WHERE DO I START?
There’s an old man who lives beside Chester House in City Centre, he lost his vision in the 80s. I met him one evening while treading through the rain, neither of us had an umbrella but that didn’t seem to bother him. He asked me something, “Nini haja ya kuwa na rais kama hasaidii walemavu?” That made me really think.
Years of struggle, massacres, economic marginalisation, grand corruption and gross violations of human rights have brought us to where we are. What began as a hopeful release from colonialism has turned into a continent in different stages of the fight for the freedom of its people, yet again. The basics of a stable society have eluded African nations for a long time: the needed "separation of legislative and executive bodies, and of party and state; an impartial civil service and apolitical bureaucracy; and an independent judiciary" (Richard Raid).
In the compromise and often absence of these structures the people have historically formed movements, driven by similar passions and the undercurrent of freedom. It is out of these that the maxims Aluta Continua, Amandla, Viva among others have been born, reassuring them of the unity of their struggle and its ability to outlive them. There are things we need to do to reverse the cycle of freedom struggles, even as we acknowledge their contribution in creating a space we can call home.
To start with, we need to develop a culture of telling the truth, which is not subject to our individual bias but that exists outside of us. For us to tell it, we critically need to know it. For the case of Kenya for instance, we have people in former North-Eastern Province who were subjected to unimaginable brutality including the killing of 2000 during the Shifta War between 1964 and 1967, one among many atrocities committed. It may seem counterproductive to bring up the past, some dismiss it as reopening old wounds but if provisions can be kept in place to ensure that such crimes are not brought to book, wouldn’t it be rational for us to consider why such provisions would exist in the first place (refer to the Indemnity Act of 1972, recently revised in 2012).
Society can sufficiently move on when wrongs are acknowledged, and the dignity of people restored, reforms of structures to allow inclusivity done and those previously afflicted be allowed some form of closure, be it materially or otherwise, in line with their need and practicable desire (sentiments shared from Kenya TJRC Volume 1).
Additionally, we need spaces where we resolve our issues ideologically. To do so, we begin by being able to hear one another out. This starts with being receptive. If one must refute a point, do so respectfully. Our social media spaces are filled with wanton insults and derogatory statements about one another, some based on negative perceptions, stereotypes, suspicion, hatred and a sense of ‘otherness’.
One must understand that some tools that have fanned conflicts have been "dehumanization, deindividualization and permissive rituals" (David Barash). Dehumanisation was used in Rwanda where the Tutsi were termed cockroaches (inyenzi), this propelled the genocide because the people had detached themselves from the act of killing persons. Deindividualization where a group validates itself and acts shielded by anonymity. Rituals which gave permission for groups to perform acts that wouldn’t normally be allowed in society.
Finally, we need a cultural understanding of one another. This is obtained through interaction, inquiring, even participating. If we can understand why we are the way we are it would form a basis of why we do the things we do. And in this understanding, we create a space for mutual existence, appreciation and living.