The Work Begins: A Conversation with Quaker Kenyan Peacemakers

Nairobi, Kenya, December 2007. Women rescue a man left for dead by opposition party supporters who beat him during an outbreak of violence after Kenya's contested general election. © Julius Mwelu/IRIN

The recent violence in Kenya is part of an ongoing history that includes British colonial rule, the dictatorship of Daniel Arap Moi, and terrible poverty for millions of Kenya's people. Nevertheless, it has come as a great shock to many Kenyans. Have these events showed you new directions for your work, or opened up new spaces for peacemaking?

David Zarembka: It has become very clear that one of the most important divisions to address is not based on ethnic identity, or even on political opinion, but on age. Even when we do "alternatives to violence" trainings for groups, sometimes the older participants are resistant to doing activities with the younger ones ("those kids"). Going about my business, I myself have tended to ignore the idlers, and the boda boda drivers [young men who offer transport on their bicycles for a fee; in some areas they formed bands that attacked people and looted property in the days after the election]. Now I realize that I've got to pay attention to these young people, and say hello.

The work is already beginning. Malesi Kinaro and other peacemakers in our community met as soon as they could with the town's boda boda drivers (see p.15) and listened to them, learning a great deal about their needs and perspectives. This could be part of an important foundation.

Violence like what we have seen in recent weeks is nothing new. Typically, news about it is suppressed -- the difference now is that people have cell phones and can share information with each other instantaneously. People have been in denial that this could happen here.

We peacemakers are trying to promote disciplined, active nonviolence as an alternative to the undisciplined violence that has flared up. This kind of shift takes a long time, but since the election there is a new recognition among Quakers here that it is needed.

Eden Grace: I hope that for Quakers, who have a significant presence in this area, these terrible events will stimulate a serious self-inquiry. What can we say about Friends' influence when lynchings can go on in villages where fifty percent of the residents are Quakers? This could be a powerful opening for bringing a message of peace through the already well-established Quaker church here.

We are welcoming expressions of solidarity that have been offered from Rwanda Yearly Meeting of Friends and from others in Central Africa, where people have direct experience in the kinds of healing and self-examination that we in Kenya will need to undertake.

Kenya's image -- and perhaps its self-image -- as a legitimately functioning democracy have been damaged. What effect will this have on people's willingness to engage politically as citizens?

Eden Grace: There is so much hope here for a multi-ethnic, peaceful society. The voting process itself was peaceful, and represented the highest Kenyan ideals, so to have the election stolen was a great shock. Kenyans are intensely politically engaged, and feel passionately about their voting rights. They will not accept the outcome of a blatantly rigged election -- they believe in more for themselves, and they're not going to let this go.

If there is no transparent and legitimate resolution to the current electoral crisis, we could be entering a time of greatly increased repression. The news is already censored. Without a fair resolution, the ongoing anger between ethnic groups could deepen into a greater fragmentation of Kenyan society. No ordinary Kenyans stand to gain from this, of course.

But if there is a fair resolution, there will be a huge opportunity to address the systemic issues that underlie the current violence.

John Muhanji: Nobody expected this violence -- we expected change, and we came out in great numbers to vote for it.

Young people suffer from the unemployment that has plagued Kenya ever since the Moi years. Young people and poor people in Kenya are totally disillusioned. Their anger does not come just from this stolen election but has been building for a long time.

David Zarembka: The idea that Kenya has been a legitimately functioning democracy is a mirage. The Kenyan elite have been stealing money for years, with no accountability. Looting and violence have happened before, sometimes between tribes and sometimes against some other group (Muslims, for instance, and Indians).

Since 1992 when Daniel Arap Moi was forced to introduce multi-party democracy, Kenyans have been working to rectify social problems. Nevertheless, most Keny ans agree that there must be structural change within the government -- including, most importantly, a constitution that does not skew power toward the president -- in order for real reform to progress.

In communities where neighbors have turned against each other, what resources and strengths do Kenyans bring to the work of reconciliation? What are the obstacles?

David Zarembka: We've been doing trainings using the Alternatives to Violence model since 2003, and right now we are overwhelmed by new requests. At the end of 2007, we had just begun to introduce workshops on community trauma healing, which have been used for many years in Burundi and Rwanda.

