GREY HAIR, EVEN THE PAGANS RESPECT IT.

Have you ever pictured yourself in your sixties or seventies? What do you usually see? Say grandkids around you, successful children, you’re finically stable, maybe you own a retirement home that is to your liking and taste with say a successful business, or a farm or a ranch as a means of income and to keep you busy. No hustle, just eating from the fruits of your labour and taking it a day at time. I mean you’ve already been there and done that, now, you’re just chilling. Or it could be that we don’t picture ourselves old at all. We probably see our lives like it is in the twilight sagas, immortal and forever young, just like a vampire, full of strength, youth and vigor. Well, it’s in human nature to desire youth but all beings age whether natural or artificial. The fact of the matter is that the world is growing old and fast. Even today’s older population that, persons 80 years or over to the “oldest old” is itself ageing. In 2013 they accounted for 14% cent within the older population and is projected to reach 19% totaling to 392 million by 2050, more than three times the present.

See, aging isn’t a bad thing as its stereotyped, or talked about or even imagined. Maya Angelou said“Grey hair, even the pagans’ respect it” explains how highly age is valued in the African culture. Albert Einstein to me simply described ageing when he said that the only source of knowledge is experience. So aging isn’t bad at all nor boring as we might want to think, Aeschylus (525BC - 456BC) himself acknowledge that it’s always the season for the old to learn. Age comes with its benefits and pleasures. The World Population Ageing 2013 report indicates that there are 841 million persons aged 60 years or over, this is roughly 12% of the global population and a 3% increase from 1990. It is estimated that in the next 10 years, this number will surpass one billion and is projected to more than double, to more than 2 billion reaching 21.1% by 2050. Today’s life expectancy rate is at, this is due to factors such as unhealthy life choices, war, climate change and even today’s capitalism where public and political interests have become more individualistic rather than a collectivist (community) concern. So some of us won’t get to sixty. But then what if we hit 60 and over? I mean some of our parents and grandparents have, and even to some, sisters or brothers have. It’s possible. Now, how is ageing in the Twenty-First Century like?

that most people don't grow up, they age. They find parking spaces, honor their credit cards, get married, have children, and call that maturity. But what that is, is ageing. Audrey Hepburn on the other hand describes the beauty of a woman as that that only grows with passing years. In Arica, the Oromo of Ethiopia saying

Ageing results from decreasing mortality, and, most importantly, declining fertility. The UN, Dept. of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division findings are that 1 out of 25 people is aged 60 and over in Africa, this is roughly 4% of Africa’s population. East Africa leads in Sub- Saharan Africa with a total 11,074,205 elderly persons who majorly live in rural areas and in some areas, make up close to 40% of the population. Kenya’s coast is known for its beautiful white sandy beaches, rich culture and even its Swahili and Arab cuisine- both in food and people. It’s part of what makes Kenya magical. The Coast is also known for witchcraft, which has existed throughout recorded history and not only in Kenya but also in Russia, in oceanic regions such as the Cook Islands, Spain in Europe, Saudi Arabia in the Middle East and even in 1645, Springfield, Massachusetts USA and was usually practiced either for religion, belief or culture. In 2012, I did my clinical attachment at the Kilifi law courts in Kilifi along the coast line of Kenya and happened to witness cases involving witchery or sorcery. In all of them the elderly were the aggrieved complaining that they had been accused of being witches or sorcerers. In Kenya, if one is found guilty of practicing witchcraft with intent to cause fear, annoyance or injury they're liable to imprisonment for a term not exceeding five years under the Witchcraft Act. Traditionally on the other hand in Africa and beyond, persons accused of practicing such kind of witchery were usually lynched. Finding witches and removing them for the good of the community was a tribal affair even in colonial Kenya. In the famous Wakamba Witch-killing Trials of 1931-1932, Mwaiki, a Kamba woman was killed in 1931 by tribal leaders and members of the ruling council of her tribe after they established the fact that she had bewitched another woman in the village. The case was known as Rex v. Kumwaka s/o of Mulumbi and 69 Others. The accused were sentenced to death but ultimately commuted by the Governor of Kenya who reduced there sentence to prison terms instead.

