Abstract of Presentation In Durban

[Onyango Oloo]

Did a presentation this morning here in Durban as part of the 9th edition of the African Renaissance and Intellectuality Summit.






Here it is in summary:



Abstract from Onyango Oloo for African Renaissance and Intellectuality Summit, Durban, South Africa May 23-24, 2007

Peace and Conflict Transformation: The Kenyan Context

Kenya has earned a regional and continental reputation as a peace-maker in the eastern African region, having hosted crucial talks that culminated in historic agreements for warring parties from Sudan and Somalia.

What is less known is that there are a series of simmering internal conflicts within Kenya that have serious implications for the country’s future stability and sustainable development.

Many of these conflicts are rooted in the struggle over land, natural resources and historic injustices that are part of the colonial legacy of conquest, reprisal and “pacification” campaigns.

My paper presentation will use the ongoing conflict in the Mt. Elgon area of western Kenya, the recurrent clashes in the sprawling Rift Valley province, the so called “ethnic clashes” in Tana River at the Coast and the urban mayhem unleashed by the ethno-religious Mungiki sect to make a strong case for a conflict transformation approach that goes beyond superficial explanations to explore long lasting solutions. We will then extrapolate these suggestions to cover other conflict situations in Africa.

It is our position that Western media stereotypes about Africa that often portray the continent as a cauldron of ancient, atavistic tribal rivalries and internecine conflicts are predicated on a reductionist, often racist tinged oversimplification of complex and systemic issues that implicate former Western colonial rulers. At the same time, it is time for Africans to move ever more resolutely to the front-lines and centre-stages in coming up with made in Africa solutions to the wars and the conflicts that flare up all over the continent.

[adongo12345]

OO,

Any chance you will put this man on the agenda.

His "conflict resolution" techniques are crazy.

Adongo

OO, can you also balance the screen on this thread and the other one. May be it is my computer.

[Onyango Oloo]

Adongo:

Greetings.

It is interesting you should mention Mugabe.

Here in South Africa, there is a schizophrenic attitude towards the Zimbabwean situation.

People here empathize with the suffering people to their north. They identify with the human rights struggles and democratic aspirations of the people of Zimbabwe.

But they are extremely wary about the Morgan Tsvingarais and the MDC. They are convinced rightly or wrongly that the MDC is a pro-imperialist neocolonial project that, if it were to ascend to power, may make Zimbabwe worse than it is under Mugabe today.

This is a view conveyed to me by two young men from Pretoria who were here in Durban for the African Renaissance and Intellectuality Summit.

Others feel resentful that the West is pressurizing South Africa to "intervene" in the Zimbabwe situation when no such pressure/expectation applies when it comes to other countries and other conflicts.

I just listened. Did not express any opinion...

Onyango Oloo
Durban

[aeichener]

admin said:

Others feel resentful that the West is pressurizing South Africa to "intervene" in the Zimbabwe situation

I feel (and agree) that South Africa has not the slightest business to intervene in a foreign country. They have done enough of this in Angola and Mozambique in the past.

Let some Rhodesians intervene, if Zimbabweans can't liberate themselves. 100 determined men and Mugabe is history. But I would prefer that his own people do the job.

Alexander

[Onyango Oloo]

Let some Rhodesians intervene, if Zimbabweans can't liberate themselves. 100 determined men and Mugabe is history. But I would prefer that his own people do the job.

Alexander

Alex:

Greetings.

You give me goose-bumps when you talk about "Rhodesians".

The only people who refer to themselves as "Rhodesians" are remnants of that old racist settler renegade state who were quite comfortable with the apartheid structures in what is now in Zimbabwe. Surely they CANNOT be part of the solution since they are part of the historical problems of that country...

Onyango Oloo
Durban

[aeichener]

OO: greetings back first. Trap set, trap worked.

The question is whether you generally will concede emigrants the right to take an interest in, to care for, and to try to influence their land of birth, to which many of them remain attached, even in spite of having acquired new citizenship.

a) If you do, then you may not make a racial distinction between white and black emigrants; nor between those whose political persuasion suits you and those who don't.

b) But if you don't concede such right, then what purpose would Jukwaa have at all?

Alexander
(who usually does not hunt on the bait, but sometimes...)

[Onyango Oloo]

Alex:

Happy hunting. You will find out over time that I am also fond of Muhammad Ali's classic rope-a-dope technique, that is seemingly falling into a trap set for me.

I know white Zimbabweans who live in South Africa, Canada etc. they do NOT call themselves "Rhodesians".

Anyone calling themselves "Rhodesians" is making a POLITICAL and IDEOLOGICAL statement, viz., they do NOT recognize the historical reality of the fairly new state of Zimbabwe.

Onyango Oloo
Durban

[Onyango Oloo]

www.buanews.gov.za/view.php?ID=07052510151002&coll=buanew07

www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=139&art_id=vn20070525093326307C193889

[politicalmaniac]

admin said:

Adongo:

Greetings.

It is interesting you should mention Mugabe.

Here in South Africa, there is a schizophrenic attitude towards the Zimbabwean situation.

People here empathize with the suffering people to their north. They identify with the human rights struggles and democratic aspirations of the people of Zimbabwe.

But they are extremely wary about the Morgan Tsvingarais and the MDC. They are convinced rightly or wrongly that the MDC is a pro-imperialist neocolonial project that, if it were to ascend to power, may make Zimbabwe worse than it is under Mugabe today.
This is a view conveyed to me by two young men from Pretoria who were here in Durban for the African Renaissance and Intellectuality Summit.

Others feel resentful that the West is pressurizing South Africa to "intervene" in the Zimbabwe situation when no such pressure/expectation applies when it comes to other countries and other conflicts.

I just listened. Did not express any opinion...

Onyango Oloo
Durban

These are the same peole denying the prescence of HIV/AIDS.
Crazy brothers these SAfricans are.