Al Kags

  3. It’s not a problem, they can stay where they are… we don’t need such people… when Kenya is all set up they can apply for citizenship…

  4. Al Kags,

    Everybody is entitled to their own opinion.

    If you are so happy to be Kenyan, so be it.

    What is so special about soil, land, lakes and some wildlife.

    Let it be. What moves you is not what moves others.

    You need to review your mindset coz you are slowly degenerating into a Nark-Kenya sycophant.

    FWD – Read link for the article below and educate urself
    http://www.timesnews.co.ke/14aug06/nwsstory/opini…

    Ahsante!

    Mzalendo wa Dunia

  5. In my view, there are two issues at hand. Kenya is no Utopia. There’s poverty and hunger and lawlessness and all those other unmentionables. But there is also a beautiful country full of warm people, whose poverty is certainly not that of the spirit. I’ve heard of people being dead for weeks in their apartment in europe (scandanavia too) without their next door neighbours knowing. Could that happen in Kenya? Ever?

    To what extent is our patriotism tied to our country’s political well being? Is that to say that a country that has many undesirable characters is less lovable than utopia would be?

    I know that the economic environment in the west and elsewhere may be better but is the social environment as good? or os it the lesser devil?

    Can Kenya be loved despite its problems and can we be proud of the people that we are despite of the challenges at hand.

    The analogy I choose for this situation is this:

    If your mother is a slovenly drunk who steals chicken and prostitutes herself to pay for her booze, who is into witch craft and many other undesirable stuff, is she any less your mother?

    Will you love her less? You can be adopted by another woman but can she really replace your mother? if you as a grown up found your mother (the slovenly one) lying by the roadside in a stupor would you cross the road and leave her? if she was arrested will you not spend your last dime and energy getting her free?

    Is your motherland any different?

    World citizen, Our politics don’t make who we are. Our personality does. And that, that you cannot fault. We are great people.

  6. Uuuurgh! Everyone is entitled to their own opinion so here is mine…

    I’m sick and tired of Kenyans both home & abroad complaining how woiyee life in the US is far much better… or in Denmark they have their little flags everywhere… in Germany they don’t pay school fees… in England this and that this and that… while Kenya is just there… poor HIV/AIDS ridden, politically inept…

    For crying out loud… open your eyes… the countries we continually compare ourselves to have taken centuries to be where they are. The French had so many revolutions they lost count, the great USA condoned slavery and blacks only got freedom of living the other day and are still struggling. The blacks themselves discriminate their own…

    “What is so special about soil, land, lakes and some wildlife.” This is what’s so special about it. GOD put you in this land, He is not daft… he knows why you were born here. Fine we have freedom to move & choose to belong elsewhere… but if you can never be proud of where you come from then pray tell how you expect to be proud of an adopted land such as the US that leaves the poor to be devastated by a hurricane they knew was coming.

    What’s so special about soil, land, lakes and some wildlife? What’s special is that it’s mine, yours and ours… it’s what we’ve been asked to steward… along with our political, social & economical wellbeing… so if you don’t want to sawa sawa… just don’t preach to others how their efforts to make it a better place are all for nought…

    World Citizen… how can you call yourself that? How will you allow yourself to be proud of being a world citizen when you aren’t proud of being a Kenyan citizen? Pray tell me just that…

  7. Al Kags,

    Thank you for your replies. You probably need to review what you are referring to. Is it nationalism or patriotism.

    The trouble with so many Kenyan writers is this knee jerk reactions to everything. In the process, they miss out all the details and suddenluy realize that what they set out to achieve through the pen, has unfortunately been missed.

    Patriotism is not about location. Neither is it about politics. Neither can it be campigned for. You just feel it.

    Lets use your “unfortunate” analogy of a drunk mother above. That assumes that regardless of anything, she is still your mother. So what about children who have no parents and have been raised by guardians. And what about children who have been born outside Kenya (and they are many) but whose parents did not acquire citizenship of those countries they reside in (e.g. UK) and hence still are Kenya. If those children have lived in UK for all their life and still hold a Kenyan passport, which is their mother country? The one that continues to educate them or the one that their parents came from?

    See how your analogy is faulty.

    I could be rhetorical. Lets see. Using your analogy, the drunk mother proceeds home one day drunk and in a temperament fit, murders all the children and the husband and sets the house on fire with all the properties. What you gonna do? Are you going to let her escape the rule of law when it comes? Are you going to assist her to kill herself rather than face the rule of law/justice? Are you gonna do it yourself? What you gonna do?

    Al Kags, issues of patriotism cannot be reduced to mere locality. Neither can they be reduced to gender. And if I was a lady, I would wonder, why use the woman analogy (ala Kiraitu Muriungi’s remarks). Could you not have chosen a better example rather than go for anti-gender stereotypes.

