“She is married to a very old man,

A veritable sugar daddy,
What a terrible plan!”

Then they said,
“Oh she’s married to a snipper of a lad,
Shame, she robbed the cradle,
How terrible, how bad!”

Then they said,
“He beats her, she gets a whipping now and then,
How can she put up with it?
She is just a pecked hen!”

Then they said,
“That man, he is kaliwad like mad,
She controls things like a nonsense,
So shocking, so sad!”

It seems they must say something,
There’s always something to be said…
Truth means nothing to them,
But remember, keep your head…

While lies are very hurtful, causing sorrow and pain,
Your victory is that the truth quite a different game.
As you sit back and hear the contorted lies they tell,
Say thank you Lord for giving me a life so sweet and well!

And so ensure your affirmation resides within your soul -
Feeding your focus and passion, making you happy and whole.
For they will not stop the talk, it is what they do best -
But talk is cheap, and this they’ll learn when they face this very test.

Blessings

Enough! I thought to myself, and reached out into the dark  for the television remote. Clicking the remote I let out a sigh of relief as the tv flickered on, allowing some light into the room.  ”Silly me, I really am spooked…” I thought out loud.

I started flicking through the channels and paused on the Action Channel… a war movie was on. Truth be told that was the real reason why I could not sleep, it all boiled down to the conversation we had over dinner about the devastating war in Sierra Leone, and the story of General Chop Am.

Now the Sierra Leone conflict was a unique and particularly vile civil war. For over a decade between 1991 and 2002 the West African nation was in the throes of a complex conflict stemming from the thirst for power and control of the country’s natural resources. And while some conflicts are founded on hostilities between different communities, this conflict was unique in that it ripped families apart. And in the expansive dining room of our sprawling hotel a local Freetown resident explained several chilling, often untold, aspects of this war. And so it came to be that over a lovely dinner of fresh fish, jolof rice and salad we were told how the city was divided into sections under control of different militia groups.

The rebels had a pattern for recruitment, they would abduct the eldest son in a family and put these young boys through months of  terror and torture including near death experiences. They would plough them with alcohol and drugs and encourage rape of helpless girls, bullying amongst the boys and utter degradation. Then after what seemed like endless months of mental and physical torture, they would take the boy back to his home, attack his family and instruct the boy to inflict grievous bodily harm on his own mother or face death. This horrifying attack was intended to be the final act of dehumanization. The utter destruction of humanity in these boys. It would ensure end of their relationship with their families. This was in fact the creation of an inhumane, unfeeling, unsalvageable and unforgivable soldier – the creation of a monster. In carrying out these orders the boys were now dead to their families and to their community. They were also dead to themselves… numb, unfeeling and totally lost. Now fully under the control of, and completely loyal to, the militia.

What would then emerge as a result of this brutal inhumane attack was that their siblings in anger would join the opposing rebels, vowing to destory the brother whom they had searched for, and in many cases grieved for, and who came back to utterly destroy his own loved ones. Such was the nature of the Sierra Leonean conflict, and in the midst of this all, the thirst for power and money, the greed for control of Blood Diamonds. It sent shivers down my spine.

But this was only half the story we were told that night – there was also the history behind our grand hotel and the story of General ChopAm…

The hotel that was my home for the next few days, is the largest in Freetown. It was also one of the militia headquarters during the last months of the civil war, the stronghold of one of the rebel groups. Here thousands faced terror, and hundreds had their limbs chopped off under the very roof where I was sleeping.

We were told of a young boy, just ten years of age who was recruited into the rebel force. He, like many others, went through the process of dehumanization. Over a period of time as a child soldier he developed a particular skill, some called it a talent – he could chop of a human limb in one swift, clean cut.

This little boy, would ask his victims,  ”Long or short sleeve?” and the subject would have to choose – short sleeve meaning the chop above the arm and long sleeve indicating a chop at the wrist. Then, with incredible dexterity the boy would chop, SWOOSH! And in one swift movement off came the limb, courtesy of a child. His skill earned him great respect among his ranks, everyone spoke of him with great pride amongst his militia group. But outside the camp people spoke of him in whispers, in fear and horror. That is how he earned his name, his rank and title – General ChopAm is what he was called.