Now back to Kilifi County. In 2014 alone 41 older people accused of witchcraft were murdered while another sixty-one killed in 2013. The same year, the Kenya police reported that at least 20 elderly people are killed monthly in the same county on account of witchcraft allegations. So this means that morgue attendants at the Kilifi Hospital might have received 20 bodies of the elderly each month murdered for witchery allegations. In May 2008, eight elderly women and three elderly men were burned to death in the western Kenya Kisii district, another area in the country where belief in witchcraft is also widespread. In such incidences, suspects arrested are usually found in possession of property or livestock belonging to some of the victims and they usually produce trifling evidence as defense, such as seen in Kisii where an exercise book at a local primary school that contained the minutes of a ‘witches' meeting’ detailing who was going to be bewitched was produced. Media reports also indicate that an average of 6 elderly people were lynched every month in 2009 in the same district for allegedly practicing witchcraft and that another estimated 42 older people were killed in three districts in 2008 and 23 older people in three provinces in the first half of 2009. While a total of 261 were murdered between 2013 and 2014. In his report , Poverty and Witch Killing – 2005, Review of Economic Studies, Edward Miguel claims that poverty and violence go hand in hand. Kenya’s unemployment rate rose to a staggering 40% in 2013 compared to a mere 12% in 2006. As of 2013, 16 million Kenyans had no formal employment and 70% of those who are employed are underpaid (United Nations Development Program , 2013). According to Mr. Kenneth Kamto Kilifi's Deputy Governor, there are three reasons why young men kill witches: lack of education, dire poverty, and lack of employment. Though the rights of elders are protected in the 2010 Kenyan constitution, cases of elder abuse and neglect persist in the country. Today in my country, older people are hunted. They are killed. But witchcraft accusations used to justify extreme violence against older persons are not only reported in Kenya but also in 41 African and Asian countries, including Burkina Faso, Cameroon, India, Malawi, Nepal and Tanzania (UN DESA 2014 report on aging).

In Somalia on the other hand population estimates indicate that of the 9.3 million people in Somalia nearly half the population – 3.7 million people – are now in crisis and among them are approximately 160,000 people aged 60 and over. Older women are reported as one of the most common victims of sex-based and gender-based violence. There is absence of adequate health facilities such as health posts, community health workers or referral network in the IDP camps they are in. The only health center older people can access is in the town of Puntland where they have to pay US$10 for each visit. The health center itself does not have appropriate drugs, especially for chronic diseases. They are hit by vision problems, high blood pressure, diabetes, gastritis, malaria, asthma, join pain, headaches, diarrhea, tooth ache which are very common, name them. Not only are the elderly suffering in Africa and other developing regions but globally as well such as in Greece where the elderly are among the social groups most affected by the recent occuring economic and social crisis in their country, making it the worst country in Europe when it comes to the socio-economic prosperity of seniors (2015 Global AgeWatch Index). Or In South Korea where the elderly have been neglected by family and end up in sex work to meet ends meet. Or even in the United Sates where in last decade the number of prisoners aged 55 and over has grown by an astonishing 75%. This has resulted to prisons across the country dedicate entire units just to house the elderly and during difficult economic times, the issue hits a crisis point with estimates indicating that locking up an older inmate costs three times as much as a younger one. This elderly prisoners suffer higher rates of health problems such as functional disabilities, impaired movement and even mental illness making life in prison hell for them.

Kenya’s government show of commitment in taking lead in the fight against Elder Abuse by

spearheading WEAAD activities and identifying existing gaps for policy and programme action or by African countries taking an important step by drafting an African Protocol for the Rights of older people that was approved at the end of May might mean that elder abuse and the plight of older people in Africa are getting increased recognition, but this is not enough. We need to ensure inclusion of older people. We need to recognize and utilize older people’s capacities and they should not only be seen as passive recipients of assistance. Older people are an untapped resource of expertise and have experience of previous emergencies. Combined with socio-cultural roles such as caring for children and acting as mediators in communities, they provide extensive resources that can deliver high returns on investment if adequate funds are allocated for integrating/ mainstreaming ageing into existing assistance activities. Creating special services for older people is not the answer; rather, integrating ageing into various services should accommodate their specific needs. There is also need to have in place social welfare schemes and programmes, in the form of a social protection floor, that will cater for an increasingly ageing population and ensure all people everywhere can enjoy an old age with dignity and quality of life. Older women living alone, making their own decisions, owning their own homes as well as control their own money and resources also need to be protected. Gender equality will help a great deal in this fight. Governments also need to close in the social gaps they have left such as education, employment and entrepreneurship opportunities for the youth, for these gaps left are major contributors to elderly abuse incidences as can be learned from my country where 85% of all Kenyans are less than 35 years of age.

So there you have it, this is where we are today, the tales of today’s elderly community. This is how ageing in the 21^st century is like. How often do we think of ageing and the elderly? How often do we mention them? Are our governments doing enough to address their plight so far? And most importantly what are we doing as a community to ease life in their old age. We need to treat the elderly with the much respect that they deserve, for without a prior generation there would be no present generation. They fought for our independence and have and still are contributing immensely to our economies. Most importantly, they are the keepers of our history as humanity. Is this what we want in our old age? If we do not lead by example, preceding generations will pay little attention and a time will come when there will be no replacement of the elderly. We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them. Remember, Grey hair, even the pagans respect.

SHAME ON YOU!

The number of people forcibly displaced worldwide has reached 43.7 Million, the highest number in 15 years- roughly equaling the entire populations of Colombia or South Korea, or of Scandinavia and Sri Lanka combined. Women and children suffer most and make up 47% of refugees. It is estimated that 15, 500 individual asylum applications were lodged by unaccompanied or separated children throughout 69 countries in 2010 most of them Somali or Afghan. So far, Syria has been the biggest refugee producing country and Somalia the second. In both countries and many other refugee source countries, the interrelated factors of conflict and climate change made survival at home impossible for them. Although each crisis is different, there are useful lessons that can be shared between the two.

