One of the most damaging conflicts that affects the human spirit is created when someone feels discriminated by a different group. On December 30, 2007, a nation in Africa that had served as a role model for the rest of the continent began its drastic demise because of this conflict.
With the election of Mwai Kibaki, there came deadly rebellions that have not ceased for the past month. "Within the span of a week, one of the most developed, promising countries in Africa has turned into a starter kit for disaster," according to The New York Times. Conflict between ethnic groups is a colossal factor when it comes to the well being of the African people.
Of the many ethnic groups in Africa, there are about 40 in Kenya alone, all ranging in size. Some are as large as 7 million, such as the Kikuyus, the ethnic group of newly elected President Kibaki. Some are smaller, for example, the tribes that live on the shore of Lake Turkana. The conflict in Kenya is between two ethnic groups, the Kikuyus and the Luos, and was sparked by the December election of Kibaki. The Luos, along with other small groups, believed that the election numbers were rigged and began a killing spree within minutes of discovering the results.
The protesting mobs have committed everything from blatant killings point blank, to murdering dozens of people seeking refuge in churches. One man said he hid in cornfields and watched in horror as an angry mob stuffed mattresses in front of the doors of a church and set them on fire.
"He watched women try to claw their way out of the church windows as if they were drowning as the building burned all the way down, with up to 50 people inside," noted a journalist for the Times. "Are we in a civil war? Is this Somalia? Is this Darfur? Our problem is with some hooligans. And we can take care of it," said Mr. Kibaki's spokesman, Alfred Mutua, according to the Times.
Clearly, they can't take care of the problem. These riots have been going on for more than a month now, and they have yet to be controlled, even slightly. The protestors are obviously more than "hooligans" - they're murderous individuals who selfishly take others' lives because they don't come from the same background. What's frightening is that every day Kenya is beginning to follow more and more in the footsteps of some of the most brutal violence of the '90s that devastated Rwanda.
It all starts with a disagreement between vastly different types of people. With time and political aggression it turns into conflict and finally, it becomes something so violent it is hard for humans to comprehend, especially Americans who don't see such atrocities occurring on a daily basis. The sole reason that all this is occurring is because of ethnocentrism, which is the belief that one's culture or ethnicity is superior. The two ethnic groups crave superiority and power over the country.
In retrospect, almost every conflict this world has experienced has been because of ethnocentrism. Our country was bombed on 9/11 because the terrorists selfishly believed they were better than Americans and that we must be demolished. When the United States was settled by the British in the 1700s, the colonists terrorized the Native Americans because they thought they were savage, unworthy people. We experience conflict like this in our everyday lives, in many different kinds of relationships.
People inherently believe that their way is the best way and only way. That thought process can start off small, but it snowballs into a bigger disagreement and eventually becomes catastrophic. Governments need to recognize that there will always be different opinions and different politically-led groups to enforce their interests. And the stubborn groups will sometimes violently rebel. Not only do governments need to realize that differentiating opinions will always exist, all people need to realize it.
A society will never be able to coexist with others if it can't accept differences and compromise for the benefit of everyone. It's impossible to be a fully-functioning member of society if there is an inability to understand this concept. Kenyans too have listened and compromised with one another in order to ensure peace within the country. Let us hope it's not too late.
-Sabrina Norris-Turin is a pre-journalism and Spanish sophomore.
-This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of The Daily Aztec. Send e-mail to letters@thedailyaztec.com. Anonymous letters will not be printed - include your full name, major and year in school.
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