tHiNkEr’S rOoM

46 Responses to “Tribalism & The Youth”

1. 1. Ms K (126 Comments) | January 14th, 2008 at 4:17 pm

   Amen.

   M, I find myself unable to write much these days. Too much disenchantment, disappointment… anger. I must find a way to express myself without it degenerating into a rant.

   But until that happens, I’m SO GLAD that people like you and others are saying the things that need to be said.

   I don’t know how we - and by we I don’t mean Kenya, I mean we, you and I, and our peers - got here.

   The level of denial and ignorance out there is shocking.

   Keep up the good fight!

2. 2. toiyoi (106 Comments) | January 14th, 2008 at 4:59 pm

   M, well said.

   But remember, even the very well educated Dr Watson(the father of DNA), is a racist. Even those able to land a rocket on the moon and space-walk are racists.

   Truth: racisms, tribalism, bad-isms are not things that an education system can “educate out”. These are things born in the heart of wo/men. An education system, if well structured, may try attempt to teach people to widen their views, but ultimately, you have to deal with the heart to solve this problem.

   I could not disagree with you more. When you were in kindergarten, what did you care what tribe the other kids where?

   As long as we ignore this or turn a blind eye to it, we will never solve the problem after 2012( which according to some smart johnnie’s, is the end of the world as we now it).

   But if we acknowledge it’s root, then we may seek genuine solutions to it. We must for instance deal with the fact that language divides, Kenya is many nations, etc. Laws by themselves will not work ( E.g.the USA has strong laws against racism, but racism is more alive than it was in 60s; in Kenya no one obeys the way ).

   One such solution could be finding clever ways of separating the “tribes”. Nothing else will do.

   Completely disagree with you right there. Racism was not eliminated by keeping the blacks separate from the whites! If anything it propagated it even further by allowing heresay, innuendo and stereotypes to flourish! The only way to battle ignorance is with information.

3. 3. Patrick Gathara (38 Comments) | January 14th, 2008 at 5:01 pm

   While I agree that tribalism is a problem, I think you are in danger of confusing it with tribe. It is surely not a problem that we have 42 or so ethnic communities. It is surely the problem that one’s ethnicity is an element in a political equation. The way you put it, we are to fear the notion of tribe. I do not think that shows like Vioja Mahakamani should be trashed simply because they make fun of our stereotypes. Neither should the topic be out of bounds to our humorists. Humor is indeed one way of disarming the power of the tribal notion. One, though, does need to be careful.

   I have no problem with there being 42 or 42,000 tribes. None whatsoever. I’m pretty sure i’ve not suggested anything of the kind. What I take considerable issue is the instant that very notion of tribe is used to give those of your trible favours or to deny others anything, I draw the line right there. Completely unacceptable.

   As for humour that is indeed a complex beast. Many things can be hidden in that vehicle. Have you watched any blackface performances?

   That said, I am also shocked at the level of tribalism present in our so-called enlightened urban generation. When I was in campus, a good friend who had schooled at Patch and lived in Langata told me he would never accept to be ruled by an uncircumcised man. What qualities of leadership he looked for in a man’s foreskin (or lack thereof) remains a mystery to me.

   I am beginning to think our generation may just be failing us …

4. 4. Chrenyan (137 Comments) | January 14th, 2008 at 7:07 pm

   I would like to politely disagree with Toiyoi that these are things “born in the heart” of a man/woman. These things are NOT born in the heart of a man/woman, and this is why kids can play with each other, regardless of tribe/colour. These things are inculcated into children by the manner in which those around them live - children learn by imitation.

   The fact that neither education, nor religion, nor “culture”, nor civilisation has had much of an effect on our “youth”. We have the same old hang-ups and prejudices, and it’s amazing! And it shocked me into blogging, when I realized it around the time of the referendum.

   But it is the sad truth, as the events of the past three weeks or so have shown.

5. 5. msaniixl (77 Comments) | January 14th, 2008 at 7:14 pm

   Its hilarious and maddening at the same time when someone begins a sentence with
   “I am not a tribalist! In fact I have friends who are Kikuyu/Luo/Kamba etc.” …I’m thinking am I that dumb that you have to give disclaimer to state an opinion?…

   Great post M.

