Threes

July 21, 2010

This morning I was jolted out of sleep around 5:30AM to the sounds of an angry mob. What sounded like a large crowd of males were banging on the gate of our hotel. I had no idea what was happening because I don't speak Swahili. A lot of things went through my head - the most prevalent emotion being fear. A large rock was hurled at my door not long after I crawled out of my misquote net. I attempted to lock myself in the my bathroom, only to discover that the lock didn't work. I hadn't felt at all unsafe up to this point, so it never occurred to me to check the lock. As it turns out, the men had chased a thief out of town and thought he jumped into the hotel grounds. They didn't catch him that we're aware of, but they probably would have killed him if so. The mob dissipated, and we were all fine, albeit quite shaken.

As you might imagine, we had lots of conversation about what had happened throughout the day. I was really struck to think about what might have happened in the states in a similar situation. My best guess is that there would have been a great deal of unnecessary gunfire and consequent injuries. The men with rocks and machetes were merely enforcing their community norms. Stealing is not tolerated, plain and simple. In a town where the police are corrupt, it's up to the people to take care of one another. I can't imagine living in a society like that. I'll take rocks and machete-wielding self-regulations within a community any day - though that's admittedly not what crossed my mind at the time.

We spent the rest of the day at a camp for Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs). In the presidential election of 2007, a Prime Minister and President of different tribes were elected. There was a great deal of resulting violence. Mainly, persons of the Kikou tribe were chased out of their homes, which were burned to the ground. Entire families were killed. People fled to community churches for safety, which were consequently torched. Around 3,000 people were killed, but over 30,000 were displaced. Some still do not know the whereabouts of family members today- 3 years later. 3 years later, many are still living in tents. Today, many of those families welcomed us into their humble tents and homes. They graciously shared their stories. The way that many of us would tell of our family heritage, our history as a recovering addict, or our triumphs as an athlete, each and every person whom we encountered today introduced themselves in the following manner, "My name is Sylvia, and I am an IDP." 3 years later, men and women who use to run their own businesses still have no source of income. In 3 years I earned a masters degree and went through a holistic self-transformation. I cannot imagine simply putting my life on hold for 3 years. No one should be treated that way. I am overwhelmed by the need. I am overwhelmed by the suffering. I am overwhelmed by the injustice. Yet, I am also overwhelmed by their hope, their perseverance, their joy, their hospitality, and their spirit.

God, give me the grace to tell their story.