John Muhanji: I give special tribute to Right Sharing of World Resources, an organization which helps poor people start micro-enterprises. We should use this program much more intensively here, but I believe that its support must be offered not only to women [historically the focus of microcredit loans] but to young people as well. If they can start their own businesses they can become responsible. This could be a way of keeping the young people busy with income-generating activities.

Eden Grace: Kenyans have a great strength in their conviction that this kind of violence has no place in Kenya. There is plenty of intermingling across ethnic lines, especially in urban areas, and national identity is generally stronger than tribal identity. There are 42 African ethnic groups in Kenya, in addition to other ethnic groups such as a sizeable Indian/Pakistani population. We need each other!

But how can people begin to heal their communities without a basic level of safety? And where can that safety come from? Not the police, many of whom have participated in murder, rape, and looting since the election. In Kisumu, the economy has crashed, and unless it is restored quickly, hunger will come soon, accompanied by a wave of crime.

As Peacework goes to press, election-related street violence in Kenya has largely subsided, but the situation is far from normal. It is still not clear whether the crises in transport, food, and shelter will be solved before the suffering of the IDPs (Internally Displaced Persons) inevitably escalates. In these circumstances, what is the most important work you can do?

David Zarembka: I learned a long time ago that the first thing to do is visit the victims. With others, I have been going daily to the IDP encampment at the school near my home, and will continue to visit them as possible now that these people have been relocated to another, larger IDP camp farther away.

Eden Grace: In a situation of food shortages, I figure out ways to feed people. I run a hospital, which was running out of food, so I've been working on finding food for the hospital. What will happen when they run out of medicine? We deal with the most pressing needs, one day at a time.

John Muhanji: I have been so disillusioned, and so traumatized to see people being chased from their homes. Yet it did not happen in all cases. Near my farm, my neighbor is a Kikuyu and no-one attacked him or chased him away. And in my village, when the violence started we were in the middle of an annual sports tournament which we hold with young people and elders -- there is soccer and basketball, and the winners receive prizes. We gathered them all together to say, "Let's continue with our tournament." We showed movies in the evenings to keep them entertained. We spoke to them constantly, encouraging them to stay in the village and not contribute to the violence. Even at the height of the violence, these young people stayed and did not join the attacks or the looting -- in fact, at least once some of them even stopped some looters in the street, took the goods away from them and returned them to the store they had been stolen from. Together we can contribute to the peaceful way in this country.

Could projects like this have helped in other towns too? I stay up at night, wondering: What changes can we make so that Kenyans can promise each other, "Never again"? What assurance can we give to each angered Kenyan who feels that her or his democratic rights have been violated? Will they ever trust one another? I believe that if we act from a profound commitment to peace, we can find answers.

How can people in the US support our Kenyan brothers and sisters?

David Zarembka: Try to stay informed, through as many sources as possible. Look at blogs and reports from people in Kenya, as well as news publications. Please, continue to stay informed after the press moves on -- stick with us over the long run as we work on being more proactive in our nonviolence. The best way to learn is to come to Kenya -- there are many people ready to welcome you.

TO LEARN MORE, AND SUPPORT PEACEMAKING WORK IN KENYA

African Great Lakes Initiative, c/o Friends Peace Teams, 1001 Park Ave., St. Louis, MO 63104; 314/621-7262; www.aglionline.org; Contributions payable to Friends Peace Teams with "AGLI" in the memo.

Friends United Meeting, 101 Quaker Hill Dr., Richmond IN 47374-1926; 765/962-7573; www.fum.org; Contributions payable to Friends United Meeting with "Kenya Relief" in the memo.

ALTERNATIVES TO MAINSTREAM NEWS SOURCES

AllAfrica.com offers stories from the international and the Kenyan press

www.updatesonkenya.blogspot.com is the web site of Kenya News. This blog was created by Mary Kay Rehard and is intended as a place Friends (Quakers) and others may share news about Kenya, especially regarding the crisis of post-election violence. It includes links to many other blogs as well, from organizations, people in Kenya, and the Kenyan diaspora.

www.irinnews.org is the news service of the United Nations

www.bbc.co.uk is the web site of British national television

kenya.indymedia.org is the web page of Kenya's Independent Media Center