When Good Men Fail To Act, Evil Triumph!: Edmund Burke

Wakenya…Wakenya!! Domo huyu, mlevi yule! But as you should accept, we still row the same boat.

As the debate rages on here in Sweden, the issue slowly slips out of topic. The theme with ease changes as personality and unsettled scores find field, stage and dictate the subject.

Is there a celebration for the death of a child? Is there a celebration for the assassination of a character? Death. People…we are talking death!! Death at its worst! The killing of children by the mother.. It aint gonna get worse than that. It is the ultimate sin, crime, evil that one can perform, and that can befall a community.

Well, it has befallen us.

While I believed in the best for the community, I did advocate for the freedom (of speech) to comment on a certain Kenyan blog. When this was allowed and my role announced, then I accomplished something. My own pat on my shoulder, a job well done…..

When the racist blog PI (I had no prior knowledge it existed and was quite surprised it was such a conversant blog to a Kenyan blog’s commentators), had written about the woman suspected (at the time) of killing her sons, their hate was not only visible in their criticising or verbally abusing her only, but was directed to all of us.

But when the comments started raining down at that blog, the torrent was such that one could not tell who the racist there was, the Kenyans, or the self accepting white Swedish racial discriminator.

That white racist came and had his day at a Kenyan blog. What you think is filth coming from him was for him a means of getting forward his message; go back home monkeys!!

What did we achieve in engaging these poor lost human beings, in a bitter negative word exchange? Matusi, mchongoano, and all that takes us no where! And at the end of the day, they are the ones left laughing it off coz they came into your house and defecated.

Why are some of us concerned? Why should we care? What would uniting Kenyans help?

Of course, not all of us understand the meaning of unity. Not many of us can see the importance of being one community comprised of individuals with one mutual origin,Kenya! Not all of us are comfortable with the fact that we can as a people perform as one. This we must realise and accept, albeit sadly.

But for those whose love extends to fellow countrymen, then unity and solidarity is but the nagging dream that can and must eventually be achieved!  For the greatness of our nation, for the upliftment of every person within the shelter of one society!

It took me real time considering if I should forward these here thoughts of mine and especially at a borrowed space. Am writing this well aware that I might be the next victim of the infamous commentator’s venom. That’s how much WE fear the blog. But then, all that is needed for evil to prevail is for one good man to do nothing. My character not withstanding.

That Mwaura, at long last had to stand up and actually, in front of the blog’s admintr and mouth the thoughts that are running through the minds of like minded Kenyans is a call for kudos! Like him, hate him but he did say what many think or want. As a politician, of which we should recognise by now, he chose to take the opportunity to voice what he perceived a concern of Kenyans.

Was it at the right place? Was it at the right time? Politicians back home yap they mouths about, even at funerals and weddings. So why should Mwaura be left out? Good people…, how did you get to know who was or was not invited where? How is that relevant?

This is how petty the Kenyan community in Stockholmh as become. But well informed that the comments do not necessarily come from Kenyans in Stockholm or those with reciprocal interest, hold on tight, we can still do it!

I would prefer to face my enemy head on. Kikulacho kii nguoni mwako! That in mind the argument that commentators should register at headquarters was a positive implication from those who care about who we are. There should thus be no need of being anonymous and no fear to challenge. As put, I did fight for your right to comment and in recognizing my efforts for free media flow, I did achieve something.

But I can not say that am proud of the there after. One of the reasons why I faded my blog to black was coz I gave up on Wakenya inSweden. E.g., this should be a worthy debate if only we had focused on the topic. Us.

If we want to be united, what’s wrong with that? If we want to go back to the time when we did not wash our very dirty linen in public, what’s wrong with that? Who should say against us being friends or better our brothers (and sisters) keepers!? If it is our desire, then we can do it and we should not be intimidated!!

If those who knew this young family chose to ask ourselves if there was something we could have done, why shouldn’t we? If we choose to explore ways by which we can stop a similar disaster from happening, why shouldn’t we?

We hurt, we regret, we are angry as we mourn and what binds as together is the realization that we probably might have helped if we got the chance to, and the desire to see to it that an event of this magnitude does not happen on our watch. Ever again!

What’s wrong with that!!?

There was a time we knew each other well. We all used to attend the same posses. We were friends! What happened? Today we are divided and the only person that does not see that is the blind and the person that never got to see the unity and the solidarity of Kenyans when it was good. We never made it to the best but time is still on our side.

Most of us are now parents. And when something like what happened does occur, the shock is real.

As people it has to be expected that we’ll always have issues with each other. This can be settled depending and according to the individuals in question, but I fail to see how spitting your venom at a blog appreciated as the main source of news about Kenyans in Stockholm, helps solve the issue!

In respect to the right to express ourselves, you will of course continue to air your thoughts and pour out your anger and frustrations at different media hits. Settle scores and hit where ever you choose to aim.. The admin has accepted to grant the commentators their full right, to use or abuse.

This is what some of us have to come to terms with and accept, and though it is about issues affecting Kenyans inStockholm, you might not get your satisfaction wherever.

So, besides criticising what we don’t like about the popular media outlets, where else can we look up to?

Ask not what they can do for you but what you can do for your community. If you strongly believe that the Kenya Stockholm community should be united, that it should have a voice as one for all, then nothing can stop that!

My biggest concern is not what Kenyans can do for me. We are doing ‘good’ isolated in this concrete jungle. Besides, we still withhold our groups of friends and further more, no one pays your rent right?

Well, all I care about is the steps I will leave behind for my daughter to follow.

I would still want to be one with my friends, my fellow Kenyans, the people I know so well. So is it wrong for me to call for unity? Is it wrong for me to voice the mind of many who call for decency?

P Bryan Njoroge.