Kenya is at the brink of an election and tribal thoughts are
like defecations stuck in our constipated bowels. Now we want to pretend that
there is no problem yet we know all too well that we are headed for doom and we
are too frightened even to say it.
In as much as I abhor violence critically it’s an expression
and as much as I would rather join the bandwagon and blame someone anyone, the Hague
four perhaps, the principals perhaps, the tribes perhaps, I do not. I
acknowledge that one, violence is aggravation finding voice in the most
retrogressive human temperament which is in all of us sated only by what we
think is rational reinforced by morals and virtues of society and fear (that
others surpasses and might actually annihilate our own and ourselves)
In this period when we are afraid if we say something it
might come out in bad taste and have Kibunja the Patriot come knocking for hate
speech like a school prefect with a disk
(for those who spoke mother tongue, Swahili and broken English in our primary
and high school days). In this period when any anecdote associated with tribe
is held back, it’s not very conducive for free thought objective analysis or
real perspectives for that matter.
We do understand that in the run up to 2007 post poll chaos
we were so brazen calling each other by our christened tribal insults. And it
is right to think that if this time we do not say these repulsive labels we
might be safe, but are we thinking them. Are these same resentments now in a
more secret confines unvoiced unknown yet just boiling inside some of our
vilest societal inclusions.
At this time we cannot asses a situation political or
otherwise without someone trying to read malice in what we say. We have to be
careful and take down any tribal anecdotes present or imagined.
This posses a great risk to free thought to the extent that
we are so tongue tied by the situation so that truth even to ourselves is
abhorable. And society including us are after blaming anyone and we do not want
to be on the wrong side of the pointed finger.
And who brought us here? Ourselves.
We have been so contented in blaming politicians for
everything. But after last polls when politicians were merely clawing to remain
above the water and had left us alone in the grassroots and we let our
animalism express itself when we realized that power was un-seated neither here
nor there and we could escape with a little unlawfulness, a little anarchy.
When we lost control of our own brutality and the police (just like us) thought
they could be humans and let their emotions and harboured wish to try out on
human targets started shooting blood bayed for blood, greed for looting, envy
for tribe us against us, no politicians. Now politicians too scared lest they
are blamed are no longer talking because everybody said it was them who made us
fight and because we know the truth that we did unto ourselves. Now that
politicians are no longer talking we hope that this silence is a cure, I call
it self-delusion
Now more than ever we have become mind readers and
interpreters of unsaid nuances by our politicians and lately tribal musicians.
Now all a politician has to say is ‘them’ and a crowd goes berserk baying for
blood.
Yea we have chosen not to say what is in our hearts but in
concealing this graveness we have not buried real truths and brutalities.
We are unable to approach this question of tribalism with
the brazenness it deserves. if free thought cannot be attained due to fear of
repressions then as a society we might never be able to ask ourselves the
unsettling questions both humane and specific to Kenya that attracted our
brutality against each other and might damn as yet again.
