Their silence is deafening.

            As France and the free world come to terms with another monstrous act of meaningless violence in Paris, and the world’s leaders condemn the bestiality of the killers, the Muslim communities in these countries remain singularly silent.

            Where is their unified outcry? The rejection by their leaders; marches in the street decrying what is being done in their name; the public insistence that this is not a Muslim fight but an aberration of Islam.

             Nothing is heard from them. Why? 

Their silence is not innocent. It plays into the hands of the terrorist. It tells them that their fellow Muslims who number many millions in western countries such as the UK, Germany, France and the USA will not oppose them;  they will be their silent allies. 

            ‘This is not Islam,' they insist. 'The Koran preaches peace. Don’t label us with the action of an aberrant few,’ they repeat.

            That is not good enough. To show that Islam is truly a peaceful belief, a way of life that deplores violence, the moderate Muslims must speak up. We must hear their voices of protest, we must see their visible rejection of the violence, which is being meted out in their name.

             If they continue to remain silent, ordinary men and women will conclude that they are complicit in the atrocities.

            Now is not the time to remain silent.

Lufthansa Germanwings flight No 9525

            The startling revelation on Tuesday 24^th March 2015, that the crashed Germanwings airplane No 9525 flying from Barcelona to Dusseldorf, was the result of a deliberate act carried out by the co-pilot Andreas Lubitz a 28 year-old German, has struck a ghastly ominous note in the investigation.

             On first hearing this explanation one’s initial response is to reject it.  How can a man trained as a pilot in control of a plane deliberately choose to crash it? Having accepted the responsibility to pilot a plane what could possibly prompt him to take such desperate action?  What thoughts would have gone through his mind? If done deliberately, how desperate had he to be to kill almost 300 people none of whom he knew.

            If he felt his life made no sense, why choose the moment when he was in charge of a plane carrying hundreds of people to kill himself?

Could the desire to commit suicide come on quickly and irrationally?  Is if possible that in his deranged mind, he forgot about the passengers?

Suppose he had a row with the chief pilot over a girl or because he was caught smuggling drugs and was about to be exposed. Will anyone be able to understand what went through his mind?

             Could the two pilots have had a row? Was there something between him and the captain a personal grudge? Is it possible that he was only trying to frighten the captain and intended to take back control of the plane before it had accelerated too fast? Did he lose control of the plane having started the descent? Did he panic and was unable to activate the lever? Was he struggling to bring the plane out of the dive but too late?

            Why did he not open the door to let the captain back into the cockpit? Would a responsible pilot choose that moment to live out his anger? 

            And what of the relatives? To hear that the loss of their loved ones was a deliberate act makes it almost too much to bear. Because of the speed of impact on the ground, the authorities believe death to be instantaneous, but there was about 8 minutes of terrifying descent, each watching the earth looming up towards them. How would they deal with that? What massive terror would they have felt, so many young lives lost?

            Can the relatives ever overcome the shock and distress so as to be able to return to some semblance of normality? How will they collect the broken bodies now in parts dispersed over a wide area?  

Could the families accept a common grave in the mountains at the site of the crash with a monument to mark the spot?

            In a modern society we give individuals more and more responsibility and depend on them to perform their functions safely. Train and bus drivers, doctors, and pilots all have the lives of many people in their hands. There are innumerable examples where these individuals have failed and lives have been lost. Inevitably there is a call for more regular psychological testing but that science is still particularly imprecise more an art than a science.

The three major TV News channels are having a heyday almost a feeding frenzy as they dissect and repeat time and again the same details, each announcer speaking as if what he or she is saying is breaking news seemingly unaware that they are restating almost word by word what has been said many times before.

            They appear to have become immune to what they are saying reporting numbers of deaths as if football scores. Does the fact that X number of people was killed make the tragedy worse? Surely one unnecessary death is one too many?

Kenya has more than one story ?

When I run out of ideas I find inspiration from watching TED. A talk or two soon brings me back to some sort of sanity. To see those amazing people all of whom have made a significant contribution in a wide range of activities is very stimulating. Just to feel the passion with which they tell their story is enlightening. They all share something in common and that is confidence, some speak off the cuff others use notes but the method of delivery is inconsequential, what matters is the confidence with which they speak.

           One particular speaker spoke on the plight of girls and women in the world, particularly the world of poverty. She told two different  stories each about mothers struggling to feed their children. Another talked about how the world is becoming increasingly multicultural with more people having a mixed origin, where birthplace, nationality and home are different. 

          An inspired young African writer spoke about the danger of telling one story.  It is very easy to do that about Kenya, To describe the corruption, the violence, the rubbish and the dishonesty but there are so many others, the humour , the colour, the optimism, the resilience and energy of the people.; the man with one arm trying to make a living,  another with a deformed foot selling mangoes, always smiling and greeting me even though I don’t buy anything. The boys selling small packets of peanuts, or simply wanting money to buy food standing on the street all day when they should be at school but their parents either can't of don’t want to afford the fees.

            It’s so easy to tell the one story and ignore all the others. Well from now on I am going to try not to emphasise the bad but find the good and there is a lot of it. The young woman wanting to be a surgeon whose parents were teenagers and unmarried when she was conceived. The Likoni project supporting bright kids who would otherwise end up on the streets or as criminals. How easy it must be to give up but another day dawns and you are hungry so you start again?

World War 1 Battlefield tour Kenya

Dear Sir,

            The recent WW1 Tsavo trip ably conducted by James Willson author of ‘Guerillas of Tsavo’ awakened in me memories of WW2, less than 25 years after ‘the war to end all wars’.  It dragged me back to that time of fear, cold sweating numbing fear, as I lived through the blitz. Even to this day, I recall the stomach curdling sound of the sirens warning us of an impending air raid. Some years later, I was a twelve-year old sitting in the cinema on a Saturday morning waiting to see the next episode of Zorro. The Pathé newsreel came on and I first saw scenes of death, naked dead bodies piled high like so much debris, even the last remnant of their modesty stripped from them. The living dead walked hesitantly, as if from another world; zombie-like figures staring at the American soldiers who had come to free them.