6. 6. acolyte (177 Comments) | January 14th, 2008 at 7:37 pm

   I remember that positive tribalism drama, good stuff I tell you, it said alot.
   Somehow I think with many people there is a recessive tribal gene that rears it’s head when they are over the age of 25. Because like we said, these are people we lived next to and played with sans problems but a few years later things are turned on their head and people turn into their parents generation.
   I think we should be able to laugh at our stereotypes but we should not make them the basis at which we perceive other tribes. I think the problem is that we let politicians and rabble rousers around us add fuel to those stereotypes and we get hate and paranoia.
   The fact is that we all can’t be same tribe but we should learn to accept and respect people with different cultures from us. What someone is born as or what language they speak is no excuse for disrespect or disenfranchisement.

7. 7. Samuel (2 Comments) | January 14th, 2008 at 7:47 pm

   Excellent post as always. I came across your blog after the election tensions back home and must say you are an excellent writer and analyser. I do not think we are born with any kind of tribal loyalties however it is indoctrinated into us from childhood onwards. Let us remember that this is not a new problem, ever since the colonial days people in Kenya have been both privileged and discriminated against because of their tribe. With something so evil and ancient amongst us we have an utmost task in ridding Kenya of this problem. Our ”tribe” in the end is Kenya! Whether we are Luo, Kikuyu, Kamba, Mzungu, Wahindi, Mwarabu or whatever shouldn’t make a difference.

8. 8. sunshine (3 Comments) | January 14th, 2008 at 7:49 pm

   I don’t think that what we are facing here as much do with our tribes but rather has everything to do our leaders failing to see our country as one. If our leaders could see to it that all the government provided services like constructions of roads, hiring of civil servants and how the the supposed monies floating from privatisations is equally and fairly distributed; then, the amount of vitriol would be less than what we see here. As for the tribalist hearts our many preachers and newly minted preacher MP’s would easily deal with that.

9. 9. toiyoi (106 Comments) | January 14th, 2008 at 9:32 pm

   @Chrenyan
   Fact: children are born with “pure hearts” as far as being “color-blind” or “tribe-less” is concerned
   Fact: children do not grow in a vacuum. Children are the product of the society around them. They learn their beliefs and prejudices from the Parents, family, etc and the extended family/society.

   So, how to do you propose to ONLY educate them to be “color-blind” and “tribe-less”? Educate/inform their parents and society around them to be color-blind and tribe-less. It is very close to the egg-chicken thingy. But even supposing it was not the egg-chicken thingy, how long will it take to have such a unprejudiced society? 2000 years? Will everyone agree with you?

   As we all know, in the west, people are much more informed. Does this stop them from being racists and prejudiced? Even Dr Watson ( who presumably understands how DNAs and people-ness work ) is unable to achieve this feat, how do you hope teach lesser mortals? Nothing short of a dictatorial system can achieve this. But then, where will our cherished democracy be?

   What amazes me is the evidence of history we have around us that shows us how not to deal with this problem and our insistence on trying methods known to be bound to fail.

   Racism/Tribalism/evilism is born of the heart, and no amount of learning/information can yank it out. Legislation may reduce its effects,and give people a more just society, but ultimately, it is a Utopian dream to hope for that day that we will ALL be happy with one another without evil thoughts towards the one another.

   My thoughts: Do not give up, but work around it. E.g, if Kenya must remain united, kill the dividing factors (language, culture, etc) and put in place systems that protects everyone. A unitary system in Kenya does not do that and will not in the near future do that.

   PS: Those of you who keep saying “the young people are less tribal”, where is the evidence?

10. 10. Vedec (6 Comments) | January 14th, 2008 at 10:23 pm

    After reading the comments to your linked old post in an effort to maintain context, I must say my disappointment has pushed me to jump in the fray. I want to hope, with all my heart that afew of your commenters do not fit the description of youth in any shape or form. If they do, and assuming their cohort represents a significant chunk of the generation born around 1970±5 years (if the fact that they are bloggers can be used as an indicator to their generational bracket) then I am in mourning because we’ll have to wait in agony for another generation that’s probably been socialized differently before we have a society with a changed attitude (therefore changed voting patterns etc.) If our (read Kenyan) attitudes remain the same, regardless of whether we declare ourselves as non-tribalist with friends from across the board, nationalist or whatever else you choose to fill the blank with,come 2012, or any other election year for that matter, we’ll find ourselves promptly aligning with the policies and agenda of candidates with whom we share tribal affiliations. I am in deep mourning.

