Can April come to an end already!
This month has seen us consume the most horrifying apocalyptic kind of news we have not had in a very long time. In fact, I have banned my children from watching local news with me.
I have also adjusted family dinnertime to avoid eating during prime time. This is because local news is now awash with the cultism aftermath in Malindi, courtesy of a so-called pastor preaching doom.
This kind of news sheds such bad light for us as a country, this is especially because the deaths were as a result of starvation in the name of religion and in the hope of seeing Messiah, and went on for so long without being detected by the security system.
How did we get here? When did we have such deep conviction with religion such that we cannot think beyond? Are we a depressed nation? Or are we very idle?
If we are to go with the former, granted! That so many people have no jobs, there are many broken families and broken dreams could be a push factor for a weak soul to dispose of their properties and head to Shakahola to the prophet of doom.
If we are to go with the latter analogy, I think we could be very idle. Idleness, they say, is the devil’s workshop. Let me substantiate.
I once worked at a foreign mission, where one of the second highest ranking official, used to do ballroom dancing. The gentleman, who was in his early 70s, had the energy and general outlook of a 40-year-old, tall dark and handsome African alpha male.
Every lunch break, he would rush to the common hall and put on his dance music, and would dance away his one-hour break, grab his quick packed lunch and go back to creating bilateral ties.
On a privileged occasion, during dinner with the media, he once mentioned to us that he had learned ballroom dancing in one of the countries, he had served, and to him, it was a way of keeping fit, developing a skill and killing boredom.
In as much as many Kenyan’s have embraced activities, out of the work setting, I really wish more men and women in their 70, 60, 50, 40, and 30s, would embrace self-love and use their time in nurturing their hobbies and talents by experiencing the outdoors and nature, sports, music, arts, solving puzzles, adventure, cultural activities among others. Or would such tendencies and activities be branded childish?
Most people drown into too much religion, as a way of constructive use of their time in the name of conforming to societal norms, at the expense of their talents and hobbies. Could we be drowning into boredom?
This issue of boredom reminded me of my days as a child, during President Daniel Moi’s era. I remember, when watching news, occasionally, there were mentions of entertainment activities in townhalls. Most of those that would benefit from these activities were the ordinary Kenyans in towns, estates and even villages.
There were plays, sports activities and other legitimate entertainment activities from the community to national level even by international partners who had something to showcase.
Members of the community would take part in these activities, or could make part of the audience and when they would go home, they would definitely have something to talk about or even look forward to.
As the government plays its role in investigating those behind Shakahola massacre, there needs to be a plan in place on how to have Kenyans detoxify from the messages of false prophets of doom.
We need a comeback of these community activities, driven by the government. The ordinary Kenyan might not have a lot of money to register themselves into say a gym, a soccer team or music class somewhere, but if the government enables and subsidises this, many people will definitely embrace it.
This would mean, idle evenings and weekends will no longer be there, thus no audience for those unending daily noisy estate crusades and keshas, which are the likely genesis of cults in the country.
Vera is a part time lecturer and a communications researcher [email protected]
