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After a whirl-wind two weeks of travel, we're now back in Nairobi (or Nai-robbery as Cate calls it).I was looking over some emails, and remembered this one from my sister, who finished studying in Nairobi right before our trip. I think it is a really well-written glimpse into a piece of Africa, and wanted to include it here …
"I had a real conversation with my host mom this weekend (she works a lot and when she's home she's usually in front of the TV, engrossed in imported soaps from Japan and Mexico). As usual, the TV was on in the background as I ate my breakfast, but this time she joined me and my 2 year old sister at the table. She explained to me that the man preaching on the TV was Kamlesh Pattni, the guy behind the Goldenberg scandal of the 1990's, when the government essentially laundered money into their own pockets under the auspice of subsidizing gold exports (that didn't exist). Pattni now claims not to want anything more to do with all his money and these corrupt dealings and has converted to Christianity, taking on the name "Brother Paul" and preaching faith and goodness to the Nairobi community.
My host mom and I also got to talking to the post-election violence of late 2007, early 2008. I'm currently reading "We wish to inform you that tomorrow we will be killed with our families" by Paul Gourevitch about the Rwandan genocide (read it if you haven't, it's probably the best account of the events out there…and it really makes you think twice about foreign "aid"). As I continue to learn about Kenya's politics, I have found some terrifyingly striking similarities between the Rwandan genocide and what happened in 2008 and what continues to occur in Kenya (namely ethnic tension, but it's a bit more complicated, I think). In fact, some wonder whether Kenya will be the next Rwandan genocide… Anyway, my mama touched on the violence a bit and how terrified everyone was. Many people were house ridden for months out of fear of being killed. I asked her what she thinks will happen in the next election, in 2012, (there are rumors that people in the Rift Valley are already rearming - although this has been refuted by some residents of the area). She said she doesn't know, but she's scared. She's already making plans to get out of the country, stay with friends in Kampala or in Tanzania, or if that falls through, at least getting out of Nairobi. She added that a lot of people are making plans to leave. The unfortunate truth to this is that Kenya has no absentee ballot, so those who leave Nairobi during the elections will not be able to vote, and the way I see it is that those who leave are more likely to be those who are informed citizens that would vote for the good of their country, rather than based on an ethnic tie or hopes of rewards."
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