AFRICANEWS

Kenya

I am not done with the brotherhood of man

Human Rights

The on-going "tribal clashes" have provoked strong reactions in Kenya. Some people tend to accept them as part and parcel of Kenya way of life. Others even think that human beings are irremediably evil and it is useless to speak about brotherhood, justice, peace. Our contributor does not want to give up.

In Kenya the horror of the "tribal clashes" - as they are strangely still being called, while everybody knows that they are political clashes - is back. People who want only to work, to care for their children and send them to school, are brutalised and killed because they are suspected of belonging to "the others". In the past few days, the outcry from the people, the human rights activists, the churches and the international community has caused a suspension in this undeclared war. For how long?

In front of the clashes, we have witnessed all kinds of reactions, from street marches to fiery sermons. There is a growing pessimism. People feel they are at the mercy of powers they cannot control. Waithaka Waihenya's Essay (Sunday Standard, February 1, 1998), captured well this mood. After a lengthy comparison between human and animal nature, with arguments to the advantage of the latter, the author concludes: "The churchmen spend hours talking about the brotherhood of men. But acts of brutality such as the ones we are witnessing make religion a farce. I'm done with the brotherhood of man." The piece carries, as a title, the same drastic last sentence; "I am done with the brotherhood of man".

I was disturbed, first, because I agree with some of his considerations, which I would have put in even stronger terms.

The author is shocked by the violence and suffering imposed on innocent villagers of the Rift Valley, and rightly so. Yet our century has witnesses hatred and violence, on a much grander scale. We can recall the Belgian atrocities against the Congo population; the communist revolution in Russia which, according to rough estimates during the approximated 70 years of its course, claimed about 80 million lives, then Nazism and the holocaust which saw the killing in concentration camps of six million Jews. Later, there were "smaller" episodes, like World War II and the dropping of the atomic bomb, the Vietnam war, the Sudan civil conflict, the Mengistu regime in Ethiopia, the Irish terrorism, the tribal clashes in Rwanda and Burundi, the Bosnian horror, the Rwandan genocide, just to mention what comes immediately to mind, since an exhaustive list of this century's horrors would not fit here. The evil present in our world is much greater than the Rift Valley politically instigate! d clashes.

I have also no difficulty in agreeing that - at least sometimes - a superficial talk on brotherhood as many churchmen like to do, does not solve the problem. To the contrary, it is precisely such talk, not the acts of violence in themselves, that make religion a farce. On the lips of some churchmen who are well dressed, well fed, with a mellifluous voice and the face permanently cast in an inane smile, the words of brotherhood and of consolation for the clashes' victims sound like blasphemy. Especially if they arrive on the scene of the disaster driven in a car that everybody knows was a "gift" from some local "big men".

In situations of genuine suffering, only those who have the moral authority to do so should speak. And this authority is rooted in the participation, at least in some way, in the suffering of the people. Otherwise, a dignified and prayerful silence would be a better and wiser choice.

Gifted with freedom

Yes, we are worse than the animal because we are free. Animals do not do anything that is morally wrong, since they act out of instinct. But we have this terrible gift of freedom and intelligence, and when we choose to do evil we inevitably surpass the animals.

In human life, there is a massive presence of evil. But this is not the whole reality. There is also goodness, dedication and service, to the extent of sacrificing oneself for the good of the others. Even in the depth of a hellish situation like a Nazi concentration camp, there was a Maximilian Kolbe, who chose to speak of forgiveness and offered his life in exchange for another life.

In 1994 in Rwanda, there were people who died to help those of the opposite ethnic group. I am sure that also in the Rift Valley, if journalists would do their job thoroughly, they would discover that in the mist of the horror, there were people who performed acts of compassion and love for the others. After collecting the facts, there should be also an analysis and interpretation, and we would discover that there are some who are innocent victims, others who are defending their rights, and others again who have resorted to unlawful and immoral violence with the aim of dominating the majority. We cannot look at a partial picture, and draw categorical conclusions, because the conclusions would be partial.

Building brotherhood

So, "brother" is an ambiguous term. In the Bible, we read that at the very beginning of humanity, Cain killed his brother Abel. Since then, there has been a veil of suspicion in every relationship. We know that betrayal and hatred are possible choices for me as well as for the others towards me. As a Christian, my choice must be to overcome this kernel of evil by consciously moving towards a new relationship with the others, a new relationship shrouded in trust, confidence and, ultimately, love.

In the Bible, the vision of the Heavenly Banquet, the Heavenly Jerusalem, where all tears will be wiped, where there will be no death, no mourning, sadness or pain, where God will make his home among his people, represents the dream of God for us, the vision He wants us to make reality. It is not, as we experience every day, and as the clashes stress, a fact already fulfilled in our lives. That's why Christian life should not be the reserve of sweet smiling churchmen, but the job of men and women who are not afraid to face the difficulties and dramas of real life, and stand up against evil. Like Jesus.

Well, I have done my bit of preaching, and, no doubt, some will question my moral authority to do so. Moral authority derives from the conduct of one's whole life, and it is a rare quality. I have taken part in innumerable workshops on peace and reconciliation, yet I have only felt the presence of moral authority in exceptional cases.

I have sougth the opinion of a missionary who I consider to be a moral authority. He has served for more than 20 years in Sudan. He has seen it all: Civil war, tribal killing, religious hatred - unfortunately, there is a hatred that has "religious" connotation! He has cradled in his hands and cried over the bodies of children with slashed throats. He listened tomy question, he caressed his white beard, and looking at me with eyes as alert and clear as a child, he said: "Those who believe in love and brotherhood keep the world alive. If we do not believe in love, the world will die."

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