Lessons from Kenya

I’ve learned that in an African accent, “Kayla” sounds a lot like “killer.” Try it: “kayla…kehlah….ki-lah.” When I introduce myself, it's not uncommon for the other person's eyes to get really big as they take a step back, clarifying the pronunciation. Kenyans especially have a really difficult time with my name, often saying, “eh, your name is very hard on my lips” as soon as they hear it.

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This past week I was invited to attend a forum in Nairobi, Kenya for leaders who are using the “Healing Wounds of Ethnic Conflict” workshop to promote reconciliation throughout Kenya. This is the same workshop that my organization in Rwanda uses. There were 35 men and women from all over Kenya who have been working extremely hard to bring peace and healing in their communities where ethnic conflict is the root of many tensions and violent clashes (most notably the post-election violence in 2007).

Kenya has 42 different tribes, each with its own language. I started thinking about the richness of all these languages and cultures. One lunch conversation in particular demonstrated the joy of celebrating our identities as a Kelenjin man joked that his Luo friend was Obama’s cousin (Luos are the tribe Obama’s family apparently comes from), while he got teased back for having “gold metals” as feet due to his tribes fame in the Olympics for winning running events.

Unfortunately, life isn’t always like this in Kenya where cultural differences bring people together. Many Kenyans described to me the incredible tensions felt among people, especially with troubles with political leaders using their own agendas to gain power. For Kenyans, elections don’t mean democracy; they mean violence.

But I see Kenya as very, very blessed.

I think back to America and its origins. America wasn’t always “muzungu land” (only white people). And in fact it still isn’t, but that’s a different conversation for another time. My Kenyan friend told me America is known here as the land of opportunities. But I asked myself, who actually gets to benefit from these opportunities?

Before the Europeans came, America was like Kenya. There were different tribes, different languages, and many different cultures. But when the Europeans came (missionaries, trappers, explorers, etc), Native Americans were killed in many different ways and forced on small plots of land designated theirs. And many of those languages were lost.

Switch back to Kenya. The British came and colonized and from what I understand, did a lot of harm to Kenyans who are still suffering today. But Kenyans retained their languages and their cultures and their identities. Unfortunately, due to corruption, jealousy, pride, and various other characteristics of humans, these differences have brought violence to Kenya where God intended peace.

All my Kenyan mammas

But still I see Kenya as blessed. I see strong people who love their country. I see young leaders using their interests and talents to bring healing where there has been destruction and hope when people feel unable. I see glimpses of heaven where every tribe and tongue will praise God united through His creation of diversity.

America is blessed in many ways as well. I cannot deny my American-ness because it has been a part of shaping me into who I am today. But I mourn for the cultures and languages lost today that were sacrificed so that one day, we would be known as “the land of opportunity.”

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The same Kalenge friend told me that if you switch the “y” and “l” in my name, it becomes Kalya, which means “peace” in Kalenge, the mother tongue of his tribe.  How ironic that in an American accent, I am killer. But in the richness of the many languages in Kenya, I am peace. Let us never forget the beauty of entering in another language than our own.

I took this at the animal orphanage
we visited to understand reconciliation with
creation (most of the participants had never been able to
see the animals that tourists come to Kenya to experience).
I'm only adding it because I thought
the monkey was hilarious