11. 11. Cheb (1 Comments) | January 14th, 2008 at 11:35 pm

    M,

    This is a question directed mainly to Samuel (blog 7) but also open to all for their own interpretation. When you say, our tribe is Kenyan, I’m sorry, but I have to disagree. It is wrong to discriminate against any person because of their tribe, but I do not see a problem with proud of your heritage. I’m proud to be kalenjin and Kenyan, but that doesn’t mean I think any less of another kenyan. If I was half Kalenjin and half kikuyu, even better. I’d feel like I have a richer heritage. In dealing with the problems tribalism has caused, we shouldn’t demonise or shun our ethnicity.

12. 12. Guessaurus (6 Comments) | January 14th, 2008 at 11:40 pm

    I find that if you voted for ……….. then you are an ass
    Did not get past that one. Off to read

13. 13. kijanaa (1 Comments) | January 15th, 2008 at 12:00 am

    I think it’s all about the individual. No amount of education/enlightment will cure this especially for those who still believe that their tribe is superior to others.

14. 14. Mutumia (56 Comments) | January 15th, 2008 at 1:03 am

    hmmm… I agree with you that negative stereotypes are seldom funny (especially to the group that they are directed against) but I don’t know if I agree that all ethnic jokes (e.g. Can I not laugh at the skinny legs that Kikuyu chicks have? . This would politicize ALL things tribal and give the ‘tribe’ a power than it should not have.

    That said, I do agree with you that voting for a tribesman is asinine as you should always vote (and employ and contract from!) the most qualified person). Everything else kinda silly and will cost you in the end.

    Finally to get rid of the power of tribe in a political context, it seems that what we should be concentrating on is the de-linking of tribe from access or deprivation to resources.

15. 15. Mutumia (56 Comments) | January 15th, 2008 at 1:10 am

    (Gah!! with corrections this time)
    hmmm… I agree with you that negative stereotypes are seldom funny (especially to the group that they are directed against) but I don’t know if I agree that all ethnic jokes are bad e.g. Can I not laugh at the skinny legs that Kikuyu chicks have? . Being too scared to even jest about anything tribal would politicize ALL things tribal and give the notion of ‘tribe’ more power than it should have.

    That said, I do agree with you that voting for a tribesman is asinine as you should always vote (and employ and contract from!) the most qualified person. Everything else kinda silly and will cost you in the end.

    Finally to get rid of the power of tribe in a political context, it seems that all of us should be concentrating on the de-linking of tribe/race/gender from access to or deprivation from resources.

16. 16. Kivulu (4 Comments) | January 15th, 2008 at 4:21 am

    I concur that the so called youth are very well propagating tribalism in Kenya. What with all those people killing and looting in the slums and in RVP?
    The problem of tribe has been used in Kenya as a camouflage of the real issue. Look at it this way, most Kenyans living on less than $2/day have a lot in common across tribe than with rich people of the same tribe. Yet the political elite has framed the discourse as being an issue of one tribe against others. Most people easily buy this argument because it is more convenient to blame someone else for your misfortunes than to try and find solutions for your predicament. The political elite has discovered that the only way to propagate their hold on power is to indoctrinate the youth with this tribal agenda. Once the youth have taken up this idea, the rich and politically connected with continue to reap and rape the country until kingdom came. The youth will not be an effective bulwark against exploitation when their attention is focused on others like themselves who happen to be from a different tribe. This is an ideal way to divide, rule and get rich.

17. 17. Oroho (1 Comments) | January 15th, 2008 at 6:21 am

    This is my first post here!!

    I want to think that to a certain extent human beings are naturally “tribal”. We tend to group ourselves with the people we know or fill we can identify with.

    This combined with the fact that our parents and relatives (who are tribal) directly or indirectly, implant tribal seeds as they raise us.

    On the other hand the little tribal customs that we have will more often than not be against other tribes.

    With this in mind I don’t think we can say that our generation can escape this tribal scourge.
    The only way put is for us as adults decide on how we are gong to relate to other tribes and make a conscious decision to raise above tribal tendencies and ensure that we do not teach our kids in words or deeds to be tribalists.

