RHETORIC.

Words are powerful. They may not be able to break your bones or cause you any physical harm but words can be dangerous if misused. All powerful things are. Whatever you say with your mouth goes a long way, sometimes it does not only have an effect on you but also on the people who are listening, more so if they take heed.


They say it is better to listen than to talk, but how do you avoid being consumed by the words of the talker? Because words are not just words, they evoke emotions. When this occurs, people become attached and form opinions after which they epitomize those opinions and emotions. This can be a good thing, but not always. I once became a victim without noticing, in a way that was not good.

I always desire to be on the side of the truth, regardless of how it makes me feel. Whether or not it favours me but sometimes, if not most times, the truth resembles the lie too much to tell the difference. My father and I used to argue a lot about Kenyan politics (I quit because arguing only left me drained with nothing achieved), he was for one political party and to him, there was nothing the rival party could do that would be right. So I would argue with him just to reveal the other side of the coin but not that I supported the other party, just to make things level, trying to state little truths here and there.

Election time came in 2007 and the news were selling filled with so much tribal rhetoric in them. That election was the first I was liable to vote. So I listened, not only to politicians but also to people who surrounded me, they seemed to say similar things. Not much was being said about the issues, people did not care about those, they had already made up their minds based on tribe on who they were going to vote for, all that their tribal leaders had to do was say anything and it would be right to them. And then it became ugly, people became emotional, I gradually took sides based on what I heard being said, mostly fuelled by hate. Sometimes its not how you say it, sometimes its just what you say, period. Thankfully I was not infected by hate. But I took sides and I put my faith in a bunch of greedy people whose ideologies I did not even agree with, just because they talked loudest, just because they moved crowds (including me), I could see during the campaigns that they lied, but on election time I took sides because of their stupid rhetoric. Why did I take sides, both sides were the same.. liars! What happened to the truth?

I was watching Christiane Amanpour interviewing President Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe on CNN the other night. This man has caused his country a lot of economic turmoil, that is the common knowledge. I was surprised that he would even accept an interview with Christiane Amanpour on CNN! Again, I listened. He made sense in the beginning, talking like the very educated man that he is, he was so convincing! Then I thought, there goes that rhetoric again. But I was glad to see that later he was asked a tough yet simple question and he practically choked on air, pausing for a good thirty seconds before he could answer. Then everyone could see the lie. From this interview I learned that Mr. Mugabe is not a simpleton, he just lacks wisdom.

The thing is to listen and to receive the words as a separate entity from the person saying the words so that your opinion of the person does not affect your judgment towards the words that he is saying. Because just because a person is an idiot, it does not mean that he is wrong. On receiving the words, it is upon an individual to use their wisdom to evaluate those words and to decide what lessons, conclusions or opinions can be formulated from those words. For there is something to learn from everything that you listen to, even from evil words. But I could be wrong, and that is the beauty of life.

A NEW CONSTITUTION AND REFORM.

Nothing will bring us change, not the law, not the international community, not even The Hague, but ourselves. For that reason I do not expect any change in ourselves as individuals making up a nation to arise due to the enactment of any law or set of laws because we are a corrupt people. Therefore expecting a new constitution to magically transform this whole nation by creating a whole new political platform and eventually making our intricate problems or challenges a little solvable is absolutely dreamy. As much as the current constitution may have erroneous laws, or laws that are unjust, we should ask ourselves about the remaining ‘sound’ part of the current constitution, does it serve us any good, equally without discrimination, does it protect us and preserve our rights? On paper it does, but it is us who contaminate it with corruption and greed. A new constitution may be a good thing for this country, but it won’t bring any more change than itself- a new constitution, if we don’t change as well.

Some Kenyans consider a new constitution as the starting point, the first step to change or reform but it shouldn’t be. Having this notion evokes the feeling that if we as a nation fail to acquire a new constitution this time round then we wouldn’t be able to move on. Not to undermine the importance of the constitution, but it is just a document written by individuals to depict how power is going to be shared and how the country will be governed, period. Whether or not it works for us does not entirely depend on the document itself but also on us. We decide. So in the end, change comes from within us.