            These and many more images were conjured up as we travelled through that now peaceful countryside in Taita-Taveta once the site of so much death and destruction. Standing in a cemetery and there were many, I was conscious of the bodies lying beneath the serried rows of identical head stones distinguished only by their name, rank and company; young lives never fulfilled, never to feel again the sweet breeze through their hair or see the smile on their children’s faces. The sadness of the places touched me deeply.

            In retracing the path around the Mashoti Fort now overgrown and almost unrecognizable by the passage of time, I tried to imagine the heat, the insects, the discomfort and the fatigue that was the life of the soldiers most of whom would never lived to enjoy the freedoms they had fought for.

            And finally the debacle at Salaita hill reminded me if I needed a reminder of the futility of war.

The Editor, Old Africa,

1^st September 2104

GOOD THINGS DO HAPPEN

It is tempting to believe from the news presented daily on TV and in the newspapers that nothing good ever happens. The powers that be seem to believe that we don’t want to hear good things. The truth is we do. This story is a heart-warming account of people caring.  

Only a few days ago I heard about an amazing project, a twinning between a small village in southwest England and a village in Kenya. It came about by chance when in 1999 a British family went on on holiday and visited the small village in Kenya and saw the parlous state of the school. 

They returned home and encouraged the local council and a group of friends to form a support group, which soon became a registered charity.

Within a short while they had revisited the village and helped to rebuild the school, building three classrooms, toilets etc.  Following that, links were established between the churches and other schools. Then they provided funds for the electricity, water and other essential. Later they sent two containers filled with books, clothes, tools and much more. Over the years they have been able to assist a number of children into further education Time went by and they lost contact meanwhile free schooling was introduced and the school was inundated with new pupils and couldn’t cope.

Recently while visiting friends in England, a local Kenyan businessman heard about the group and contacted them. He found out that they had collected more funds but were having difficulty in getting them to the school in Kenya. He was invited to speak about his life in Kenya and agreed to help funnel monies to the school. Last week he drove to the village, visited the school and met the Head mistress. She was overwhelmed when he explained why he was there and promptly arranged to pay the outstanding utility bills and help with other unpaid accounts. It was a miracle she said.

The Scottish Referendum

 Over the last 24 hours the people of Scotland, over  five million of them voted 6 to 4 to stay within the United Kingdom. It was an extraordinary outpouring reflecting a conflict between nationalism and pragmatism. Family was divided against family. The Scottish National Party headed by Alex Salmond led the charge. Speaking with sincerity and enthusiasm he outlined the reasons why he believed Scotland would be better off on its own . Many of the reasons were  related to the feeling the Scots have, that being a long way from Westminster means that they have been forgotten by successive governments. Always voting Labour they resented the power of the Conservative Government under David Cameron. 

But when the result was announced Salmond was the first to gracefully accept defeat. His speech was a model of maturity and integrity. What struck me as I watched the drama unfold was not the result which I believe is a sensible one (provided the UK Government honours its pledges to the Scottish people )but the manner in which this highly contentious subject was handled. The people came to the polling stations in their millions, peacefully, happily jostling with those who voted the opposite way, There was  no rancour , no anger, no cries of foul. They showed themselves to be a peace-loving caring and tolerant people. Tolerant to the views of others in a way that the rest of the world could emulate. Compare that with the fighting and slanging that goes on in most other countries after an election. 

    I hope the leaders of those countries will learn that peaceful voting and acceptance of the decision is the only way to unify a country and is the hallmark of a civilised society.   

                                                                                                                                 19th September 2014

Kenya is Burning

Kenya is Burning

            Less that a week ago mindless destruction broke out at the top of First Avenue in Nyali when the police and fundis (workmen) armed with axes and hammers descended upon the makeshift structures, cafes, shops and homes built illegally on the roadside. Within hours they had flattened them to the ground leaving a chaotic pile of bent corrugated roofs, wooden posts broken tables and chairs. These small businesses were the only means the people had to eke out a living in a street occupied by some of the most wealthy in the town, a street where top of the range Mercedes and Toyotas speed by, their owners seemingly oblivious to the plight of these unfortunates. In the following days, dazed and confused and having nowhere to go they camped out under the nearby trees with their cooking pots, charcoal burners and meagre belongings.

            Three days later in the early hours, the local residents were awakened by the sound of loud reports, cracking and bursting, as flames consumed a nearby wooden Makuti restaurant with shops and cafes undoubtedly the work of embittered arsonists. The fire service was called and arrived 20 minutes later by which time the flames were totally out of control reaching 20 -30 metres into a sky lit up as if in day time. Helplessly the fireman could do little but watch the devastation as the whole structure came crushing to the ground. The windows of a nearby block of apartments were too hot to touch an indication of the severity of the blaze.

            This morning as I write this account, the area is quiet. Some local people dazed and confused by the events of the last few days stand by helplessly. Yet in the smoking ruins, others can be seen beginning to clear up the chaos, to douse any still burning debris and to salvage what they can and begin again, a resolute and defiant people unbowed by disaster.

            Yes the buildings were illegal; yes they had no right to be built on the roadside but what were the people to do? They were struggling to survive, to earn a pittance in a country that has forgotten them; high unemployment, no welfare service, a failing medical and education service unless you are rich, has created a divided society where the gap between the rich and the poor is obscene.

            To paraphrase a well-known saying, Hell has no fury like a people ignored.