I will be having a photo exhibition at Rutgers University (New Brunswick, New Jersey) at The Center for African Studies (CAS) from 14th February to the 27th Feb. The Exhibition is titled, Never Again, a collection of my work that captures the tragic moment of “ethnic” violence in Kenya in the immediate aftermath of the 2007 Presidential Elections. The exhibition includes a screening Heal the Nation,” a 30 minutes documentary providing eyewitness accounts of the tragedy that befell Kenyans in 2007-2008 and discussions. Through photo exhibitions and audiovisual presentations,Picha Mtaani Initiative intends to create a platform for Kenyans in the Diaspora to see the images of the 2007 election violence and an opportunity to get involved in the Kenyan roadmap to reconciliation.
I will engage in conversation with scholars, students and the American public about the subject of the exhibition. The Center for African Studies also plans to have two distinguished speakers at the launching of the exhibition who will make presentation on the theme of “violence and healing.” One is Ngugi wa Thiong’o, Distinguished Professor of English and Comparative Literature at the University of California, Irvine. His recently released childhood memoir Dreams in Times of War on memory in the context of a history of violence is particularly pertinent to the theme of this exhibition. The other speaker is Gabriele Schwab, Chancellor’s Professor of Comparative Literature at the University of California at Irvine. A power-house in cultural theory, Professor Scwhab is currently completing Haunting Legacies her latest book on trauma and healing.
During the build-up to 2007 elections many Kenyan politicians travelled to different corners of the World to seek endorsements from political leaders and financial support from international sources and Kenyans in the diaspora for the General Elections held on 27 December 2010. Kenyans in diaspora participated actively in the processes to the General Elections, from shaping public opinion to financial contributions and other material support to the various political parties and candidates. According to a report by the Coalition for Accountable Political Financing, approximately $65 million was used in a period of nine (9) months preceding the General Elections by political parties and candidates. These pictures will also serve as a reminder to Kenyans in the Diaspora to be more concerned about the destination of every dollar they contribute to the election process. The World is watching how well Kenya meets this Agenda. This photographic demonstration of how devastated Kenya and Kenyans were in the post-election period forms a baseline on which to appraise Kenya’s progress towards national
healing, reconciliation and cohesion.
Kenyans in Diaspora are concentrated in seven (7) key states. We wish to explore the possibilities of doing more exhibitions in Washington DC, Boston, Atlanta, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles, New York and engage with Kenyans in all these states, across the U.S which have high population of Kenyan professionals and students: It is to these cities that politicians will turn in the run up to the 2012 Elections as well.
Thank You
Boniface Mwangi
2 Comments
I received an email about your work on the Peace and Collaborative Development website. I am president of Project Africa at the New School in New York City. I would like to discuss the possibility of showing your work here in NYC.
Thank you,
Skye Dobson
We all have choices to make. Each of us can make a conscious decision about whether to help perpetuate the culture of violence by being complacent, abdicating our responsibility, behaving disrespectfully in our personal and professional lives and not supporting preventive and interventive work. Or each of us can make the choice to confront the culture of violence and to contribute to building a culture of peace — in whatever sm…all way. It starts with self, and we can all make a difference.
Violence is easy. No real skill is needed to pick up a knife, hijack a car, go on a shooting spree, throw a pipe bomb, batter a wife and child, rape, murder, or abuse with words. But the way of peace building is much more difficult. There is no time or capacity for spoon feeding. Books and ‘how-to’s’ may provide the theory, but it takes dedication, commitment, time, risk and skill to put it into practice and — in the case of institutional structures — the necessary management support to make it meaningful and real. Cultures of constructive conflict resolution need to be cultivated in organizations, institutions and homes — to become part of the way things are done.
Given this, I see the primary education tasks for the future as follows:
*
We need to ensure that teaching young people to approach and deal with conflict in creative and constructive ways should be a core and valued component of their formal and informal education;
*
We need to help young people develop broad social literacy and build vocabularies of hope and empowerment in terms of decision making, taking responsibility, skills training, visioning alternatives and making them happen;
*
We need to develop inter generational partnerships with young people, to actively engage with them and hear their voices in homes, schools and other institutions and in the media — to listen to their stories, opinions, dreams, fears, needs and frustrations, and to take them seriously. At the same time we need to ask ourselves if there are aspects of cultural and emotional violence involved in the ways in which we listen, or neglect to listen, to what young people are saying;
*
We need to challenge the media to talk about the ‘good news’ and to take their social responsibility role in terms of education more seriously;
*
Every young person is entitled to the respect of others and to the recognition of their inherent worth and dignity as human beings. With this entitlement comes the responsibility to treat others as we would like to be treated ourselves. But cultivating this mutual respect doesn’t just happen. We need systematic governmental, organizational, institutional, religious, community and media support to commit to making this kind of education happen, and to do what we can as ordinary citizens to ensure that it does.
*
We need to encourage young people to develop internal vocabularies of hope and empowerment — to “search for the hero inside themselves,” as the vocal group M People suggest in their song Search. Imagine if all youth could sing those words in their hearts, or the words of the R Kelly song I Believe I Can Fly?
I believe I can fly
I believe I can touch the sky
I believe I can soar
I see me running through that open door
I believe I can fly
‘Cos I believe in me
If I just spread my wings I believe I can fly.
If I can see it
Then I can do it
If I just believe it
There’s nothing to it.
If we don’t encourage our youth to sing this kind of song, we are going to end up with more and more victims of the present and future shock that violence inflicts on our land.
Moses Otunga Foundation is a Child centered Organization registered in Kenya.It exists to improve access to basic needs for vulnerable children and peace building in rural areas and urban slums.
CHRISTIAN DEEJAYS AND ARTISTS IN PARTNERSHIP WITH MOSES OTUNGA FOUNDATION ARE ORGANIZING FOR A NATIONAL PEACE AND STABILITY CAMPAIGN THROUGH MUSIC CONCERT.
You can also assist in inviting as many of friends as possible to click ”ATTENDING” and by clicking ”+select guest to Invite.Thank you in advance and God bless you.
The cost of this Campaign will be KSHS 15,000,000 million and $187,500.USD.Thank you in advance and God bless you.
Yours Sincerely
Governor Jimmy Eddy McAnyango
Chief Executive Officer
MOSES OTUNGA FOUNDATION
http://www.mosesotungafoundation.org
jimmy_eddy@mosesotungafoundation.org
jimmyeddywhilr@yahoo.com
jimmyeddiesmith@gmail.com
+254 724 818 737
0770238895