How do you honour a great teacher? At Alliance High School, you are buried in the school grounds. Starehe Boys Centre also buried their founder in the school grounds. That is rare in other schools, where I suspect parents would demonstrate against such a decision. This practice is borrowed from Britain where prominent men are buried at Westminster Abbey or in the Vatican where some Popes are buried beneath St Peter's Basilica.
Among the great teachers buried at Alliance is Carey Francis who taught mathematics and headed the school for several years. Another is Rev Fred Welch. With his wife Eileen, he taught religion and wrote a textbook, The Promise that was used in high school for a long time.
In a curious but very foresighted practice, Alliance High School used to teach a course called general religious education to all A level students irrespective of whether they were taking Sciences or Arts. Rev Welch taught the course himself. And may I say it in silence and humility, he taught me.
He introduced us to world religions, their key beliefs and creeds. He probably realised that one day religions and our misunderstandings of them would be a source of instability. How many Christians have ever read the Holy Koran? As a Muslim, have you ever read the Bible?
One religion that Rev Welch taught about was curiously materialism. That was in the late 1980s, long before flamboyant preachers had emerged in Kenya and prosperity gospel started competing or is it complementing capitalism.
Long after Reverend Welch left us for the beautiful shore in 2001, materialism has flourished. Could it be behind the wave of corruption cases that are common in Kenya? Ever wondered why corruption is hard to confront in Kenya?
Corruption could be religious, deeply ingrained in our psyche, just like cults that compromise your rationality. Materialism is about insatiable pursuit of material things, from clothes, to cars, to houses. Other facets of materialism include accumulation of certificates, show off and class consciousness. Noted that an average Kenyan is more likely to call you when in need of money, either for harambee or debt that you fight to be paid? We can argue that the fight over political power in Kenya by its elites is about access to material things. Ever seen a government Vitz?
While we need all these material things, materialists pursue such things beyond necessity. Some Kenyans think materialism is the hallmark of western civilization and the pedestal on which capitalism stands. But the western mode of capitalism is muted by progressive taxation and welfare which takes care of the disadvantaged in the society. That is why unemployed get welfare checks to take care of their most basic needs from food to shelter.
Western capitalism incidentally, is farther muted by traditional Christian religion, which at its core is the need to take of one another. It is that religion that we imported, and embraced until new forces started challenging it.
First was capitalism, which we have never understood. We think capitalism is about accumulation of material wealth. That is why materialism is such a great buddy of capitalism as we understand it.
But the core of capitalism is freedom to create wealth but within the norms of the society espoused by the laws, mutually agreed by reasonable people. The laws are enacted through voting (e.g. referendum) or indirectly through representatives from MCAs to MPs and Senators and President.
Once people believe capitalism is about accumulation of wealth irrespective of how it's got, materialism flourishes. Corruption, which has other names like rent seeking or among the youth smartness is a good conveyor belt for materialists. We must add that lots of materialists are honest men and women.
The religious nature of materialism makes it so hard to confront, just like cults and religious fundamentalists. Devoid of human face, materialists can do anything to get material things including killing fellow human beings. The other pedestals on which civilization stands like intellectualism and true spiritual values take a back seat. Does it bother you that many seemingly "successful" people are unhappy?
Some have argued that materialism afflicts more those who were denied material things while growing up. But it is universal because you can't have enough materials and the more you have, the more you want. How long does it take you to get bored with your new shoe or car?
Materialism despite its glamour gnaws on the soul and the heart of the nation. It ravages generations, creating meaninglessness and unhappy people. Yet for generations philosophers and religious leaders have reminded us that meaning and happiness often come from sharing out, helping each other and going back to the basics. May be the reason why those endowed with material things eventually go back to the basics, living in leafy suburbs, playing games on natural ground like golf or polo and being philanthropic.
Unfortunately and for the vast majority, that reality comes too late in life when materialism has taken its toll. Have other religion teachers in Kenya taken over from where Rev. Welch stopped?