Congo Refugees

In 1991 Somalia broke into civil war that has gone for close to a quarter of a century now. Since then a total of 500,000 Somali lives have been lost and another 770,154 Somalis have sought refuge in neighboring nations and western countries across the globe. According to UNHCR refugee statistics as of 31^st October 2015, Kenya hosts a total 329,811 registered Somali refugee population in Daadab camp while Ethiopia’s Dollo Ada camp is home  to 210, 698 registered Somali refugees (a 5% increase since 2012) making them the world's biggest refugee hosting countries . The world’s longest humanitarian crisis evidenced has not only resulted in a swell in the number of refugees in the region but also piracy, where Somali pirates were responsible for 44% of the 289 piracy incidents on the world's seas in the first nine months of 2010 (data from IMB) and also costed the global economy between $5.7 and $6.1 billion in 2012. A Hollywood film based on the container ship Maersk Alabama that tells the story of Captain Richard Phillips, who was taken hostage for five days by the pirates tries to paint the picture. But most important impact felt are the terror attacks in Somalia and across East Africa by the armed militia group Al-Shabaab, with Kenya having lost 300 lives making it the most hit which of course cannot be compared to the many more lives still being lost in Somalia.

Approximately 230, 000 Somalis made the trip to Daadab camp, Kenya In mid- 2010 and early- 2013 arriving in terrible health conditions after days of walking through the desert. Hundreds died on the journey and hundreds more families arrived with malnourished children. Aid agencies were severely overstretched trying to deal with both the sheer numbers arriving and the terrible health condition of people entering the camp. Studies show that countries neighbouring refugee source areas are almost always the primary destination for refugees, as seen in Africa where Kenya hosts refugees from both Somali and South Sudan or in the Middle East where Afghan refugees are in Pakistan. However, the crisis in Syria has unfolded on such an overwhelming scale that neighbouring countries can no longer adequately accommodate them. As a result, close to 7% of Syrian refugees have sought asylum in Europe but, as is becoming increasingly apparent, this percentage is quickly rising. This has resulted to a rapid instalment of razor-wire fences at Europe’s borders and the recent November 13^th attacks in Paris, hasn’t made things any better with campaigns lodged against more intake of refugees and immigrats intensifying within EU States and in the US where governors form 30 states say they will not take in any Syrian refugees. This has created Islamic phobia, Xenophobia as well as setting back the strides made towards the fight for equality and minority groups.

Jordanian Refugee Camp

During this year’s Refugee day the UN Secretary- General Ban Ki- moon acknowledged that theburden of helping the world’s displaced is uneven. A UNHCR report indicates that a full four fifths of the world’s refugees are being hosted by developing countries (80% of the world’s refugee’s) both in absolute terms and in relation to the size of their economies. Pakistan, Iran and Syria have the largest refugee populations at 1.9 million, 1.1 million and 1 million respectively. Pakistan also has the biggest economic impact with 710 refugees per $1 of GDP (Gross Domestic Product). The Democratic Republic of the Congo and Kenya come in second and third in the report with 475 and 247 refugees respectively. On the other hand, South Africa continues to be a major destination for asylum-seekers, as well as migrants and others seeking better economic and social opportunities, hosting nearly one fifth of the 850,000 registered asylum-seekers under the UNHCR. This makes the asylum system be overwhelmed creating a backlog that affects the quality and efficiency of refugee status determination. Without a comprehensive immigration system, migrant workers and others sometimes try to make use of the asylum system to stay legally and gain access to South Africa's services drawing back its economy. By comparison, Germany, the industrialized country with the largest refugee population (594,000 people), has 17 refugees for each dollar of per capita GDP and yet the anti- refugee sentiment are heard loudest in industralized countries. Conor Phillips, Country Director for the International Rescue Committee in Kenya writes that with the exception of Germany and Sweden, EU proposals to accept refugees have so far been verging on irrelevance. EU members are balking at a proposal to accept 160,000 refugees. To highlight the absurdity of this scale, this is 1/8 of the number of Syrians that Lebanon already hosts and Lebanon’s landmass is 1/423 the size of Europe. So, this situation demands an equitable solution. ISIS, Al-Shabaab, Hezbollah or any other armed group are not formed on religious principles and we all know this. They are groups that were formed as a result of poverty, marginalization, inequality and as a way of filling in social gaps left by our governments such as security and social welfare (See, The Side of Terrorism That Doesn’t Make Headlines: Part 1 ).

So instead of creating fear as some Senators in the US congress have expressed or turning down of economic refugees as witnessed in Croatia and Macedonia refusing to resubmit them, or Poland closing down it’s boarders which is against some of the principles that the EU is founded. Or even spreading of Islamic phobia and xenophobia by some political parties in France, Germany, United Kingdom and other parts of Europe and North America. Can we actually focus on the real issues at hand, such as the thousands of lives that are being lost in Syria, Somalia, Iraq and other refugee source nations, the 15.4 million refugees (10.55 million under UNHCR's care and 4.82 million registered with the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees), the 27.5 million people displaced within their own country by conflict, the nearly 850,000 asylum-seekers or the United Nations human rights investigators report that leveled accusations of genocide and war crimes by the Islamic State in Syria. This reactions in Europe can cause a ripple effect and the 80% of refugees in Africa and other developing nations will be affected immensely.