    And you know whats funny. Kenya’s problems may manifest itself in politics. But truth be told, that is just the cause. The problems are economic (60% poverty), social (conflicts), cultural, etc Can these problems be solved. Yes. By who. By the people themselves with the support of a WILLIN and ABLE govt. Is this happening. The people are ready but the GOVT which is CAPABLE is not willing.

    However, is patriotism about GOVT. Hell No!!!! Its about a people. Is it about a country? Hell NO!!! Thats why Irish people are still patriotic to their peoplehood be they in USA, Australia, UK, Canada or still living in Ireland.

    Patriotism is about a peoplehood and the values they share.

    What do you think?

    MM

  8. To VEE,

    Thank you for your replies. And your opinions. You are entitled to them.

    A couple of responses:

    (a) So you think that in order to be a world citizen you need to be a Kenyan first. Good. No problems with that.

    I guess if I use your logic, in order to be a Kenya, you must be a Kikuyu or Luo or Kalenjin or Kamba or Luhya citizen first.

    And it order to be a Kikuyu e.g. citizen, you must first be a Muranga, Nyeri, Embu, Meru or Kiambu citizen. We could go on and on until the clan. Where do we draw the line?

    (b) You said, you were born in this country and hence are a citizen of this country. True dat. So too is 5% of Kenya’s population which was born outside Kenya.

    See what I mean. It has nothing to do with being born.

    (c) I agree with you that people (especialy those of us in the diaspora) should stop comparing Kenya to the West.

    That is not fair. They should also not deride Kenya un-necessarily.

    BUT that should not deter them from making constructive suggestions.

    However, you and I know that if diaspora people choose to deride or compare kenya with the west, its their right. It may not seem fair to you and me, but hey, thats their opinion and they are entittled to it.

    (d) Land, soil, lakes and some wildlife.

    I almost laughed. Really. You responded thats its yours.

    Then how come most of the people who go to see the wildlife are foreginers. How come the closest most common kenyans have come close to these wildlife is as game meat. Or as wardens. How come Kenyans are not trooping in huge numbers to all our parks (with their poor roads and exhorbitant fees). And how come most of the hotels, resorts, restaturants, gameparks and you name it in these locations are owned by Western businessmen. I’ll tell you a story that is so common about the unfairness of the tourism industry. Kenya, like most tourist countries, has the raw materials (wildelife, landscape and accessories). A couple pays 1400 Euros for a week trip to Kenya to see the top 5 attractions including Mombasa. This money is paid to a travel agent in Germany who banks in in a German bank. The local franshise holder is engaged to take case of their needs in Kenya and in return will be paid the monies to thier international account in UK. So in essence this 1400 has not touched kenyan soil. And you say its yours? Well, if you count the airport tax, gate fees, incidentals, etc

    MM

  9. I accept that we (I) tend to have knee jerk reactions but this is what I’m reacting to in the first place:

    “I am not going back to Kenya – Reason being Kenyans in general are foolish. On the real , bunch of people influenced by the media and triabalism . Id rather build my future (read my children and grandchildren) in a place where they won’t be influenced by such a society…”
    quote from:
    http://www.mashada.com/forums/index/show_topic/22/110559/index.php

    I accept they are entitled to their opinion but what angers me is the assumption that those that are trying to make it work are doing it all in vain – foolishly. Not only to this reaction but to the numerous such comments I’ve had with my friends abroad who don’t understand why I came back home.

    I have been out of the country for a while and I appreciate that 90% of our country isn’t ours, in terms of wildlife, tourism and all that. But those are things we can work towards making our very own. A few years ago Malaysia was in our very same position… but they worked to making it what it is now and part of the success is that they rely on their local tourism for good income.

    “I agree with you that people (especialy those of us in the diaspora) should stop comparing Kenya to the West.That is not fair. They should also not deride Kenya un-necessarily.
    BUT that should not deter them from making constructive suggestions.”
    Quote from World Citizen

    Key word here is *deride un-necessarily* if we are agree on that then let’s move on. If the critic is constructive then there are ways of addressing issues without using words such as “Kenyans in general are very foolish”

    Being a world citizen to me means learning/understanding & appreciating where you are from & where you are now, the history of your people. I don’t mean that you be negatively tribalistic but that you appreciate & have something to pass on to your seed.

    Yes if it means looking right down to your ancestry in Kiambu town over there around Kinoo, then so be it. Even though you decide to move to another country and settle there… you should also be ready to learn about their culture, their history and all those nitty gritty stuff that makes them who they are. The idea of leaving Kenya to only make money, then deriding your home country without any knowledge of where you are or where you are from… then that is what will make me angry.

  11. MM
    Patriotism is what you decide it to be & how it works for you. As so long as the end goal is improving Kenya… then I agree to disagree with you.

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