Peacebuilding takes all forms

A couple of days ago I took a half day safari being driven into the Samburu Game Park by Tom Lolisoli, son of Rebecca Lolisoli who is running for parliament here - a daring thing to do in such a patriarchal country . . . but that is another story that I will tell later.

As we entered the park we were told about a lion who had attacked a calf just on the edge of the park. The pastoralist was bringing the cattle back to his land after taking them to graze near the park. The conservationists were able to track the lion and shoot it with a dart to put it to sleep. They then moved it to a different location and placed beside it a recently killed gazelle (it had been badly injured and would not have survived so the conservationist euthanized it). When the lion woke up it was able to feast on the beast. The calf was fine as the lion had been scared off in time and the pastoralist could continue to care for his livestock.

In this instance the story ends well for all parties. The calf is alive and well, which makes the pastoralist happy; the lion is well fed and relocated; the conservationist has been able to maintain the balance between man and and the wild. But often times this is not the case. In many instances - when an elephant attacks a farm for instance - the farmer may shoot the elephant which upsets the conservationist.

These lionesses are full after devouring an injured elephant, but that is wild against wild and therefore no conflict. By the way, these lionesses were helped by 21 crocodiles who took their turn and cautiously tore pieces off the elephant when the lionesses were distracted by their own eating.

Another instance in which conflict can arise is when women go to the river to fetch water. Often they have been attacked by crocodiles and in some cases, if accompanied by men, the crocodile will be shot. Many organizations now build water tanks in villages in order to save the women and crocodiles. Here one of the women in Umoja village carries a 25 kilo pail of water back to her village. Although a ways from the village, she can gather fresh water that is clean enough to drink.

So the question is . . Is the conflict between man and animal or is it between the pastoralist and the conservationist?  There are increasing instances in Kenya and Uganda where peacebulding techniques are used to resolve conflict between the pastorialist and conservationist, between man and nature.

Community

I just left Umoja and Unity, two women-only villages in the Samburu district of Kenya. The average temperature in this arid part of the country during the past five days ranged from 41 - 47 degrees celsius. Although hot, it was not highly oppressive, as the humidity is low and, when standing along the edge of the Ewasa Nyiere river, a breeze cools your skin. However, the heat does make the lives of these women more difficult as their huts are structures made of wood and mud or newspaper. The interiors consist of three rooms. One is for sitting and eating together, another larger rooms is where the children sleep and, next to where the cooking is done, is a goat-hide upon which the mother sleeps.

Unlike most Kenyans, the Samburu and Maasai have maintained the old way of life, choosing to come together in villages rather than purchasing their own "shamba" - a plot of about an acre of personally owned land that they farm individually. The importance to people living within the villages in working together is palpable. The Samburu also have large families of 7 to 15 children making it difficult to gather enough money for food, clothing and education.

The reason why this is important to the notion of community is when people stop working together, toward the benefit of all, life can be much harder. Most of these women have come to these villages to escape arranged marriages, female genital mutilation (FGM), or they have been sent away form their husbands because they have been raped. Although performing FGM is viewed internationally as a violation of human rights, shifting cultural practice is something completely different. The grandmothers still push for female circumcision as they fear the young women who are not circumcised will not be able to marry.

 
In these villages women are truly working together and the collaboration is what is making all of their lives easier. It appears to me that they heal their community and re-story their lives through collectively working towards financial independence and building new lives for their children, other women in nearby villages, and for themselves.

Umoja, Women and Patriachy

I am in Umoja. Not the Umoja that is near Nairobi, but Umoja near the Samburu Game Reserve. The village is made up of 48 women, of which 20 live outside the village as they are taking care of goats and cattle. Located just outside of Archers Post, a training area for the British Army, it is arid, with a amttering of palm and acacia trees.You come here either by plane, that takes you low across the country, or by vehicle - about six hours by road from Nairobi.
Umoja was created by a group of women, led by Rebecca Lolisoli, in 1995. It began as a response to being raped by members of the Army, and then cast aside by their husbands. They were told to leave their homes and take their children, and not return. The army rapes have stopped now, but fear of genital mutilation, other rape and early marriage is what brings these women here.. Others come here escaping female genital mutilation, and hold seminars every May to educate women that there is not need for this ritual that is painful and causes long term health issues. One young woman, whom I met yesterday was 9 years old when she came here as she ran away form her father who had promised her hand to a man of 60 years in exchange for 9 cattle and 2 sheep - the going dowry rate in this area.  She and the other women, whom I will interview over the coming days, have come here to re-story their expereinces and find strength in each other.