    I fear for our generation.

18. 18. Ishara (16 Comments) | January 15th, 2008 at 8:54 am

    I was talking about this with someone a while back and we both remarked on how we filtered, evaluated and weighed every ’suspect’ joke, comment or opinion by a white friend/co-worker and shot them down with a quickness (boy, oh boy!) for the slightest racist intonation.

    Yet we are both much more tolerant of the same inappropriate language/humour from black people-be they of African, American, Carribean extraction….which just goes to show how double standards do more harm than good as we propagate stereotypes about one another amongst ourselves.

    I tend to agree with Sunshine, we can exclaim about the wonder that is ‘positive’ tribalism is and opine on how much of an ass the Kenyan ethnicity conscious voter is-until the cows come home-change will only come with addressing the pervasive inequalities in resource access and distribution.

    The ties that bind or if you will-patronage- associated with leadership must necessarily cease, civil service/parastatal and government appointments must be made with a view to both merit and representation, our development agenda must be decentralised to allow residents in marginalized areas to set their own priorities rather than wait for someone in Nairobi to realize that they might need clean drinking water/new school, better road or hospital.

    Question is, do you see all this happening in the next 5 years?

    @ Mutumia, I fail to see how the so called ’skinny legs’ could be such a knee-slapper? Perhaps it does not take much to set you off?

19. 19. Cynthia (1 Comments) | January 15th, 2008 at 9:00 am

    burying our heads in the sand will not help anyone since sadly enough , our generation seem to be unable to break the tribal chains that bound our parents and relatives etc, i happen to be some generic looking kenyan i.e i dont talk act or look like a person from my tribe but the extent to which young people will go to determine exactly where i come from so they can put me in a box labelled tribe X is both amusing and sad.This”unique” postion i am in has also made some people with loose toungues start spewing crap about tribe x or tribe y coz they assume i am one of “theirs” and this has happened so often that i am inclined to believe that this problem called tribalism will never die with either this or the next two generations. we are a lost cause

20. 20. Keguro (33 Comments) | January 15th, 2008 at 9:23 am

    I suggested on my blog some time back (too lazy to link) that we indulge in a form of hubris when we argue that generational change automatically equals more progressive politics. Younger people are not inherently more or less ethnic in their politics.

    Which is precisly the problem. Why should that be the case given the exposure to multiple cultures and education?

    Also, I think we need to pay a little more attention to location. Saying, for example, that “we” grew up in multi-ethnic settings seems fine, but, I would argue, unrepresentative. The vast majority of Kenyans, most of whom live in rural towns and villages, do not occupy multi-ethnic regions. The complicated question, then, is how to account for a Kenya in which there are multiple experiences of growing up with ethnicity, some of us in multi-ethnic groups, others in mono-ethnic groups.

    Unrepresentative? I believe I explained exactly what I meant my ‘we’

21. 21. Keguro (33 Comments) | January 15th, 2008 at 9:27 am

    Sorry, one more: “we” may have grown up in cities, cosmopolitan and what have you, but “we” have also grown up with traditions that reinforce ethnicity (trips “home”) and in a culture of profound shame. The number of articles when I was growing up that mourned how “children today” had “lost their way” and did not “know their culture” is beyond count.

    We cannot forget the numerous formal and informal ways, via the state and other cultural institutions, we were “ethnicized.”

22. 22. daud (4 Comments) | January 15th, 2008 at 2:09 pm

    I have always had a problem of being defined by colour, tribe etc, so in the last few weeks, I have been shocked by utterances of my peers. Don’t people get it that we are in the same boat? and if it sinks it is taking all of us with it. Funny enough watching this documentary ‘Kenya: A white mans country’ a 100 years ago to this day 100s of soon to be Kenyans were loosing their lives in the very same areas as today only that it was under the white man.

    The more things change, the more they stay the same,it seems.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=grKENSFqAKQ

    PS: Speaking as a you know what…..I do love the chicken meat!

    Daud el rude (why did the chicken cross the road…to get away from Daud)

23. 23. Shiroh (34 Comments) | January 15th, 2008 at 3:15 pm

    Luckily for me i did not grow cosmopolitan

    Ergo it is excusable to use tribe as a factor in decision making?

