Racism- the colour domination card - one of the major causes of negative authority and beastly

control?

Seeing our divisions through the eyes of a child

Children are innocent and untarnished by the impositions and conditioning up to a certain age. They are
humane. They do not discriminate. They love without boundaries. They promote peace and harmony
until the adults teach them how to like/dislike and create differences that become the way of life. Let us
not negate the fact that children can also be unkind, but where do you think they learn that from? If the
world was ruled by children, my feeling is that we would have a completely different take on how we
would live as there would be no oppression, exploitation and war. The greatest lesson we can learn from
children is the fact that they are not divisive before they are contaminated with adult negative
conditioning that has destroyed humanity from time immemorial. If we saw our divisions through the
eyes of children we would realize that another world is, indeed, possible.

God made us all equal…then why racism? Why the superiority and inferiority dramas to create divisions,
inequality, class, status and more? Hierarchically…white, yellow, brown and then black…WHY? My mind
has kept asking the question through several decades of my existence and I have done whatever it takes
to walk beyond these ugly masks of this utter absurdity in my life.

I am of the Uhuru generation. Growing up as a South Asian African child in East Africa I quickly came face
to face with the cultural conditioning that tells one that they are different from the other. I had no clear
idea of the colonial apartheid system that the Kenyan independent state had swallowed hook, line and
sinker. As a child I saw people as people and not based on colour. I wanted to play with all the children
and not be confined to playing with those that seemed to look like me. I wondered about racial
differences that were continually exhibited in the relations between our house help and the rest of the
family. From this early age I felt that my humanity was confined to what others thought was the norm. I
rebelled explicitly against being racially pigeon-holed. When my family could not put up with my
rebellion, nor understand it, I left home in search of an environment that allowed me to express
humanity. My rebellion by this point had extended beyond race to tribe, religion, gender, age and
entered innumerable areas where I was becoming very aware of discrimination and separation. At 18
years of age I was already sure that this would not be how I would live my life!

If nations had definite collective cultures that reflected the richness of each of the individual cultures,
our lives would be lived differently. Each culture fights for its space in the national scheme of things.
Cultures have a life of their own and they fight to stay alive. They resist domination and fight for
independence. When they are resisting domination they retreat into their own cocoons and rally all
those who subscribe to it to stay united. This unity can bring racial tensions and discriminations. States
that want to divide people in order to rule them find such spaces very useful. The rule for power is not
restricted to cultural divides but spreads like cancer to traditional, religious, tribal and racial arenas
where the ‘divide and rule’ law works unquestionably. Policies such as the “Africanisation” policies of
Kenyatta’s government thrived on racial tensions and fears. By the time it was realized that what was
needed was “Kenyanization” substantial South Asian African population and their capital had escaped

1
the wrath of being ‘Brown’. This is the genesis of the debate on why Singapore and other Asian Tigers
prospered while Kenya regressed. The debate continues and it is time we consciously and intelligently
address the need for a Kenyan identity that cuts through the old rule.

When one rebels against their family, community and culture one ends up in the wilderness. Very
quickly one finds support in the humanity of others outside their family and community. There are
economic, social, cultural and political consequences that accompany such rebellion. One is constantly
being wooed to get back into the fold and get the necessary protection. It is a great challenge to
confront these consequences. In my case my rebellion was also my blessing. I discovered that there was
a community of rebels in Kenya and that racial discrimination had various bed fellows, namely, ethnic,
religious, region, gender and generation. The schools I attended reflected all these challenges.

Reading some of the back issues of AWAAZ I realize how the national struggle for independence brought
rebels together from different racial and ethnic backgrounds. Colonialism was the identified evil that
united Kenyans across race, generation, gender, religion, region and class. It has been very interesting
for me to read of the South Asian Africans who must have rebelled against their families and
communities to join fellow Kenyans in the fight for independence. There were many aspects of life I did
not understand clearly and over the years ‘life’ has been an amazing teacher!

My rebellion led me to healthy relationships that were not confined to the impositions of my childhood.
I married a man who is of mixed race incorporating the Kikuyu, Kelenjin, Dutch and British bloodlines.
Adding my ingredients to the pot my 2 daughters are a combination of 3 races. After I became a mother
I realized that my rebellion would condition my daughters to the identity that I lived by which was
mainly my humanity, namely, Kenyan. As they grew among racial and ethnic profiling (identity terms
such as mkosa kabila, mixed, point five, black, people of colour) were all identity issues they had to deal
with in Kenya and abroad. Grounded on the fundamental culture of humanity they are able to find a
healthy balance for their survival. This does not mean that they have not been challenged or that lives
have been simple however they have managed to retain their dignity as human beings, women and
being Kenyan is their mark of greatest pride.

I share my brief story to pose a very important question for communities in Kenya. How do we remove
generations of negative conditioning to create a collective culture that is national? We may want to
begin by finding out what will this new collective culture look and feel like and whether all that is
positive in the individual cultures is reflected in the holistic culture. We may want to go back to the
basics and critically examine our education, political, and cultural systems. The importance of teaching
humanity and values to our children and the younger generation may begin the path to a different road
that we are so desperate for. Dealing with the fears, resistance and neurosis of many who prefer the
status quo will be imminent however that cannot be the sword that stops us anymore. We have
traversed a tough road since independence and now have reached a brand new terrain. We have a new
constitution, we have rights, we have freedom of self-expression and we have the right to choose ‘REAL
LEADERS’ and not politicians. The choices we make will impact the generations to come, will affect the
activity towards progression and dignity for every Kenyan and will mean a different way of interacting
with life and having new outcomes.

2
I am convinced the problems I faced as a child are rampant in Kenya. I hear whispers as I walk by people
and strange stares that actually give me quite a kick. I still strongly believe that we can resolve these
issues by shifting our perception and looking at life through the eyes of our children. Our great country
will remain stunted economically, socially, culturally and politically if we do not learn quickly to do things
differently. We need to create a melting pot where all our positive cultures can interact and integrate if
we are to call ourselves a nation and more importantly ‘KENYAN’. The vested interests that keep us
divided must not be given the opportunity to flourish or remain in authority or control. It is time to re-
evaluate our individual and collective direction.

Within a beautiful place in my mind lives a world where everyone is equal. What divides a person is not
how they look, dress, or feel but instead whether they live by a set of human values where fair is fair. I
know it is a magic fairytale space in my head however I know it is possible to begin the walk towards
that way to be. It is important to learn to reject what has been considered the norm and reconsider the
potential for new possibilities.