December 12, 2012 (Sam)
Today is Jamhuri Day, which probably means nothing to you. But for Kenyans, this is one of the biggest, and unarguably the most important holiday celebrated here. It’s the equivalent of our 4th of July. In case you didn’t know, much like the US, Kenya was also under British rule until it gained independence in 1963. I don’t know who the Brits thought they were, just rolling in and taking over all these countries without their say-so, but thanks to some less-than-humane tactics and quick thinking by some Kenyan gangsters and politicians (what’s the difference?), Kenya was also able to gain independence on December 12th, exactly 49 years ago.
Unfortunately, even after gaining independence, tribal ties, combined with the consolidation of power under the newly elected president Jomo Kenyatta, led to an authoritarian regime, the effect of which would haunt Kenya for decades to come.
As you may have read or heard about, the Kenyan elections held in 2007 were a disaster. After an election obviously rife with corruption, ugly ethnic confrontations broke out all over the country resulting in the deaths of over 1,000 people and the displacement of over 600,000. Hundreds of homes were burned to the ground while girls and women were being raped in the streets. Roadblocks were set up and public transportation vehicles pulled over by violent protestors. They would check the ID cards of passengers and immediately slaughter those who didn’t belong to their particular tribe.
Below is a 30-minute documentary produced by Picha Mtaani, called Heal the Nation, which graphically portrays some of the fallout of the violence and discusses what Kenya is facing during this coming year, when elections are held again in March of 2013.
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