24. 24. VituVingiSana (175 Comments) | January 15th, 2008 at 5:08 pm

    M, for all your “anger”… at the “tribal” question… I came across a Mhindi (OK… Kenyan Asian) who mentioned an interesting tidbit…

    This was Kenya’s first election (since moi’s days) where “Asians” were not demonised. I found this telling in that even if Kenya was “all-Kikuyu” then the houses of the daughters of Mumbi would fight amongst themselves.

    Anyway, his point was that Kenyans are inherently racist/tribalist. Sad. If not between Kenyan tribes (read “black”) then the Mhindis then the Wazungu.

    Look at Somalia considered more homogeneous than Kenya has broken into clan-based rivalries.

    Solution: Tolerance for “minorities”. The US has learnt this lesson & in their imperfect way provide for it through their voting system/electoral college. It is NOT a winner take all system - as shown by the 2000 election.

    Ultimately, the dispute was won in COURT in record time. In Kenya, the court is slow, partisan & corrupt.

25. 25. Samuel (2 Comments) | January 15th, 2008 at 5:23 pm

    Cheb,
    In saying that our tribe is Kenyan I did not mean that people should shun their tribes and only adopt the Kenyan identity, what I meant is simply that the Kenyan identity should be stronger than that of the tribe. We all came from somewhere and we should be proud of that, many of us grew up speaking several languages; english, swa, gikuyu, jaluo etc, but in the end the Kenyan identity should stand out as the most important one.

26. 26. Kirima (63 Comments) | January 15th, 2008 at 6:08 pm

    It is indeed disappointing to the core that this generation can use tribe as a reason to vote. But so many things have disappointed me about Kenyans these 3 weeks that are too numerous to mention.

27. 27. Jogoo wa Shamba (73 Comments) | January 15th, 2008 at 7:12 pm

    Hi M, been away for a while and only managed to visit your blog today. I have read all the posts you have posted since you came back…had you hibernated or something
    To issue at hand, I have been forced to ask the question “what kind of people have we been?” most of the guys in generation have been screaming at their top of their voices that tribe does not matter, really? how do you explain the unsolicited hate sms and mails that filled my inboxes during the campaign period and even after from people claiming that tribe is inconsequential? While I agree that no amount of education will take away the tribalistic instincts in us, I think it is time we learn tolerate each inspite our tribal dispensation.

    Thats just my 2cents worth

28. 28. mudskippah (15 Comments) | January 15th, 2008 at 8:31 pm

    Talk of a dilemma. I am ashamed that I cannot communicate in good Kikuyu with my grandparents and up-country relatives. I genuinely feel bad that my children may not be able to speak a word in Kikuyu, leave alone remember any authentic cultural practice that is Kikuyu heritage.

    Of course the objective, reasonable reader will not hear what I am not saying, this has nothing to do with my particular tribe, it’s the reality of many of my generation; applies to you too, whatever tribe you are.

    Tribe. How that word has become charged.

    There are over 2000 languages spoken in Africa. Some of them are spoken by as few as 50 people. Most of them will die out in a few decades.

    Language is an important part of culture, of course it plays a significant part in preserving a culture, a people’s identity. It carries their beliefs, their norms, their history, art, politics and so much more. When a language fades the culture is effectively dead. Especially in Africa where the spoken word is so important.

    Africa is known for its cultural diversity. The loss of that diversity means the loss our identity as Africans. What will our continent be left with? Seems everything that is ours is dying. Our minerals, our forests, our wildlife, our land. And now, with the death of our tribal identities, our culture.

    Do I have to erase the marks of my tribe in order to defeat tribalism? In folk tales they used to sacrifice the beautiful girl of the village in order to save the community from drought. Will we have to place our rich cultural (yes, tribal) heritage on the altar in order to save our country?

    Can’t I be proud of my tribe without being tribal?

    I enjoyed “cultural days” in college. The best part was sampling the food. Oh, and watching the Coastarian, Rwandese and Congolese sisters shaking booty. But, at this rate, it will be hard for me to stand proudly at the stall labeled “Kikuyu” enjoying Mukimo.

    Tribalism has made tribe ugly.

    I don’t know.

