Kenya's mid-life crisis - part 1 a

Mid-life is a term commonly predicated on life expectancy. All those popular sayings like "life begins at forty" etc were used in the 70s and 80's to signal a mid-life. People then hoped to, and indeed did, live to 80yrs. One could grow up, learn, work, retire and continue living.

I must say that this is a pipe dream for us. For beginners, life expectancy is at 47yrs. If one does not die from a road accident, you are killed by your neighbour, or you suffer AIDS, or you die from pollution, or from taxation, or die -out in the sun - of hunger.

But again let us consider that people are really starting life rather early. In my community, a man would not be allowed to drink alcohol untill after "his wife was carried". The "carrying ceremony" as used to celebrate the initiation of ones children. Today, ten year olds are established drinkards!


So what midlife am I talking about

Today, as i write this about Kenya having a mid-life crisis, I am thinking like a 70's person. I want to be stuck there not to run away but to embody the kind of hope and promise this country had for itself. Another reason i want to do this is to ensure that i do not get distrated from the subject at hand.

Can a country have a mid-life?

I want to answer this question in an insufficient way. Kenya is a country because of the colonial element (boundaries) and because of its people, Kenyans. We, and i say this in the most pedestrian of ways, were colonised for just over 67years. And the last 22 years of that colonial occupation were some of the worst: the whiteman had gone mad and the people had got tired.

After that, we started a new phase of hope against hope as, just like the missinaries who had educated them, our leaders stole all our land and property as we knealt in prayer to thank God for delivery from the white devils. And so black devils visited us, and where the white devil had been ashamed, they were blunt.

And we are still at it. That is mid-life for me, a suspension in time and space, movement in a cage, being beaten with blunt objects so that even when you feel pain, you look whole...midlife!


This is a continuing thought.