If I Don't Write For Turkana, Who Will?

Ordinarily, I would not bother to explain why I write what I write - that is, allocating more acres of my writing space to Turkana County matters. The reason, many think, is evident: that I come from that area, or belong to the people living over there, and so I am obliged to lean towards my people.

Tellingly, this observation is right. I need not belabour explaining why. Writers - of any proportion - identify their target groups. They serve as the link between them (the target groups) and the outside world (readers). Writers, I may say, are the spokespersons of their constituencies.

Which brings us to the heart of this talk: Why am I writing much about Turkana yet there's much out there to write about? Wouldn't it amount to a one-sided mentality to stick to a people you attribute your ancestry to and propagate subjective arguments as solid objective points? But still, is Lemukol a writer? I endevour to respond to these questions.

First, I must commend my readers for their boldness and curiosity. These questions, I believe, point to a bigger picture. That any written material that deviates from the dictates of readers is an exercise in futility.

My old man (may heavens bless him) ardently believed in the inherent capability of any human being to create, recreate, own and tell his/her story. He continually advocated for a complete shift from dependency of "external storytellers”. He was for one thing: For communities to stand up on their own and assert their positions, they must be capable of speaking for themselves. For him, community empowerment was inseparable from leaders’ ability to make known the standpoint of those they lead.

And so, can we confidently affirm that the Turkana people, or by extension, their northern Kenya colleagues, have participated in the propagation of their stories?

One thing comes to mind: Intellectual inferiority stems from inbuilt fear. This fear is, of course as a result of a defeatist mentality that elevates negativities at the expense of human dignity. 

Take the case of Turkana and its “hunger narrative”. Dignity ceases to exist the moment people accept to be referred to as the "face of hunger in Kenya" or such like phrases. 

I have seen some successful folks from northern Kenya proudly describing themselves as the "only blah blahs... from..." to win sympathy. It’s believed these people resort to this route to escape the burden of proving their worth as human beings and citizens of this great nation. 

I think this malady is centrally a software defect. It's a question of how people look at themselves. But again, it's worth noting that Kenya's media philosophy vi-à-vis northern Kenya is wholly defective. It begins and ends with the "usual suspects" - hunger, disease and war.

Which makes one wonder: aren't there any positive notes we can gather from these vast territory?

Don't we have educated sons and daughters from these lands who can challenge this media-inflicted one-sided-ism? 

I personally believe that for solid progress to take root, communities must possess the tools of communication. They must tell their story - as they wish. To point fingers at others for not telling our stories borders on hypocrisy. 

Victimhood is, in my view, a product of consistent narration of a people's "inability to do this or that." Playing victims could be rewarding in the short term – as in the case of attracting donations etc.

Truth be told, entrenched victimhood has nothing sweet to write home about. It will, in the long run, backfire against those clinging onto it. 

For pastoralists to be regarded as successful, they must as a matter of principle embrace a narrative that leverages on their strong points and capitalize on that to create wealth for themselves.

To stick our necks out and cry for help while folding hands borders on a mentality that sees no good in people's own ingenuity.

We must drain the swamps of minimalist thinking. Rewriting Turkana's story - and by extension, the story of Kenya's poor - must be the foremost responsibility of those who attribute their leanings to these groups. 

I therefore see myself as an embodiment of their pleadings. It's my duty to repaint Turkana's tarred image - for good. Until this is achieved, I have no business rejoicing for being "the only so and so from Turkana."

Lemukol Ng'asike is an architect. Email: lemoseh89@gmail.com. Twitter: @mlemukol.