Reports from different commissions and task forces formed to look into the causes of the post poll violence in Kenya consistently pointed a finger at the role the Kenyan Diaspora played in whipping up emotions that led in part, to the violence that gripped the country soon after the announcement of presidential results.
The Diaspora is accused in part, of taking tribal and ethnic positions during the last elections and through radio call-in and social media like Facebook, in part fuelled inter-tribal animosity. Casual observation of the way the Kenyan Diaspora behave and act would reveal a disturbing strong sense of tribal leanings and affiliations.
But, despite all this and the fact that some in Diaspora were directly affected by the violence, there have been no coordinated initiatives and efforts aimed at healing and reconciling the affected groups.
According to organisers, the four-month campaign road show will be fronted by music and dance, song and poetry and will be a stage-managed showcase of Kenyaâs rich socio-cultural diversity as a unifying factor. It will feature a moving stage complete with a discotheque, live performances- songs, spoken word, comedy and any other âopen-mikeâ presentations all aimed at not just entertaining the audience but also educating the Diaspora on their civic duty.
Powered by Diaspora Voice TV show, the campaign will feature live streaming of discussions of issues affecting the Diaspora. Most significantly, the campaign will be a forum through which Kenyans living abroad can express themselves on what it is and what it means to be a Kenyan living abroad.
From Boston, Massachusetts, the campaign will move on to: New York/New Jersey, Pennsylvania/Delaware, DMV- Baltimore, MD/DC, Metro area, North/South Carolina, Georgia/ Alabama, Texas- Dallas, Houston, Missouri/ Kansas, Florida, Kentucky, California, Ohio/Indiana, Minnesota and Illinois âChicago.
Others will be Michigan-Detroit, Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver and Ontario. Details and dates are still being worked on.
