KENYA: Poll violence stems from deep rooted tensions as old as independence, activist

Record ID: 362477

  • Title: KENYA: Poll violence stems from deep rooted tensions as old as independence, activist
  • Date: 27th February 2013
  • Summary: NAIROBI, KENYA (RECENT) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF DEMONSTRATION AGAINST GOVERNMENT PAY RISE (SOUNDBITE) (English) PHOTO-ACTIVIST, BONIFACE MWANGI, SAYING: "I am very confident that there are people who will vote differently because of what we did, from the website to the demonstrations to the exhibitions. But my biggest worry is that awareness does not lead to action. This cou
  • Embargoed: 14th March 2013 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Kenya
  • Country: Kenya
  • Topics: Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVA6SLHN0NO9TQJWEKBO2MOOUPX6
  • Story Text: On the streets and in this office, a collaborative space for creatives and artists wanting to make a social impact, activist Boniface Mwangi has reached millions of Kenyans with his message of a "ballot revolution".
    The 29-year-old Kenyan photographer was so angered by the events that followed a disputed election result in 2007, that he decided never to let impunity and injustice go unchallenged.
    "I started from a point of anger. I was very pissed after the violence because of what we did to each other and how the politicians just moved on like nothing happened. That bothered me so much I thought, you know what am going to use my work to provoke Kenyans to talk, to think about it and hopefully vote wisely," Mwangi said.
    Violence carried out by ethnically charged youth killed more than 1000 people and displaced hundreds of thousands after the polls.
    Using an initiative dubbed Picha Mtaani, a Swahili term meaning "Pictures in the Streets", Mwangi led a mission to create discussion around the events of the post poll violence and challenge the people involved to look back, reflect and commit to reconciliation.
    The travelling exhibition of explicit photographs sparked emotion and even anger from some authorities, but Mwangi says it is only the beginning of a long-term initiative to address deep-seated tensions that have simmered since independence in a country where political support tends to follow ethnic lines rather than ideology, and differences flare around elections.
    "The issues that we are trying to address are very deep rooted, there're like 49 years old, there're as old as this country and I don't think a 2-3 day exhibition in a town like Molo or Mombasa or Kisumu will address their issues. So it's the beginning point of that discussion, it's the beginning point of the change you want to see, it's the beginning point of people changing their mind set and hopefully by 2017, we'll have a bigger impact," he said.
    To awaken Kenya's senses and illustrate the need for change, Mwangi also organised graffiti artists to illustrate the country's worst political scandals around the city. He invited Kenyans on social media to describe their Members of Parliament in one word, they chose Vultures and the results were spray-painted on a public toilet.
    He has also been at the forefront of various street protests against MPs self-awarded pay hikes, poor pay for policemen and security agents and urging Kenyans to vote as part of what he calls the "ballot revolution".
    But Mwangi does not command the same mass following as the politicians whose actions he puts to question. Not because he lacks a valid cause but because his call for revolution targets a somewhat complacent Kenyan middle class that prefers not to get involved in politics.
    "I am very confident that there are people who will vote differently because of what we did, from the website to the demonstrations to the exhibitions. But my biggest worry is that awareness does not lead to action. This country has so much awareness; we know about the violence in '92, the violence in '97, the violence in 2007, who made the violence happen and if you look the people who are vying right now they were mentioned in most the reports about violence but they're the front runners. What that means, that we never learnt from our mistakes," said the somewhat disappointed award winning activist.
    The youngest ever recipient of the Prince Claus Award - given for his efforts towards reconciliation and peace within, says the real impact of his work is unlikely to be felt for another generation.
    "The reason why we are doing this is not because of us, our generation is almost half lost. We are doing this so that when our kids get to their teens they will live in a much freer Kenya, more transparent country, they can go to public schools and there's teachers and books, they can go to public hospitals and they'll be treated. They won't be judged by their tribe or the skin tone or how they pronounce their words. So we are doing this for our kids," he said.
    Mwangi has been arrested several times. He refuses to be called a "lone ranger", saying he works with many other equally passionate and talented people dedicated to changing Kenya.
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