29. 29. tamtam (3 Comments) | January 15th, 2008 at 8:47 pm

    Great post. I have issues when the word tribalist is hurled around meaninglessly.

30. 30. Mrembo (2 Comments) | January 15th, 2008 at 11:27 pm

    I think it is a matter of how one identifies and sees themselves as. I recently posed this question to my father. I asked
    “Dad, what do you see yourself as first? A (insert tribe), a Ugandan, an african or son of your father”

    Most people identify themselves FIRST by their tribes and I think therein lies PART of the issue. That is why triablism, racism and discrimination will never be eradicated.

31. 31. L (3 Comments) | January 16th, 2008 at 5:11 am

    i think the problem of tribalism somewhat stems form they way we are taught history. in history primary school and secondary we have this tribal demarcations kikuyuland,masailand,nandiland etce etc then there is the the narrative of how the whiteman came took it and how we recovered it by decolonisation. except the reality on the ground does not portray any recovery so when u tell masai that ther land was recovere after independence and they dont have land or some of ‘their’ land is occupied by ‘other’ tribes it presents a false picture of what they have been been taught in school… the curriculum especially history has been manipulated to suit the elite that replaced the colonial system.

    our history curriculum is nationalist in outlook. nationalism is a dangerous orientation .- tribalism is the brother of nationalism. remember it was just onne year ago when we were all chearing for the invasion of the delamere farm and now we are all shocked when the same fate has been visited upon poorer citizens.

32. 32. Anne (2 Comments) | January 16th, 2008 at 8:00 am

    In an earlier blog you mentioned that people were being stopped and asked for IDs in order to ascertain their tribe. So it seems that in Nairobi, at least, it is not possible to identify a person’s tribal roots by appearances, behavior, or perhaps even language. The difference, then, must be in historical events and the resultant memories of wrongs.

    It is bewildering for me to see so much pain being caused when, in many ways, the similarities between the tribes seem to outnumber the differences. I am not denying the intensity of feelings, of course, but from a distance the killings and other mayhem seem to have arisen for the sake of differences which are hard to see and understand.

    Do the rioters feel that they are righting ancient wrongs, or are they simply reflecting (without question) the bitterness expressed by their elders? Either way, it will take generations of integration and intermarriage to change these perceptions.

33. 33. Jogoo wa Shamba (73 Comments) | January 16th, 2008 at 8:03 am

    I overheard a conversation in a mat while coming to work this morning that has left a very bitter taste in my mouth. How do seemingly educated and respectable adults hate on another tribe so shamelessly using half-truths and outright lies? We need healing in this country and this kind of attitude is uncalled for at this point in time. I think its high time that we as Kenyans do some serious soul-searching, we need to ask ourselves how we became and continue to become like this.

34. 34. Gish (44 Comments) | January 16th, 2008 at 11:01 am

    Food for thought. Great post.

35. 35. Gish (44 Comments) | January 16th, 2008 at 11:11 am

    A friend said:
    I hate to say it,but despite it’s colour and glory, Kenya suffers from a pathology of dangerous isms - tribalism, nepotism,
    racism and sexism. Yet, there pathologies have not been dealt with.

    Instead, the pethology is entrenched in ‘jokes’
    depicting Kikuyus as money lovers and Kalenjins as fast runners. It is endorsed every time people say that they can only hire ‘their people’ to work for/with them. It is celebrated whenever one of their own scores. This, I am sad to say, is part of the so called peace and normalcy and I do not think it does any good to revert it without examining the dangerous, disastrous and debilitating effects of the isms.

    See, it is “normal” for Kenyans to say the following:”do not date a Kikuyu girl because she will steal from you”; “date a girl from the Coast because she knows how to ‘give it’”; “do not date a Kalenjin because he has no class”; “date a luo because they know how to treat women.” I could go on. Some of you are nodding at the truth behind these statements but they are only true because we have trained ourselves to believe that
    they are. This is not normal, i’m afraid. It is
    tribalism and prejudism in its rawest and truest form and it is despicable.

    It is not in my place to prescribe a solution; it must be home grown. However, if any progress incorporates the isms, it is a mere band aid, and will disintegrate as soon as people are aggrieved by inequality or flawed election results.