At the core of all our troubles lies tribalism. Some assert that it can never ever be solved. But we owe it to ourselves and to prove to the rest of the world that we can be big enough to solve a problem of this enormity and not just kick it by the side to avoid facing it. Intermarriages could serve a great purpose to that effect but it may not be the best option because it MAY mean dissolution of the tribes, which is something we don’t desire and it also it would constitute kicking the problem by the side so we won’t have to actually resolve it. The cause of tribalism is not the tribes themselves but the people of the respective tribes. Tribalism can be eliminated, it can be done faster and sooner than we’d like to think, it can be done tomorrow! There is no reason to wait a another decade or century. Only we can bring change, and it begins right when we start seeing each other as partners, from there greater positive change will come.

There’s not a doubt about how tribalism can be dealt with, tribalism is as a result of ignorance and ignorance can be reversed by only one thing- education. Not education as we Kenyans have been made to believe it is, as to having our heads cramped with so much information in our memories which we may not fully understand, but education as being liberal and independent in our thoughts and being able to form an opinion based on the facts and having the ability to dissociate our personal interests and emotions in our final judgment for the greater good of the nation or even in our personal lives. This education can happen both inside and outside classrooms. It is doable.

When we have a population educated in the sense described in the previous paragraph, change becomes inevitable. Everything would fall in its rightful place, because then we would give more consideration to the unborn children in making decisions of national interest. When it comes such a time when we can rise to reach the level selflessness in order to attain greater good for the nation, at that time there would be nothing to stop us. As it is now, we are our own worst enemy.

Revisiting the issue of new constitution, the draft constitution has renamed and scrapped off some national days. In my opinion this to some extent erodes that Kenyan sense of pride, because it seems like whoever changed it saw something wrong with the initial name, and therefore we may have been celebrating a lie all this time. The same can be said of holidays cancelled from the calendar as national days. It’s like renaming Christmas!

WHEN THE MOMENT ARISES.

According to Newton’s first law of motion, a body persists its state of rest or uniform motion unless it is acted upon by an external force. This external force, depending on its magnitude and direction, may bring the moving body to rest, accelerate its speed, slow it down or change its direction. If the body was initially at rest, the external force will cause it to move. In short, there has to be some force applied to change the initial state of a body in terms of motion. Applying the same law in every day life, nothing changes until you do something. In other words, if change is desired something has to be done! The question then becomes; what has to be done?

During the post election violence, people picked up their weapons because they felt they had to do something. They felt they’d been violated and they had to do something back. And some of us watched and said yes! Somebody has to make them pay. Someone needs to make them know that it’s not all that good. What else was there to do? Sit back and watch the news? Grumble inside your house? It was an emotional moment. But killing is not accepted, surely not even on self defense. God is not fallible and neither are his laws. God said do not kill and it stopped there, there were no exceptions. Those who know me know I wonder, does there have to be war before there is peace? Is it okay to do evil just so good may prevail? Does someone have to lie so that the truth may come out?

So again what is it that should be done when such moments arise? Young men and women are out protesting, you are safe inside your house. You support them but you are not out there with them. Your people end up dying, you know they died for you. But they are laughed at and you can’t help but think, why didn’t they just stay at home? Nobody asked them to go out there but somebody had to go. Mau Mau people are considered heroes, they fought and died for freedom. We like to think they died for us. Someone has to let them know that it’s not all that good down here. But how can that be done without risking lives? Even the Mau Mau couldn’t do that. Ostensibly, only the poor get so concerned.

Something still has to be done but we are still here seated watching them play us like it’s a movie. Watching the news, getting our moods swung and probably write about it but we are still static. Hopefully there won’t be a too big a price to pay for freedom/democracy this time, less than the loss of any life or bloodshed. But if there is any volunteer willing to die for the cause, let him show himself. God bless us all.

I'M SICK OF TALKING!

