[kictanet] Kenya’s trauma, and how to end it | openDemocracy

[Alex Gakuru]

[Thanks to ke-users list members for these pointers and excuse my
crossposting--AlexG]

Kenya is traumatized needs healing. Paraphrasing Brackenreed, D.
http://www.nipissingu.ca/education/darleneb/
When disaster strikes, we go through "The Stages of Acceptance"

1. Shock is the numb, distancing feeling that engulfe when the bad
news is being delivered
2. Disbelief is the stage in which do not do not believe the reports.
3. Denial is the the stage in which the we refuse to even consider
that it exists and hope, e.g. "It'll soon go away by itself."
4. Anger occurs as the denial breaks down and the divisions become
more real and apparent, "Why did this happen to us?"
5. Bargaining is evident when we decide that dedication will somehow
alleviate the condition, "Maybe the problem will improve if we outlaw
some 'tribal' embodiments."
6. Depression is evident when we start making statements like "What's
the use?"  "What will happen next?" - we may despair of ever finding a
solution and feel sad and helpless.
7. Acceptance is the stage at which we can look past the tribe and
accept people as they are.  A stage beyond acceptance is to cherish
our different cultures for those differences and for how that
diversity has made our lives better.

The goal of healing is to reach acceptance so that everyone is able to
make appropriate decisions.

At what stage could we consider ourselves at?

Wanyama Masinde proposes a seven point agenda towards reaching this goal.
<http://opendemocracy.net/article/democracy_power/kenya_seven_questions>