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Story and Pix by David Ogot snr. ©July 2003
When terror is spread, people become terrified, alarmed, dismayed, frightened and anxious,
living on the edge and fearful of what will happen next.
Hence acts of terrorists who plants bombs, or conduct suicides bombing missions or crash
planes into skyscrapers are difficult to anticipate and scare us to death simply because they
are unpredictable and catch us unprepared. Yet Kenyans are a resilient lot who know life must
go on and that there are more chances of them dying in a matatu (informal public transport
mini-bus vehicles) crash, being car-jacked or attacked by gangsters than being the victim of a
terrorist bomb.
Ironically amongst Kenyans skulks a terrorist who affects in one way or another, 26 million
citizens, almost the entire population of the country and yet this terrorist is harboured and
welcomed with open arms by the majority of the population who seem to be totally unaware of
it's true nature. The name of that bugbear - pombe (Kiswahili for alcohol)
Current figures available in Kenya show that one alcoholic affects to the core six Kenyans
while if that alcoholic is a professional then that number shoots up dramatically to 60. Also
thrown into this equation is the fact that out of the estimated 2 million alcoholics in Kenya
1 in 10, is a professional which thus gives us the mind-boggling 26 million total of Kenyan’s
affected by alcoholics.
If I were asked to define affected in one word, that word would be 'terrorised!' To be
terrorised, is to be intimidated, browbeaten, oppressed, bullied, menaced, coerced, and to be
frightened out of ones wits. It is to be scared to death and constantly anxious and often
threatened.
To be terrorised is a father breaking plates at midnight demanding food yet he has not been
seen in the house for a week. It is the neighbours wondering whether to intervene at 2.00 am
when the sound of screaming and shouting and things falling and breaking next door waft clearly
into their bedrooms and wake them up. Cowering children as a parent towers over them shouting
for reasons they cannot fathom, is to be terrorised. Terrorism is strangers banging on your door
demanding money your wife owes them. No food in the house, lying awake wondering is he or she
dead, hurt or in the police cells? HIV/AIDS how long are you going to be lucky before your
spouse brings it home and infects you? Kids being hounded from school in humiliation after all
the money for fees has been drunk. Hospital visits with broken limbs and a myriad of other
alcohol induced ailments.
Terrorism is suicide threats or attempts, financial difficulties, children developing
behavioral problems, depression violent mood swings and irritability. Through all this one has
to keep up appearances, look normal and smile even as you are terrorised, there is nowhere to
turn for the stigma and shame attached to alcoholism is too great.
All the while, you mistakenly keep thinking it is your fault, you did something wrong, there
must be something you have not yet done that will stop this mad drinking.
As if all this were not enough, teenage drinking which crosses all cultures and boundaries
and sexes has in this new millennium reached epidemic proportions globally. Here at home, recent
reports carried in the local media of teenagers drenching and drowning themselves in alcohol at
rugby matches and concerts speak volumes. Reports of school girls in full uniform being
hauled out of a matatu (Hectic, mainly reckless, Kenyan mini-bus taxi) as they drank distilled alcohol from sachets as well as beer and whipped
by angry members of the public do not even warrant comment. Yet only a short while earlier girls
from the same school had been tossed out of a bar where they were drinking beer again in full
school uniform.
Yet while all this goes on under our tolerant noses, we talk about legalising abortion,
rising cases of teenage pregnancies, STI's and HIV/AIDS. We agonise about unrest in schools and
constant unruly behavior amongst our teenagers. Finally we cry as we bury them. Then and only
then, do you finally see belated reactions from parents. As this needless tragedy played itself
out with their children jumping one by one into the trecherous sea of alcohol, these parents
stood by idly watching. They knew their children could not swim, but still they kept mum.
One by painful one, they die in alcohol related accidents and incidents as well as numerous suicides and
botched abortions. But now clinging to large, framed portrait photos, showing smiling young men and
girls who, innocent smiles frozen forever by death, will never laugh again, these parents sob
uncontrollably. Wailing relatives tear out their hair at the roots as the soil thuds on loved
ones coffins with finality, and they ask God where is the fairness? Why take one so young?
