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You may ask why tribalism? If you are asking this question then you are reading the wrong content. I pride in Kenya being a tribalized and balkanized nation. It is not my undoing for I should be championing its eradication. That I will not. In fact I will support tribalism and even aid in its acceptance as a national culture. Like politicians I have embraced it and nothing will prevent me in my pursuit to take it to greater heights. In it I may reap and smile all the way to the bank.
I am tribal, conservative and so entrenched in the notion that the tribe comes first. The nation is second but my needs though far outweigh those of the tribe. If I become successful, then my tribe will have gained. They will ululate and enchant victory songs in my praise since I am one of them. I will become a household name and many will want to associate with me.
Why this stance? Sorry to say that I will not get some very palatable reactions. The thing is, I have learnt that we are a nation that prides in one of our own. I may write gibberish stuff without any intellectual viscosity, rigor and does not engage. But I am sure of the support of my tribesman, a majority won’t fail me. A few lost sheep in my tribal cocoon will try to deride my new found audacity, but I thank those who will stand by my side. They are the reason I penned this article.
Having acknowledged that I am tribal and full of ethnic and parochial inclination, let me now transcend the gimmicks of our societal disdain and try to address the fact that we need to rise above our deeply rooted and trivial penchant in our paranoid and apprehensive views. They may be reason why I am writing this but they are also reason enough why you should try to come out and acknowledge that it is a threat to our well-being.
The last time I checked, none became economically empowered in belonging to a tribe. Likewise none made it big by being a tribal bigot when treading the murky waters of life. In fact if you are not paid in promoting the hatred and vitriol characterized of our social media, then probably you need to re-evaluate your stand.
Some undeniable truth is that tribal affiliations and inclinations only apply to those who aim at perpetuating nepotism. Trust you me, the best corporates in the country know the value of what talent is. They don’t hide behind the precincts of ethnic jingoism. It is only the public sector in the country where tribe is the major determinant while it comes to recruitment and receipt of tenders. In the private sector, your folkloric designation only matters when the venture is small and the owner needs to keep some slanderous baggage in camera. Big corporations are concerned with delivery. If you can deliver, your tribal or ethnic link will matter to a negligible extent.
I know we have illusions and speculation especially on tribes that we do not belong to. It remains a matter of conjecture in this age and time to believe in some of the fallacies that we believe about other tribes. Having grown up and lived in various parts of the country, my instinct makes me believe that we are a very loving nation. If we were not then the fabric that holds our nation together may not have been intact for this long.
Each day, the media having known that tribalism is our major weakness, exploits that to our disadvantage. Is the media to blame for posting leading updates on the social media? In some way they should. They condone the ethnic vitriol and tribal sentiments which are manifested by those who I must admit are like you and me. Only that some, for lack of diplomacy and discretion and what I can say as fear of using their upstairs, abuse each other and spit vile which unfortunately is spewed to another hardworking Kenyan.
What of those who write abusive posts to besmirch the character of leaders whom they have no disregard and reverence? This is the biggest lot that has to be reigned upon. They should remember that these leaders will not be at the helm forever. They will also at some point seek those seats sometime in life and their past will come to haunt them. For what you write in the net never gets deleted. Recovery is fast. But again if you have no ambition in life, continue engaging in the idle chat. It really gives some of us the desired comic effect that we don’t pay for.
Digressing back to my tribal inclination, I know that I also have at times been a dogmatic believer in some issues regarding the tribe, what I am sure is I am not a slave to what some pride in. I am born of mixed ethnicity. That I am sure of. What I am not sure is whether I should enslave myself to one.
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| Maasai. |
