Is tribe a curse in Africa? Kenya in mind 2012.

I have always been fascinated by history. This is because to a greater extend I have come to witness some of the events repeating themselves. As I was sitting down in my room and the rain powering down, bored with nothing to do I started thinking very hard about the future for the developing countries Kenya being one of them and I was left to wonder.

After the scramble for Africa, the colonialist finally left but not before living a good mark on our motherland. To the eyes of many nationalist they were looking forward to a future of freedom, free to govern themselves, free to live anywhere in the land and mostly free to pursue the greatest things that life can offer. But many Africans were surprised, there was nothing like free, the colonist was replaced by Africans who more or less carried on with the work of the masters. It is widely known that those who worked for the colonialist especially the interpreters and house servants ripped immense wealth from their masters more than those who were in the bush fighting. And here is where the mother of all problems in Africa starts.

Tribalism was celebrated; people everywhere in the world have a feeling of belonging. It is a people’s way of life quiet embedded in to their spinal cord. For one to deviate from the norms of their tribe it would take, courage, risk and even consequences such as excommunication in greater part. Of the many nations in Africa Kenya included, elections have always resulted in violence such that it’s only a fool who thinks that political risk is exaggerated. In the earlier society, there used to be raids that were carried out by one community to another a thing which exists even today. The tribe’s chief has control of every social, political and economical function in today’s capitalist world. The functions of tradition are portrayed in the new world frontier where by tribal way of doing things seems to be perceived as the national agenda for all the other related and unrelated tribe to follow. You dare not challenge the tribe’s chief because you are of the dotcom age, you will fail miserably or else you will lose your ticket to the parliament.

There has been a major perception that education will foster diversity and so tribalism will be a thing of the past. It is however paradoxical because the major drivers of political agenda in Africa Kenya included are also the propagators of tribalism, mind you they have Phd, MBAs, CPAs and Ms, BS. If you take a time to listen very carefully you will be shocked with the propaganda this guys seems to pass through. They will speak of my community is not represented, my people, and finish with a statement about my motherland. The worrying trend is that they seem to be mostly out of touch with the few, especially those that think. In some parts of Africa talking bad about a tribesman in power is closely seen as taboo. Of course, the ruling elite have been to school and majority of them have studied abroad and read history about deferent form of communities from despotism to democracy. As much as they are educated they still have shown strong tribal commitment and to me I always view them as the biggest propagators of tribalism.

The future let me tell your friend is not bright if this is the way to do business. As much as Kenya and the rest of the rest of Africa are still fighting on tribal representation, other societies are now fighting on the new world order thus the birth of strong corporation that would scare governments. Other major issues are the extinction of certain species and the patenting of life. It is important that as an individual you start questioning some of the positions you have been holding and take time to think. The key to this to read and write, share your views and take upon to instill the culture of reading to your offspring’s. Do not just sit down and listen to the news anchor telling you its raining go out there and feel the rain, see for certain it’s raining.