2012 is when Kenya will be holding the next elections. Although there are still about three years to go, that has not stopped the wrangling for power amongst the MPs. Numerous individuals have already come forward declaring their intent to run for the top office in the country. The news media carry repeated stories about the threat of violence we face with the next elections.
According to the BBC (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/8293745.stm) various tribes are preparing themselves for battle in 2012. Last time they fought with machetes and bows and arrows. This time they are looking for guns. One arms dealer claims to be selling more than 100 rifles a month. The article quotes one Kalengin man as saying, “Before we were using bows and arrows to fight the enemy but ... compared to guns, the arrows were child’s play.”
When you talk to the people who were directly impacted by the violence, people who had family members beaten, raped and killed, who had their land and property either stolen or destroyed, you recognise that they too feel as though they have been forgotten. They too feel that justice has not been done. How can the country forget the violence of the last election and move on when hundreds if not thousands of people are still living in tents throughout the country because they fear for their lives if they returned to their old homes?
One of these “tent villages” lies outside the neighbouring town of Gilgil. The former refugees managed to scrape together some money to buy land to set up the tents which the Red Cross had given them. But every time there is a large rain their land turns into a lake. How can such a community forget what was done to them? How can they not feel resentful when the leaders of the country resist local and international pressure to bring the perpetrators of the post-election violence to justice?
Many in Kenya speak with fear of 2012. Healing in the pursuit of justice has not happened. This leaves the threat of violence hanging over the country. In light of this, what possibly can cinema goers think when they see the posters advertising the up and coming movie, ‘2012?’
According to the BBC (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/8293745.stm) various tribes are preparing themselves for battle in 2012. Last time they fought with machetes and bows and arrows. This time they are looking for guns. One arms dealer claims to be selling more than 100 rifles a month. The article quotes one Kalengin man as saying, “Before we were using bows and arrows to fight the enemy but ... compared to guns, the arrows were child’s play.”
When you talk to the people who were directly impacted by the violence, people who had family members beaten, raped and killed, who had their land and property either stolen or destroyed, you recognise that they too feel as though they have been forgotten. They too feel that justice has not been done. How can the country forget the violence of the last election and move on when hundreds if not thousands of people are still living in tents throughout the country because they fear for their lives if they returned to their old homes?
One of these “tent villages” lies outside the neighbouring town of Gilgil. The former refugees managed to scrape together some money to buy land to set up the tents which the Red Cross had given them. But every time there is a large rain their land turns into a lake. How can such a community forget what was done to them? How can they not feel resentful when the leaders of the country resist local and international pressure to bring the perpetrators of the post-election violence to justice?
Many in Kenya speak with fear of 2012. Healing in the pursuit of justice has not happened. This leaves the threat of violence hanging over the country. In light of this, what possibly can cinema goers think when they see the posters advertising the up and coming movie, ‘2012?’
2012 – We were warned.
Is violence inevitable? Or is there something which can be done to prevent it? We may not be a very large organisation, but we are doing what we can in Naivasha to fight against the flood of evil. Sometimes our efforts seem almost futile. But sitting back and doing nothing, waiting for the inevitable, is clearly not an option either. For this reason we invited an organisation dedicated to reconciliation called “Le Rucher,” to come and do some reconciliation workshops here at the centre. The moderators were people who spoke from experience, from countries which had witnessed unspeakable acts of violence such as Rwanda and DR Congo.
We have been amazed to see how people’s lives have been changed and the healing which took place in these meetings. How can it be humanly possible to forgive those who killed your husband, raped your child, stole your cattle, burned your house? And yet we have witnessed such healings in the participants. Initially people arrived refusing to even talk to members of the other tribes. But by the end they were laughing, hugging, and singing and dancing together.
When we witnessed this change, we couldn’t help but be amazed. How was this possible? Surely only God is able to bring someone to the point where they can forgive, be healed, and then be reconciled after experiencing personally the evil that humans are capable of perpetrating against one another. It isn’t philosophical or scientific evidence for the existence of God, but there was just no other way for me to explain the changes that we saw in people’s lives. The change was not due to the excitement of the occasion or a rush of adrenaline. That was clear as what they experienced continued to have an impact on people’s lives once they returned to their homes.
We have been amazed to see how people’s lives have been changed and the healing which took place in these meetings. How can it be humanly possible to forgive those who killed your husband, raped your child, stole your cattle, burned your house? And yet we have witnessed such healings in the participants. Initially people arrived refusing to even talk to members of the other tribes. But by the end they were laughing, hugging, and singing and dancing together.
When we witnessed this change, we couldn’t help but be amazed. How was this possible? Surely only God is able to bring someone to the point where they can forgive, be healed, and then be reconciled after experiencing personally the evil that humans are capable of perpetrating against one another. It isn’t philosophical or scientific evidence for the existence of God, but there was just no other way for me to explain the changes that we saw in people’s lives. The change was not due to the excitement of the occasion or a rush of adrenaline. That was clear as what they experienced continued to have an impact on people’s lives once they returned to their homes.
Giving up the pain
Some of the later conferences were intended for training purposes. Those who had participated in the initial events returned to learn how they could teach and run these courses in their own home towns and villages. In these training sessions the candidates shared how lives were changed and how the message is now also having an impact in their home communities. Through their own personal healing and through the sessions they have attended, they have learned how to apply the teachings to take on the healing and reconciliation to others.
Reconciliation Celebrations
Maybe these are the kinds of people who can make a small dent against the threat of violence we face in 2012. With God’s help we can maybe avoid yet another round of hatred and destruction in this place.