Perhaps it is this story that haunted me the most. After all he was younger than my eldest son and my dear nephews. I lay back down on my pillow and thought of him… just a child. He should have been in school playing football and learning maths, science and history. He should have been laughing with friends and playing with siblings, getting love from his parents and guidance from teachers. His innocence was taken from him, and he was turned into a monster. And in turn he inflicted horror upon so many.

I turned again in bed, remembering the words of my father, now a retired military man he had served in the Kenyan contingent of the UN peacekeeping troops in Liberia. He told me of the young rebel child soldiers he would encounter and the conversations they would have. He would ask the boys, ”Why do you do this? Put the weapons down and get on with life, this war can do nothing good for you.”

But they would respond candidly in pidgin English, “My Papa is dead, My Mama is dead, my sisters and brothers are dead… Now this gun is my only family!”

In Liberia, the civil war was just as horrifying. Fueled by mysticism and witchcraft some rebels took to eating the hearts of those they killed… Children turned into killers, militia eating people, a delicacy they called it… Women were raped in massive numbers, it was the norm… Survival was about fleeing, could you make it across the border? Could you make it to safety? Families destroyed, innocence ended, death, destruction, horror…

It was all too much… I rolled off the bed and got on my hands and knees. And tears streaming down my face I prayed…
“Dear Father, thank you! Thank you! Thank you Father for the for the peace and stability that you have given us! Thank you for allowing our children to be children. We have been at the brink and you pulled us back, thank you Father for saving us from the devastation of war. Let us never take for granted the peace that you have given us! Lord, help these nations recover from their experiences, grant them peace and stability. Never again Lord should they endure such terror. And dear Lord, please forgive us for our ignorance and failings, so often Father we do not understand what we are doing. Dear Father, grant us peace always.”

…

Consider now a world where you cannot protect your loved ones, your partner, your children, your parents…

Consider a world where there are no rules and he who has might, through brute force, takes what he will…
Consider then what happens to the babies and the elderly, to the women and the children…
Consider what happens to men and boys who are either recruited into battle or killed…
Consider the girls and women turned into vessels for rape and enslavement…

While there is no doubt that in every society there will be conflicting interests, driven by various factors including but not limited to race, religion, tribe, clan, gender, class, status etc, the very existence of these differences should not be used to undermine the importance of peace and stability.

I therefore humbly ask that you consider now what peace is and take a moment to thank the Lord for it… lest He takes our ingratitude to heart and teaches us a lesson we will not forget for generations to come.

May the good and great Lord bless us all with enduring peace.

“We three Kings of Orient are
Bearing gifts we traverse afar…
Field and Fountain, Moor and Mountain -
Following yonder star…

Ooh, star of wonder, star of night.
Star with royal beauty bright,
Westward leading, still proceeding,
Guide us to thy perfect light…”

And so, the book of Matthew tells us, there were three Kings from the East who were given a sign – a star of wonder, and with that sign came a revelation, a child was to be born the King of the Jews, and they were to pay him homage, to worship him.

Now, there are those who describe these three Kings as wise men or Magi… Others say they were Persian priests or astrologers. We are told their names were Gaspar, Melchior and Balthazar. We are not 100 % sure of some of this information. But we do indeed know that they came from the East… And due to the long journey we can assume they came from afar. They were not Israelites. We also know they brought gifts of Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh. Assuming that these were obtained in their home environments historians have suggested they came from Arabia, Persia and India. We are told that they met with King Herod and told him of the child King they had come to honor, but upon realizing Herod was a danger to Jesus they set aside his request to be informed of the whereabouts of the child and quietly left the land by another route after their blessed meeting with Christ. To get the full story of the Magi read Matthew 2: 1-12.

For me, there are powerful lessons for us captured in the story of the Magi. Here are two of those lessons:

Lesson 1: IN THE GRAND SCHEME OF THINGS, WE ARE ALL INSIDERS.
The revelation to the Magi was made to what some would have viewed as outsiders. Therefore the Lord reaches out to us all, irrespective of race, tribe, religion, gender, age etc. We are all part of one humanity.

