Tribalism can be defined as a state of organization, defense of a tribe or tribes. It also refers to a way of thinking or behaving in which people are more loyal to their tribe than to their friends.
We have witnessed through the media and the books we read, how this monster – tribalism has caused irreparable damage to our society. Let’s look at the case of Rwanda and what happened in 1994, where the Hutus, who are the majority, massacred a million Tutsis, a minority tribe, in a span of 91 days. To this day, people in Rwanda and the international world have not yet recovered from the impact of this genocide.
Immaculee Ilibagiza, a Holocaust survivor from Rwanda, has told it all in her book “Left to Tell.”
Immaculee describes his country as a beautiful masterpiece of God, with rolling hills; mountains covered with mist; green valleys and sparkling lakes. She describes the climate as pleasant all year round, which is why German settlers who arrived in the late 1800s named it The Land of Eternal Spring. “
Immaculee grew up not knowing which tribe she belonged to until she went to school. The ethnic roll call by her teacher Buhoro caught her by surprise, as when she asked the Hutus, Tutsis and Twa to stand up, Immaculee remained seated.
“Immaculee Ilibagiza, she didn’t stand up when I said Hutu, she didn’t stand up when I said Twa, and she didn’t stand up now that I said Tutsi. Why? Her parents didn’t teach her or her siblings the story of their own She had no idea of the tribal animosity that has been shrinking back to the days of the German and Belgian colonialists. These colonialists created a mistake that will later fuel resentment between the Hutus and the Tutsis. The colonialists favored the Tutsis that they are the minority and positioned them as a ruling class; therefore, the Tutsis were assured of better education to better manage the country, for the benefit of the Belgian lords. This resentment gained momentum and reached its climax in 1994, where the Hutus massacred a million Tutsis in a span of 91 days. Immaculee’s family was brutally murdered and she and her brother, who was out of the country, were the only survivors. tribal gums.
In 1992, 5,000 people were brutally murdered in Kenya and another 75,000 were displaced in the Rift Valley in what was called tribal fighting. This conflict was mainly between the Kalenjin and Kikuyu communities. The former head of state, President Moi of Kenya, defined tribalism as a cancer to be avoided.
The monster of tribalism has penetrated its tentacles in both the public and private sectors. The element of ethnicity and nepotism has caused people’s careers to rush downhill, while those belonging to the ‘right’ tribes climb the ladder. Take the example of Mr. Mulunzi (not his real name), who worked in the public sector in 1962 and worked hard over the years until he retired in 1997 without getting a single promotion. Therefore, the reason he remains stuck in his position is because he did not belong to the tribe that was in power at the time. He saw his less competent contemporaries climb the ladder because they belonged to the “correct” tribe. This scenario brought him a sense of hopelessness and despair and after his retirement it was deemed necessary that he seek specialized treatment for depression.
Pius Omondi (not his real name) was another victim of misfortune. He did well in his ‘O’ level education. His good scores led him to get a job as a clerk at a profitable bank. But he hardly enjoyed his job, as he faced a series of subtle persecutions from his supervisor, Mr. Mburu. His supervisor felt that his uncle’s son, who was not as qualified as Omondi, was better suited for the job. He trudged at his job for 10 years without getting a single promotion. His job became a source of misery. Later she will suffer from health problems and when she sought medical attention she was diagnosed with a condition known as panic attacks. While in treatment, his problems at work persisted. His friend Sirikwa, who was self-employed, was very sympathetic to him. At the same time, there was an investment craze that had taken the country by storm. Pyramid schemes were introduced under the guise of Christianity. Many were lured into joining schemes that promised to double the principal amount after a two-week period. Sirikwa was already a beneficiary of the plans and had bought acres of land with the proceeds of his investment. He will later attract Omondi to join those plans. Omondi couldn’t see why he should remain in a job rat race, with all the frustrations that came with it. He chose to retire early, which he did. He was paid a lucrative lucrative sum. When he finally retired from the Bank, he sang a new song. A song by a prisoner who had been freed from the problems of employment.
Like his friend Sirikwa, he joined the pyramid schemes by putting all the money that the Bank paid him into these schemes. And before the two weeks were up for him to taste the first fruits of his investment, the government ordered the closure of all pyramid schemes, calling them illegal scams. Hundreds of people lost their money that they never got back until today. Omondi ended up languishing and eventually went to live in the slums.
Now that I think about it, all this suffering from Mulunzi and Omondi tells us how tribalism can be evil and demoralizing.