amnesty?

Life has been a bit quiet here lately, which is why I haven't been updating quite so much. That's not to say that it's been boring, but just feels more routine somehow. Of course there have been a few events. This past weekend was Madaraka day, a celebration of Kenyan self-rule which was marked in part by a huge free reggae concert headlined by Black Uhuru. I was warned of the rowdy crowds, drunken fights and thieves, and did not attend. Apparently reggae concerts are notorious for attracting thieves. Free concerts are even worse. In any case, I decided to avoid the crowds entirely this weekend and spent most of my time swimming and basking in the rare June sunshine.

You see, recently I joined a "sports club" which is about twenty minutes' walk away from our place. It has a soccer field and track, an outdoor pool, squash courts, a pool table and an outdoor and indoor bar. The plan is to kick myself back into gear and get active again -- swimming and running three times a week each. It's pretty ambitious (for me), and is heavily dependent on not working late, so it may not be totally realistic. But it's something to aim for, anyway. I'm tired of being so inactive, and the four months of starch and meat and whole milk are taking its toll...

This weekend was also the second anniversary of my first "date" with George. It's been well over three years now since we first met -- time flies! We went out to an Italian restaurant in celebration, which was lovely.

Otherwise, it's been business as usual. The political fuss recently has been about whether or not to grant amnesty to those who were jailed during the post-election violence. Raila is calling for a blanket amnesty, while Kibaki has refused point blank. It's a tough situation. On one hand, it would be a slap in the face to IDPs to grant amnesty to accused perpetrators of destruction and violence while so many of them are still homeless, recovering the loss of their businesses or their families. On the other hand, Kenyan police aren't exactly known for their well-thought-out and discriminating arrests, particularly when it comes to slum-dwelling youth -- who knows what percentage of those who have been languishing in jail since early January with no trial actually committed any wrongs. Not to mention the fact that the only police officers on trial were those who were actually caught on tape murdering peaceful protesters. The rest who killed and maimed hundreds of citizens without just cause have gone unpunished. I have no doubt that the politicians involved will also miraculously emerge as upstanding folk in the eyes of the justice system.

Ex-President Moi has recently been calling for the banning of local-language radio stations, because of the role that they played in the incitement of violence, particularly in rural areas. As in the Rwandan genocide, the local-language radio stations here in Kenya used thinly-veiled metaphors to encourage communities to turn against one another. The reports on this subject were incredibly disturbing. While in Rwanda they spoke of "cockroaches" to be crushed, here other communities were referred to as "weeds" to be uprooted and destroyed. However, despite this, I do not believe that banning these radio stations entirely is the answer. What Moi is overlooking is that there are people in rural areas who speak neither English nor Swahili, particularly in areas where government services are lacking and school attendance is low. If local-language radio stations are banned, how will those who speak mostly their own ethnic language get their news and stay connected to the rest of the country? And beyond that, even if they do speak English or Swahili, shouldn't speaking and listening to one's mother tongue be encouraged, rather than discouraged? Part of what makes Kenya such a beautiful and fascinating country is its diversity, and I would think that a former President would understand that and try to preserve it. Local-language radio stations should not be left to broadcast whatever they please -- they should be regulated and monitored for hate speech and the like. But to ban them entirely would be a disservice to all the Kenyans who want to keep their mother tongue, and the cultural diversity of this country, alive.

My travel news is that in a few weeks I will be heading to Tanzania with work. As usual, I'm not entirely sure where I will be going, what I will be doing, or for how long -- I'm waiting for Lucy to return to confirm the details, and I will be traveling with her. But either way, I'm excited to have the opportunity to see a new country! This is going to be a real test of my Kiswahili skills, since English isn't spoken as much in Tz. Until then, I'll be in Nairobi continuing with my proposals, fundraising and writing. And my running and swimming and lessons, of course!