Apologies for the lack of updates– the past two weeks have been a whirlwind of activity!
I recently wrote a guest post for the WITNESS blog entitled, “Building a Network for Human Rights Archives and Archivists”: http://archive.witness.org/2009/10/28/building-a-network-for-human-rights-archives-and-archivists/
“In recent years, archival institutions and organizations have become increasingly concerned with issues regarding human rights records and archival collections. Questions of access, privacy, politics, trust, and ensuring the safety of those documenting abuses and potentially controversial records all impact archivists working with human rights collections. Furthermore, the difficult subject matter contained in records of human rights abuses may require additional support for processing archivists who must confront images and accounts of atrocities daily.”
Read more at http://archive.witness.org/2009/10/28/building-a-network-for-human-rights-archives-and-archivists/
The WITNESS Hub blog posted an EXCELLENT blog post earlier this week with a spotlight on human rights archives: http://hub.witness.org/ArchivesHumanRights
From the post:
“October 27th marks World Day for Audiovisual Heritage, started in 2005 by UNESCO in order to help “build global awareness of the various issues at stake in preserving audiovisual heritage.” Not so long ago, this lack of awareness almost resulted in the loss of the last remaining video documentation of Neil Armstrong’s historic moon landing. Deterioration and loss due to time, handling, improper storage, and poor documentation continue to threaten much of the world’s moving image heritage.
Among these irreplaceable materials are collections devoted to human rights. The recently released “Right to Truth” document from the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights asserts that “the recognition that archives and archivists play a central role in undergirding human rights has grown over the last decade.” Human rights archives are increasingly playing a pivotal role in advocacy, restorative justice, historical memory, and struggles against impunity. And audiovisual documentation – which must be preserved – has become a key component of human rights campaigns.
Below you will find resources, tools, videos, and information on both human rights on archives and archiving. We hope it will be a resource for archivists, activists, or anyone seeking to learn more about these topics.”
Read more at http://hub.witness.org/ArchivesHumanRights
USA TRAVEL BAN ON KENYA GOVERNMMENT OFFICIALS LAUDABLE
The two conflicting views on the US travel ban from President Kibaki and the Prime Minister Raila Odinga show that one faction is for reforms and the other an ardent protector of the status quo.
Kibaki and Raila must take full responsibility for failing to provide direction in the reform process instead of dwelling on empty rhetoric. If Raila is for reforms, he should avoid portraying himself as Mr Clean when he is part of the coalition government.
He should instead tell Kenyans and the world what he has done individually to catapult reforms. His recent speech in Harvard University, where he supported the travel ban on errant government officials, convinced the world that it’s the coalition that is behind the delay of reforms. It showed a fatigued reform process and a disoriented government that lacks operational uniformity. Kibaki should tell us why the government has failed to implement the reforms that will pave way for smoother running of the country’s social, economic and political affairs.
It only portrays Kibaki as a leader who is hell-bent on protecting a few individuals and not the interests of the masses; the bulk of those who have been voting for him for decades. We want him to focus on the wellbeing of the people and their future but not the interests of power barons. It would have been prudent if he stated in the protest letter to the US the reasons for procrastinating reforms instead of just criticising Washington’s travel ban.
Kenyans will support any external pressure if it will compel the government to implement reforms. In fact, the US has made a positive step and it would be fair if other Western powers especially the European Union took similar steps. Kibaki, Raila and his deputies and VP Kalonzo Musyoka should suffer the travel ban because it is them who are impediment to the reform process. Our leaders like being pushed by the West to implement reforms. It’s the pressure from outside that compelled President Moi to accept the reintroduction of multiparty democracy in the early 1992.
Indeed, Kibaki and Raila were pushed externally to agree on a power-sharing deal. It’s sad that after one and a half years of the coalition government, Kenya is still in limbo on meaningful reforms especially Agenda Four of the National Accord. I’m shocked by the President’s swift response to the US ban when he is known to be silent on issues that require urgent solutions especially those that affect the lives of millions of Kenyans.
Why has he kept silent on the Ringera circus as well as the trial of the planners of the post-election violence?
