An article I published on my thoughts in Kenya

I just dug up this article that I wrote for the WSU Signpost about one of my trips to Kenya some time ago!

Let me know what you think:

Cameron Morgan – Volunteering in Kenya and beyond   Feb 9, 2010

My published article on Kenya

Hey,

This is the column I published in the Signpost: Please read it!

A tale of two cities
By Cameron Morgan

Published: Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Updated: Wednesday, January 13, 2010

**Signpost columnist, Gina Barker, worked with Cameron Morgan in Kenya.

Nairobi, Kenya, is a tale of two cities. Walk its crowded streets and you might be surprised to hear the tormented teen vampire Edward courting clumsy Bella at a high-tech movie theater, the nostalgic smell of popcorn and chocolate more reminiscent of Ogden than the third world. Take a left or two and everything changes — you are in the Kibera slums. The smell of popcorn fades to the stink of sewage and garbage and you realize you are not in Kansas, or Utah, anymore.
Kenya is a hot spot for tourism. Its Great Rift Valley — specifically its lions, flamingos and zebras, attract westerners: Muzungus, from Europe and the United States. Tourists typically congregate in up-scale shopping malls and dance halls, but increasingly, so do middle-class Kenyans. Expensive shopping malls accommodate comparatively wealthy tourists, but are supported primarily by middle class Kenyans — a group gaining increased sway as its numbers grow. The Kenyan middle class and upper class defy the somewhat stereotypical notion of a universally starving and poor Kenya.The country’s elite, the top 10 percent who are most likely the friends and family of Kenya’s rulers, controls 34.9 percent of Kenya’s wealth. This wealthy group, when not investing their money in Swiss bank accounts, are helping to finance new banks, cafes and concert halls.

Wealthy Kenyans live well, sheltered behind gates, security guards and suites — these are not the emaciated women and children with bulging bellies, sad realities are amply covered by the major western news outlets. According to The Daily Nation, a Nairobi-based periodical, rich Kenyans are spending $534 million a year on lavish weddings alone. A sharp contrast to the millions of Kenyans who live on less than a dollar a day.

It is hard to dispute that Kenya’s elite is largely tainted by cronyism, nepotism and corruption — Kenya is consistently listed as one of the most corrupt countries in the world by the western governments and NGO’s. However, this shouldn’t discount the fact that distinct, albeit narrow segments of Kenyan society are living the capitalist dream.

Where does Kenya go from here? The country is the most stable and prosperous of its east African neighbors; its people are friendly and love Americans, especially Obama. It borders a failed state to its east, a country devastated by the messianic cult the Lord’s Resistance Army to the west, and a genocide and civil-war-ravaged Sudan to its north. Too many still starve in Kenya today; too many can’t afford to attend its supposedly free primary schools; too many face violence, a 40 percent unemployment rate and an uncertain future.

It is hard to say if Kenya will follow the economic path of the Asian nations like South Korea and Singapore or if perennial election violence and tribal hatreds will drag the country to the depths of a Somalia or Sudan. The next time water-bottle-wielding tourists stroll down the pock-marked streets of Nairobi, they may well hear the wail of Tchaikovsky’s violin in place of the sickening sounds of gunfire. This time I’m pulling for Edward and his obsessive audience, Kenya’s blooming middle class.

[from http://www.wsusignpost.com/editorial/a-tale-of-two-cities-1.1010680] -structure changed with copy and paste-read original there]

Thanks!
Cameron

My published article on Kenya

Hey,

This is the column I published in the Signpost: Please read it!

A tale of two cities
By Cameron Morgan

Published: Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Updated: Wednesday, January 13, 2010

**Signpost columnist, Gina Barker, worked with Cameron Morgan in Kenya.

Nairobi, Kenya, is a tale of two cities. Walk its crowded streets and you might be surprised to hear the tormented teen vampire Edward courting clumsy Bella at a high-tech movie theater, the nostalgic smell of popcorn and chocolate more reminiscent of Ogden than the third world. Take a left or two and everything changes — you are in the Kibera slums. The smell of popcorn fades to the stink of sewage and garbage and you realize you are not in Kansas, or Utah, anymore.
Kenya is a hot spot for tourism. Its Great Rift Valley — specifically its lions, flamingos and zebras, attract westerners: Muzungus, from Europe and the United States. Tourists typically congregate in up-scale shopping malls and dance halls, but increasingly, so do middle-class Kenyans. Expensive shopping malls accommodate comparatively wealthy tourists, but are supported primarily by middle class Kenyans — a group gaining increased sway as its numbers grow. The Kenyan middle class and upper class defy the somewhat stereotypical notion of a universally starving and poor Kenya.The country’s elite, the top 10 percent who are most likely the friends and family of Kenya’s rulers, controls 34.9 percent of Kenya’s wealth. This wealthy group, when not investing their money in Swiss bank accounts, are helping to finance new banks, cafes and concert halls.

