Letter from David Zarebka

From: David Zarembka
To: auntdawn@charter.net
Sent: Friday, January 11, 2008 12:17 AM
Subject: AGLI--Kenyan Friends Church Official Statement

Dear All,

The Friends Church in Kenya has issued a pastoral letter addressed to Mwai Kibaki
and Raila Odinga. It is a five-page letter and if you would like to read the it in its
entirety, please ask Dawn at dawn@aglionline.org for a copy. Below are my comments
and insights regarding the significance of this statement by Kenyan Friends.

1. Five or so years ago Friends in Kenya were not united in one body so they would not
have been able to issue such a statement. This letter shows that the Friends Church in
Kenya can become a force for peace and justice in Kenya.

2. The letter indicates a strong position on the Friends Peace Testimony--stronger than
I think most people in Americans would subscribe to. Here is a quote from the letter:

        Quaker Peace Testimony
        We actively oppose all that leads to violence among people and nations,
        . . .Refusal to fight with weapons is not surrender. We are not passive
        when threatened by the greedy, the cruel, the tyrant, and the unjust. We
        will struggle to remove the causes of impasse and confrontation by every
        means of non-violent resistance available. We must start with our own
        Hearts and Minds. Together, let us reject the clamor of fear and listen
        to the whisperings of hope.

3. Unlike similar communications from yearly meetings in the United States, this
statement is aggressive and bold. Not timid, evenhanded, wishy-washy, and
jargon-filled like the ones I frequently see issued: Here is an example:

        We call on all people 'to object to everything which leads in the
        direction of war, preparation for it or supporting it! Our faith
        challenges us as to whether we are now ourselves to become a divided
        people, swept along by the streams of mistrust and fear, arrogance and
        hatred which produce tensions in the world; or whether by our own
        decision, confidence, and courage, we can become a bridge linking those
        elements which promote truth, justice and peace.'

4. The statement may even challenge the northern countries assumptions that this is
essentially an old ethnic conflict with statements like this:

        This battle is not about ethnicity per se, rather it is about economic
        injustice, and the youth across the board bear the brunt of it.  There is
        an icy gap between them and the older age. There was hope and expectation
        that this nation would be steered towards a more democratic, united, just
        and prosperous society, where development would be experienced by ALL
        hardworking Kenyans. That hope was rekindled, with their participation in
        the just ended elections and the youth in particular saw the possibility
        of moving forward for the betterment of their lives. They feel "cheated".
        They are expressing anger that the rich are getting richer, while the
        majority are living on less than one dollar a day. "A hungry person is an
        angry person". Justice is what they long for.

Below is a quote which challenges the American (but perhaps not British) assumption that
class in not an important aspect of conflict:

        The hopes and opportunities for the poor (have-nots) for upward
        mobility have been frustrated by continuing "joblessness" and false
        promises by politicians. The underlying perceived injustices of our
        economic disparities must be urgently addressed. A genuine honest and
        sustainable commitment to redressing the imbalances should be made.
        Otherwise we warn that the class "battles" will continue in one form or
        other. The youth are desperate, angry and impatient. The ordinary Kenyan
        does not feel or see the effect of the purported 6.5% annual growth of
        the economy or the benefits of the foreign investors.

5. The statement ends with a litany of all the work that AGLI and others have been
promoting for the last decade:

        In conclusion, we as a Peace Church are committed to the process of
        national healing. Already we have institutions and programs in place such
        as: Alternatives to Violence Program (AVP); Trauma Healing; Change Agents
        for Peace International (CAPI); the Quaker Peace Network, all with the
        necessary skills, knowledge and experience to help bring about healing
        and transform relationships.

Please circulate this as widely as you can.

Peace,
Dave

David Zarembka, Coordinator
African Great Lakes Initiative/ Friends Peace Teams
Box 189, Kipkarren River 50241 Kenya--phone 011 254 726 590 783
Office in US--1001 Park Avenue, St Louis, MO 63104--phone 314/621-7262