[Imc-africa] ACTION PLAN

Mon Jan 7 06:53:24 PST 2008

KENYA INDYMEDIA 

  PEACE, JUSTICE AND EQUALITY IN THE 
  AFTERMATH OF KENYA’S PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS

  Kenya Indymedia is a platform and movement of alternative media in Kenya. Kenya Indymedia comprises of individuals, institutions and organizations who subscribe to freedom of information. Kenya Indymedia members and partners include Maseno University, Koch Community FM Radio Station, Maseno University Community Campus Radio Station, Warriors Self Help Group, Sasafrica Productions and the Million Youth Action, amongst others.

  Kenya’s post-election violence and unrest has left the country in unprecedented turmoil. Though the unrest was ignited by a release of flawed presidential results, it seems to have been further fuelled by undercurrents of ethnic and class divides in the country. As such, Kenya Indymedia believes that the search for peace should now go hand in hand with the search for justice and equality for all Kenyans. In light of this, our strategy has three approaches:

  SEARCH FOR PEACE:
  1.      Is peace the absence of violence? We are using the current violence as a premise for exploring what we really mean by peace. This should help us not to assume that when violence subsidizes, peace is attained.

  2.      Busting Prejudices: There are many different prejudices about different ethnic communities. Kenya Indymedia is soliciting for and compiling historical information about the roots of Kenya’s present day ethnic prejudices. We will show why many of this prejudices are myopic and self-defeating. For example, we will debate on and comprehensively explore why (elite) Kikuyus have been dominant politically and economically. Our exploration may help us to unearth the fact that maybe elitist snobbery and exploitation was the main problem and not Kikuyu domination. Maybe the bigger problem is an extreme form of an intense class structure that forever rewards the upper class as it punishes the lower class.   

  3.      Owning up: Some prejudices are earned. For instance, if members of a certain community have extreme dominance in a given field, at the expense of another community, then this should be acknowledged. Kenya Indymedia is soliciting for and packaging articles on the self-defeating nature of such greed.

  SEARCH FOR JUSTICE
  1.      Documenting justice: This post-electoral violence and unrest is full of ‘justice moments’ when justice prevailed amidst rampant injustice. A definite justice moment was when James Orengo, a fiery lawyer and newly elected Member of Parliament literally jumped towards the Electoral Commissioners desk and prevented him from the charade of reading falsified election results. 

  2.      Documenting injustice: An atmosphere of injustice breeds even more injustice. In this case, a disenfranchised people, whose votes were reduced to pawns for the ruling elite are more vulnerable to perpetrate further injustices. Below are some injustices that have mushroomed from the post-election violence:

  a.       The right to life: More than 400 Kenyans who have lost their lives either from a cop’s bullet, arson’s fire or someone’s machete. Their basic and fundamental right to life was brutally yanked away. Kenya Indymedia will seek to give them a voice even in death. This will be done by profiling one life at a time. Kenya Indymedia would like to show that out of the people who died, there was someone's uncle, father, mother, aunty, son, daughter... That one of them was the shopkeeper at the corner or the middle-aged cobbler who had been fixing shoes for years. That one of the 400 people was the eight year old cheeky boy across the hill. 

  Kenya Indymedia would like to show that this boy was the second born child of his parents and that though he was an average student he was tipped as a future marathon champion. After all, he was from Eldoret, the town with the highest concentration of long distance runners in Kenya. This way, we hope that Kenyans and the world at large will put a life behind each number and remember that this life need not have been lost. That though it is too late to save that life, another life can be saved, not just in Kenya, but also in Somalia, in Southern Sudan, in Congo, in Colombia, in Pakistan and in other parts of the world.

  b.      The right to vote: Every five years, Kenyans get a chance to hire and fire leaders. Whichever leaders that they hire end up making their lives better or worse. It takes only a few hours to sow their vote, but the harvest takes five years. In those five years, elected leaders can destroy or build an economy; annihilate or establish healthcare; create or vanquish employment; encourage or discourage tribalism
.and much more. In this regard, when a vote is stolen, five years are stolen; livelihoods are trampled upon; hope is lost; justice is raped. If a vote in the just concluded elections was stolen, then this must be acknowledged, documented and rectified. Kenya Indymedia will solicit for and package accounts of why Kenyans voted and why they voted as they did. 

  c.       The right of every Kenyan to live anywhere in the country: Kenya Indymedia will document the plight of Kenyans who can no longer live and work in places where their respective communities are in the minority. 

  d.      Violation of other rights: The post-election violence has resulted in a violation of numerous other rights. Kenya Indymedia will solicit for and package such violations.