Kenya and other countries in the region must be applauded for continuing to receive huge refugee populations from Somalia and South Sudan, despite mounting internal pressure to close the camps. Without the political will to keep the camps open, thousands of women and children refugees would not survive. António Guterres, UN High Commissioner for Refugees once pointed out that in today's world there are worrying misperceptions about refugee movements and the international protection paradigm. Fears about supposed floods of refugees in industrialized countries are being vastly overblown or mistakenly conflated with issues of migration. Meanwhile, it's poorer countries that are left having to pick up the burden. This act by the EU and North America is highlighting how difficult it is for refugees to exercise the right to seek asylum in practice as is enshrined in international law. SHAME ON YOU!

THE SIDE OF TERRORISM THAT DOESN'T MAKE HEADLINES: PART 1

Hamas, Hezbollah, Taliban, Boko Haram, Al- Qaeda, Islamic State, Al-Shabaab… what comes to our minds when we hear or think of this names? Violence or maybe that which threatens the existence of over a billion people of the world? Today we have over 65 terror groups across the globe with most scattered in the Middle East, Asia, Europe, Africa and South America. War has changed, it used to be a contest between states but it is now a conflict between states and non- state actors, making the world enter a deadly new phase in the cycle of violence. Over the 216 peace agreements signed between 1975 and 2011, only 16 were between states while the other 196 were between a state and a non- state actor.

In April 2015, Al-Shabaab killed 147 students in the Garissa University attack in Kenya and at least another 67 were killed in the West gate mall attack in Nairobi in 2013. In Pakistan the annual death toll from terrorist attacks has risen from 164 in 2003 to 3, 318 in 2009, with a total of 35,000 Pakistanis killed between September 11, 2001 and May 2011. In the Philippines, since January 2000, radical Islamist groups and Islamist separatist forces have carried out over 40 major bombings against civilians and civilian property, mostly in the southern regions of the country. In Europe, France has been the most hit by terrorism through the al-Qaeda Charlie Hebdo attack that killed 12 people including 2 police officers, the attack at a kosher market in Porte de Vincennes by the Islamic State that killed 4 people and the recent November 13^th attacks in Paris that has claimed about 130 lives. Of course we can never forget the 9/11 attacks in the United States that resulted to the deaths of 2,996 people, including the 19 hijackers. Despite the subsequent declaration of a war on terror also known as the Global War on Terrorism (GWOT) after the September 11^th attacks on the United States, terror attacks are on a rise. Not only is its intensity increasing, but its breadth is increasing as well. The Global Terrorism Index 2014 report indicated that 60 countries around the world recorded deaths from terrorism, with Africa being the most hit having 879 attacks recorded in 2010 that resulted to 2,137 deaths, 704 terrorist attacks were also counted in Europe and Eurasia that caused an estimated 355 deaths. According to the report about 161, 834 people globally have died from terror attacks between 2006 and 2014. The Maple croft’s Terrorism and Security Dashboard (MTSD) which logs, analyses and maps every reported incident of terrorism worldwide also formed a global ranking of 197 countries on their risk of terror attacks.

Whether by nationalistic or religious groups, revolutionaries or ruling governments’ terrorism is intensifying. The United States for instance, spends more than $500 million per victim on anti-terrorism efforts, while, cancer research spending is only $10,000 per victim and with the global governments still allocating hundreds of billions of dollars to the so-called war on terror as well, we still had a fivefold increase in terrorism fatalities since 9/11. So the task falls to our governments to allocate and direct the resources we have in a manner that will effectively treat each threat sustainably. If we, as a society, want to effectively counter the dangers we face from terrorism, we first have to put them in perspective. Benedetta Berti (native Italian foreign policy and security researcher and analyst) speaks of transition from violent engagement (which is what states have been doing since 1970) to non- violent confrontation and that arms struggle and unarmed struggles are related. Thus, there is need to know what makes this organizations tick, what they do when they are not fighting.


In her studies, she's found out that today’s terror groups are complex organizations, the Lebanese Hezbollah for instance has so far set up a political party, a social service network and a military apparatus since its creation in the early 1980s. Similarly, the Palestinian Hamas has run and benefited from the Gaza strip since 2007. Clearly, terror groups do more than just shoot or bomb. They set up complex communications machines (radio and TV stations, websites and social media strategists) that are intended to recruit, they also invest in complex fundraising through setting up profitable businesses such as construction companies. This activities allow them to increase their strengths and funds to better recruit and build their brand. Armed groups also build relationships with the population by investing in social services such as schools, hospital, vocational trainnngs or micro- loan programmes, Hezbollah offers this services and more. They also seek to win over the population by offering something that the state is not providing, safety and security. The initial rise of the Taliban in war torn Afghanistan or even that of ISIS can be understood also by looking at their efforts to provide security, unfortunately the provision of security in this instances came with an unbearably high price for the population. Providing social services fills a governance gap left by governments that allows this groups to increase their strengths and power. The 2006 electoral victory by Palestinian Hames cannot be understood without acknowledging this. Looking only at the violent side of this armed groups is not enough to understand there hybridity or complexity (strengths, strategies or long term vision). They rise because they fill a gap left by the government and emerge to be both armed and political, engaging violence struggle and providing governance, and the more sophisticated and complex they become the less we will think of them as the opposite of a state. The Hezbollah for instance runs part of a territory where they administer all their functions, pick up garbage and run the sewage system- can they be considered aa a rebel group, government or something new we are not aware of? The more states are weak the more non- state actors step in and fill the gap.

