GABRIEL DOLAN: We have created a hierarchy of victims
What you need to know:
- The violent attack was clearly designed to cause immense human suffering to Kenya and to garner maximum media coverage for this most ungodly of acts.
- We have not always responded so well to tragedy on our doorsteps. Just a year ago, 116 were slaughtered in Tana River and a further 60 in January this year. Al Shabaab murdered 17 in Garissa churches a year ago and many security officers since.
- There is no hierarchy of victims in the eyes of God or in international law. Why are killings in Nairobi more valued than Kiambaa, Naivasha, Tana River or Turkana? It would appear that Nairobi victims are top of the ladder and those in remote areas at the bottom.
There was something awfully infuriating about British Foreign Secretary William Hague’s first tweet after the Westgate attack that stated that his priority was the welfare of British citizens.
His boss, David Cameron, did little better by sending condolences to his own victims before eventually sympathising with the Kenyan people.
Thankfully, the massive human response from the Kenyan public transcended ethnicity, politics, religion, race or gender as the terrible tragedy left us with outstanding stories of generosity, heroism, compassion and self-sacrifice.
The violent attack was clearly designed to cause immense human suffering to Kenya and to garner maximum media coverage for this most ungodly of acts.
World media camped in Nairobi for five days focusing on our pain while paying scant attention to other Islamic militant attacks that killed 90 in a church in Pakistan and 142 others in Nigeria at the same time.
The global media houses instead chose the lazy option of streaming live 24 hours a day, and in the process portrayed a very negative image of this great country.
PATRIOTIC AND GENEROUS RESPONSE
Yet local media houses excelled in promoting a patriotic and generous response to the ordeal. For most of the public, this was perhaps a first insight into terrorist attacks and violence of such an extreme nature.
The media houses showed the inhumanity of the terror acts but also highlighted the great humanity and unity of Kenya’s people in responding.
We have not always responded so well to tragedy on our doorsteps. Just a year ago, 116 were slaughtered in Tana River and a further 60 in January this year. Al Shabaab murdered 17 in Garissa churches a year ago and many security officers since.
Think also of the 42 mostly young policemen wiped out in Baragoi last November, and the daily loss of life in Wajir, Mandera and elsewhere. I suspect that families of all these victims never benefited from M-Pesa contributions or government compensations. They must all be wondering why Nairobi victims are honoured while they are abandoned.
It seems we have created a hierarchy of victims. Deaths caused by ethnic or pastoralist violence is causally regarded as ‘vita vya kawaida’ (the usual wars) and we reserve our outrage and compassion for a terrorist attack in the CBD in Nairobi.
INCOSTISTENCIES
There is a shocking inconsistency here.
We are demanding justice for the victims of the Westgate attack but are calling for the abandonment of the ICC trials and admonishing the public to forgive and forget and move on.
Who would want to forgive the perpetrators of Saturday’s attack? It is just as important to know the truth about the post election violence of 2007/8 as it is to know who masterminded the Westgate slaughter.
There is no hierarchy of victims in the eyes of God or in international law. Why are killings in Nairobi more valued than Kiambaa, Naivasha, Tana River or Turkana? It would appear that Nairobi victims are top of the ladder and those in remote areas at the bottom.
We must empathise with all victims and retain equal outrage for every act of violence. Otherwise, our indifference allows these horrendous acts to be repeated again and again.
