I will perhaps expound on this one day. Ngugi wa Thiong'o is the main inspiration of the Bondo Society in Sierra Leone. Perhaps it is time to find out what the society stands for.
A hint: His description of Muthoni is used to prepare young Sierra Leonean girls for circumcision rituals. He is a hero over there. His portrayal of christianity is also celebrated in many countries in Africa. The guy is a hero.
Friday, April 24, 2009
Koigi's Metamorphosis
The World has turned upside down. Last week, I thought I read somewhere Koigi Wa Wamwere speaking either neutrally or positively about Raila Amolo Odinga! Koigi is known for finding just about any excuse to throw stones at Raila Odinga. For example in the run up to the last general election in Kenya in 2007, Koigi Wa Wamwere, who had since become a leading Court Poet charged with singing the sweetest panegyrics to Mwai Kibaki, launched a propaganda war on Raila and ODM. Like a good propaganda war, it was clothed in intellectual jargon. Our people have, since education came to Africa, learned not to question the wisdom we learn at school. So Koigi wrote:
At the heart of the current political contest, therefore, is the question whether a full-blown transition from the closed ethnic nation and its nation-state into a democratic, open nation and nation-state or the democratic transition began in 2002 will be aborted. Put simply: Shall Kenya proceed with ethnic nation-building or democratic nation-building?
Once I reached this point, I made a quick reverse to see if I had missed something. After all, Koigi was writing in a newspaper. I was sure he would remember to define what an "Ethnic-Nation" was and how that differed from a "Nation-State". Sadly there was no attempt to define those terms. So I took to thinking about the terms on my own - something I would not recommend to anybody.
I notice that Koigi equates "Nation-State" with "democratic nation-building". The way he presents his case, makes me assume ethnic nation building is the opposite of "democratic nation building" and it is negative. According to Koigi Wa Wamwere, Kibaki is the democrat while Raila is the tribalist. So I started wondering: How accurate is that? Kibaki stole the election. The winner (Raila) did not? Kibaki trashed every democratic agreement between him and his partners at will, Raila has never dishonoured a single agreement; Kibaki single- handedly appointed the ECK contrary to the IPPG agreement between political parties (he preceded this by refusing to present it in parliament to turn in to a law); Raila has yet to trash IPPG? So what yardstick did Koigi Wa Wamwere apply?
Still Koigi writes:
In the struggle between the ethnic nation and the democratic nation and their variants of nation-states in Kenya, the modern nation-state will only triumph if Kenya is successful at promoting an inclusiveness based on opportunity.
Boy! Didn't struggle to get some meaning out of it?! I caught a smell of innuendo.
At the heart of the current political contest, therefore, is the question whether a full-blown transition from the closed ethnic nation and its nation-state into a democratic, open nation and nation-state or the democratic transition began in 2002 will be aborted. Put simply: Shall Kenya proceed with ethnic nation-building or democratic nation-building?
Once I reached this point, I made a quick reverse to see if I had missed something. After all, Koigi was writing in a newspaper. I was sure he would remember to define what an "Ethnic-Nation" was and how that differed from a "Nation-State". Sadly there was no attempt to define those terms. So I took to thinking about the terms on my own - something I would not recommend to anybody.
I notice that Koigi equates "Nation-State" with "democratic nation-building". The way he presents his case, makes me assume ethnic nation building is the opposite of "democratic nation building" and it is negative. According to Koigi Wa Wamwere, Kibaki is the democrat while Raila is the tribalist. So I started wondering: How accurate is that? Kibaki stole the election. The winner (Raila) did not? Kibaki trashed every democratic agreement between him and his partners at will, Raila has never dishonoured a single agreement; Kibaki single- handedly appointed the ECK contrary to the IPPG agreement between political parties (he preceded this by refusing to present it in parliament to turn in to a law); Raila has yet to trash IPPG? So what yardstick did Koigi Wa Wamwere apply?
Still Koigi writes:
In the struggle between the ethnic nation and the democratic nation and their variants of nation-states in Kenya, the modern nation-state will only triumph if Kenya is successful at promoting an inclusiveness based on opportunity.
Boy! Didn't struggle to get some meaning out of it?! I caught a smell of innuendo.
Drums of Chaos Beating Louder
The drums of chaos are beating louder and lounder every day. They are announcing a new and more vicious war of tribes than the last one. So vicious will this be that it will leave no institution standing.
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