The tragedy of Kenya

Although the outcome is still far from certain, there are now scattered whispers of hope that the two sides in Kenya’s ongoing electoral dispute may soon be able to reach some sort of power-sharing agreement. But regardless of any future political reconciliation, it’s hard not to feel that something irretrievable has been lost in Kenya, which until recently had been considered one of Africa’s most stable and tourist-friendly countries. The outpouring of violence has torn communities apart (for some eye-opening on-the-ground reporting from Kenya, check out this blog by Anne Holmes) and it will take a massive and lengthy effort to stitch everything together again.

For a sense of just how much everything has changed in the blink of an eye, first check out these short excerpts about Kenya from my recent book. First, driving through Kenya:

Only occasionally during the next week did we run into a small city, at places like Nakuru or Narok. On this day, we drove north past wheat-colored fields, banana and acacia trees and coffee plantations. The road took us through rolling foothills of green trees and deep red soil. These colors, and especially the red hue of the earth, became my lasting images of Kenya.

 

One of the biggest things I noticed as we drove were the number of people on the streets. Everywhere, even in what seemed to be the middle of nowhere between towns, we passed dozens of locals going about their daily lives. Many of them, especially the children, would wave as our van drove past.

And then at Lake Nakuru National Park:

We weren’t prepared for the full impact of seeing tens of thousands of pink flamingos strutting around the perimeter of a single lake. This was one of the most visually interesting spectacles we saw on the safari. From a distance, it appeared the water was ringed with stretches of pink sand. But as we approached, it became apparent this was an illusion, caused by the presence of more pink flamingoes than we ever knew existed, all living together on the edge of a lake…

 

We walked along the beachfront and gaped in amazement at the thousands of pink flamingoes squeezed together in front of us – feeding, walking, flying, landing…Interestingly, as we walked towards the birds, who formed a ring perhaps 15 or 20 feet deep along the perimeter of the lake, they edged away from us in unison. They moved calmly, and not in panic, but a giant pink wave would invariably form opposite whichever direction we moved…

 

It was raining fairly steadily at this point, but we were entranced and didn’t want to leave the flamingos. So we stood there for long minutes on the edge of the lake, hoods pulled over our heads, no sound but for the clamor of birds and the drumming of raindrops, thousands of pink flamingos forming a dreamlike picture in front of us, and we breathed in the sweet smell of rain on a warm African afternoon.

Now, compare those scenes with this recent description of the current situation in Nakuru, Kenya: 

In Nakuru, furious mobs rule the streets, burning homes, brutalizing people and expelling anyone not in their ethnic group, all with complete impunity.

On Saturday, hundreds of men prowled a section of the city with six-foot iron bars, poisoned swords, clubs, knives and crude circumcision tools. Boys carried gladiator-style shields and women strutted around with sharpened sticks…

One month after a deeply flawed election, Kenya is tearing itself apart along ethnic lines, despite intense international pressure on its leaders to compromise and stop the killings.

Nakuru, the biggest town in the beautiful Rift Valley, is the scene of a mass migration now moving in two directions. Luos are headed west, Kikuyus are headed east, and packed buses with mattresses strapped on top pass one another in the road, with the bewildered children of the two ethnic groups staring out the windows at one another.

How sad.

Related posts:

1. Pink flamingos in Kenya ...
2. Who needs oceans when there are so many great lakes? ...
3. Tribalism and democracy in Kenya ...