For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Many people who donated money or gave any support for this mission trip were curious about how safe I would be in Kenya after the 2007 presidential election. In fact, this was apart of the background of several of our pre-meetings and was at the heart of many of us who traveled to Africa. At least for me, I didn't know to a great extent what was happening. Hearing all the reports on TV and seeing it in the newspapers was frightening. I was still working with Disney World when I first saw on TV what was happening in the country that I had been dreaming about since my first steps in college.
It was one of those moments where everything around you is moving at full-speed and you are frozen stiff. There wasn't a moment to breathe during the holidays. I knew I was headed for Kenya and all I could think was "My God, what am I getting myself into?" All the people on the television were screaming and the nice lower thirds at the bottom of the screen scrolled the word Kenya over and over again.
I don't know where God is taking me and my joint-fully pained body. This was one of those things that I just knew was from him and I accepted it, and sometimes I would think to myself it was all in my head, but why would someone who had no desire of going to Africa suddenly be completely and madly intoxicated with one of its countries?
Prior to the presidential election of 2007 Kenya was considered one of the most stable countries in Africa. It's one of the fastest growing commercial and tourist hubs on the continent. So what sparked the tension on December 27th, 2008?
800 to 1,500 people died in this event, as well as 180,000 to 250,000 people were displaced from their homes. When Mwai Kibaki was announced president many felt there had been corruption at hand, and so people snapped at the edge of the tribal labels and they began pointing their fingers left and right for the fault of all the corruption that had been taking place and all other injustices. This of course has happened everywhere in the world.
Kenya is a fresh democracy, and with it, like any form of government, there are deep set problems that are ignored by those in power. At the root of the political crisis are two powers: old traditional tribes that are beginning to merge their lifestyles into one country and a government that is simply an elite. The government is less interested in maintaining roads and generating wealth into the system than they are willing to give up their own lavish lifestyles and to stop putting more and more gold into their own pockets. For them, the people of their country are just puppets-- or maybe these rulers are just malnourished leaders who are unfit to lead.
It was hard for the university students we spoke with to discuss the events that took place, but what's more they were baffled as to why people that they've known their whole lives-- their neighbors, friends, and classmates-- they couldn't understand why they would suddenly hate one another. It would be like we suddenly hate people because their from another state, not another ethnic group, but state. It makes no sense. So what causes hate? What is its fuel? People feel a call to it for some reason, why else would Hitler have been able to gain the support of Germany? He knew his country and their economic situation and how oppressed people felt so he used that as fuel. In this situation, I don't think it is much different. People felt unjustly represented, like the hand of democracy was a myth in fairy tales. Being starved for justice while having it crumble in your hands leads to these hideous disasters.
Not until July 2008-- just now-- a US conducted poll released that Odinga won by a comfortable 6% margin. Seeing that he truly did win shows how obvious it was that Kenya was in fact cheated. Here's how the problem evolved and spun into disaster. Odinga had won the election but Kibaki was given the presidency. Odinga supporters were outraged. Each of the parties were formed from tribal groups and their ideas on issues. Just like in America, much of our country is split into two parties based on primarily, but not limited to: region, family, and religion.
The Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) and the Party of National Unity (PNU) were split: and then the opposition against Kibaki began nonviolent protests. However, within moments both sides became violent and so the anarchy began with a rampage through several parts of Kenya-- most notably Odinga's homeland of Nyzana Province and the slums of Nairobi. The police shot many of the supporters; some of this happened with news cameras filming. Then their came violence towards the police. We have this problem here in America to a lesser degree. Several police officers have fired their guns vicariously murdering the innocent. It's a tough and detested job, but that isn't to say that some police carry their weapon as an extreme final resort, and many of the best who have served in the force never had to even pull the trigger. Regardless, the violence began to be targeted towards the Kikuyu community to which Kibaki belonged.
The violence catapulted when 30 unarmed civilians were murdered when a church, set for refuge against the attacks, was set on fire on New Years Day. Still, Odinga said he would not negotiate till Kibaki ceded power.
On New Years Eve I was working a much anticipated day. Since my training at the beginning of my Disney internship, I was told about how insane my job would be and that I better learn the loopholes now so that I could enjoy New Year's Eve. We prepared for-- what we were told-- a four hour waiting line for a ride. Can you imagine being in a line that long for an amusement park ride? I was told it was actually a five hour waiting line that traveled across all of the Living with the Land pavilion. I schemed the entire day to crack the machine that spit out our duties and breaks. It wasn't hard to figure out, but I needed to be on top of it because there was a reason why so many people wanted, rather, had to be at Epcot that day. As silly as this may sound, it was the fireworks.
It's well known that the greatest firework show imaginable would be occurring that night. I gave up sometime in the night. I figured it was nearly impossible to be one of the few that could actually see this display. But then someone came, Claire, and she handed me a break slip. I ran all the way from the back of "B" theater, through merge, into "A" theater (I wonder if there was a better way to leave in all the secret passage ways at Disney) and I ran across the parking lot and before I knew it, I was onstage(that's what we called the actual park). I was shoulder to shoulder with various people from around the world. I had just missed the holiday section of the fireworks-- which I had seen several times.