Lesson 2:  WE CHOOSE WHETHER TO ACCEPT OR REJECT OUR HUMANITY.
While the Magi listened attentively and went out of their way to travel a distant and possibly perilous journey to meet this blessed child – on the other hand King Herod, whom some would have considered the insider, was going out of his way to find and destroy the child.
Again, irrespective of race, tribe, religion, gender etc we can make a decision to do right or do wrong, to accept or reject our humanity.

The sad truth is that should the story of the Magi occur in Kenya today, and the chiefs on one side of the country were given a message that a child was born, the King of Kings, it is very likely that this would be the uproar that ensues -

“Who is this King of Kings and why is he not chosen from our people?”
“We cannot bow down to a baby from another community!”
“What’s in it for me?”
“How much is the ‘facilitation’ fee?”
“There are historical injustices we need to sort out first!”
“HAKI YETU!”
“HAKI YETU!”

Yes… if this were to happen in Kenya, chances are it would not go well at all. We are so divided, and yet the stark truth is that a stranger could save your life and a brother could take it.

And so I ask, who were these amazing men who showed us the humility we need to move ahead?
Who were these great leaders who brought gifts and asked for nothing more than the chance to worship this baby, the King of the Jews?
Who were these men of wealth who traversed afar to bow down to a baby born in a humble manger?
Who were these leaders who put their own lives at risk by sidestepping the request of a King to save the life of a baby?

Yes… What incredible wisdom these Magi possessed!
They were truly men of greatness, good and honour!

And as I sit here today, thousands of years later, pondering upon the power of their story I have only one more question to ask… What can you and I take from the wisdom of the Magi, to make our world a far better place?

Now amongst the gifted in Loreto Convent Msongari was my classmate, Yvonne, who was outstanding in several respects. First, she was an excellent athlete. Now, if I had a gift I could use on sports day it was the gift of cheering. I must admit I was never much of a sportswoman although I did try my very best… So on the sidelines I would cheer our athletes on during our athletics and other sports events including hockey, netball, tennis, rounders and swimming – and Yvonne would always be at the top of her field.

But that was just one gift she had, there was another… One day during visit to her house for her birthday party we went into her bedroom and I was stunned by the art on her wall. She had large characters drawn on her bedroom walls and they were truly amazing depictions, if I recall correctly, of cartoon and comic book characters. I was stunned by the raw talent displayed in the wall. At that time we must have been 10 or 11 years old, and I remember being most impressed by her parents who had clearly allowed her to grow her gift.

A few years later when we were working on our annual school musical Kismet with the great Kenyan thespian James Falkland, I was able to make greater use of myself by acting in the play. I was far better at theatre, verse speaking, creative writing and poetry than at sport. Meanwhile, Yvonne and the team of outstanding artists were busy  working on the murals for the play. On our grand stage (we did think it was terribly grand) they painted images that took everyone back to a historical time in Baghdad where a shrewd poet would outwit the evil Wazir  (Chief of Police), and would change his own fate completely.

A musical like Kismet would give so many amongst us the opportunity to grow our gifts. Believe it or not, I had terrible stage fright as a child and my continued participation in plays and presentations would grow my confidence over the years, teaching me how to project, how to stand tall and straight and how to clearly communicate my message.

For the artists, they had a chance to work on a large stage drawing amazing murals and exploring interesting ways of executing various scenes. In Kismet they created a secret chamber under the stage for one particular scene! And then we had our musicians – those who played instruments and our gifted singers. When the music played and our soloists performed there was always pin drop silence followed at the end of their performance by incredible raucous applause. Sadly today many of those great singers sing no more, they brushed aside the talent and moved on to sensible careers in banking, law and medicine. Very practical yes, but somehow I think the world has lost some of its light with their beautiful voices now silenced.

As such, over the years, I have followed those amongst us who kept the gifts alive with keen interest and great joy. And so, when it was announced that a Kenyan who painted on her bedroom walls in Nairobi won an Academy award for her work on the Hollywood blockbuster Avatar, I felt a great sense of pride and joy!

