It must gall the conformists to be confronted by the women and men determined to chart their on paths. After all, think about it, everyday we are exhorted in subtle and unsubtle ways to do what they other ones are doing by being reminded what the "right thing" is and the consequences of doing the "wrong thing". Thought-control, of every shade of political persuasion, is the norm now and it is why we are expected, by his legions of fans, to think of Boniface Mwangi's failed electoral campaign as the "right" kind of campaign, and by the most fervent pro-Government dingbats that there is a "right" way of mourning the catastrophic end to the 2017 general election in which Raila Odinga's most formidable rival has been re-elected to another term in office.
Our election campaigns are extremely vigorous and extremely public, so why can't the powers-that-be permit us to mourn vigorously and publicly? There is no cause to ask people to mourn privately as if they are ashamed of their grief. And yes, political defeats are wrought with emotional bathos that demand very public dirge-singing and wailing. The police can't demand that a section of distraught Kenyans should not perform their grief publicly and loudly; they can only ask that in performing their grief, these Kenyans should not injure their fellowman. But if all seven million Kenyans who voted for Raila Odinga want to take to the streets, wail into the sky and beat their chess in anguish, Uhuru Kenyatta's acolytes cannot declare them to e "uncivilised" and dismiss them as "sore losers" but should take a moment to remember that in Mr Kenyatta's re-election, the promise of a break with Kenya's cruel past has been postponed. Again. And this is one among many other reasons why publicly performing their grief is vital.
No comments:
Post a Comment