Interview with Purity Kagwiria, Executive Director of Akili Dada
Purity, far right, yellow scarf, with Akili Dada’s US college scholarship students
Is it possible to encourage peace in Africa?
Yes.
Africans are generally peaceful people even though the international media paints the continent in a really negative light.
Many African societies have co-existed for hundreds of years, without any conflict.
As more countries develop, we are marred with unequal distribution of resources which leads to corruption; in my opinion these two are really the root causes of all the conflict in Africa. That said, Africans still find a way to forgive one another and look ahead.
Africans are generally peaceful people even though the international media paints the continent in a really negative light.
An Akili Dada scholarship student in Kenya
For example in Kenya, two ‘fighting’ leaders came together to create a grand coalition government in order to end conflict and violence in 2008. Since the post-election violence crisis in Kenya, a lot of work has been done in Kenya to encourage peace; the government and the Civil Society organizations have had many campaigns and civic education against tribalism and being each other’s keeper.
We have seen the Rwandese people forgive each other after the genocide and move on in order to not only heal their country but also heal themselves as individuals.
For example, in 2012 in gearing up for the elections in 2013, there were campaigns encouraging people to maintain peace, some of the slogans used were ‘peace will not preserve itself, it needs you and I’. Political adverts that fuel adversity were discouraged and we had a very peaceful election period. The peace continued even when the election results were contested and even though many people called ‘fake peace’ it was clear that Kenyans had realized the value for peace to each of us as an individual.
We have seen the Rwandese people forgive each other after the genocide and move on in order to not only heal their country but also heal themselves as individuals.
These examples show that peace is possible and achievable in Africa and it only takes people’s initiative and self-motivation to achieve it.
Purity with Bill Clinton and young African peace-makers
What are you doing to encourage peace in Africa?
As an organization, we believe that education is one of the initiatives that can be used to achieve peace in African.
By helping young African girls to access quality education, we provide equal opportunities for people to participate in development. We believe that this allows people to see themselves as part of the process and to remain invested in maintaining peace.
Purity mentoring Akili Dada scholarship students
We also expose our scholars, alumnae and fellows to our history as a country and engage in conversations about inequality in the country and what each of us can do to make a change where we are. Familiarization with our own history, especially for the younger generation, helps them to not take things for granted and they start being active in various settings quite early in life. We believe that our value of sisterhood and excellence also propels our target audience to develop empathy which is very important in cultivating peace.
Familiarization with our own history, especially for the younger generation, helps them to not take things for granted and develop empathy which is important in cultivating peace.
As an individual, I do my best to be fair and kind to people.
I interact with people from different tribes in Kenya but never ask them what tribe they are from. To me we are all the same tribe – the ‘tribe of Kenya’. I do not contribute to or participate in tribalistic jokes and cultural stereotypes. I volunteer to carry out civic education to help my brothers and sisters understand that we all have a role to play not only in fostering peace but also in national development.
By helping young African girls to access quality education, we provide equal opportunities for people to participate in development.
Akili Dada high school scholarship student alumni in Kenya
What can others do to encourage peace in Africa?
As citizens of Africa, we can all check ourselves to ensure that we are nurturing peace rather than contributing to conflict. People should be made to understand that for us as individuals and for Africa to move forward, peace is one of the most fundamental pillars we need to uphold.
For us as individuals and for Africa to move forward, peace is one of the most fundamental pillars we need to uphold.
Akili Dada’s Career Day community outreach program in Mathare, Kenya
Africans should own this continent and see it as their responsibility and realize that the real solution to our issues lie within us – only Africans can solve the issues of conflict afflicting us.
This will break the cycle of waiting for intervention from outside which always arrives a bit too late. Religious groups can dare to put aside their differences and speak in one voice on issues of peace – they can, for example, organize peaceful rallies to encourage people to maintain and promote peace, especially in warring countries in Africa.
Warring African counties should try to follow the example of other peaceful nations.
Leaders who promote conflict should be called to accountability so that there can be a sense of justice for the wronged parties and a means to break the impunity that currently exists.
Warring African counties should try to follow the example of other peaceful nations and borrow some of their ideas in terms of what positive methods they have initiated to maintain peace, and what measures they have put in place to avoid conflicts and misunderstanding.
Leaders who promote conflict should be called to accountability so that there can be a sense of justice for the wronged parties and break the impunity that currently exists.