Yvonne Muinde has proved to us all that we can achieve global recognition and reward in the arts. That whilst our curriculum has tried to brush aside art, music, sport and literature these remain vital towards growing an generation of talented and accomplished Africans.

So far Yvonne has worked on a number of movies including Star Wars Revenge of the Sith, Happy Feet, Fantastic Four and Prince Caspian (The Chronicles of Narnia), and she has just completed work on The Hobbit, which promises to be a huge global success.

As a child I loved CS Lewis’s remarkable tales captured in his series The Chronicles of Narnia. All those years ago I could never have imagined that my friend and classmate would be part of the team bringing those stories to life in such a grand manner!

A man called Walt Disney once said, “It is kind of fun to do the impossible!” He used his talents and left behind a great legacy of enchantment for the world. And today in Kenya, Yvonne is an icon for us all, both young and old. An example that if we do what we do best… and do it well… we can surely achieve anything! Even the unimaginable!

In 1994 two university students called Seth and Barry  engaged in an animated conversation during a class case study on Coca Cola v Pepsi. They came to the conclusion that what the market really needed was a beverage that had less sugar and more natural ingredients. Three years later Seth and Barry touched base on this issue once again. Seth was determined to find the mix for the perfect soft drink and Barry had just come back from India where he found industry players would buy the cheap ‘dust’ of tea leaves, selling consumers short on quality beverages. He was looking for the ‘honesty’ in tea, the real quality product. Together they came up with a beverage mix and a brand name…

Nearly half the participants were now in the room, we had a few more minutes before we started…  Interesting story I thought, but what next? Where could this narrative be going?

Taking his time the gentleman continued with the story…

Seth’s Kitchen, 1998, Seth and Barry mix the first batch of their brand of an ‘honest’ soft drink and package it in recycled bottles. They carefully create five flavors, namely Gold Rush Cinnamon and Kashmiri Chai, Black Forrest Berry, Moroccan Mint Green and Assam Black. The young enthusiasts/entrepreneurs/scientists/innovators (all of these apply) deliver these beverages to a local healthy foods supermarket which immediately puts in an order for more. They are actually in business! But there is a challenge… they would have to scale up now to meet their first order and hopefully to provide enough stock for other orders to come.

Well, with plenty of focus, planning and struggle they expand their operations, over time they set up a factory and grew from hugely impressive sales of 250,000 USD in year 1 to… 47 million dollars, yes 47 million dollars 10 years later! As he told the story his gentle voice and humble demeanor did not change and I was struck by what he was most passionate about, “It was the tea… It was about providing a healthy soft drink brewed from the actual leaf with real flavors that people would love and as much as possible with natural ingredients. What we did was create Honest Tea, and people loved it!”

What a story! I had been drinking Honest Tea all week in Aspen and I never stopped for a moment to think… Who came up with this? Why? How? The fact that this was a small ‘mom and pop’ operation founded on the passion of two friends for a healthy drink made the tea so much sweeter!

But I digress, there is more to his story… Just one year ago, he tells me, Coca Cola bought 40% of the company. Yes indeed, one of the company’s that they were discussing in the university case study saw the value of this drink they had dreamt about 15 years earlier! And to cut a long story short, in 2010 Honest Tea raked in a massive 71.5 million dollars in sales. In 2011, just shortly before his trip to Aspen, Coca Cola bought the rest of the company, taking it fully into their fold. I could tell he was struggling with his decision to sell but he was assured that the values of the brand would be upheld…  Values of green, healthy and honest living, and he would also continue his role at the company.

Seth was his name, and Seth Goldman is the coFounder, President and teaEO of Honest Tea… this was his journey – from dreaming up a healthy soft drink and mixing concoctions of cool teas in his kitchen, to a multimillion dollar beverage business.

This may be a simple story but for me it is the simplicity that is most remarkable, and in my mind there are several Chinese proverbs that summarise the rich lessons we can learn from the journey of Seth Goldman:

A journey of a thousand miles starts with one step;

One step at a time is good walking;

It is better to take many small steps in the right direction than to make a great leap forward only to stumble backward.

