TRIBE ALL

I absolutely love football. I play it less often now, realized sometime back I’ll never make it to play for the Arsenal but that hasn't reduced my passion for the beautiful game. I watch football on TV more than anything else, talk about it almost every day whether with friends in college, at home but mostly online. My favourite team Arsenal happens to have the best blog writes who also are many covering many aspects of the North London club. Well, constant winning of awards makes me so say by the aforementioned writers. Sometime I was reading an article about ‘tribalism’ in football. Actually, it was the headline that caught my attention. It was a moment of reality of just how uncontrolled passion, while good and care-free fun, can result in disaster occurring.

The ugly side of football

The article was written after St. Petersburg club in Russia, considered to have the most violent and aggressive of fans (read racists) had attacked those of a rival team and maimed several. The writer was repeating a story that happens when most rival fans collide and blood is shed. He called it tribalism and that made me think deep of our local situation. See, in football, it’s part of the

experience to have a feeling of belonging with fans of the same team while making mockery of those of rivals especially after beating their team. Also, a lot of unbiased and negative feelings and enmity develop against any other team, more so that of rivals. To many fans, that’s just part of the experience, I included but psychos exist and so do they even in society.

Unity in diversity

There are more important aspects in life than football. And more serious issues that need addressing like tribalism. No one chose what race, nationality or tribe to be born in unlike football where one chooses. No one should gloat over the tribe they belong to but that’s acceptable in football. Growing up, the truth is it’d never hit me of my differences with friends I grew up with. All that changed in 2007. We all know what happened then and how worse it has become. I log onto Facebook and the posts I see in relation to the same make my stomach turn with ire. I heard some kids outside the barbershop I go to turn violent and abuses were hurled between them. Besides the usual ‘mbwa’ and ‘jinga’ words, the name of the other kid’s tribe was used to pull him down.

What have we become, Kenyans? Considered the most optimistic people in the planet, 10 years later we’re probably among the polarized of people. United we may seem but that’s because we choose to speak in hushed tones and now more behind out keyboards, spitting hatred against each other on social platforms. We can blame the leaders but the buck stops with us at the individual level. It starts with you, and me. Ball’s in our courts now.

One Kenya

Like footballers who earn mind-blowing amounts of money, we cheer them on and hate on them when they prove disloyal by moving to better paying clubs. Like politicians who seem ever agitating for more pay, we get duped more often than not. Their utterances make us hate each other, and unfortunately even kill each other. Makes me wish we’d live by the rap line sang by a popular hip-hop musician; WE’RE ONE NATION, UNDER GOD.

Yesterday, I attended a match between Kenya’s Harambee Stars and Nigeria’s Super Eagles. We did lose at home from a freak sole goal but I also learnt something at Kasarani. All of us were draped in the national colours cheering on our team. I couldn't tell whether the people around me were Luo, Kikuyu or any other Kenyan tribe. We joined together, singing, jeering and having a good time; as Kenyans. How I hope this would flood over in other aspects of our lives as Kenyans. I choose to act. Hope you do the same and as incense spreads a sweet smelling aroma of peace, love and unity. For this three need to define us as a nation.

Until another time, I remain, Njabia the 3^rd.