For governments to counter this groups they will have to invest more in non- military tools. Filling that governance gap has to be at the center of any sustainable approach. The Body Count Report Revealed that at least 1.3 Million lives have been lost to the US-led war on terror in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Pakistan since its onset following September 11, 2001 with a recent ongoing example being Syria through the Russian airstrikes. Military power can win some battles but it will not give us peace nor stability. We need a long term investment by filling in that governance gap that allows this groups to thrive. We need to transition from violent engagement to non- violent confrontation.

IT’S A DEAD END!

My birth mother worked as a midwife at Pumwani Maternity Hospital, Nairobi until 2001. Her job came with some benefits such as community council housing in the hospital premise, which we called ‘kambi moto’ and was multi-ethnic in nature. I spent most of my childhood here, it was a vivacious one. The community was vibrant as well. It taught me care, love and that charity will never make me poor. As kids, we played together and nobody was ever left out. I also knew that if I had something nice and joined the rest of my friends with it, I had to share. Even my older siblings and their friends would lend out dresses to each other. Sharing wasn’t a problem, even for the older.

During calamities like death, we had ‘matagaas’ –funeral meetings- that were more of celebrating the departed and would run through the night. Music and coffee were both played and made at a fee. This was a way to raise more funds for funeral expenses and a way to entertain ourselves as we kept awake. They were also a form of showing support and an assurance that we would be available for each other through day or night. To me they were a way we protected each other from the phenomenon of death which of course is overwhelming. I remember visiting my friends’ rural homes which were in different parts of Kenya, differences such as ethnicity, educational level, religion and the likes were never an issue, we simply were ‘kambi motorians’. Of course we did have disagreements and exchanged words or got into petty fights but we always resolved them and at times, we just forgave which made us a strong united community. I will always believe this is the African way of life, Ubuntu. Africa naturally has an ethnolinguistic nature and has tribal groupings. We have roughly 1000 tribes across sub- Saharan Africa with distinct languages and customs that varies. Nigeria with a population of over 150 million has almost 400 tribes (ten times that of Kenya) while Botswana with just over 1 million people has at least 8 large tribal groupings.

Ethnicity is one of the major strategies that African politicians use to divide us. In 1994, nearly a million people were killed in Rwanda’s horrendous genocide and in the Darfur region of Sudan, where ethnic violence has displaced and killed hundreds of thousands. It is estimated that as many as 2000 people were killed in 1992 during Kenya’s tribal clashes while another 1, 300 died and 600, 000 displaced in the 2008 clashes, 309, 200 are still leaving in IDP camps since 2008 as of 24^th April 2015 (estimates by IDMC). In the past 5 decades, an estimated 40 million Africans have died in civil wars (which includes tribal wars) scattered across the continent, this  is  equivalent to the population of South Africa and twice the Russian lives lost in the second world war. 

Ethnicity is also one reason offered to account for why African countries have little to show for despite it being the world’s biggest producer of raw materials and having still received over US$ 300 billion of aid since 1970. It is estimated that a typical civil war costs around four times annual GDP, that is, four times the country’s annual domestic earnings. Evidently, ethnicity limits a country’s economic, social and moral growth resulting to poverty, crime and at times full blown civil war. It creates distrust between different groups thus making collective governance and public service provision difficult. It also slows down the implementation of key policies that could spur economic growth limiting investment and entrepreneurship. A World Bank study showed that 85 per cent of aid flows (loans and grants) received by Africa were used for purposes other than that which they were intended for. It is also estimated that US$ 10 billion depart Africa every year through corruption -this is roughly half of Africa’s 2003 aid receipts. This indicates that even public funds stolen through corruption aren’t invested back in Africa but abroad. A wise investor who has invested heavily in their country/ region will promote peace and stability among other factors to protect his? her investment for sustainable growth. When a politician incites on ethnic grounds or any other way for that matter, it indicates that they have invested little if at all for that matter in their country or region. They clearly have little to lose and maybe a lot to gain from a tribal war.

We cannot deny that Africa has had its fair share of tribal fracas. But by the same token it is true that that there are a number of African countries where disparate groups have continued to co-exist peacefully (Botswana, Ghana, Zambia just to name a few). I do not believe that people who have lived as neighbours for hundreds of years start attacking and killing each with no provocation or support from those in power. We all were born by mother Africa so why bother listen or act for individuals who are less interested in investing in us, in fostering entrepreneurship or in developing our middle class, than they are in furthering their own personal and financial interests? Dambisa Moyo in her book Dead Aid points out that African cities live in a more integrated Way than you might find in other cities- there are no ethnic zones such as those that exist in Belfast, London or New York, for that matter.