Then the show began-- a dazzling spectacle of fireworks representing all the countries at Epcot. It was done by time zone beginning with the far east. I was blown away. I was in this huge world renowned international park with countless people from everywhere celebrating world unity. I had my camera in hand, waiting to capture the anticipated ending. I couldn't help but look around me and appreciate this world, it's people, and the challenging year that I had survived. And then finally in unison people counted down the last seconds of the new year and then the sky exploded. There was so many fireworks in the sky that it turned white. Children, couples, parents, grandparents, and workers were all astonished and celebrating. And I stood there awestruck wondering how all of this connected. The fire in the sky and the fire in my heart; I fell to tears at such a touching moment. But beyond that, I had this strange yearning, this strange feeling that all of this was much greater than I could possibly know and that somehow what I had tapped into was what each of us has been searching for our whole lives. It was like I had surrendered all my problems and that I knew deep down we were in the hands of a faithful and just creator. Little did I know that hours and miles away there were lives dying in flames. Here I stood in Orlando completely free while in Kenya the lack of freedom was ravaging itself through innocence. I would like to think at Epcot on that day we celebrated what they would have envisioned, and that something happened that was much deeper than I understood. My identity is set deeply in all this. From the magic I was creating for thousands of children to the camera that was attached to my wrist--
Odinga held a strong lead on December 28th but as more votes were supposedly counted Kibaki ended up being named. Odinga claimed the government of fraud, but how could he take this to the court when it was run by Kibaki? On December 31st a ceremony was going to be held by the ODM party to announce Odinga as the "people's president" but it was feared this would incite violence. Kibaki ruled that lawbreakers would be punished. Odinga wanted power and revolution.
By the end of January, many had died, many were injured, and many were without home. The world was spellbound. They were in need of a miracle to unite this country that was split by what Odinga said "is a war between the people of Kenya and a very small bloodthirsty clique clinging to power."The first to attempt a miracle was by John Kufour on January 9th who was Ghanaian President and African Union Chairman. He wanted Kibaki and Odinga to sign a peace agreement, however Kibaki refused to sign it and instead ODM representatives had signed it. The government blamed Odinga for failing to move for peace, regardless of Kibaki's stagnate motion.
Then Kofi Annan stepped in and by February 28th he was able to get Mwai Kibaki and Raila Odinga to compromise for their country. They signed a peace agreement and were made to work together. Will this effort begin to unite the country or is this a cease fire? The violence did dramatically halt. And people began working alongside each other again in this corrupt country. However the consequences still tarnish the country, and who knows how long it will take to move past these tragic events.
Amazingly enough, a few of the students from Nairobi openly talked about the events that occurred. One of them told his tragic tale and how it was a defining moment for him: "Guys were out on the street with stones. We were at a police station, and so we had to stop by the police station because the roads were blocked so we could not come into the street, so everyone was being directed to the police station so it was becoming too full to hold anyone else. But if that was not enough, they kept throwing stones at us, so we were finally-- thank the Lord-- we were escorted into town... We were cruising at 120 kilometers an hour; I was sitting by the driver, and his window was down. A guy was trying to hit us with a stone. He wanted to hit the driver; he could see the window was open. Though it hit right threw the window, I didn't even get a scratch because I moved immediately. I was in these shoes; the glass was in small pieces in my shoes so you had to check really slowly. That was a defining moment that life is short, and we really need to lead fulfilling lives; so that when we get to heaven, we will have fulfilled our purposes in life, we won't be regretting we did this, we did this, we will be living."
Another student stated, "I was really affected by it. It's known to be a large number of them, there was so much violence, and the displacements, that night after the results we did have fear. That night they were mixed. We heard screams; you pray. You know it's happening; you see the news. The houses were burnt, you hear gunshots, you see the army. It was really scary. It really changed the perception; it just brought up the whole idea that people really discriminate, and it was really sad to find that out. It was a sad moment."
And lastly the person who taught us about everything that happened said, "I couldn't access my car, the town was filled with cops, and I never really thought it would concern me; so there was a lot of fear. My reflection was based on what do we really qualify people to be loved. I felt I was lying to my tribal cocoon, and I was really shocked."
So what is our qualifications to love another? What spawns hate? What caused what many of these students profess to be spiritual warfare? This is only a fragment of what occurred during those frightening days in Kenya and what is still vibrating through the country. Yet, what is so fascinating to me is that through Kofi Anan the violence was stopped. We don't know the long term results of this battle; the peace of Kenya may be tampered with again. We have so much power to change this world and bring out love. One person helped bring peace; while many of us were on our knees praying.
He and all his family were devout and God-fearing; he gave generously to those in need and prayed to God regularly.
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