—

Later that afternoon as I look upon the most incredible rainbow embracing the Aspen mountains, I cannot help but feel inspired… I smile as my inner voice theorizes that the human struggles so hard to seek so many things that it yearns for, things that seem unattainable, and yet… the world is our stage, and for the most part we will get from it what we put in.

May all our journeys be rewarding!

Blessings!

Wrong! While my last piece was on cutting the cord from toxic people this piece is about overcoming your own internal fears and unleashing all your greatest hopes and aspirations in the form of big, bold and powerful dreams.

Now I like epic things, I always have… Epic stories, epic books, epic movies, epic songs! I think if something is worth doing and you have the capacity, do it big! Like the air we breathe, dreams are free, and so I dream BIG! I may never get there but I will visualize it, embrace it, and in doing so allow my subconscious to start to tweak my every response towards the realization of that dream. Seeing it, they say, is half the battle won. And so I ask, do you see yours? Is it epic?

I interviewed US President Barack Obama a few years ago, he was then the Senator of Illinios but there was wide speculation that he may seek the Democratic nomination to run for the Presidency. He was very down to earth and quite humorous. Later, back at the office at Nation Centre everyone ridiculed the thought that this black man could run for President in the US – let alone win… But therein lies the key to a great dream… It must encompass the ‘Audacity of Hope’.

So, take a look at your dream and ask yourself, would it make everyone scoff at me? If not, perhaps it’s not big enough… Perhaps you can stretch yourself and make it bigger, bolder and more audacious! It is only in creating a big bold dream that we will challenge ourselves enough to outperform even our own expectations… And thereby yield abundant fruits on the journey even as we seek to get to the final destination.

And while your journey toward your epic dream must be focused and determined, ensure that it does not become a self destructive obsession. Moby Dick is one of the greatest American works of literature. Written by Herman Melville it captures the obsession for revenge of Captain Ahab, who seeks to kill Moby Dick, the great white whale that destroyed his ship and claimed his leg – but ultimately Ahab’s quest for revenge is his own undoing. On the journey towards self fulfillment there are several vital lessons one can take from Moby Dick:

1. Your dream must be about you.
Captain Ahab makes his life about Moby Dick, and yet he is told, “Moby Dick sees thee not. It is thou, thou that madly seekest him.”
It should never be about others, it must be all about you. Do not imagine that others are competing with you, and even if they are, do not seek to compete with them. The greatest competition lies within oneself.

Even as you set your own internal compass, ensure that you do not craft your journey or your destination around the success of others, the need to ‘be’ like someone, the need to ‘have’ what others have, or the need to outdo or destroy another… this could be your own undoing.
In the story, Ahab harpoons the white whale he so desperately sought but as Moby Dick dives into the deep he is caught in the line and drawn to the depths of the ocean and to his own death. His ship is also destroyed. All for naught.

2. Be flexible.
The search for Moby Dick reveals that the goals will often shift. In the story one sailor states, “It is not down on any map; true places never are.” In addition, your journey will have twists and turns, you will move back and forth, and that’s just fine, more often than not the path will not be clear and direct.

3. Be adaptable.
To be or not to be? One character in Moby Dick makes the profound statement, “Well, well, what’s signed is signed; and what’s to be will be; and then again, perhaps it won’t be, after all.”
As you seek your dreams remember that they may come to be or they may not come to be, perhaps then the greatest joy should be in experiencing the journey rather than getting to the destination.

Whether it will be or not, do not deny yourself a bold, positive vision, and a plan towards achieving this dream –  then brace yourself, strap yourself in and enjoy the ride! I have no doubt you will find that embracing your vision, crafting your strategy, and walking your path is one of the greatest gifts of learning that you could ever give to yourself.

Now, Bill Gates, Oprah Winfrey and Nelson Mandela are clearly some of the ideal representations of successful people. But what drives a young girl like Orpah (as she was meant to be called) from the depths of a tough and abusive childhood to the heights of fame, fortune and global acclaim? Is there a formula for success? A roadmap of sorts that can help increase the chances of attaining that which is sought after by so many? It is my assertion that there is and I’d like to share my thoughts on success. I’ll start today with a focus on one of my pet hates – human toxicity.

