From: "Pope, Karen O." <POPEKJ@uwec.edu> Date: Fri, 1 Feb 2008 09:35:04 -0600 Subject: About Kenya--a post from Kimamo Message-ID: <4F19260FE7477F4DA03B00B62E7F63903DF78698FE@CHERRYPEPSI.uwec.edu>
With apologies for loosing this in the mail, I want to share Kimamo Wahome'
s analysis of the Kenyan situation with his permission.
He may well be back now, and able to offer an update, as this was several w
eeks ago. He says he welcomes feedback.
~karen pope
------------------------------
Karen-
I've been in Kenya since December & will be here for another fortnight or s
o. There is no doubt the tallying of votes for the presidential election c
reated the political storm & instability we are currently witnessing. But,
for the record, both sides were involved in heavy rigging, so, perhaps, th
e only question is which side was more skilled at rigging? But,then again,
I listened to the pronouncements & preaching of the U.S. ambassador about
the principles of democracy & the tenets of free & fair elections w/my bemu
sement, since the Republican/Bush theft of the 2000 & 2004 elections, in Fl
orida & Ohio respectively, is quite fresh in my mind! Further, though I re
spect most of the basic rules of democracy, I think they are more Western t
han they are Universal, and I would prefer Kenyans & Africans to determine
a political system that is as democratic as it is African based on our uniq
ue cultural history & social composition!
I think on the surface the problem is political, but, to me, the elephant t
hat is sitting in the middle of the room is the grave matter of economic ju
stice! So, as serious as the current political problems are, they are only
symptomatic of deeper more fundamental fractures in the fabric of Kenyan s
ociety! So, though Kenya has been gliding along the surface w/an outward c
alm & appearance of an island of peace, the country has been dragging along
some very serious economic & social problems since independence.
Again, it is my contention that the fundamental problem in Kenya is that of
economic justice -- much like the US & many other countries for that matte
r! When you have less than 10% of the population controlling over 50% of t
he country's wealth juxtaposed w/over 50% of the population subsisting on l
ess than 1-2 dollars per day, than what you have is social & economic time
bomb! It does not take a rocket physicist to realize poor masses of any soc
iety, Kenya included, are very susceptible to populist politics & demogogue
ry, which is exactly what has transpired! The truth of the matter is that t
he protagonists in this crisis (Kibaki & Odinga) are, in reality, very weal
thy & very elitist, and they have more in common than they do w/their respe
ctive supporters! Or, in other words, they may adorn different coloured su
its on the surface, but underneath they are wearing identical underwear :-)
The matter is economic justice is quite complex as it entails: 1) A resour
ce war, especially the matter of land scarcity in areas such as the Rift Va
lley; 2) an intergenerational conflict where 50% of the population is below
the age of 15, and the massive economic marginalization of the younger gen
erations, and; 3) class conflict which I alluded to earlier. Note that Ken
ya ranks 10th on the list of the most unequal countries in the world! I am
not exactly sure where the US ranks on this list, but rest assured this is
one area where Kenya w/give the US some very stiff competition!
So, at the end of the day, and from my layman's perspective, there are 2 cr
itical issues which the country w/have to confront & resolve: 1) The politi
cal question of the form/type of democracy we should have, and one which is
informed by our African sensibilities based on our cultural, social histor
y & traditions; and 2) much like Latin America, Kenya will have to chart an
economic philosophy & economic path of development which is not purely dic
tated by socialism or neo-liberal, laisez fair capitalism. A third path if
you will, or a synthesis in the form of a mixed economy & the democratic s
ocialism of the Scandinivian countries which will provide for measure of qu
ality of life for all her citizens! BTW, it is my contention that this is
a universal problem, and it is in the early stages of manifesting itself in
the US as more & more Americans are beginning to realize & question the ec
onomic marginalization & insecurity of globalization & American corporatocr
acy which has robbed them of their social safety net by destroying FDR's so
cial contract.
But, then again, this is my 2 cents worth :-) You can post this on the SFP
J listserv on my behalf & I welcome any feedback.
Good day,
Kimamo wa Wahome
________________________________________
From: Pope, Karen O.
Sent: Friday, January 11, 2008 1:41 PM
To: Wahome, Kimamo
Subject: In Kenya?
Dear Kimamo:
I was wondering if you traveled to Kenya during the holidays and if you wou
ld give sfpj an update from your own/your family perspective?
I do hope you traveled safely and all is well with you.
Best, and peace,
Karen
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