  SEARCH FOR EQUALITY
  Equality is the right of different groups of people to have a similar social position and receive the same treatment. In Kenya’s recently concluded elections, voters did not receive similar treatment from the Electoral Commission. To the extent that tallying of votes was falsified, some votes were rendered useless. Kenya Indymedia will solicit for accounts of such shameless disregard of inequality.  

  ACTION POINTS
  In its quest to document and enhance peace, justice and equality, Kenya Indymedia and the global Indymedia family, together with the Million Youth Action movement will engage in the following activities:
  1.      Write articles related to peace, justice and equality within the post-election unrest context.
  2.      Write poetry related to peace, justice and equality within the post-election unrest context.
  3.      Take photos related to peace, justice and equality within the post-election unrest context.
  4.      Take videos related to peace, justice and equality within the post-election unrest context.
  5.      Record audio related to peace, justice and equality within the post-election unrest context.
  6.      Use mobile phone telephony as a means of gathering information on peace, justice and equality.
  7.      Use the Kenya Indymedia website and the Global Indymedia websites in general as a platform of sharing accumulated articles, photos, video and audio.
  8.      Prepare an audio documentary about peace, justice and equality within the post-election unrest context. This documentary will be distributed freely to all community radio stations and will be freely available on the internet.
  9.      Prepare a video documentary about peace, justice and equality within the post-election unrest context. This documentary will be freely available on the internet.
  10.  Organize an open forum entitled, ‘alternative media as a means of enhancing peace, justice and equality.’
  11.  Mobilize legal expertise to build a legal case on behalf of at least one rape victim of the post-election violence.
  12.  In the immediate short term, engage in targeted humanitarian assistance.

hannahjs at prometheusradio.org wrote:  just to be clear, before any sites get built, john and other kenya imc
folks should write back and let us know what makes the best sense for
them. if possible. talk to you all soon. love, hannah s.

On 1/4/08, hannahjs at prometheusradio.org wrote:
> aaron - can we talk about hosting? i think i can help with that.
>
> amy - donations can be made at ucimc.org/info/donate - write kenya imc
> in the paypal memo line.
>
> thanks amy...
>
> On 1/4/08, Amy wrote:
> > hi all,
> >
> > i'm hoping that reply all to this string will get this note to the right
> > folks. we posted john's piece on the global indymedia site, and there
> > has just been a question sent to the features editorial list. I paste it
> > below. Would someone respond both to that list
> > (www-features at lists.indymedia.org) as well as by posting a comment on
> > the story (see link below)?
> >
> > in solidarity,
> > amy
> >
> >
> >
> > -------- Original Message --------
> > Subject: [www-features] donations to kenya, where to send?
> > Date: Fri, 4 Jan 2008 16:49:58 -0800
> > From: Bradley Stuart 