It is a sad truth that there are people who are toxic. I am not referring to a physical state but rather to an unfortunate metaphysical condition. This is where a person feels it is necessary, nay, imperative, to constantly whine, criticize, belittle, ridicule, malign and abuse others with either the conscious or unconscious intention of bringing them down in spirit, and holding them back in life.

Whether a family member, an old friend or just an acquaintance this person leaves a bad taste in your mouth every single time you meet.  Each time you walk away from a toxic person your spirit is a little lower than it was before you met them. Your warm smile fades away and you soon end up with furrows between your once sparkling eyes. You feel like your energy has literally been sucked out of you, and everything that had so much potential and promise a few moments ago is now dashed against the dark and menacing cliffs of negativity. This is how you know a toxic person, they infect you with their toxic energy… and while it drains you, it feeds them.

Now I have a serious achilles heel, I cannot suffer rude, malicious or toxic people. That is one of my pet hates. No matter who you are, what you do, what you have – or for that matter what you do not have – common courtesy goes a very long way. And so I learnt very early in life to keep a significant distance from toxicity. I sought early in life to surround myself with people who give off positive energy, people who offer hope rather than despair, people who seek solutions rather than dwell on problems… people who dream great dreams. While critique and honest perspective is essential and critical towards the development of self, toxic people are negative for the sake of lifting their own spirits by crushing yours. They add little or no value with their contributions and only make the subject of their derision drown in a sea of self doubt.

I therefore believe it is essential to ensure you have people around you who can be honest, but are not seeking to dampen your spirits, or crush your dreams… people you can learn from, who are happy to either help you grow, or work at growing along with you. Far too often in life people are held back by the limitations of others. Instead you must propel yourself forward with the knowledge that sometimes as you move ahead it may be necessary to cut the cord of those who seek to hold you back.

I am told there is an African proverb that goes, ‘When there is no enemy within the enemies outside cannot hurt you.’ And so my friend, seek out the lights around you that glow and shine bright and stay close to them, for they will help light your own path to success even as others strive to block it.

Following days of unrest caused by the killing of a controversial Mombasa cleric, innocent Kenyans have lost their lives, Churches have been burnt, police have been targeted in disturbing grenade attacks. The government has announced a Commission of Inquiry to look into the killing of the cleric but I cannot stop thinking of all the lives that have been lost in the riots. May they all rest in peace and may justice be delivered both by man and God for these needless killings.

What we are seeing across the continent seems to be growing pains. The Northern states of Africa are still in limbo, struggling to find their social and political terra firma following what the western world described as a Arab Spring, really an Arab Winter. Meanwhile the revolutions of the North have impacted on the stability of other African states like Mali, just reminding us all that the continent is interlinked.

Down South, the government of South African is contending with the aftermath of the recent tragic mines shooting that saw many lives lost. Achieving the balance between the provision of a secure environment and the protection of the rights of the individual is a clearly a delicate balancing act for African governments during these difficult times.

Like the journey of the chosen people to the promised land, Africa is enduring the struggle in the desert. But we must not lose hope. The continent has come so far already. Even just a glance at East Africa and the increased stability in the region shows this journey is well under way… Not delivered by Western powers but by our own people. While Kenyans mocked our armed forces on social media saying they are only good for eating corned beef and biscuits in the barracks, the Kenya Defence Forces have done an exemplary job in Somalia, containing a nation that even the US army retreated from, and the KDF has achieved this with great restraint and humility. The effective partnership between the Somali Transitional Government Forces and thereafter AMISOM to stabilize the Somali nation is another sign of a continent moving forward.

The change is here and the challenge is now for African governments to ensure peaceful and stable environments for growth and development. The purpose of the radical minority is to destabilize, and so governments must ensure they maintain control even as they focus on maintaining support of the majority.

