The Forest Has Changed But The Monkeys Are Still The Same – KANERE

An Angry opinion piece by Kumsa Keno a Refugee contributor to KANERE from Kakuma, A message on the world Refugee Day.

Life always has questions and answer for everyone who dares hang on long enough to listen to it, and converse with itself. But often, people are too busy running from one meeting to the next, too busy urging this day to end. So that tomorrow can be here. People were surprised that I was Shocked! And no sooner is tomorrow here than we wish the same for it. It is a cycle of natural phenomenon that keeps repeating itself. But the above” hullabaloo” can’t work on the planet my communities and I living. Because we are not part of them. Our location or destination also did not allow us to share the world. Surprisingly, the name given us determines our double marginalization all over the world. I’m wondering our correctional faculty all over the world is the same. E.g. In Kenya (Kakuma, daadab), In Ethiopia (sherkole, shimalba), In Chad for Darfur people and every where in Middle East countries…etc.

I feel that I’m not in this never ending circus and that days keep recycling themselves. It is no wonder that a year to day seems like a month to the rest world. This is not the beginning of the end, just the beginning of the end else. Call it what you may! I call it the real difference between human being on the same planet. On the real planet, people go through life in a normal cycle complete with ups and downs not different from those of their next door neighboring. But for my communities and me, the downs are deepest and the ups steepest.

I spend a lot of time thinking and worrying about myself. So much! So that by the time I mange to fall asleep, it is time to wake up and face new bigger tribulation placed before courtesy of being a refugee. Sleeping for a short time is nothing new for my community and me. In our rootless society poverty afflicts us and it is undeniable that, ironically, it is becoming more dangerous to us. .It obvious on the real planet people have a place to call home. If they worked hard they can make their future bright with extreme hopeful joy. But we don’t have home; we don’t have any hope to change our future what over. Really I’m not feeling good. I’m just sitting under acacia tree since four year. I’m looking people those who lost hope, discouraged being a human being, by searing temperatures. Skin color change, early getting old age, developing incurable diseases like mental disorder, HIV/Aid etc. In the above fabulous climate, I lost some of my age group died young while others of us have lived to tell our stories.

“Anyone can become angry that’s easy. But to be angry with the right reason, to the right degree, at the right time, for the right purpose, and in the right way is not easy” “taught Aristotle” to whom we become angry? When? Where? Why? How?.