Apologies for the graphic image associated with this entry. Regular readers will know that I'm not one to exploit graphic and grisly images but after a friend living in Nairobi sent me this I felt it needed to be seen. She also sent another one that was even more heart breaking but I chose not to utilise it as it may have been too graphic - Take a minute to digest that.I've been trying to keep apprised of the volatile situation in Kenya by making a concerted effort to read as many news sources on the escalating turbulence in my birth nation and they all have one thing in common - they dispense their stories methodically and clinically.
Rwandan President Paul Kagame has called for military solution within Kenya to end the current violence. Quoted by Thursday's Daily Metro, Kagame suggests that a military coup would be the only way to save Kenya from a genocide like what was experienced in Rwanda in 1994.Source: Africa News (Complete Article)
One can read volumes on the rioting, looting, burning, raping and killing and never ever get a sense the anguish the citizenry are experiencing. Even this single image will not convey the worst of the atrocities, but if it makes you turn away in shock then perhaps the message is getting through, even if ultimately you decide to ignore it and try to put it out of mind, it will not be easy, or at least, it should not be, it may yet stick with you.
Personally, I do not condone the use of shock tactics to send a message. I have always been of the mind, naive as it may be, that with enough time and patience, you can reach someone on an intellectual level, but I fear that Kenya and her people do not have the luxury of either. If doing this makes me a hypocrite, then so be it. I am willing to sacrifice my principles to draw attention to the plight of Kenyans.
To the "leaders" in Kenya, for the love of all that is near and dear to you please, for goodness sake, put aside your petty squabbles and begin healing what was once a good and true nation.
Those dying in Kenya are not the politicians, they are not the rich, and they are simple people whose only mistake is to belong to a certain tribe and not the other. And when all is calm and normal, the leader Raila Odinga and Mwai Kibaki will remain the leaders of Kenya whether now or in future.
This is a critical time. This is the time when damage can still be minimised. This is the time when the nation can still be saved. If you want to lead this nation, then make it a nation worth leading. There is still time to prevent Kenya from becoming Rwanda circa 1994.
H/T: Sameera K.
3 comments:
Well said.
Kenya yetu ...
The damage has only just begun my brother. Once the hundreds of thousands that have lost their jobs start taking matters into their own hands, things will become much much worse.
How did we end up like this? How did a country full of beautiful loving people be instigated to the point of ethnic cleansing?
We are ashamed ...
This is a general comment for everyone who has responded to this entry either via TFTH, e-mail and Facebook.
Thank you all for your kind words. There has been an overwhelming sense of support. Some readers have even asked what they can do to help so I will be spending the next few days on line trying to find where and how people can help and lend their support. I will post my findings on TFTH.
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