Meanwhile the media continues to spread its message of 'mass distraction' with advertisements
that entice one to drink all manner of alcoholic beverages with the subtle but subliminal
implication that it will improve your social life, make you more glamorous and sexy, a part of
the 'in' crowd while 'bringing out the power in you' They advertise all manner of competitions
which involve purchasing or drinking copious quantities of alcohol.
Ultimately when you talk about crime, corruption, HIV/AIDS, all manner of family discord,
child abuse, domestic violence, increased school drop out rates, crime, rape, road accidents,
Kenyans losing jobs, employers suffering heavy losses due to work disputes, accidents and
inefficient manpower, lost man/woman hours, massive medical bills paid for by the taxpayer all
as a result of this bogey man and you realise that no meaningful progress can be made unless
this terror is checked. It strides as a colossus it's shadow darkening every aspect of our
lives leaving a terrible trail of destruction in its wake.
The National Rainbow Coalition (NARC) government came to power on a platform of change and to
give them credit they seem to have embarked well in what is a most gargantuan and unenviable
task.
This is an appeal to President Mwai Kibaki to hear the silent screams of his people as this
terror flits constantly among them causing unimaginable pain, for this terror is a silent
killer, carrying with it a shame and prejudice so great that it's victims and their families
prefer to be crucified quietly.
I look back at the horror my wife, children, parents, relatives, friends, employers,
businessmen and other hapless Kenyans who I stole from, or conned or lied to during my drinking
days went through and would not wish this excruciating torture on any other human being Kenyan
or otherwise.
Mr. President, all the areas your government has set out to reform, from corruption through to
prisons, to crime to health to HIV/AIDS, the youth, street children all these efforts will be
hampered if we do not deal with the terror of alcohol, both legal and illegal.
The Western world long realised that unless this monster was put on a short leash, there would
be havoc in their societies. These very same societies who have money for awareness programmes,
thousands of rehabilitation centers including Employee Assistance Programmes (EAP's) to assist
addicted employees, Al-anon for families, Alateen for teenagers, ACOA for Adult Children Of
Alcoholics, numerous programmes for the Church, those addicted in prisons and for almost every
facet of alcoholism (some which we are not even aware of here yet) there is help. Yet through
all the problems they have, many of which already beset us, we are however nowhere near equipped to deal with them
We then who have only a handful of rehabilitation centers, which are under-funded and
struggling on their own, we who have no national alcohol policy in place, who do not even know
that alcoholism is a disease what chance then do we have?
Mr. President we have one chance and one chance only. A bold awareness initiative starting
right at the top. You Sir, must sit in the driver's seat on this one. You must head a multi
faceted, multi sectoral sustained and well-coordinated education campaign. Just as you have
sat in the driver’s seat with HIV/AIDS, which is a close bedfellow to alcohol, so must you show the
governments direction and position on alcohol.
It took me 15 years to come out of denial, 15 years of fighting the idea that I was
alcoholic. But finally the evidence overwhelmed me. That is how alcohol is, Patient,
overwhelming, and deadly. Had it only taken a year or two for me to come out of denial, I would have
saved everybody 13 years of terror. To my mind then alcohol is the real terrorist who costs as
more than all the bombs ever exploded in this country ever have.
Mr. President you on the other hand have the power to stop the suffering now. You Sir, can
act now to silence the hideous yet muted screams of your people and end the terror now. Now Sir,
not five, ten, or 13 years hence.
Ultimately the very nature of this terrorist will bring the whole country to it’s knees
before grinding our faces into the smelly mud made up of the emaciated or mangled bodies of our loved ones.
Then like the alcoholic who finally hits rock bottom we will be forced in any event to finally
act or perish. In the process however millions of hapless Kenyans will have suffered
unnecessarily or died.
Let the torrential deluge of alcohol now drowning your people subside. Let the sun come up
accompanied by a bright rainbow, for as legend has it, at the end of every rainbow there is a
pot of gold. NARC is the rainbow coalition, the pot of gold is a National Alcohol Policy. Mr.
President set your people free.
David Ogot is a freelance
journalist/producer who has personal experience with alcoholism. He can be reached at
goinghomedotcom@yahoo.com or alternatively at info@goinghomedotcom.org
This article was reprinted in 'The People On Sunday' Newspaper of Sunday August 10, 2003
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