"The Dark Continent"

Africa has been the formative element of my life. Conspicuously this post about the west’s behavior towards “bilad_as _Sudan”… (Land of the black people as the Arab merchants called it) will inevitably bear the mark of subjective influences. Not the least of which is my conviction that throughout human history Africa has been misunderstood and misused by the rest of the world. Simply put (I am usually accused of simplistic views) humanity doesn’t recognize its debts and obligations to a continent they’ve looted for years.

In the psyche of a typical westerner, Africa is “The Dark Continent”. An innocent phrase? Perhaps, but it is also a potent connotation of a persistent western inclination to set Africa and its inhabitants from the rest of humanity. As if they are some sort of alien species. “The Dark Continent” terminology is not just a description of the depths of Africa’s tropical forest; the color of the African skin or the lack of knowledge about the continent. It is implicitly used to label Africa as a place where a cruel form of darkness exist… the cruelty of man towards his fellow man. Contextually Africa is the place where people do terrible things, not because these behaviors are characteristic of all human beings, but Africa is believe to be uniquely barbaric and less “civilized” than the rest of the world.

The fact that people behaved (and continue to) barbarically in Africa is undeniable. However events in other parts of the world have shown that this is not an exclusively African tendency. This brings me to the western idea/understanding of civilization…which is usually confused with exponential growth, use and understanding of technology. But is technological prowess what civilization is or is civilization an exposure or adherence to a culture? Is it a predetermined sequence of human progress as most westerners believed, with white Anglo-Saxons leading the way, the rest of the world following and Africans toiling centuries behind? I will venture to answer NO. Civilization to me is an enlightened self interest that all societies develop to regulate their interactions within a given locality and with other people for the benefit of all parties involved.

But enlightened self interest is a delicate thing; easily eroded. In the event of such an erosion, the human capacity for unspeakable barbarity ala Rwanda, Nazi camps or Stalin’s Siberia rise to the surface. Africa’s horrors like those of Nazi Germany are a chilling example of what people can do to one another when short term exploitation has taken over the work for the common good; when accountability is swept aside to develop hamlets like Kanilai (Gambian president’s home village) at the expense of a nation swirling in poverty.

But is any of these uniquely African? I will have to answer no one more time. Even though subjective passion is what I ascribed to in the beginning of this post, objective readers will agree with me that it has been anything but. Developments, barbaric in nature that happen in Africa occurs elsewhere in the world. I am not an apologist for these African tragedies. I am just an African agonizing over the negative implications of that in famous phrase “the Dark Continent”.

A THOUSAND WORDS-#WeAreOne

Brave soldiers, innocent souls

“Our country is safe. God Bless you all and God Bless Kenya,” The end of the President’s speech sent double chills that caught the horns of my attention so stiff it momentarily paralyzed my thinking. I immediately obligated my country’s freedom by making a prayer. It sounded the most sense and noble thing to do at that moment.

I’m quite an avid fan of the intelligentsia action packed thriller series Nikita. So engrossing it is, you practically lose any dime of sleep in your possession. The likes of the sensationally beautiful Nikita and Alexander Urdinoff perfect such a hair-raising display of bravado. Of gunfights, spying, ambushes, terrorism, international drug syndicates, intelligence secrets, politics, big money, beauty and the beasts…name it. These concoctions form blending additives to the fabric of the thrill that is hard to ignore. The Westgate Mall siege was like a script straight from the action packed thriller. But in ours the alluring beauty was Samantha Lewtwaite.

Samantha Lewtwaite

What we witnessed was only found in such Holywood productions. The AlShabaab bad guys undoubtedly caught us pants down. Peeing and defecating in humiliation we did- we paid the ultimate price of letting the society rot down through the columns of its once firm foundation. It was just blood, sweat and tears.

We were brought the reality we never wished to witness. The reality of kids having their eyes being gauged out and murdered like chicken. The unthinkable pain that stroked the face of the woman who appeared on Daily Nation’s (sad) Monday 23^rd issue. The rescue scene of a mother who played dead with her two beautiful daughters and the gallant soldier who risked the hail of bullets to save the lioness and her cubs. The deadly scene of bodies lying lifeless. God, did it really have to happen?

Our dignity was trampled upon; we lost hope as a people. No writer, me included would give the most succinct words to describe the awry genocide. Of the stark belligerence of heartless monsters who will be surprised that there are no virgins waiting in hell. Stupid. I sat pensively, uneasy on my chair. There was this dark cloud that brought a feeling of calm before a storm. Every heart was like an African tom tom drum- a lull before the storm. No sooner was this feeling that we realized we had to fight fire with fire. The oppressor makes the rules.

When Citizen TV began its 9 o’clock bulletin by playing the three stanzas of our National Prayer I was so touched I literally had to stand in my living room, attentioned and singing along proudly Kenyan!

In the words of Uhuru Kenyatta, who despite losing his nephew and the fiancée, had the humility to say,” I’m deeply moved and very proud to be your president…There’s evidently no limits to your humble sacrifice.” We had a pride within the family as one of our brothers was on the frontline-rushing victims to hospital from ground zero at time zero. I deeply share the CinC’s sentiments. We donated blood, money, prayers and comfort to those injured and their families. The whole world was wowed at how Kenyans came together as a show of solidarity. Donations to mobile money surpassed the Kes. 80,000,000 threshold to rally at Kes. 100,000,000!! This is the best country to live in. Shida ni mob but its ok!

Gallant KDF

The ability for us to put up a fight, led by our presidency, and the ability of us uniting and leaving our differences aside is enough reasons we have a destiny to fight for and protect. Let us all look at us with the magnanimous sense of nationhood. Our unity was in stark display to the envy of foreign powers. We were an inspiration to the turbulent world. We showed the terrorists that when our chances are between slim and none…oh boy, we will go with slim! We should never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God, Corrie Ten Boom once remarked.

God will hear us

No country is rich enough to buy back its past. We cannot turn back the hands of times because its always my belief that the good old days were never that good, believe me. The good new days are today, and better days are coming tomorrow. Our greatest songs are still unsung. There are regrets running here and there. It is an appalling waste of energy, we can’t build on it. It’s only good for wallowing in. Heads must roll wherever irresponsibility in government was wanton but we must pick up the pieces and head on! The enemy will not be hesitant to strike again, especially when we are weakened. The West, too, must stop playing dirty with the crumbling ICC geopolitics. If Kenya becomes a pariah state, the world will be more dangerous because this region is the most conducive place to fertilize terrorism. Enough said.

Noise produces nothing. Often a hen that has laid an egg cackles as though she has laid an asteroid. Most people who sit around waiting for their ship to come in often find it is hardship. Experience is hard teacher friends, because she gives the test first, the lesson afterwards. What have we learnt? Is it going to be business as usual? We wont drown by falling in the water; we drown by staying there, remarked Ed Cole. We should live as brothers or perish as fools. Everybody is his brother’s keeper. The ball is in our court. There can NEVER be any redemption without sacrifice; lets take heart of our losses to our soldiers, children, men and women.

Time is a healer and there is God’s faithful promise of guarding us, and perpetually nourishing us with plenty. Oh God of all creation, let peace be found within our borders and in common bond united. If I was a pastor that would have been the sermon for the day. Thank me later. Alluta Continua…La vida loca...C'est la vie!

@Iampapalizmo