A Continent of Demo'crazy"

Hello to Everyone!
I had a wonderful blog that I was about to share with you describing my holiday travels. But there are a number of global issues that have had an incredible impact on me over the course of the last few weeks and I feel compelled to discuss them. First there was Benazir Bhutto’s assassination that disturbed me greatly, and now the crisis in East Africa. I know many of you follow the news and I am sure you are up to date on what is unfolding in Kenya. However, if there’s one thing I have learned as a member of African society, it is that no news report can compare to actually living in these countries and facing these situations head on.

Let me inform you on the issue. Over 350 people have died and 250,000 people are homeless in Kenya as a result of the recent political elections. Opposition leader Raila Odinga has accused President Mwai Kibaki of manipulating or "rigging" the recent election. Now although this is a political election, there is a great deal of tribal undertones affecting this democratic process. You need to understand that in Africa, tribal affiliations outweigh everything. It doesn’t matter how intelligent you are, how honest you are, or the fundamental ideas you have to offer to democracy; what matters is the origin of your family name, and essentially which tribe you belong to.

Prosper and I have been following this very closely. In many ways, this event mirrors the images we all saw in 1994 during the Rwandan Genocide. Once again, like the Hutus and Tutsis, we are now witnessing bloodshed between the two majority tribes in Kenya, the Kikuyu (President Kibaki's tribe) and the Luo (Mr Odinga's tribe). What is so disturbing is the fact that Kenya was once the beacon of hope for the continent. Kenya’s peace and economic stability has long been something Africa could proudly boast. However, like so many before, we are now seeing this country follow in the footsteps of Somalia, Zimbabwe, Sierra Leone, Cote d’Ivoire and Democratic Republic of Congo, just to name a few.

Reports have indicated many horrific eyewitness accounts. Rape, looting, torture and killing are mentioned daily on news reports. One specific incident has left a disturbing impact on me. Over 50 people, mostly women and children burned to death in a church in Nairobi (Kenya’s capital). A mob trapped these people inside the church and then set fire to it. Journalists report daily that many civilians are trying desperately to speak Swahili (widespread language throughout much of East and Southern Africa) as to help mask their native language. This is so that the killers will not be able to tell which tribe they belong to. Another eyewitness report indicated 4 civilians being hacked to death in the streets. And killers have resorted to using water guns filled with kerosene to ignite people on fire. Mobs are even asking for the tribal affiliations of aid workers in order to eliminate as many of the minority as possible. Thousands of people have fled to neighbouring Uganda to seek safety. And a once vibrant economy has been shattered. People are starving to death because they cannot venture out of their homes to gather food from their farmlands.

I count myself extremely fortunate and I believe I had a guardian angel guiding me in my decision process before coming to this beautiful continent. You see, Kenya was a country I was seriously considering moving to. Mombasa, Kenya (you may recall the bombing on the U.S embassy in 1998) was an area I considered teaching at, and it is an area that is facing mass atrocities at the moment. But thank God I stayed clear of East Africa. You see, I am putting serious thought into writing my own book that brings clear some critical issues that all volunteers, travelers, missionaries, etc need to consider prior to coming to Africa. One of the first things I would highlight would be a warning to all travelers to stay clear of countries that are facing political elections. Africa has a deep history of violence in election years.

I cannot emphasize this enough – although I am in Ghana, the political situation in this country is quickly following in the footsteps of Kenya. Ghana is seen to the world as a peaceful and economically prosperous country, however this is not at all the case. You need to live here to understand. Ghana is as corrupt as any African country, and heading into a political year (Ghana’s political elections are in December 2008), we are seeing many similarities to war-ravaged countries like Rwanda and Sierra Leone. I fear for Ghana! President Kufour and other political aspirants are quick to praise democracy in Ghana, but this is only lip service. How can a democracy flourish when 70% of the population is illiterate, when the average citizen makes less than a dollar a day, when young men and women with Masters and PHD’s cannot find jobs because they are members of a minority tribe, and when members of government are dipping their greedy hands into the national budget?? As Prosper would say, this isn’t democracy, it’s demo’crazy’!!

I just hope that Ghana is quick to learn from the tragedy in Kenya. But as we have seen time and time again, Africans don’t seem to learn from history. It is something that boggles my mind. I have been studying the continent for many years, and it is evident that Africans cannot break the cycle. And as Kenya has reinforced to the world once again, it’s the people who suffer in the quest for political greed. As the age old African saying goes, “when two elephants fight, it’s the ground that suffers.”

I ask you to keep informed on the situation in Kenya, and the many situations occurring throughout Africa and the rest of the world. Remember, knowledge is the key to overcoming ignorance! We all must be active and well-read citizens of our world and we must always seek the truth. After all, this is what democracy is all about!

Until Next Time!

Peace,
Heather