To the People of Kenya – Where My Family and My Heart Is
Posted by ismailimail in Africa, Ismaili Muslim Authors, Kenya. trackback
February 11, 2008

Author Alnoor Rajan Talwar writes for the people of Kenya.

In today’s times, when changes in the world have made progress inevitable, “Third World” countries will continue to remain underdeveloped. Not because they cannot progress, but because the people – the masses – will not give progress a chance.

I cannot understand the racial and tribal tensions that cause brothers to clash and disagree.
The “ Third World ” countries are well known for their political instability – whether caused directly by politicians themselves or indirectly by the followers of these same politicians. We have seen politics become the downfall of nations over the decades in history. To mention a few countries, we have Uganda , Ruanda , Zimbabwe , India , Pakistan , Israel , Korea and the list can be endless and will continue to remain endless, as long as there is strife that is led by “man” against “man”; as long as there is unrest between brothers and sisters.
I am fourth generation Kenyan. I was born in Kenya , just after the independence. This made me neither British, nor Kenyan.

Why?

Because someone, somewhere decided that babies born after December 1963 were “Uhuru Babies” and therefore we were neither British, nor Kenyan. So Kenya threw me out and The United Kingdom did not accept me.
That did not and does not stop me from being Kenyan. I will always be a Kenyan at heart.
By choice, I now live in Canada .

How then can such heartfelt, patriotic statements come from someone who chooses not live in Kenya?

Because I choose not to live in fear. Not because I am of Indian descent but because I can be targeted at any time for any reason.

If I am successful, the less successful target me for fast and easy money.
Since I am of a different race, I am targeted because of stereotyping – “I am of Indian descent, therefore I must be affluent”.
If I wear a watch or any jewelry, I am targeted on the street.
If I carry a wallet in my back pocket, I may never see it again.
I cannot live in this constant fear.

India never was and will never be home for me. I do not know it at all. I like to go there for vacations but that is it. My forefathers came from India – they came to improve their lives. They came to build the railways and set up businesses for the betterment of their families, their communities and their adopted country. They were not forced here. They came by choice. They had generations of kids who established themselves by sheer hard work and toil amidst the all the political turmoil that Kenya experienced with the World Wars, the British Rule and then, the fight for independence.
I, was not there myself but I can remember the fear in the stories I have heard.

Six years ago, I visited Kenya . The National Parks and Lodges and local hotels were empty of tourists. This is because Kenya was on the Top Ten List of countries “not to visit”. Crime, corruption and instability were at the highest peak possible. The previous regime, draining the country of its resources for personal gain, certainly did not help the situation.

Last year, I visited Kenya again. The hotels were full, the National Parks were buzzing with mini-vans and the lodges were a hub of activity with the economy on the rise and “Tourism” was the number one industry. This was the Kenya I knew. This was the Kenya I loved.
The Kenya where I could walk the beautiful beaches without being afraid of being mugged and robbed. The Kenya that I boast about is a country of vast contrasts, even in the people from the blood coated Maasai to the saree-clad Indian woman.
Where I could watch the sun rise over the Indian Ocean and see it set over the magnificent Rift Valley.
Where I could enjoy Irio in Nairobi or sun-dried fish in Kisumu with whole wheat Chapatis made by my grandmother while biting green chillies that “muhindis” are so well known for. And if I was in the mood for something else, I could go and eat “Fish & Chips” at the Blue Fin restaurant in Mombasa . This is what made Kenya unique. The people. Not all people are the same. We have people of different color and people of different tribes that make Kenya what it is. Just being of black skin, does not make you more Kenyan than others. Unfortunately, every time Kenya gains momentum in success and prosperity for a while, and then……… BANG! Something goes very wrong.

This political instability is the prime culprit of Kenya ’s downfall. Here we are 44 years after our fight for independence and we have come complete circle.
We seem to have learnt nothing from our past.
We now have to live with brothers fearing brothers, neighbors and friends burning businesses and homes and in constant fear for our lives and well-being.
This is not the Kenya I can love and there are many people like me – not Indians or Europeans, or Africans, not brown, white, yellow or black people but Kenyans that have to live in fear and have chosen to leave rather than continue living in fear. For some leaving the country is a choice. For others it is not.

That is why I left Kenya .

Because despite my being born a Kenyan, with a Kenyan passport, I will always be a “muhindi”.
I laugh when North American black people call themselves “African Americans” These are people who have never been to Africa and who have no idea of the plight of its people in the hands of the politicians. They have no right to be called “African Americans”.
I was born, educated and bred here and am familiar with the how the air smells – the fragrance of perfume of the Arab women in the streets of Mombasa, the smell of pine in the backyards of the homes in Nairobi, the smell of dried fish in Kisumu, the aroma of Indian spices on Ngara road and the smell of cow-dung in Ngong. and I have never been considered as Kenyan by the local people.

When the African people of Kenya themselves can show no unity toward the betterment of their country, what then, is the fate of a man of Indian descent trying to fit in and be one of the locals?
The Ismailies, Kikuyus, Digos, Mkambas, Shahs, Patels, Kalenjins, Bohras, Punjabis, Luos, Sikhs, Arabs, Nandi, Teitas, Maasai and many many more, are all people of Kenya . They are of different cultures and backgrounds. They have different eating habits, different foods, different languages and that difference is what makes them unique. They are also all Kenyan. Nobody has the right to deny that. Not all five fingers are the same. But when the five fingers come together, they sure make a mighty fist.

Instead of working with each other and capitalizing on each other’s strengths, we choose to fight, pillage and destroy to show our disagreement with the politics of the country. This is exactly what the politicians want. They prey on the disagreements of the people so that they can then come in and pretend to fix these and look important.

The present situation in Kenya is proof enough.

We no longer remain the people of Kenya , despite the different cultures and origins. We become the tribal and racial differences and these differences in turn govern our lives and lead our country towards nothing else but disaster.

There is a solution to all of these problems.

It is called “forgetting the differences and disagreements and working together to make Kenya a great home and destination for everyone.”
When Kenya fought for its independence, all the tribes came together and fought the British to bring us Uhuru!

Now, once again, we need to unite our strengths and skills and solve the food problems, education problems, the water problems, health issues, jobs situations, and most of all, create a political platform that recognizes and unites all of the peoples of Kenya, while improving their lives slowly but surely.
This approach will be for the betterment of all, and will ultimately improve the lives of each and every Kenyan.

As upsetting as it is, we have to overlook what has happened and start afresh to recognize all the races and tribes as the assets of Kenya .
This may not occur in a few months – it may take years. But progress, peace and prosperity will be the end result!

This was the vision of the father of our Nation, Mzee Jomo Kenyatta.

The difference between a developing country and a developed country is order. The order of life, laws, rules and most of all, structure. I urge you to let us bring back the order and structure that we have recently re-introduced and lost once again.
Instead of identifying the problems and coming together to find solutions, we choose to loot, pillage and destroy years of hard work. This solves nothing.
This profits nobody………………. except the politicians

Kenya immortalized the phrase “Hakuna Matata” to the world.
It is time to prove this phrase true, more for us as Kenyans, than anything else.

I pray for the safety of my people – the Kenyan people.