“When the elephants fight, the grass gets trampled.” So says an East African proverb. Weeks after the elections in Kenya, the elephants (the power brokers, the presidential candidates, the incumbent now sworn in again and his powerful opponent) have yet to sit down together. Meanwhile, the fragile blades of grass – the poor, the disenfranchised, the homeless, the ‘internally displaced refugees’ – continue to be trampled, even as their plight disappears from our TV screens and newspapers.

On January 2nd, Americans woke to shocking photos and even more shocking reports of a church burned while desperate Kenyans hid – and died – inside. What could have caused neighbor to turn against neighbor? What happened in Eldoret that caused the angry to invade even the sanctuary of a church to maim and murder?

The events of the previous week in Kenya – elections, allegations of vote rigging, the verbal protests and initial forays into violence – had been eclipsed by news from Pakistan and the general euphoria of New Year’s celebrations around the globe. The history of this ‘island of calm,’ neighbor of countries in continual crisis – Ethiopia, Sudan, Uganda, Rwanda, Congo – remains largely hidden from view.

But to understand the slaughter in Eldoret, the burning of Nairobi’s slum communities and the devastation in western Kenyan towns, one must understand the undercurrents that undergird Kenyan politics. And one must see the faces, know the lives behind the statistics.

As U.S. students travel each summer to Kenya to learn and minister alongside Kenyan students in cross-cultural situations with rural pastors, in urban slum communities and rural mission hospitals, they must first gain some basic understanding of their host culture. The staff director of the Kenya Global Project asked his Kenyan counterpart, “What ten things do our students need to know about Kenya in order to understand the culture?” The answer: “The first thing to understand is the influence of tribalism.”

The face of tribalism
In the late 19th century, Great Britain began the process of carving out a colony in East Africa. Within its bounds were at least forty-two unique people groups, or tribes. As the colony of Kenya gained independence in 1963, these groups pulled together to form a republic, tied together with the common trade languages of Swahili and English.

Nevertheless, these 42 groups remain distinct in mother tongue, culture, traditions. Colorful and varied. Tied to land and family. Loyalty to extended family expands to deep political loyalty to one’s tribe. Even today, urban dwellers maintain strong ties to homes ‘up-country.’ For example, Nairobi has only one main cemetery; most people prefer burial on family land. Inter-tribal marriages present as many complications as inter-racial marriages elsewhere.

Large urban churches and inter-denominational groups on university campuses must deal with these issues biblically, fighting the tendency for students and parishioners to congregate with those of like background rather than modeling the unity across cultures called for in Scripture. When students or leaders wish to marry across tribal lines, joining two diverse extended families is indeed a challenge.

The current crisis sees divisions across tribal lines, especially between the Kikuyus – the tribe of the incumbent and re-elected president, Mwai Kibaki, and the Luos – the tribe of the opposition leader, Raila Odinga. But there are also divisions geographically and economically, even young against old.

Stories of restoration
If hope in gaining political power can be dashed so easily, and hope seems so far away economically, where is hope to be found?

Eric Miller, a longtime Link missionary in Nairobi, wrote in late December:

I live about a mile from Kibera, the largest slum in sub-Saharan Africa. In addition to working with students, I am involved in training pastors of very small congregations in the slums of Nairobi – the pastors have named this group the All Clergy’s Network…Last night I watched from my roof as fire lit up the sky over Kibera as house after house, shop after shop were torched. The same scene is being played out all over the country. My friends have so far been spared but are holed up in their small homes in fear. I’ve heard sporadic gunfire all morning.

One Kibera pastor’s congregation has had all their businesses burnt. Two others are in especially dangerous situations. In the morning, I will join the group who is dividing up tasks for the interchurch effort to help refugees.” And later, we “need to list those who are [most] needy. We can focus on those our All Church Network members serve – not just their members, but also their neighbors without regard to ethnicity or religion. Of special concern are those who are trapped in the slums because of ill health (HIV/AIDS, etc.) or fear.

While many across the country express concern that churches and pastors themselves have been caught up in the tribalism, others are courageously speaking out for peace, justice and reconciliation. (At times, those who act as peacemakers themselves come under attack.) Perhaps two short illustrations, one from a large church in Nairobi, and the other from an interdenominational relief organization, will provide glimpses of the hope of Christ in the midst of crisis. (The writer, from World Relief Canada, requested anonymity.)

Yesterday, we worshiped at All Saints Anglican Cathedral in Nairobi. The church service gives us hope for the future of Kenya. The priest talked very openly about tribalism and how we should not be controlled by it. One leader made a public confession of how the church … has been remiss in teaching about love, not doing enough to bring about peace, justice and reconciliation between peoples. Instead of shaking hands and wishing each other peace, congregants were encouraged to hug those around them, while expressing the following words, ‘As long as I live, I promise to love you.’ There was no attempt to somehow spiritualize the madness of the past week. What was said was honest, raw and current.

This morning, staff held our usual Monday morning devotions. But today was not normal. One staff led us in a prayer to focus on healing, reconciliation and forgiveness. A number of staff were asked to pray as representatives of their tribe. This was both a painful, and a vulnerable experience. One staff prayed that ‘we are taught to believe that the Kikuyu are thieves. But I know that Ann (name changed) is not a thief. I know that pastor Bill (name changed) is not a thief. We need to have our eyes opened to the destructive forces of racism.’ We were reminded that just before Christmas break we sat together on the grounds outside our office and celebrated our oneness. We laughed together. We celebrated our unity, but also our uniqueness as representing different tribes.

