional well being until their children are fed and they have a place to safely sleep. So our role now is to support those social agents who are encountering the survivors. As caregivers, they need to protect themselves as well from taking on the trauma they see or hear in others.

There are good stories that need to be lifted up as well. We visited a friend this past weekend, who lives in yet another marginalized neighborhood. She and her surrounding neighbors, mostly family, are of one tribe. Yet there are a few among them from the “other” tribe. A band of armed youth came one night looking for members of the “other” tribe, but the neighbors all protected one another, telling the youth to go. This has happened in many parts of the country, but the telling of it is rare. Some people have learned to live beyond the tribal divisions. There is hope and there is strength, and those are the people who will save their country.

The civil society as well is to be commended. They have organized themselves in many facets, and joined to call for peace and for justice. Citizens for Peace called for dialogue and mediation within days of Mwai Kibaki’s swearing in as president. The media organizations came together immediately with the plea “Save Our Beloved Country,” and have been printing and broadcasting messages of peace and calm since that day. The performance artists have banded together and organized relief campaigns and services. Even in the streets, the citizens and residents have responded by reaching out to help one another, yielding to another, smiling, each wanting to be that peace the country is missing.

We don’t see an end to the crisis in the near future. Each day we hope for good news, and for a shift in the political leaders’ positions. We will do our part as we can to work for justice and peace. And we ask that you continue to support us in our effort. Thanks for your prayers, support, and messages of encouragement.

Tuesday, January 08, 2008

Reflections on our contributions to ethnic diversity

One evening, reflecting on the violence which has happened in the country following the disputed presidential general election, three of us, Giang, Teresa and I (Sia), sat together and had an informal conversation. Early that afternoon I had listened to a friend of ours speak live on Radio “Waumini”, a Catholic radio station here in Kenya (Waumini is the swahili word for believers) addressing the topic of Reconciliation and Healing of the nation. He said that “the conflict in Kenya is like a gas canister which has been left on for such a long time and it was waiting for just a spark to light it.” Reflecting on this statement in the light of the violence which broke out in the country after the announcement of the election results, we see clearly that the election in this situation acts as that spark. There must be some historical underlying issues for this conflict to exist. One of the issues we have seen and heard since we arrived here in August 2006 is the ethnic identity. As in other parts of Africa, there is a strong tribal identity in Kenya. This goes back even before the colonial era. The colonialists stressed tribal differences as a tactic of divide and rule. Some ethnic groups feel other groups are more favored than themselves in terms of social, political and economic opportunities. One example is the issue of land and settlements. Until last year, Kenya didn’t have a proper law regarding ownership of land. This has brought a lot of disputes and confusion in some parts of the country in terms of who has the title deed to this land and who has lived in this land for a long time. People have been living with this tension since they gained independence 44 years ago. Some of our Kenyan friends have acknowledged that there is tribalism here in Kenya. Others have denied that and said people live together peacefully as brothers and sisters, but that the politicians are the ones who fuel the tribalism for their own interests. The politicians take advantage of the ethnic difference to manipulate people of their own ethnic groups to vote for them. This has shown clearly in this past general election.

As outsiders, we listen to what our friends are telling us in terms of their social situations, but it is confusing when what we hear is different from what we see or experience. We have seen clearly that tribalism is present here and just underneath the surface. For instance, Burnt Forest is a town where there have been historical clashes between different tribes. News reports of current violence showed dead bodies and abandoned crops where others have moved in to harvest these fields. The people who have been chased out are Kikuyu people (the same tribe as Mwai Kibaki, the incumbent president). We passed by this town last year and heard about the history of this town from the parish priest. We have talked about coming back to work here where tribal differences have been a main factor in violent outbreaks.

When we started our work and community, we intentionally chose to live with diversity. We are now four women from four different tribes/countries, races. How are we called to be in this situation? How can our lives be shared in this situation? What can we learn from this situation so that we can be more committed to nonviolence of any kind, to value diversity, to share power among ourselves, to lift up one another’s gifts? We continue to work to do this within our small community of four people, four different tribes and races. We need to work on this aspect of our life more intentionally for ourselves and for our world. Maybe the lessons we learn from inside our home will be somehow used to help in situations such as this.

In light of our conversation, we felt we can offer our learnings to the Kenyan people in terms of living with diversity. The four of us from four different nationalities living and working together is a witness that it is possible to live together in peace in spite of our differences. We are beginning a new project, convening conversations for social change. We will reorganize our thoughts on the project to focus on ethnic identity, with a group of Kenyans from different ethnic groups. The idea is to provide a space where they can start talking about their feelings and experiences around the issue of ethnicity. Hopeful this will help deepening the understanding of the beliefs, norms and values of each group. At the end of the day they may see their differences clearly as well as their commonalities and they may choose how to live with diversity in harmony.

Saturday, January 05, 2008

We've seen a different Nairobi

Smoke blackened horizon, gun shots reverberating in the air and people running down the street in front of our home followed by riot police moving in formation were some of our experiences these past few days in Nairobi. In between these tense times are some surreal days of rushing out to buy food and other daily supplies. We were very fortunate that a car was donated to us last August since public transportation has been very limited in the city. We have fared quite well in contrast to most people of Nairobi who live in blockaded settlements, many have to rely on humanitarian aid. The number of internally displaced people has risen up over 100,000 as of January 4th.