They spend much of the day beading under a covered structure that they have built themselves. So far, singing also seems to be a way of greeting people. There are few tourists right now as it is too hot.

Kenya is made up of many tribes and this has caused problems, causing problems as they dispute land ownership and have conflicting customary rituals.At this point, I am exploring the notion of tribe and how important is tribe to these women as it seems to be more important to men. The majority of women are taken into their husbands tribe when they marry and how do these women, who come from all over the area, handle tribal difference, or is there a difference here. This is a highly patriarchal society and there has been much resistance to these women purchasing land and creating their own village, yet these women have managed to do this and to gain the respect that keeps men away - except for those who are trusted, or teens who are embraced by the community, helping out and learn to show respect to women. However, in this village it appears at this point in my knowledge that they are all Samburu and speak Samburu rather than Swahili, the language of Kenyans. 

There is much to learn here!

Trans-Atlantic musings

I am en route to Nairobi and at this point am somewhere over the Atlantic Ocean hurtling toward Zurich where I have an hour to gather my bags and to catch the last leg of my voyage. Once there, I will have arrived where this journey will begin! The lights are dark; my fellow passengers are asleep, or like me, in a silent state of refection. Perhaps they are ruminating over what they have left behind, or quietly anticipating, as I am, what lies ahead.

So, I am thinking about women, ritual and community healing – as I have been for months. And I wonder . . . how do we communicate ritual? How do we pass along the knowledge from one generation to the next?

Ritual is specific to occasion, to culture, to religion and to gender. For instance in West, the colour white is worn in the Christian practice to symbolize purity. My experience has been that, at first weddings the ritual is that a bride is dressed in white. Here I need to explain that I make reference to brides at their “first” wedding as I have been witness to several second and third time brides who, after the first wedding, tends to wear whatever colour she wants - I suppose as we presume she is no longer “pure”. The time that leads up to her marriage ceremony is filled with rituals that involve being surrounded by her female friends and relations. She is preened, offered something blue, borrows something old, and only after this, is her father allowed to greet her and “give her away” . In contrast, white is used very differently in eastern religious practice. The Japanese believe that white is a symbol of death and sadness, not purity and celebration.  Muslims use white to drape a deceased body. When I was in a village at the edge of the Saharan desert I was witness – albeit from a distance – to the passing of a man in the village. The men of the village gathered at this house, and from what I could see, had laid him out on a bed in the middle of his living room. He was draped in white cloth and his male neighbours and relations were keeping vigil, watching over his passing. No woman was permitted to attend or witness this passing. This ritual was for men alone.

So sometimes ritual is gender specific and at other times, generally cultural. But how do we pass on this ritual from one generation to another. How does the next generation know when and how and what rituals are appropriate for specific occasions? I suppose it is like learning a new language. We listen, we watch, we imitate, emulate and make decisions about what we will absorb as our own. So rituals change as cultures progress.

Kenya

Happy 2013!

In a couple of days I will be heading to Kenya to begin work with women exploring community healing, ritual and the role women play in the process. My hope is to undertake a project that is arts-based and will focus on the personal narratives of internally displaced women.

I'd like to explain a bit of my thinking . . . . Why Kenya? Why now?

Between 1963 and 2007, Kenyans suffered gross human rights violations. Whether victims or perpetrators, the majority of the population suffered. In 2008, the newly formed Kenyan government, passed the Truth, Justice and Reconciliation Act to begin to investigate and address these violations with the objective of promoting peace, national unity, healing and reconciliation. One of the processes undertaken, was to travel throughout the country and hear from individuals to get an idea of what happened. What kinds of violations occurred and how were people impacted by the experience.

In Truth Commissions, it is important to ensure that both genders are included in a dialogue in order to gain a clear understanding of the root causes of violence and how it effected men and women. Women require special consideration as they see peace differently that men. Men view peace when the weapons and put down, and the violence stops. Women see peace when community life returns, schools re-open and people get back to work.

In 2010 a new constitution was introduced in Kenya with changes that aim to accommodate socio-economic diversity and ethnicity, and to promote gender equality, equity and democracy. Many women are unaware of the new rights that benefit them. In addition, the upcoming election in March has raised some concern over whether there will be a repeat of the post-election violence of 2007. 

Perhaps this is a good time - a period between the past and the future - in which to engage in a process of re-imagining a desired future. As Jean Paul Lederach says - relationships are at the center of social change.

I will arrive in Nairobi on Friday and will take a few days to settle in. Stay tuned . . .