Hafsa Omar Mohamed visited family in Kenya over the summer and said she was ?inspired by the residents? commitment to education and civic engagement. Click above to see images from her trip.
By Hafsa Omar Mohamed
Hafsa Omar Mohamed was born in Toronto, Canada and now resides in San Diego. Her family is from Somalia, Kenya and Ethiopia. She is a?student at San Diego State University majoring in Sociology and minoring in Women Studies to become and ?effective advocate for change in my community.? She?currently works and volunteers at Alliance San Diego (Formerly known as Equality Alliance San Diego), International Rescue Committee (IRC), Horn of Africa and American Federation of Teachers. This summer, Mohamed visited Kenya for the first time as an adult. Below is her story.
Kenya is a marvelous and diverse country. The food is amazing and human interaction is authentic. Streets are forever active with people visiting shops, riding buses and selling fresh food. There are huge shopping centers, theme parks, monkey parks, art museums, live street music and everything in between. Believe it or not, there is way more to Kenya than the stereotypical safaris, Maasai warriors and long-distance runners you see on television.
The people in Nairobi were hospitable and quite social. As I walked the roads, rode the matatus, went to shops and ate at restaurants, I felt sincerely embraced. Matatus are crazy miniature-dancehall buses that take you from one place to the other faster than any compact car ever. In these matatus, many people are reading, talking politics, enjoying the scenery or dancing. Come evening, a lot of these matatus turn into rave-like buses ? flashing colorful lights and bumping to danceable music. It?s so much fun.
Everyone I met was well-educated, an avid reader or a diligent hustler. It was a slice of paradise.
As I made observations, I vowed to somehow implement the Kenyans? hard work ethic in my own life. The majority of Kenyans I met took civic engagement, education and politics very seriously. I?m not accustomed to seeing much of this type of overt intellectualism and interaction here in California, so imagine how elated I was to converse with, and gain knowledge from, new and creative perspectives.
People were easy to befriend. When I was stranded at Java House (a coffee shop) waiting on a ride, I met Patrick Bakira. He immediately struck up a conversation with me about politics and social issues. I knew I had to put aside my beliefs to truly be objective and open to learning and appreciating other ideas. What Americans consider to be social justice, feminism, or inequality, is not necessarily applicable in Kenya. Interpretations are dissimilar; also, we must keep in mind that their conflicts and experiences have been totally different than the West.?Although the approach, outlooks, and processes are unique, the objective is universal ? the betterment of society.
Bakira is an academic researcher, community leader and a commerce degree holder. Yes, I said ?academic researcher!? He passionately described his past efforts to bring social and economic mobility to the Kenyan youth, despite the disparities. I was able to relate since I, too, work closely with my community in elections, council meetings and other discussions to bring more resources to the underrepresented.
Bakira expressed that the main problems in the Kenyan government are the misuse of funds and ?lack of visionary leadership.? Corruption is rampant and, as Bakira said, ?anything goes when you have money. You can buy yourself into prestigious jobs and or out of almost any predicament.? Due to this, many Kenyan youth encounter joblessness and disproportionate destitution. According to Bakira, the No. 1 issue his country faces is a 40 percent unemployment rate. Were it not for corruption, some Kenyans argue that their country would be more prosperous, both within the continent and globally.
With all that said, the upcoming election and a new constitution are both very promising for the nation. The Kenyan election is set for March 4.
Establishing a new constitution in Kenya was far from easy. Kenyan people worked collectively for about two decades to achieve this massive change. The new constitution was promulgated in the summer of 2010 with a high approval rate among Kenyans. If the upcoming election is successful, it will strengthen Kenya?s lead position in the Horn of Africa. The new constitution promises equal opportunity, fair leadership and prosperity for all Kenyans. The promulgation of this constitution gives hope to all those living in Kenya because it will play a key role in eradicating issues of corruption, nepotism and tribalism. Patrick urges all Kenyans to unite and take advantage of their rights such as voting, speaking out against corruption, organizing protests, involving the media and so forth.
Education in Kenya
I cannot emphasize just how seriously education is taken in Kenya. It is a sight to see. Every resident I spoke with discussed the vitality a good education can lead to in a critical manner. This made me ponder about our drive for life-long learning in the United States. For instance, most of us living in America do not value the written word ? particularly the youth. I?m no statistician, but the number of Kenyans clutching something to read (or a resume to share) on a daily basis is incalculable.
Given my love for education, I decided that I couldn?t leave Kenya without visiting a few schools. I wanted to get a feel for what the educational institutions were like for the youngsters in Kenya. After my first week in Nairobi, I asked a university student to take me to the primary schools and ?slums? of the city. Vivianne Muthoni, a student at Nairobi University specializing in Space Law, took the time to show me around Kibera and Mathare slums.
Yes, I said ?Space Law!??Muthoni?spoke in detail about wanting to be the first to represent the Horn of Africa in the field of Space Law. Honestly, I didn?t know what Space Law was until I met Muthoni?and the more I looked into it, the more I admired this young, studious woman. Who would have thought there are rules regulating both national and international law that oversee whatever happens in outer space?
No matter where Muthoni?and I went, there was an abundance of astuteness and ingenuity. To put this simply, let me give you a comparison. The children here usually dread the end-of-recess bell, right? Well, Kenyan children welcome it ? partially because their parents are really involved with their education and if one were to gripe about school, they?d get in trouble.