    To get ourselves out of this mess we have to pay a price: we have to stop the tribal jokes and insinuations, we have to learn to celebrate our differences instead of castigating each
    other for them. Then, together, we can fashion a
    working prescription for Kenya.

    Eradication of the isms is not possible. However, with a unifying theme other than the isms, Kenyans can rise from the ashes united. I hope for unity. I hope for progress. I hope for
    renewed thinking. I hope for humility. I hope.

36. 36. Amy (1 Comments) | January 16th, 2008 at 7:34 pm

    This is one of the best posts I’ve read since the elections. Thank you for writing it.

37. 37. joe (78 Comments) | January 17th, 2008 at 12:36 am

    mimi ni mkikuyu the rest is just trying to be political correct

38. 38. imn (13 Comments) | January 17th, 2008 at 1:44 am

    I agree with a lot of what you’ve said - it’s crazy that so many nairobi youth who quite honestly can barely speak their language, would then use it as a determining factor.

    What i’m really worried about are kids in primary school, who’ve heard so much said in homes by adults in these past few weeks and will go back to school and not see their friends and classmates in the same way again.

39. 39. Jose (24 Comments) | January 17th, 2008 at 2:31 pm

    My 2 bits on why we’re still ethnocentric in our approach to issues and a starting point on the way forward.

    One, the BMX/Chopper rider from the some middle class hood in the city represents the minority of Kenyans. The majority of Kenyans still come from up country, and their first exposure to multi-ethnic relationships is in Uni or even at the workplace. Most student organisations in campus, the citadel of all things modern, have only 1 criterion - that you are from a certain tribe. Still the case today.

    Second, true socialisation happens in the home, at the lunch or dinner table. I mean, how many times did we hear our own BMX/Chopper buying parents talking negatively about other tribes with neighbours in mother-tongue. Look at the womens groups in these estates, and they are based along ethnic lines. So despite our cosmopolitan upbringing, the seeds of ethnicity were being sowed in us, subtlely and slowly.

    I personally have no problem with the so called ethnic jokes. For example, Luos are reputed to have flair and flamboyance, while Kikuyus are meant to be industrious or entrepreneurial. Nothing wrong with making fun of this, or highlighting these differences, coz bottom line is that the nation of Kenya comprises many nations - the Luo nation, the Kamba nation etc. If these differences between us are harnessed correctly, then what should emerge eventually is a stronger better balanced tribe - the tribe called Kenyan.

    What about greedy Kikuyus? Luhyas that are only cooks and watchmen? Indians that are (sic) a lousy lay? Lazy coastal people? How about those? Are they funny

    Our leaders since 1963 to date have failed to nurture this tribe called Kenya. Instead, they have used these differences between us to stake political power bases for themselves. Instead of harnessing the flair of the Luo and the industry of the Kikuyu to create a stronger nation, our leaders and our parents generation have used these to pit us against each other.

    If we, the BMX generation draw a line in the sand and say that it ends with us. If we determine that we will not sow these bad seeds to our kids, and determine that when we begin to get into public office we will focus our energies on the things that unite us, I think we will leave our kids and their kids a Kenya better than the ones our parents are handing to us.

    However, this is a process that will take time, but as it happens we must continue to commit ourselves to it on a daily basis.

40. 40. AtSanitysEdge (41 Comments) | January 17th, 2008 at 3:06 pm

    Those who think that the remedy for Kenya’s woes lies in the youth, I’m sorry to say, are living in an alternate reality. Tribalism is alive and well with the youth and it’s even worse than one would think. There are countless crypto-tribalists who are thought of as all-inclusive because they don’t speak vernacular too well but in reality are anything but. Children are a product of their environment and they learn exceptionally well from it. The youth can’t rid us of the overwhelmingly negative aspects of our tribe driven culture because they’ve already been initiated into it and trained to continue the cycle. The solutions have to be long-term and independent of the political leadership. When was the last long-term idea [except perpetuating tribalism] that came out of the leadership? Anyone?

    In theory, tribal loyalty is a beneficial concept but in practice it almost always turns into a monster and suddenly the country is on fire and people are [literally] losing their heads. The last 3 weeks have reveled the grotesqueness of the Kenyan psyche which has, for the most part, been concealed under a thin layer of feigned national unity. If tribe continues to trump everything else, every time, then the various groups have no business living together.