> > To: www-features Features 
> >
> > hey www-features,
> >
> > there's a comment on the kenya feature that asks:
> > http://www.indymedia.org/en/2008/01/898859.shtml
> >
> > Donation
> > d 04.Jan.2008 14:25
> > Im sorry if i simply missed it, but where can we donate- how do we
> > get in touch with folks to assist with this list?
> > _______________________________________________
> > www-features mailing list
> > www-features at lists.indymedia.org
> > http://lists.indymedia.org/mailman/listinfo/www-features
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > Aaron Couch wrote:
> > > I could put together a basic Drupal IMC site together pretty quickly.
> > > Maybe 6 hours or so. The main problem is hosting. We could put it on
> > > Vox but I'm not sure if it could handle the load. It might make sense
> > > to buy a hosting package if someone is willing to do that. If someone
> > > can handle the server/hosting element, I can put in the CMS relatively
> > > quickly.
> > >
> > > -Aaron
> > >
> > > On Jan 4, 2008 1:30 PM, 99 > > > > wrote:
> > >
> > > Hi all,
> > >
> > > So John, it sounds like you'd like to leapfrog any issues holding
> back
> > > the Kenya IMC site just to get things published. Kwadronaut, what's
> > > your thought on this? Would the easiest way to do this perhaps be
> to
> > > have another IMC have a special section to host Kenya news for a
> > > specified amount of time, say 3 or 6 months? PhillyIMC, any
> thoughts?
> > > Terna/Mpumi, do you think Jo-burg would be interested?
> > >
> > > John, I know you've been working with Josh on some things and I'm
> > > hoping
> > > I can be helpful, so I'll be in touch with him and Hannah to see if
> I
> > > have resources to pitch in. I've reposted your letter and
> encouraged
> > > others to do the same. I'll send you my cell number privately,
> which
> > > you are welcome to distribute to our friends there since I imagine
> SMS
> > > is easier to use than email at the moment.
> > >
> > > You're in our thoughts all the time. Best, and be safe!
> > > Steph
> > >
> > > Bwakali David John wrote:
> > > > Hi Hannah and All, Thanks Hannah for all the efforts. We
> appreciate
> > > > them a lot. The PayPal idea is indeed great as it makes it easier
> > for
> > > > people to offer their support. Western Union is also still
> working
> > > > and can be used. Our main priority will be put up the site and
> > update
> > > > it daily not just with our own (myself and Oloo) articles but
> also
> > > > short updates, messages, and analyses from dozens of other people
> > > > across the country. This way, we will not just be giving our own
> > > > interpretations of the situation, but also provide a platform for
> > > > hundreds of other Kenyans to speak out in their own voice.
> Douglas
> > > > will spearhead efforts of capturing photos and videos of the
> > > > situation. These will also make it to the site and will be quite
> > > > useful in hte overall search and sustenance of peace. He will of
> > > > course write to you all himself with updates on this.
> > > >
> > > > Concerning the website, as you have seen, it will be a key outlet
> > of
> > > > our communication to others both locally and internationally. As
> > you
> > > > remember, we for now do not have capacity to handle it ourselves,
> > at
> > > > least in this early days. Hence the need for support in this. We
> > > > therefore welcome any support from your contacts about this.
> > > > Concerning incitements to violence using text messages, this has
> > > > indeed happened. There will be a full article on this on tuesday
> > > next
> > > > week. Your friends at the progressive internet community can
> > contact
> > > > us anytime for more info even before then.
> > > >
> > > > I have gone through Nancy Scola's article in the link that you
> > > > provided and I think we can collaborate a lot in collecting,
> > > > packaging and disseminating accurate information.
> > > >
> > > > Asante! John
> > > >
> > > > Hannah Jane Sassaman > > > > wrote:
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > John, I'd like to start a paypal site or another website where
> > people
> > > > can send money to the IMC for the airtime, website support, and
> > other
> > > > needs you stipulate. I am wondering if Western Union is still
> > > > working, if people can send money that way.
> > > >
> > > > Also, some friends of mine in the American progressive internet
> > > > community want to learn about any reports that incitements to
> > > > violence are being spread by text message. Can you or anyone
> else
> > > > speak to that?
> > > >
> > > > Any updates on the website progress? If there are some technical
> > > > needs that money or more attention can meet, I think I have some
> > > > contacts who can help. Please email me back.
> > > >
> > > > One of the folks I'm talking to is Nancy Scola, who is writing
> for
> > > > the Huffington Post, a popular internet site for progressive news
> > in
> > > > the United States: She is interested to know if she can help get
> > > > resources or attention to their coverage of the crisis?
> > > >
> > > >
> > >
> >
> http://www.huffingtonpost.com/nancy-scola/believing-the-vote-on-el_b_79619.html
> > >
> >
> 
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > With thanks and respect, Hannah Sassaman Prometheus Radio Project
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > On Jan 2, 2008 3:06 AM, Bwakali David John < jonbwak at yahoo.com
> > > >
> > > > wrote:
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > Dear Indymedia comrades, Five days ago, on the 27th of December,
> I
> > > > stood in a queue for six hours - from 5.30 AM to 11.30 AM,
> waiting
> > > > for my turn to cast a vote in my country Kenya's presidential,
> > > > parliamentary and civic elections. When the votes were counted
> > later
> > > > that night, Raila Odinga, the opposition leader, began taking a
> > > > near-unassailable lead. At one point, he led with almost one
> > million
> > > > votes. But somehow, Mwai Kibaki the incumbent president squeezed
> > > > through a disputed victory. I can live with that. What I can't
> live
> > > > with, is that in the last three days, more than 200 Kenyans have
> > lost
> > > > their lives because of this disputed election results.
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > >
> > ------------------------------------------------------------------------
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > _______________________________________________ Imc-africa
> mailing
> > > > list Imc-africa at lists.indymedia.org
> > > 
> > > > http://lists.indymedia.org/mailman/listinfo/imc-africa
> > >
> > > _______________________________________________
> > > discuss mailing list
> > > discuss at phillyimc.org 
> > > http://lists.phillyimc.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss
> > > 
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > --
> > > Aaron Couch
> > > Philly IMC --> http://phillyimc.org
> > > Greenadelphia! --> http://greenadelphia.org 
> > >
> > >
> > > ------------------------------------------------------------------------
> > >
> > > _______________________________________________
> > > discuss mailing list
> > > discuss at phillyimc.org
> > > http://lists.phillyimc.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss
> >
>
>
> --
> -----
>
> hannah sassaman
> prometheusradioproject
>
> building radio stations = awesome
> http://www.prometheusradio.org
> 215-727-9620 x 501
> 267-970-4007
>

-- 
-----

hannah sassaman
prometheusradioproject

building radio stations = awesome
http://www.prometheusradio.org
215-727-9620 x 501
267-970-4007
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Imc-africa mailing list
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