Ethnicity has cost us many lives and many years that could have been used to promote development. Once locked into the ethnic argument, there is no obvious policy prescription, IT’S A DEAD END! Better to look to a world where all citizens can freely participate in a country’s economic prosperity, and watch the divisive role of ethnicity evaporate. Don’t you think?

PROVERBS, IDIOMS AND SAYINGS

I find proverbs, idioms and sayings good, fascinating and interesting. They always make me ponder. In Africa knowledge wasn’t usually transmitted in written form, we had stories, proverbs, idioms and sayings. The young would learn them while sitting round a fire in the evening, a way they entertained themselves and an opportunity the old and the young had to interact as well. Do we remember/ or ever heard the saying, ‘you harvest what you plant’, If you plant good, you reap good, evil you get evil, love you get love. I want to believe this is how the cycle of life is. For instance, what do we understand by, loving ones neighbor as yourself, or its negative version don’t do to others what you would not like them to do to you? When love is allowed to flourish, violence or discrimination will be unheard of, peace and harmony reigns. It’s bliss, right?

Our environment works in a similar way, you give it love and it gives love in return. I can;t help think when we last took time to think of the tree outside our homes/ neighborhoods or that leafy fence, or the grass outside our houses. When did we last take time to think of its benefits to us? Have we lost connection with nature?  Or maybe forgotten that our survival is entirely dependent on its flora and fauna, air and water? We are fed, slaked and supported by nature but we hardly put this into thought during our day to day hustles. Capitalism dates back in 16^th century England in what was known as agrarian capitalism that later developed to mercantilism through the 17^th and 18^th century, then to today’s capitalism, where public and political interests have become more individualistic rather than a collectivist (community) concern. It generally thrives on profits gotten from nature's raw materials inform of what we call goods and services (such as wood, iron, natural gases, the oil industry e.t.c). Its individualistic nature has fashioned a need to accumulate more profit creating an environment of competitors amassing significant quantities of raw materials for profit. This has resulted to over mining, over fishing, deforestation, increase in carbon emissions, negative technological advancements- such as cancerous pesticides and so on. A tendency to save for more profit also develops, leading to cuts in production costs through cheap packaging in the name of plastics resulting to environmental ruins such as the Great Pacific garbage (a heap gyre trash- pelagic plastics, chemical sludge and other debris) in the central North Pacific Ocean, that is the size of Texas State, USA 

Data from the World Bank indicates that carbon emission rose from 34.65 million kt in 2011 to 3.863 billion kt in 2014 in urban areas, that’s 11, 000 times more since 2011. Climate change is real and its not just hitting western nations and Asia. There is change in temperatures, changes in precipitation patterns, rising sea levels, and more frequent weather-related disasters in Sub- Saharan Africa and other developing regions. In Ada foah, Ghana, communities are losing land due to increases in sea levels, creating unemployment and poverty as there livelihoods are literally going under water. The elderly, are the most affected, since they don't have the strength to migrate to other regions to seek a livelihood. It has created urban migrants of climate change and not just unemployment like we know. Forty percent of West Africa’s population leaves in coastal cities and are threatened by sea level rise. Daadab refugee camp in Kenya on the other hand hosts a tent city of climate change refugees (caused by droughts in Somalia) and not just war or persecution. Between 2010- 2012, it was estimated that 260, 000 Somalis died of famine.

Lake Turkana region in Kenya, a region with one of the most fertile soils in the country, used to experience Long rains in the months of March, April and August and short rains in the month of December. Today the area receives light showers only once in two years. In 1973 the lake extended to as far as Ethiopia but has shrank tremendously into Kenya since 2010. The world's largest permanent desert and alkaline lake is shrinking due to long spells of drought (the blockage of the Omo river by the Ethiopian government through its Hydro- dam constructions is also a contributor), leaving communities dwelling around the lake who heavily depend on it and it's the aquatic life without a livelihood. This has caused tensions between the Turkana community of Northern Kenya and the Ethiopian Merilles community. Lets remember that tens of millions of Africans rely on the threatened fishing industry for their livelihoods.

 Nature doesn’t increase or loose the speed it takes to heal and rejuvenate like we human beings do, nature has patience. We are cutting our trees, killing wildlife and exhausting our resources so fast in the name of global economic growth that grew at only 3.8 percent in 2014 and yet we have a soaring global poverty index, with more than a third of the world’s population living in poverty. The human race isn’t the only specie on this planet, we have a cycle of life and we all know about it. Climate change is causing war, immigration, poverty, disease and death.  We need to start taking care of our environment or we will extinct ourselves just like we are doing to our nature and animals. Time for action is now, let us not wait for the political class, civil society or any other group to bring this change, Start community initiatives towards a better earth or support like initiatives such as the Kikapu campaign by the Myndz community, Wangari Mathaai once said that is very important for young people not to be afraid of engaging in areas that are not common to the youth. We need to get involved in local activities, in local initiatives, in leadership positions for we can’t learn unless we are involved. And if we make mistakes it’s fine, we all make mistakes and we learn from those mistakes. We gain confidence from learning, failing and rising again. The changes we are experiencing from nature today, are human made disaster and not natural disasters. Across Africa climate change intensifies resulting to farming and drought, poverty and increasing conflicts. It's real. The Turkana of Kenya have an idiom that goes like, ‘it will never end like a lake’ (Ans. L. Turkana). Is this idiom losing its meaning?