    I’m a child of the 1980s and I spent the early half of my childhood in a pretty well mixed residential area in Nairobi and had the same set of neighbors for 15+ years. It was clear that some of our neighborhood parents were teaching their children hate evidenced by what came out of their offsprings’ mouths when they hurled the classic tribe inspired insults at us. We grew older, went to the same schools and even dated and I often wondered what it took to turn things around - I don’t know, I never asked. It would seem that my hostile neighbors’ children had chosen to take a different path from their parents and decided to see us as people and not those [insert tribe here] people. This is just one hopeful example - could it possibly translate across the nation?

    …the extent to which young people will go to determine exactly where i come from so they can put me in a box labelled tribe X is both amusing and sad…

    The above quote suggests that in Kenya, one is not complete unless he/she claims links to a certain tribe. I couldn’t tell you how many times I’ve had to deal with the same when dealing with my peers and it hasn’t stopped even though I now live abroad; the same behavior has been transplanted and, quite frankly, as much as it’s amusing sometimes, it annoys me more and reminds me how long we have to go to achieve true unity.

    Only a very small percentage of Kenyan youth have experienced a true heterogeneous upbringing and understand life beyond the constraints of his/her tribe. The truly progressive youth are too few and isolated that their efforts would add up to nothing in the face of tribal resistance, that is, if they are willing to try in the first place. Either way, good luck.

    I always say that our colonial past has a lot to do with our current issues but we can’t blame the Brits forever since we, at the very least, know right from wrong and many a time we choose to do wrong. The only way I see this problem going away is through massive organized cross-assimilation or by way of conquest by a larger, much stronger culture and being forced to embrace the new singular culture or perish. Both solutions are unrealistic and would take eons to realize anyway. We’re pretty much doomed like the rest of the continent - call me a pessimist.:frown:

41. 41. seasonsandreasons (2 Comments) | January 17th, 2008 at 7:06 pm

    The drama of that positive tribalism..you & Joe..that was crazy stuff…what happened to joe by the way?
    M, I have kids and they have brought up this tribe question to me recently. My 10 year old did not know what tribe she was and she still wants to know…

    I feel guilty of perpetuating this tribal hatred coz yes I too have forwaded those joke emials and texts but without seriously thinking of the intentions.

    I have been proud of my ethnic background and alwyay made sure to tell people that I a ‘pointy’ of two kenyan tribes.

    If I can change the mindset of my two kids, I guess a bit of my work is done.

42. 42. Jose (24 Comments) | January 18th, 2008 at 9:34 am

    M,

    The point I’m trying to make is that we should be free to celebrate our diversity positively.

    What I’m saying I have no beef with is friendly banter e.g. about how a Luo would have 3 mobile phones - bisssnesss, sossial and for mama watoto. I also have no problem with having Luo, Kamba or Kale nites at Carni, where even me as a GEMA member can go and dunda as I sample an aspect of Kenya I’m not familiar with.

    The three examples you cite are INSULTS, pure and simple, designed to put someone down or make them feel inferior. Comments of this nature, whatever their base, whether tribe, race, physical features etc are totally unacceptable.

    We are here today because politicians, in their attempt to build fiefdoms to assure themselves of office, have exploited our diversity negatively. This is the NEGATVE stereotyping that we must put to death!

43. 43. sci-culturist (2 Comments) | January 23rd, 2008 at 5:46 pm

    your directness is endearing - “If tribe was one of the considerations in your voting decision, then you’re an ass”. well said.

    i think it’s important that we continue to challenge each other on the -isms that we readily propagate and pretend are a joke. to my mind, tribalism and racism are two heads of one monster.

44. 44. Mwangi - the Displaced African (50 Comments) | March 12th, 2008 at 4:41 pm

    Very quick question. How does one blacklist an IP address?

45. 45. sunset casino (No Comments) | July 20th, 2008 at 6:37 am

    sunset casino…

    revolving speckles donates!burp cucumbers,bus …

46. 46. Racism? - tHiNkEr’S rOoM (No Comments) | September 1st, 2008 at 1:08 pm

    [...] admiration for the man notwithstanding, I strongly believe, as I do in the our local setting, if you vote for a candidate for anything other than the issues, or for that matter don’t vote [...]