I really love my country Kenya but we rant too much! That's why when everyone's out making their opinions known I choose to keep mum, because talking can sap so much of your energy in vain. Some people mean well when they talk, they want something to happen to counter whatever it is they are talking against. I fight the urge to talk but I pay attention and try to weigh everything. I do have opinions, sometimes I just don't know how well to put them across. I need time, give me a second. But time's moving fast and sooner or later I'll become that old guy we all don't want to become.

Go through those social network things, check out the groups, check out the blogs, organisations of people with common interests are being formed and websites are being set up. Seminars are being held, tours and workshops are scheduled, Vijana tugutuke thing, G-jue concert, The Kenya we want and of all that... it's too much! I hear the youth preaching aginst the old men as if the problem lies in the age. Women fight for leadership positions with the men, the disabled claim they are undermined and Muslims against christians... and the ugliest one being tribe against tribe each shifting blame crying foul that they are short-changed.

I'm not against all the talk, really, it does help to some extent. It might inspire trigger one of us who is listening to rise up for the occasion in the midst of all these cowards! Funny thing is everone is talking about the same thing at the same time. Everyone is trying to explain what is wrong with our society and our institutions or whatever... the few who try to think what a long term solution would be, end up doing nothing about it because, they claim, they have no power to do anything about it. Then just shut up because you are not helping.

Myself, I want to do something, I will. That which I think I can do nothing about, I listen to what they say... then say something when I do something. Like what Mutahi Ngunyi says, it doesn't have to be something big. But big is relative.

THE 'FACT' I JUST WON'T ACCEPT!

This thought has been lingering in my mind for a long time now, but the Hague issue just couldn't let it just rest in my head anymore. To cut to the chase, I don't think the Hague was a good idea, but my reasons are purely non-political but moral and inspired by the dignity that I do so much to protect.

Much has already been said but allow me to add my voice to it. I wasn't there but let me take you back in time during the colonial days. Not all black Africans were opposed to the whiteman's regime, some actually wanted them to stay. And they were accused as traitors and haters of their own. Some were put to death, killed in cold blood. Those men and women who wanted the whiteman to stay had predicted the demise of 'organised' society with the deperture of the whiteman. They said an African couldn't lead. They said atleast they ate while the white man came up with blue prints of new buildings and new agriculture techniques. They said their fellow Africans would be divided along tribal lines (which they already were before the whiteman was kicked out the country, and don't even blame the whiteman for that) and that they would be corrupt, the wise men of that time predicted it. Why are we proving them right today?

It's like those same people died and came back, I hear them screaming saying "let the whiteman judge our criminals!" because Africans, us, we are divided along tribal lines. We have corrupt leaders, it's not our fault they are corrupt! I say its not them its us. Many of us would rather see the whole government disbanded and in its place a group of white foreigners be put. Let the whiteman come govern us, they are just trying to help.

It is our problem, its root cause has to be tackled, we cannot dodge our responsiblities. I just can't and won't accept the fact that we can't. That we can never be able. I can't accept that the problems we are facing are bigger than us. If Africans are foolish, I'm NOT. I know, for a fact, that a significant portion of our population is ignorant, but not because of the fact that they are Africans. Big things have to be done. Let's clean up our institutions. Let's educate our people and make our system work for us and for the generations to come rather than rejoicing the downfall of one our own by sending them abroad for foreigners to punish them on our behalf. It's just not right.

MAD MEN INVADED PARLIAMENT!

No, no. Not mad men, that's actually them- the members. Those are the honourables that we vested with the duty of making the law. The law that only serve their interest. It is very alarming to note that a large number of people of about 210 can converge at the house and put aside the interest of the rest of the country and meet their own. Not even one person with moral values could stand up and say nay? Not one?!

This country is more divided now than it has ever been, but still I wouldn't blame our greedy leaders even if they incite crowds and generate hate through tribalism. They just take advantage of what is already there. We like to make excuses and let them get away. We make lots of noise but our voices fade away. We lose focus so quickly.

