Nairobi 3

02/02/08

I'm starting to feel that whatever political 'solution', or perhaps more accurately status quo, is reached here, the violence will not simply stop at that point. Our first taxi driver's optimism that things would go back to normal after a couple of weeks is starting to seem misplaced, and it seems that it's going to take a significant effort to restore calm. Kofi Annan is making positive noises, as it's his role to do, and at least there is dialogue. However, the security situation seems simply to be deteriorating. In addition to the factors of politics, poverty, race and revenge that I described as contributing to the violence, we can add class, as described to us by someone living in an area directly affected by the violence. It is not uncommon now for people to be attacked by others of the same tribal identity but of a different social class. A situation that was at first characterised as solely political (although the extent to which this was ever true is debatable) can be seen now to encompass not just political and tribal divisions, which remain significant factors, but almost any possible grievance.

Yesterday Adam and I went to play with African animals: we went first to a sanctuary for baby elephants and watched them kick a football around, get fed and generally be entertaining, before going to see some big old giraffes. And like any good NGO worker we both pulled: apparently snogging giraffes is de rigeur and we were cajoled into doing it after being promised that their saliva is antiseptic. Is it? I hope so. At the elephant sanctuary we were part of a camera-happy group of tourists who were snapping away merrily. When a group of Kenyan schoolchildren arrived the cameras turned almost seamlessly from the elephants straight to them. It made me feel a little uncomfortable, although I felt better after imagining that perhaps the elephants were just a ruse so that the kids could come and stare at the funny westerners with their stupid clothes and unnecessarily complex cameras that they don't know how to use. Or is it just entertainment for the elephants? Either way the African animal count is starting to look a bit more reasonable as a result of the day's activities: giraffes, elephants, a rhino, some warthogs, a baboon, lots of pretty birds... Can I include Kenyan children? Anyway, the tourist industry seems to be functioning still, but barely. The staff at the sanctuary were quite anxious for us to spread the word that Kenya is still open for business, but seemed to have only just enough custom to keep them going. Likewise at the guesthouse, it's fairly empty but they're carrying on more or less as usual. However it's plain as day that if it carries on like this for too much longer people are going to lose jobs and businesses are going to fold. It's a sad thought that these kind, skilled people could soon be without a job for no good reason. For now the best I can do is to give people my business and tip generously.

It was good to get out and about a little bit and see more of the city, even though we only really saw things from the car. I was surprised by the amount of interesting architecture scattered around the city, there were many inventively designed buildings that had clearly taken a lot of effort and money to put together. The CBD was also a bit more impressive close up. The initial signs of affluence that I'd seen from the plane were, when I looked at a map, clearly identifiable as some of the wealthiest parts of town, yet nonetheless we saw a fairly significant body of well-constructed modern-ish dwellings when driving around. We also saw, from a distance, the poorest part of town – the Kibera 'slum' (I don't like pejorative aspect of the word) which is home to about half a million people. This area has been the location of much of the violence.

Today I went to the Kenya office for a few hours to use the internet. Some dedicated staff were in working on a Saturday, while others were unable to come in at all as it was too dangerous for them to be out on the roads in the areas where they live: attacks on passing drivers are not uncommon in some areas. The office's staff, nearly all of whom are Kenyan nationals, are apparently in some shock over the whole situation and some have friends or relatives who have been injured or killed. From the perspective of the west it might seem like a typical “oh Africa's fucked again” scenario, but it seems that to Kenyans this is a real shock.

As has been the case since our arrival in Kenya, we continue to be treated with an implausible degree of warmth and hospitality. People here seem genuinely kind, happy and friendly, and I hope to be able to come back one day when things are more settled. From tomorrow, however, it's Cameroon, speaking French and starting work proper, at least 2 of which I'm looking forward to. And if speaking French is the biggest of my worries then I guess I must be doing okay.