cnngospel on "Kenya: histories of hidden war "

cnngospel — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 14:40:57 +0000

It is such a refreshning piece of exposition by Prof Gerard Prunier. I have wished the ever desperate Kenyan elite class will learn from the bigger picture of African conflicts playing out every where on the continent. The subterranean factors are basically the same from Rwanda to Liberia; Sudan to Congo - the more vicious balkanisation of Africa is an orchestra championed by the so called African elites on the platform of greed. A philosphy of ´lets destroy all´´ if I cannot get power.

What is more disturbing is not the crises but the inability to learn from history. The kenya experience is symetrical to the developments that lead to Biafra.
Prof Prunier opined it may take a long time to heal the wounds[?] Am afraid there will NEVER be a healing. There will at best be damage-control-management and an uneasy care to avoid another round of major escalations but do not forget that much INNOCENT BLOOD HAS BEEN SPILT.
Prio to Biafra there was a mass killing of innocent Igbos in all major cities of the north and west of Nigeria. These innocent souls like the rift valley and elswhere migrant Kikuyu knew nothing about the political developments of those days but were simply wasted because they happen to be Igbos.´´ The amazing´´ thing was that both government and the west looked away! And treated the matter with kid gloves. The experience of periodical senceless killings keeps recurring in Nigeria till today.

Kenya must not allow itself to become another Nigeria, now that deep mutual suspicion has crept in within the tribes. Things have fallen apart in the words of W B Yeats,,´´ the centre cannot hold; mere anarchy is loosed upon the world´´

Kenya: histories of hidden war, Gérard Prunier

david hayes — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 17:49:16 +0000

Kenya has for many years been a favourite tourist destination, at least partly because it is the natural locus of white fantasies about Africa. All the elements are there: spectacular landscapes, teeming wildlife, "picturesque" natives, colonial kitsch, Isak Dinesen's Out of Africa and Walt Disney's The Lion King. But there is also a sinister side: memories of Mau-Mau insurgency, the arrogant settlers of White Mischief, Bruce Berman's Unhappy Valley, Robert Ruark's novels, runaway crime - and today this, violence in paradise.

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open Democracy News Analysis - Kenya: histories of hidden war, Gérard Prunier - Comments

cnngospel on "Kenya: histories of hidden war "

Kenya: histories of hidden war, Gérard Prunier