On 28th June 1914 a man called Gavrilo Princip assassinated Austrian Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife Sophia. Some say Princip was a Bosnian revolutionary, others describe him as a Serbian nationalist. Whatever the case may be his action triggered the Word War 1, a vicious war that claimed the lives of 9 million people and wounded 21 million – a war that did nothing to advance the Bosnian and Serbian interests. We must guard against triggers that lead Africa down a path of destruction for all. The newfound democratic space in many African states brings with it increasing responsibility. The people of Africa must seize this opportunity and take responsibility to contribute to the creation of a stable and secure environment.

My fellow Kenyans and Africans, let us resolve to close the door to disorder, violence and chaos… the recipes for disaster. While the growing pains we see today are a natural aspect of resistance to change the onus lies on each of us to ensure we do not lose track of our focus on building a greater nation and continent even as we face these significant challenges. If the majority pull together the minority cannot destroy our dream and our path towards a greater society.

God bless Kenya and God bless Africa as we continue on this journey together. Harambee!

With a bustling house full of energetic children it was never easy getting out in the morning but as always Sally did it with style, with the help of her husband John of course. Sally made the best mandazi’s in town and after putting the bulk of them in an attractive bowl for the family, she packed a few for the office and rushed off to beat the early morning traffic. Working at UN offices in the Kenyatta International Conference Centre was a pleasant experience and Sally always enjoyed some peace a quite during her tea break. On this lovely morning as she sat in a lounge enjoying her sweet mandazis, crunchy on the outside and soft as butter on the inside, with a hot cup of kienyeji Kenyan tea in her hand, she jumped up startled as she heard a horrifying bang! Shaking with terror, tea spilt and mandazi half eaten, she ran back into her office to find out what was going on…

It was going to be a hectic day but finally Joseph was armed with all his papers and the clock was ticking. He had received a scholarship from the prestigious US University, MIT. The truth is Joseph was a genius. He received first class honors in Architecture but his ideas were too revolutionary for Kenya. His buildings received international accolades but were not being built. He was fed up and he was broke. He decided to expand his horizons and his girlfriend Cathy stood by him throughout. Now that he was going to the US he was not about to leave her behind – after a few days of planning he rushed her to Sheria House in Nairobi and with a handful of family members present they were married before the Registrar. The following day he was headed to the US embassy in the Nairobi Central Business District to hand in their visa applications. The matatu he was traveling in was just a few minutes away from Haile Selassie Avenue when they heard what seemed to be a huge explosion. Bang! The ground shook, the van lifted off the road then crashed back down coming to a screeching halt.  Along with all the other passengers he scrambled out of the vehicle. Alarmed and confused he tried to get his bearings – all the traffic had come to a standstill and others were exiting their cars too. There were wails and screams in the near distance and a strange smoke was billowing through the streets…

It was the morning of August 7th 1998…

“This is the BBC with Breaking News from East Africa: A bomb has exploded at the American Embassy in Nairobi, Kenya. The blast that occured at 10.30 am has also destroyed the five story office block located next to the Embassy. Hundreds are reported to be injured… And we are receiving more news… Another attack has taken place, at the US Embassy in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania… Footage from Nairobi shows horrifying scenes of destruction… The death toll is now reported to be in the hundreds… thousands are injured… People are flocking the scene to help move the rubble… Many are stuck under the debris…”

The day went by in a blur… I was glued to the TV screen, my work and papers forgotten. Seated on the carpet in a foetal position with my hands wrapped around my legs, tears streaming down my face, I prayed as I watched my fellow countrymen endure one of the worst terror attacks in recent history.

The news reached the office fast, the US embassy had been bombed. Sally started to make frantic calls, to her husband, her brothers and sisters, “Where are you?”
“Are you ok?” “Did you hear what happened? Lord help us!” After ascertaining that they were are well, she went on her knees to pray for all those affected. “Dear Lord, please save our country from those who wish to destroy it…”

Joseph could not believe it, the US Embassy had been bombed. If he was just a few minutes earlier he would have been inside the building! Some people were rushing towards the site, but numbed by his close call he walked to the other side of town, got into a matatu and headed home.