We visited an invisible city within the city today. According to all the maps of Buenos Aires, this city is non-existent, though over 35,000 people live in these 65 hectares of land.

During the 1978 world championships, the government hid the city by building a wall around it.  It doesn´t have a real name, but is referred to as "the neighborhood" or in politics, shanty town #21.

50 years ago this area was a complete waste land, the garbage dump of the city. It is situated on the bank of the most contaminated river in the world and there is no avoiding the nasty stench that plagues every corner. Even today the roads are paved with nothing but trash, polluted water, and dirt.  Though part of a worldclass megacity, this comunity recieves no electricity, running water, or any sort of public services. The police don´t come here to protect but to repress. For an invisible people, there is no such thing as law enforcement.   

The children do not tresspass through the borders of the surrounding communities. They have no place in the fancy new malls and plazas, grand avenues and high rises, or classy neighborhoods that fill the same city. Some of these are 2nd or 3rd generation shanty town dwellers and know nothing else.  For so many of them, there is no more work ethnic, no effort, no hope. Even young people hook up just to concieve children and relieve their poverty through government aid.

And the government´s role in this? The only response the government has had towards shanty towns is eradication. Eradication means going in with a bulldozer for the instant destruction of thousands of homes.  Within the urbanized culture of anonymity and passivity, insititionalized Politics is selfish politicians and corruption; a vote means nothing but an exchange for a kilo of food or cash.

A more prominent and hopeful source of informal politics is the church. The church is more than a religion, but a social movement. The front of the church is painted with a revolutionary Jesus advocating for peace, equality, and justice, followed by children and flags of every nation. This holistic incarnational ministry leads in the organization of an invisible people and serves social, poltical, and spiritual purposes.

Over the past year, the population of this shanty town alone has increased by over 30% and towns like this have been popping up all over the Buenos Aires province.  Though Argentina is a huge country with so many natural resources, every province is dependent on its one capital city and people have no other way of survival, but to come to the city.  The system is such that the city usurps resources from the rest of the country and as Argentina "progresses," the disparities and inequalities are growing greater than ever.

This is only a snippit of what I have been seeing. The crazy system under which humanity operates is so broken, I don´t even know where to begin fixing it. It is in the face of hopelessness that I hang on to God and His promises and faithfulness to us. I am such an idealistic person and want so much to see our world transformed, a transformation that will only take place when Jesus comes in all His glory. 

Still, I hope I am ready to listen and obey when God shows me my place and role in all of this while I am here on Earth. Please pray for peace, wisdom, and discernment, as there is so much running through my mind right now. And don´t forget the millions of invisble people living in slums and shanty towns all over the world tonight.

-Annie

Its a rainy day here in Buenos Aires.  The sidewalks are not only wet and full of put holes, but also an un parallel amount of dog droppings.  The Porteños (the name for residents of buenos aires) are a bit less friendly than I expected, but I tend to forget that I´m in a megacity and not an african village.  I guess this is as friendly as it gets in the face of urbanization.

Its been an intense couple of weeks. We´ve been introduced to the hundreds of problems and issues of the city--poverty, segregation, sustainable enviornment, waste removal, politics, corruption, gentrification, and shanty towns are just a handful of them. Its scary to think that cities are the future of humanity in our system...its said to be the most efficient way to sustain a growing population. Within a decade or two, the world is projected to have over 60 megacities (san francisco is not one of them yet). A lot of the things I´m learning are quite depressing....  I don´t think I will ever see the world in the same way again. 

The other day I had a really interesting conversation with an Indigenous woman from the Amazon who was making and selling her jewlery. Spanish was a second language for both of us. There isn´t even a handful of indengous people in the city anymore, it prides itself in being a very European city. The indigenous have been tragically persecuted in the past and I´m sure there is still quite a bit of prejudice towards them in many parts of latinoamerica. Though they are no longer persecuted, the indigenous everywhere are greatly exploited.

Anyway, this woman named cielo azul is from a hidden village in Peru. (I wonder if the government truly has no knowledge of their existence) Her greatest desire is for her village to remain unkown and uncontaminated from the world, suggesting that ignorance is bliss. Cielo Azul (blue sky) left her village when she was a young woman and now has no other option but to remain in the world to support her children (she´s a single mother who suffered years of abuse from a non-indigenous husband). Her children want nothing to do with thier indigenous roots. Every 3 months she goes back to visit her village but she has to enter and leave the village empty handed. Its a journey through the amazon that takes several days on foot. Cielo Azul described thier way of life to me and it seemed so beautiful, almost like a utopian society. Of a population of 5,000, only 3 of them are "in the world". (And they practice population control by limiting births to two children per woman)

I attended church all weekend long and it was quite interesting and very refreshing. There are several Salvation army corps here (most of them in the poor, needy, and dangerous parts of town! yay!) I definitely missed it and needed it--it is always so encouraging to see the church doing God´s work in the world. It is super hard to connect with people in the city, a lot harder than all the other places I´ve been to. The church has really been the only viable way. 

Many of the students in my group are struggling with community and adjustment, and fustrated and confused with all the issues that we are learning about--so keep us in your prayers. It´s only been a week but it feels so much longer, I am more homesick than ever on this trip but as always, God has been so good and faithful and he is providing for us and showing us great things here. So I am so thankful and excited for all that He has planned for us.

blessings,

Annie