“The environment and the economy are really both two sides of the same coin. You cannot sustain the economy if you don’t take care of the environment because we know that the resources that we use whether it is oil, energy, land … all of these are the basis in which development happens. And development is what we say generates a good economy and puts money in our pockets. If we cannot sustain the environment, we can’t not sustain ourselves.”

Wangari Mathaai.

The Kikapu Campaign: https://kikapucampaign.wordpress.com/ 

THANK YOU LAGOS, NIGERIA.

What can I say about this land? I found it one filled with beautiful people, men, women, and the children. A buzzing community full of energy and vigor. A place full of beautiful culture, full of spirituality such as Christianity, Islam to African traditional religion. It’s a wealthy country and Africa’s biggest economy with a nominal GDP of 568.508 billion dollars. I’m not saying its utopia. It has its flows, its imperfection. Just like in any country in Africa, the country’s resources only benefit a small percentage of the society, corruption is the norm of the day, there are laws that criminalize you for being who you are, there is inequality amongst sexes, and a majority part of the youth is unemployed. So Lagos isn’t perfect. But I saw beauty in Nigeria, I saw it through its people.

In Lagos, I saw young Africa respecting the elderly in a true African way- not only from their actions but also through their attitudes, it radiated when they spoke, when they greeted them- I guess you could say that I could feel the energy coming from it.  I was amazed by the connection between the elderly and the young, it’s a strong bond- something rare in society today. I saw three different sides of Lagos, Lagos Island- the Central Business District. Victoria Island, where the rich and elite reside in beautiful homes that I gazed at in rapt silence. Then Lagos mainland, Jibowu, the humble side of the Mega- city, it was beautiful and special to me, I got to experience the real, true and honest Nigeria. I met beautiful and different individuals. Individuals who told me there experience as Nigerians, its culture, beauties and pain. It made me love Africa more, love my culture and my African roots. It made me conscious of who I am, my land, my people and my history as African. I stayed at the AHI residence, it was comfortable and cozy. I felt safe there despite being in a foreign land, I knew there was acceptance, tolerance and love at the residence, just what the African culture teaches us. Like we like to say in East Africa, ‘Hakuna matata’. I made friends both in class and at the residence. I'm writing to let you know that I learnt a lot from all of you and that I'm thankful.

The cook who always said good morning and would inquire if the food was to our liking or if the pepper was too much. Mary, the hostess at the restaurant, you called every morning just to let me know that breakfast was ready and if I never showed up just to ask if I was well. William and Monday the hosts who said hallo with a warm smile before breakfast. Charity and colleague, the receptionists who always made conversation when I picked my room card and I’d end up forgetting anything discouraging I probably had heard that day, thank you. The lady who served us 11 am snacks and tea after class with a traditional Nigerian bend and smile, that was refreshing. Mr. Augustine and the whole house keeping team, thank you for cleaning my room, making my bed and for making sure I had enough lotion and shampoo. Mr. Barnabas, the driver, thank you for driving us around Lagos, allowing me to see the diversity in Nigeria. Thank you again.

To the Nigerian SLDF fellows team, Olufunke, a beautiful soul I met, there were little things you did or said unknowing that reminded me of the little beauties of life, like a baby’s smile. Ayodele, my Nigerian mother who would call to inquire of my well- being if she failed to make to class, I celebrate you as a woman and mother. Elizabeth the ever radiant beautiful, pregnant and energetic lady, may your child make you a happy mother. Dr. Esther- miss curvy babe- You are curvy, and I hope to see you in Washington in 2016. Prince, you were nice and kind to us- thank you for an amazing night out. My secret friend Catherine who always spoke sense and reality, thank you for building more insight in me. Cynthia an amazing lawyer- with an incredible mind and beautiful family- power to the women’s movement! Utah, a dancer who told me it’s okay to be me and be confident, thank you, those words will always be treasured. Adeola, 'wewe!' I don’t know what to say! You were warm towards us, took your time with us. Told us about Nigeria. Was curious about our Kenyan culture. Thank you. You are strong and independent. Thank you for teaching me some pidgin English- which I still find amusing. May you find kindness in people just as you showed it to us anywhere in the world you travel and 'Karibu' Kenya. 

