The first day of the UNESCO Collective Healing Circles, Thursday 16th May 2024, brought together participants from different generations including student leaders from different departments in the University of Nairobi and some elders.
The participants, who were from different generations engaged in intergenerational dialogues and conversations on two key areas;
a) Exploring our common past and recognizing intergenerational colonial and slavery legacies and trauma
b) Affirming and restoring human dignity through dialogue and inquiry as Kenyans and Africans
Some key issues and concerns that came up on our shared history of colonialism include;
- Colonialism entrenched our tribal divisions that continue to deeply divide us as a country today. Tribal hatred in Kenya is continuing disaster.
- Inferiority Complex- Our Forefathers were dehumanized and made to feel inferior. Many years later, we still feel and act inferior to our colonizers. We still define ourselves through the eyes of our colonial masters. We can only be good or right enough if the Global North agrees with it. We have failed to appreciate our genius, our capacity, our indigenous wisdom, our black skin and our cultures.
- Colourism- We suffered and continue to suffer discrimination because of our race. But even worse, we are doing the same thing to ourselves with colourism- with people, especially women, who are light skinned being considered more beautiful. Our standard of Beauty is defined through the lenses of our colonizers.
- We have embraced the western religion- which was used to abuse, manipulate, exploit Africa and we are now using it, religion, to do the exact same things to ourselves.
- Neo-Colonialism- Our leaders have taken over from the colonial masters and have perfected the art of modern colonialism. They now abuse, misuse, manipulate, discriminate, extort and exploit the citizens of Kenya. As PLO Lumumba said, “Colonialism is still very much alive, it has just changed colour and texture”.
- Loss of Culture and Values- “We threw away the baby with the bath water.” We forgot to check and see which values and culture to hold dearly and not let go.