The current situation is in sad contrast to the Nairobi we have seen prior to the election. We are used to the busyness of a city that is like many other major metropolitan cities around the world. Prior to the election, the atmosphere was charged with anticipation mixed with anxiety about the election. Friends and people we met on the street had a cautious yet hopeful approach to a violence-free election. Over dinner one night before the election, I asked a close friend and peace activist about the possibility of election violence. We were told with quiet conviction that Kenya has matured beyond those early years of a fledgling democratic country… that the violence of 80s and early 90s were unlikely to be repeated in Kenya. This seemed to be the cautious expectation of many others. No one we spoke to had any undue fear of excessive election violence breaking out in Kenya.

Perhaps this is why the events of the past few days have been so alarming and so sad. We were praying along with Kenyans for a peaceful election, but also that Kenya will lead the way in Africa for a successful democracy – where the people can truly determine their future through their active participation, their votes. Indeed the day of the election itself was applauded by most observers as an orderly and successful voting day. People turned up at the polling station at 3 AM in the morning to make sure they get to vote for their candidate. What happened?! The struggle for power by those in power continues to create havoc for the ordinary citizens and for the cause of democracy.

The freedom of movement that the people of Nairobi experienced before is now curtailed. People move cautiously out from their homes with ears and eyes in full alert for breaking news that would signal the need to quickly get back home. Today, I had a horrible toothache so we decided to go to see my dentist. I called ahead of time and was relieved when the office was opened. When I got there, the dentists in the office were gathered around a computer looking for the latest word on whether a political rally would happen or not. This is our reality – weighing the risk of going out with what needs to be done in our daily life.

In the midst of all this ambiguity, we still try to celebrate the arrival of Anastasia Lee, our newest team and community member. Needless to say our plans to welcome Anastasia to the sights and taste of Nairobi has been greatly curtailed. She will be going to language school soon. We hope by the time Anastasia comes back from language school in Tanzania we will be able to show her a lot more of Nairobi.

Thursday, January 03, 2008

Pray for Peace in Kenya

As we, the Maryknoll Sisters Peacebuilding Team, sit safely in our fourth floor apartment in Nairobi, Kenya rises to another day of yet unknown events. This is Thursday, Jan 3, Raila Odinga has called for millions to gather at Uhuru Park, to protest the claiming of victory by Mwai Kabaki in the Dec 27th presidential election. In the past week, over 300 people have died in the aftermath of election voting, disputed tallying, announcements, and the swearing in of the acclaimed winner.

Kisumu, the third largest city in Kenya, on the shores of Lake Victoria, has been in chaos since Mwai Kibaki was announced as the victor on Sunday. For five days, mobs have run amok, protesting, looting businesses, burning shops and homes, and the police have responded forcefully with bullets. The result is over 100 people dead, countless displaced, and a city, once thriving, now without water, food supplies, and fuel. When peace comes, they will have a long road of healing, rebuilding, and reconciliation ahead of them.

In Eldoret, over 50 people have died, some burned in a church where they had sought refuge. Again thousands are displaced by the violence and the burning of homes.

Here in Nairobi, the slums of Kibera, Mathare, Kawangare, and others, have been ravaged with fires set ablaze with the swearing in of Kibaki Sunday evening. We watched from our windows as smoke billowed into the sky from nearby Kibera. Monday afternoon, riot police pushed people back towards the slums, “shooting at people who were running away from people running away from the mob” where many had converged on a local grocery store, seeking food and supplies, as heard from a witness who had ventured out for a loaf of bread. Nearly 100 people have been killed in these neighborhoods.

Many Kenyans, Africans and other world citizens thought the days of election violence were in the past for this booming economy and stabilized nation. Corruption is what the people were speaking out against, and clearly voting against, as they voted out most of the cabinet members of Kibaki’s past government. There was fear of retaliation, fear of unrest, but no one could know how this would play out. December 27th was a day for the Kenyan to be proud, a peaceful, free voting day, marked with only a few incidents of violence and poll rigging. There are so many things that point to a fraudulent tallying process, an incumbent government using its power to claim victory although the results were not clear, then rushing the swearing in to make it legitimate.

We have been here in Kenya for over a year now, meeting with and working with many of the peacemakers seeking a better future for their country. We have heard and come face to face with the tribalism that lies just beneath the skin of many Kenyans. It is a sense of identity that defies the logic of doctorates, international business relations, and even desires for peacebuilding and reconciliation. But still we sense the effort to move beyond that entrenchment, seeking more unity.

Our hearts go out to our friends in Kisumu with whom we have worked with in the past year, a group of novices and postulants with their formators from five religious communities. They are safe, yet witnessing and absorbing the violence of the area, with deep concern for family members in other parts of Kenya. We were scheduled to be with them next week for a workshop on conflict analyses and intervention. If and when we are able to go, our work will be about healing and reconciliation.

With Nobel Laureate Desmond Tutu in town, we wait to see what the afternoon will bring. The people of Kenya want peace, but not without justice. It is not clear who can best fill the role of president and lead this country in efforts to achieve a just peace. We believe, along with 70% of registered Kenyan voters who spent long hours in voting queues on December 27th to exercise their right, that the democratic process, if credible and trustworthy, can serve the people of Kenya. We support and pray for al the people of Kenya, and want to accompany them in their quest for a peaceful, sustainable life. Join us in prayer that this situation may find some resolution, the violence may subside, and we can all do what we can to work towards justice.

We welcomed into this situation Anastasia Lee, who has joined as us the fourth member of our team. She will go to Tanzania shortly to study Kiswahili. We also are in communication frequently and gather when possible with our Maryknoll sisters Bernice Rigney and Katie Erisman, here in Nairobi, and Paula Kuntz in Kitale. Thank God we are all safe, but saddened by the situation of Kenya.