Finally to the facilitators at the Action Health Incorporated, Lagos, Mrs. Iheoma Obibi, for an interesting Sexual Education class, I enjoyed it. Dr. Chima, thank you for expanding my knowledge and my understanding around sexuality. I’m more aware of myself and my sexual health and not embarrassed to talk about it. I plan to pass this lessons to others for better sexual health in Africa. I find it interesting also that you sat down and took time to write an entire article on the penis- which I’m yet to read. Dr. Uwemedimo Essiet, thank you for making me understand how sexuality and spirituality relate and to Mrs. Adenike Essiet for making sex normal and not the elephant in the room by talking about it as a mother, woman, educator and feminist. Thank you Lagos, Nigeria.

HIV, RELIGION AND MY AFRICAN ROOTS

 The Swahili saying ‘mwacha mila ni mtumwa’ - meaning he who leaves/ forgets his culture is a slave- sure speaks truth. What is culture? To me it refers to that unifying characteristic and at times features that a group of people share dependent upon our capacity as a people to learn and passing the same to succeeding generations. Religion is part of culture, every culture has a belief in a being higher than they, and this forms a major aspect of culture. Are we forgetting our culture as Africans whatsoever our religious background? Are we paying for this?

The HIV/ AIDS epidemic has been around for more than a decade now, with roughly 70% of the people living with it in Sub- Saharan Africa- which only hosts 13% of the global population. In 2007, it was estimated that 33.2 million people were HIIV positive, and that a total of 2.1 million were killed by the disease, including 330, 000 children. Over three- quarters of this deaths occurred in Sub- Saharan Africa. Kenya’s National Aids Control council (NACC) published a report showing that 435, 225 adolescents (ages 10 to 19) are living with HIV while another 119, 899 have the virus but haven’t been identified yet which resulted to 7, 500 adolescent death in 2014 due to delayed treatment. Additionally, the report indicates that annual infection among adolescent is 5% higher than that of mother to child transmission unlike preceding years. These figures are majorly attributed to early sexual encounters. It is estimated that 20% of the Kenyan youth (ages 15-24) had their first sexual experience before their 15^th birthday.

In religion sexuality is seen as a scared, natural and a God given phenomenon whether in Christianity, Muslim, Buddhism, Hinduism or African Traditional Religion. In many African communities, sex education was passed through informal education when one got to puberty- which was the initiation stage and the stage which one was welcomed into the community. It was both a family and community affair and grandparents, aunts and uncles would be involved in passing sexual education to teenagers. Sexual discipline was maintained through elaborate parental and societal guidance and supervision. In the Iteso community of Kenya who despite not having physical circumcision, adolescents would visit their older respectable relatives who took it upon themselves to take them through sex education. Christianity also views sex as scared and spiritual, for both unitive and procreative purposes. The bible sees it as a connection of two into one, just like the Trinity, a sacred connection. Sex was talked about in the Jewish culture. The songs of Solomon is an example in the bible. In Muslim sex is seen as one of the human instincts and its satisfaction as theological and legitimate. And this is so in other religious cultures.

Today religion, has made sex abnormal. It’s no longer viewed as a scared venture where two come together in union and connection even by our religious leaders and institutions. It’s the elephant in the room that no one wants to engage. When sex is treated as abnormal we stop talking about it and one of the outcomes of a society that doesn’t talk about sex is disobedience (Debby Herbenic- research scientist, professor, educator, human sexuality expert…). Which is evident in Kenya’s society today, like the 500 minors found participating in a group sex orgy or the 15 boys from Embu High school who were found sleeping in St Marys Gachoka girl’s dorm in early November 2014. Today, having sex is natural but talking about it isn’t. Teenagers are sexually active, do we know if they are practicing it safe? Do they understand what comes with it? And is the community talking about this?

When we don’t talk about it as a society, as the church, the mosque, the temple or any other institution and more so as parents, the internet and media will and this is where they will find this information. When we don’t talk about sex, people tend to say inaccurate information, we then don’t know what’s true about sex since we don’t talk about it. And this inaccurate information takes away its purpose and beauty, ending up with 435, 225 HIV infected adolescents while another 119, 899 having the virus but not identified resulting to 7, 500 adolescent deaths over and over again. When sexually transmitted infections are mapped, it tends to cluster in areas where sex education lacks. The Umma in the Muslim community, for instance, is responsible for giving sexual education to followers and some modern Islamic movements organizing seminars and workshops on sex education for their members, not surprisingly, areas that have a predominate Muslim population tend to have low HIV prevalence such as Mandera, Garissa, Isiolo. Lamu or Wanjir in Kenya. They talk about sex.

If we make sex abnormal we don’t talk about it and preceding generations will not as well, as a result they will not talk about their sexual experiences or changes happening to them since there is no one comfortable with the topic, someone sex positive, someone willing to listen to them. If we want to achieve target 3.3 of the Sustainable Development Goals, we need to talk about sex as a community, as religious institutions and as parents. Let’s not be hypocritical, this are our own health we are advocating for and for those after us. To religious institutions, organizations and parents who have already taken the initiative, thank you for breaking the silence and for making sex normal. And as we talk about sex let's not discriminate giving this education on basis of sex, sexual orientation or gender identity, we need to be inclusive. We shouldn’t forget our culture as Africans and the responsibilities placed on us by it, he who leaves or forgets his culture is a slave.