Over 250 people lost their lives in the Nairobi attack, some put the figure at close to 300. 12 are reported to have died in Dar es Salaam. Thousands were injured. People of all tribes, races, religions, genders, ages. At the site of the former US embassy now stand a bomb blast memorial centre and park, a haven of peace in the bustling central business district. On a memorial plaque are the names of those who lost their lives and in the midst of all the names are these words…

May the innocent victims of this tragic event rest in the knowledge that it has strengthened our resolve to work for a world in which man is able to live alongside his brother in peace. ~August 7 1998~

Sally and her husband John are well. They are retired now, their children have grown and have all left home. She continues to go on her knees ever day to pray for Kenya. Joseph is one of Africa’s executive giants. From MIT he was recruited into banking and today heads the Africa operations for a huge global investment bank. He channels much of his energy into projects that can transform Kenya. He and Carol have a growing family, two children so far. As for me, I am in the world of media, and I have just been made a peace ambassador for Kenya Kwanza, a campaign to unite the country. I am a wife and mother and I am determined to ensure that Kenyans rise above the hatred and intolerance that many have been taught to embrace and instead see ourselves for what we really are – stronger and richer for all the diversity that we have been blessed with.

I wonder, where were you that day? And what would you be willing to do to build a united and strong Kenya?

“What have I ever done to you?”

In that spilt second the fist fast approaching my face fell to his side, and I noticed his face fall too, quite literally. His eyes opened wide and his mouth fell open, all the taunt lines on his face fell away and his expression of hate was replaced by a deep look of care and concern.

“I am so sorry, I am so sorry,” he said, and as the tears now flowed freely down my face he pleaded with me, “Please don’t cry, I am so sorry.”

At that point I can’t remember if I replied. I just marvel that in that moment he changed from a raging animal into a brotherly figure. He started yelling to his friends, “Leave them alone! Leave them alone! Get in the car!” There was a fourth person who had been driving around, I hadn’t even noticed till then.

“What’s he on about?” I could hear his friends shouting. They must have thought he had lost his mind.

But they were retreating and getting into their car. As he got in he kept saying he was so sorry. At that point a couple seated in their car close by was emboldened enough to get out and shout at the group as they drove off. It was a nice gesture but pointless really, they were speeding away already. I heaved a sigh of relief wiping away my tears as the car turned the corner.

It took a great amount of courage for us to continue on to the fair. I was totally shell shocked, fragile. But we felt avoiding the streets and public places could become a habit, we didn’t want that. It would also be giving in, I didn’t want that either. So after much discussion and venting, we went on.

Later that afternoon I caught sight of them at the fair, my heart froze again and I was scared – but there were many crowds around us. His friends passed us with sheepish expressions on their faces, they made every effort not to glance in our direction. I hope and pray what he did that day had a lasting positive impact on them all. Our eyes met for the briefest moment across the carousel. He had a hint of a smile on his face, like he was communicating that it was safe, that it was ok… I think I tried to smile back, to be honest I’m not sure if I was able to muster up a smile. I never saw him again. Wherever he is I hope he is well and I will be forever thankful that his clenched fist became a hand of protection.

That phrase sent to Coventry is so appropriate. I never did like Coventry but I learnt a heck of a lesson there. I learnt that we all have love and care within us, we just need to tap into it. That humanity is greater than hate and division, the power of humanity is phenomenal. That no matter how far apart we seem to be, we can all connect, care, and come together, it is a choice that we make to love or to hate. I hope he also learnt something that day… Perhaps that racism is simply wrong, that essentially we are all the same, and that he was much bigger than the racist bigot that he thought he could be.

When the German Luftwaffe dropped 500 tonnes of explosives on Coventry in 1940 they destroyed St Michaels Cathedral, and while a new Cathedral was built it did not replace the ruins, it was simply connected to them. Today in the ruins of St Michaels stands a large wooden cross that represents two mediveal timbers that survived the bombardment. And inscribed behind the alter are the words ‘Father Forgive’. It is, they say, a sanctuary dedicated towards reconciliation.

Perhaps that is how I should remember Coventry, as a sanctuary – a place that will forever hold a moment that embodied an incredible experience of human connection, understanding, forgiveness and reconciliation.