Mr. Nyaringo comments on Human Rights in Kenya
By: Joseph Lister Nyaringo on October 29, 2009
at 12:30 am
KENYA GOVERNMENT MUST ENSURE FAIRNESS IN RESETTLING INTERNAL REFUGEES
Many Kenyans are in suspense whether proper valuing was done on the Rongai land before it was purchased by the state to resettle internal refugees.
It is hard for the nation to be convinced that the DPM, Uhuru Kenyatta never influenced the purchase price for the 1171 acre farm since it’s a family asset besides him being in charge of our national exchequer.
Transactions of this nature must be carried out with a lot of transparency and accountability because if the land belongs to the Minister for Finance’s family, then there is a big conflict of interest whose sum total is likely to be a rip off to the Kenyan tax payers.
We don’t want to see a recurrence similar to the Grand Regency sell although the hotel was under- valued and sold to foreigners.
No nickel was spent to buy the huge tracts of land the former first family owns equivalent to the size of Nyanza but the land was acquired by the late president through the worst form of power abuse in post independence Africa .
There is nothing to celebrate about the former first family and in fact, if they were philanthropic, they will be the last people to sell 1171 acres to the state and later distribute it to Internal Refugees. It does not reflect any humanity on the plight of the IDPs but a yardstick to build political mileage for Mr. Uhuru Kenyatta who augurs Presidential ambitions.
This brings to the fore the question of how charitable many rich Kenyans are. Just recently, when the USA President Obama won the Nobel Peace price, he decided to have the prize money that comes with the coveted award all donated to Charity.
He didn’t keep silent to use the money for his re-election campaign slated in 2012 but to help his fellow Americans who are far much better economically that Kenyans. Our leaders should emulate this form of domestic philanthropy.
Back to the plight of our Internal Refugees, the operational etiquette of the grand coalition government is often very weird. The nation was recently told by the Minister for Lands Honourable James Orengo of an impending exposure of those who grabbed state owned land.
This was followed by the admission by the same Minister that the state lacks the legal mechanism to repossess some grabbed land.
We must understand that there is nothing hard for the government of the republic of Kenya if its mandate is to protect and advocate for what is beneficial to the Kenyan people.
When the Narc government repossessed KICC from KANU back in 2002, nobody raised eyebrows. That is why many Kenyans still belief that the government has the moral authority to execute the same moves to reposses grabbed land and put it on the hands of the state.
We are being treated by the theatrics of the old order. Kenyans expected honourable James Orengo who has carried the torch for reforms in Kenya for decades to advocate for the release of the Ndungu Land Report so that Kenyans will know the truth.
This is the opportune time for the Ugenya legislature to prove to Kenyans that he still stands for reforms that Kenyans have always known him for. The MP should be the last person to advocate the purchase of land by government from grabbers.
Both Orengo, Uhuru Dr. Naomi Shaban must tell Kenyans the aspects surrounding the land purchase deal since national assets do not belong to politicians but Kenyans.
It’s noble to ease the burden of the internal refugees but the exercise must be done with impartiality and as a nation, we want to see transparency and accountability in managing public affairs especially public expenditure.
We want to know the criteria used to select the victims who have been resettled in the1171 acre farm in Rongai, noting that it’s not only one community that suffered during the post election violence.
We want to see Kisiis just like Kikuyus displaced from Kisumu and parts of Rift Valley resettled as well as all Luyias and Luos displaced from Central and Rift Valley provinces resettled if our leaders are prepared to nurture reconciliation in our nation.
Focussing to alleviate suffering for one community while leaving others will not help to heal the nation but ignite more animosity amongst Kenyan communities.
The latest imbroglio on resettling Internal Refugees is likely to be a storm in a tea cup as the government prepares to evict illegal settlers from the Mau forest. The evictees are going to demand the same treatment which has been extended to the internal refugees in the 1171 acre farm in Rongai.
This is a serious challenge that the government needs to address in order to perpetuate uniformity especially on addressing the problems that bedevil the entire nation across the board.
Joseph Lister Nyaringo
By: Joseph Lister Nyaringo on October 29, 2009
at 12:38 am