I started by visiting a parish at the Presbyterian Church of East Africa located in Kibera. This church-school reaches out to families by assessing their needs through education and spirituality. I sat down with a former student, Naomi, who is now the administrative secretary and accounts assistant at the school. Naomi highlighted that ?in order to change a community for the better, you must offer skills, training and education rather than just food or clothes.?
Though I was carrying a digital camera to document as much of my trip as I could, I sensed much tension from the staff as well as from the students upon seeing the camera. Out of respect I turned it off. After meeting with the children of Presbyterian Church of East Africa, I realized why I should not have brought it in the first place. I overheard a kindergarten student speaking with his classmate. ?Look at her. She has a camera like the whites. She?s trying to exploit us.? I was surprised at what the child said but I understood the weight and reality behind his reference. It surprised me that a child could be so mindful of the widespread exploitation and misrepresentation of Africa (many American adults are not), sometimes for monetary gain.
Naomi later stressed that countless aid-hungry ?activists? come to Kibera with aimless promises and digital cameras, yet do nothing else but treat them like commodities. Self-righteous and aid-oriented ?activists? constantly bombard Kibera and eventually becoming a permanent fixture. Unfortunately many of these self-proclaimed activists merely photograph and document the plight of Africa, only capturing a miniscule representation of the social condition. Even though there are some well-meaning activists out there, we need to dispel and discuss the myth that all Africans are in need of saving. Slums exist everywhere, not just in non-Western countries.
Garissa County
Garissa was an overwhelming five- to six-hour drive from Nairobi. Garissa is located in the Northeastern region of Kenya and is approximately 370 km from Nairobi City. After our arrival in this small county on June 20, we checked into Nomad Palace Hotel and relaxed. Good thing because the following days were eventful and semi-terrifying.?The main purpose of our trip was to visit my father?s extended family. I also intended to take photos of Kenya?s lovely landscape. Things didn?t go as planned.
As we made our way through our relatives? neighborhood, blood-chilling screams filled the air as grenades and guns went off. Confused and dazed, I found my feet running alongside others who, too, were seeking safety. I would describe it as surreal.? I knew full well it was happening, but I couldn?t believe I was in the middle of it.
My father tried reassuring us by half-heartedly explaining how the ?nearby military base? was ?conducting routine exercises.? I thought to myself, ?Ha! I seriously doubt the Kenyan army practices on its people!? My younger brother and I knew something terrible happened.
The first thing that crossed my mind was, ?Oh shoot, I?m going to die!? Then I said to myself, ?We only die once so I might as well finish eating my pineapple and hide!?
Within minutes of hearing the loud blasts, we were notified that two churches were attacked in the area ? the same churches we passed a few minutes earlier! The word on the street was that the attackers took off in a vehicle.
After the attacks, I realized how my attire made me stick out like a sore thumb. Not a good look for the moment. The women in Garissa either dressed traditionally or Islamically. I didn?t quite fit either category. I was carrying a camera while wearing a small red scarf, ears poking out and everything. My clothing and the fact that I was carrying a camera advertised to everyone that I was not a resident.
The people in Garissa were resilient so I refused to be rigid. Thankfully, we were near the one uncle with a compound-like house. We hid and waited while the military and Criminal Investigation Department (CID) crackdown went on. While waiting at my uncle?s home, I changed into a bigger scarf and hid the camera. After a couple of hours,?we left for the hotel, which faced barricades and officers who were ready to shoot.
Seventeen innocent Kenyans lost their lives that day and over fifty people were injured. The fact that the killings took place less than 200 meters from where we stood was unsettling. Although I was well aware of the security alerts, I didn?t expect to face any ?terror.?
I managed to take some landscape pictures on my way to and from Garissa. When I speak to others about my trip, I try to leave the part about the attack out because I would hate for people to think of Kenya as some poverty-stricken warzone.
What I Brought Back
Just like any other traveler, I arrived with my own ideas and assumptions. I departed from a ?developing nation? with a deep void because I now yearn to see everyone around me engrossed in some type of reading material.?I also miss hearing the elders say that engaging with your community and being a role model to the youth are both very vital in generating a conscious society.
Nonetheless, I achieved my main goal of visiting family. Everything else was secondary.?I wouldn?t classify myself as a common sightseer as I didn?t engage in visiting typical tourist attractions. Rather, I had the opportunity to witness people in authentic real life situations.
If you were to ask me what resonated with me the most, I would have difficulty pinpointing one particular experience, because the accumulation of them have had a profound effect on me. Nonetheless, I have to mention one thing I found amazing: primary, secondary and vocational schools and institutions of higher education are constantly being built throughout Kenya. This made me think of California?s educational system and our current budget cuts; we face school closures, teacher layoffs, defunding of essential programs, etc. This trip transformed me into an even more educationally focused individual and I am grateful for that.
Overall my journey was memorable, gratifying and, most of all, didactic. I recommend everyone visit Kenya and take note. We should try to be innovative and determined in fostering societal changes that will lead to equal opportunities for all, not only the underprivileged.
Besides the best fruits on earth, I think I would sneak back some Kenyan endurance and educational values ? if customs would let me, that is. All in all, I can?t wait to go on holiday?back to Kenya!
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