Wealthy Kenyans live well, sheltered behind gates, security guards and suites — these are not the emaciated women and children with bulging bellies, sad realities are amply covered by the major western news outlets. According to The Daily Nation, a Nairobi-based periodical, rich Kenyans are spending $534 million a year on lavish weddings alone. A sharp contrast to the millions of Kenyans who live on less than a dollar a day.

It is hard to dispute that Kenya’s elite is largely tainted by cronyism, nepotism and corruption — Kenya is consistently listed as one of the most corrupt countries in the world by the western governments and NGO’s. However, this shouldn’t discount the fact that distinct, albeit narrow segments of Kenyan society are living the capitalist dream.

Where does Kenya go from here? The country is the most stable and prosperous of its east African neighbors; its people are friendly and love Americans, especially Obama. It borders a failed state to its east, a country devastated by the messianic cult the Lord’s Resistance Army to the west, and a genocide and civil-war-ravaged Sudan to its north. Too many still starve in Kenya today; too many can’t afford to attend its supposedly free primary schools; too many face violence, a 40 percent unemployment rate and an uncertain future.

It is hard to say if Kenya will follow the economic path of the Asian nations like South Korea and Singapore or if perennial election violence and tribal hatreds will drag the country to the depths of a Somalia or Sudan. The next time water-bottle-wielding tourists stroll down the pock-marked streets of Nairobi, they may well hear the wail of Tchaikovsky’s violin in place of the sickening sounds of gunfire. This time I’m pulling for Edward and his obsessive audience, Kenya’s blooming middle class.

[from http://www.wsusignpost.com/editorial/a-tale-of-two-cities-1.1010680] -structure changed with copy and paste-read original there]

Thanks!
Cameron

Like the Ganges

It's hard to comprehend how a setting so serene isn't as the Ganges, healing upon exposure

This place is wordless-not that there’s not any music, or singing, but the camp as a living, breathing, cohesive entity is beyond the finite capability of words. These people have not chosen to live at this camp which is resting solemnly in close juxtaposition to the Great Rift Valley-an expansive savanna. But I am soaking up their smiles; their warmth-it still sickens and flummoxes me to think that these same people were victims of an ethnically driven war not too long ago. So much work was exerted to get here, can’t believe it’s finally here. Gina and I bought textbooks for primary school children, soccer supplies and a great deal of supplies for us and for future volunteers in the region. I am nothing but smiles as my day comes to a close…And I awoke to a new symphony today-bleating sheep, braying donkeys, gargling goats-the staples of an IDP camp.

The most disturbing thing about this place is the near constant wailing of babies in the nearby shanty houses-I wonder if they cry for hunger or health as so many of them evidence signs of sickness. I was proud to wake up to the inverse UNHCR logo on our giant blue canvass tent, i.e. our home sweet home. There is enough room for Gina and I, but it is hard to imagine that whole families (and chickens) lived here not too long ago. Most of the camp residents now live in, as Gina put it, houses that look like shelters in concentration camps-I find it reminiscent of Topaz.

Our 1^st night here was freezing, a bipolar swing from the 80-s and 90-s that have characterized this place. Izzo Macharia, our guide, gathered the camp leaders and made sure that we had the protection of the community-I hope that protection will never have to be called upon. So, starting today we will begin collecting data on each camp member, in order to aid agencies like marafiki who are trying to help these people- and to ensure that child sponsorship programs can ensue in the future-not to mention microloan programs, which I love dearly. We will also set up a soccer program with the 10 balls and myriad cones and other supplies we have-education and recreation, a hopefully potent mix to mitigate suffering. More than anything we are helping to pave the way for more effective aid work at the camp- an important and pressing endeavor. It is beautiful here-all of the hard work and money getting here was worth it-may we do some good.

ps: i am writing with the aid of safaricom wireless internet at the vumilia idp camp. so much to say and not enough time/money to say it. I am getting hungry here-not a lot of food, this will be an adventure!!

thanks to my followers online!

love from the idp