"So what do you want us to do?", Haven't you heard that phrase, the power is in the people? Why do I keep thinking that democracy isn't the best system for us? Because I feel like we cannot achieve the simple goal of choosing and identifying a leader. Most of the population doesn't even know what they want from there government. Okay, they want everything for free. They want the impossible! This is because, I bet, they don't know government works. They don't even clearly know the powers of the president. Information and the power of judgment is what we lack.

THE POWER IS IN THE PEOPLE.

Enough about our shortcomings. Our mad men on the other hand are clueless. We cry to them for help and but they cry along with us. We tell them we are suffering, they ask us how they can help. They act like they are desperate to offer us help but they don't they have no idea HOW!
So they opt for the easy way out, dishing out money and freebies to calm people for a while... but the problems come back to haunt us.

IDP's were handed cash, starving people are given relief food, unemployment? They set up a youth fund, women cried foul- a fund was set up for them as well. Are you satisfied yet, no? There, take that, it's money for the CDF fund. Any more problems? There's plenty more money left, not for the teacher's salaries though. That is asking for too much. Isn't primary education free? Problem solved! Fend for your own selves, the government is not responsible for you!

That is the wrong approach, short term solutions work well with us people of short memories though. That is why these events keep recurring and these mad men keep multiplying. Their offsprings being more daring and bold as we still ask ourselves; "but what can we do? They have guns, what do we have?"

Let's get people with visions who will show us practicle solutions that will yield results. Creative people, regardless of tribe. Sometmes I get scared, because I get the feeling we are breeing nation of mad men!

THE LAND WHERE EVERYTHING IS GRAND

Ever since the grand coalition came to existence on that historic day of the signing of the accord (anyone out there know what the accord entailed?), everything went grand in this country- grand ignorance, grand poverty, grand abuse of human rights, even grand corruption went grand! And it's a record, three scandals in one year! All grand. Hand claps. These people make us look like simpletons, and we are!

In yesterday's news the president was literally begging for donor aid , he said "help us... even if we have rogues" Its not bad to ask for help, what is ironic is that that same government dismiss those same diplomats as "interfering with internal affairs" when they comment negatively on the government, claiming Kenya doesn't need them, we can fend for ourselves. True, they do interfere with our internal affairs and I don't like it. Let's just prove to them that we don't need them, but if we do then we have no choice. It will only mean that we have another battle to fight to absolutely break free from dependency on the west.

Back to the main point. The root of the problems we are facing in our country lies in us, our leaders are just the reflection of who we really are as a people. When I watched the news yesterday it got me raving mad, because it is my image as a Kenyan that these politicians are tarnishing. Then I thought, if I had the chance of enriching myself overnight through dubious means, would I do it? I promised myself I would never do it, if it made me that angry, that ashamed that other people are doing it... but then I honestly don't know. I heard it somewhere that you can't fight the system, you can't change it, it changes you. How true that is, I don't know.

I tend to feel that we bear part of the blame, that we have blatantly greedy, stupid and uncaring leaders no matter how educated they may be. We voted for them, but no that is not the crime we committed. How could we have known? They are good liars. Those people did not fall from the sky, they came from amongst us, the society made them, WE made them, that is the crime we perpetrated. Plus putting all our trust in them, and that. Our leaders are us, they show the kind of people we are.

Young people say they would never vote again, I say that's cowardly and detrimental to ourselves, the youthful. Most youth even say that they don't like politics, terming it as boring and bullshit. That is alarming. Young people; we can't afford to not get involved in politics in our country. It may be okay in the US.

I'm back in college from my attachment, my colleagues in the pharmacy department boast of how much money they made during their attachment from stolen drugs! "How cool!", everyone thinks. Everyone thinks nothing of it, except maybe me. Though I didn't say shit. That is how we start, that is how we breed them. Well, they are students... broke students, it wouldn't hurt nobody if they stole a carton out of hundreds of them, would it? See, those students will grow and graduate to stealing maize bags meant for the hungry, a hundred thousand of them. Perhaps it is in our blood. Perhaps that's why these powerful government officials wouldn't prosecute any of these culprits- they think nothing of what those curtails did. Grand does not become grand overnight.

We give birth to them, they look cute when they are little but they grow to be ugly as fuck!