Key events that shaped the year, laid ground for a better world

Kap Kirwok

So, here we are again. Having covered about 934 million kilometres through space around the sun, at the speed of 107,300km per hour, this space-ship called earth is roughly back where it was last year. It is the end of the year and importantly, time to reflect on the 12-month journey.

It was full of memory-imprinting events. There were also innocent little events that you did not hear about or heard and promptly forgot, but, perhaps, with far-reaching consequences.

The list is long. Here are just but a few:

The post-election violence: This remains the seminal event of the year for many Kenyans. We came close to a full-scale civil war as the chaos threatened to spiral out of control. More than 1,200 people lost lives and hundreds of thousands were displaced. Many analysts now agree it was probably the discipline of the military leadership that held the nation together from disintegrating into factional fighting.

But here is a humbling perspective, one that ought to teach us a lesson. As Kenya counted its dead at the beginning of the year, a report by the International Red Cross suggested that at least 5.4 million people — an average of 540,000 every year — had lost lives in conflict-related deaths in the Democratic Republic of Congo. This is a humbling perspective but offers no comfort to victims of Kenya’s post-election violence.

Barack Obama’s election: As if timed to take away some of the ugly stain of negative publicity that the violence was generating, Barack Obama won the Iowa Caucus in the Democratic nominations on January 3. The buzz generated by that historic win by the son of a Kenyan father cast a positive light on a country going through its darkest hour.

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Unfettered

His eventual victory in November ensured that Kenya will forever be yoked — for better or worse — to an historical, and quite possibly, world-transforming moment.

Incidentally, the direct economic benefit of an Obama presidency, besides tourist-related income, may be felt more after he leaves office. The obvious reason is that virtually all his time and energy will be consumed by the serious and complex problems facing the US.

The second reason is, once out of office, he will be free to focus on the rest of the world, if he so wishes, unfettered by the risks that a political office carries. This brings me to the third consequential event of the year.

Jimmy Carter: To a vocal minority of Americans, Jimmy Carter was one of the worst presidents in the US history. Scholars and the public are less harsh. In historical rankings, he comes in anywhere between number 19 and 34 among the 43 presidents so far. For most of the world, however, Carter is a gift from God. His post-presidency peacekeeping and humanitarian efforts make him easily one of the most successful ex-presidents in the US history.

Early this month, Carter announced one of the best news for Africa — the imminent eradication of the guinea worm disease.

The disease is one of the scourges that appear to come straight from the devil’s laboratory — and ordered specifically for Africa. It is deadly and ugly. Consider the following facts about its lifecycle: It is a parasitic worm infection that occurs when people drink stagnant water containing a tiny water flea that is infected with larvae of the guinea worm. Inside the human body, the larvae mature and grow to more than a metre long. After about a year, the worm emerges slowly through a painful blister in the skin. Yuck!

According to The Carter Centre, the campaign to eradicate the disease has achieved remarkable results; from an estimated prevalence of 3.5 million cases in 1986, to fewer than 5,000 cases today — a remarkable 99 per cent decline in 20 years! Complete eradication is now within sight. It will be the first time in history that a parasitic disease has been eradicated.

High-speed internet

Could an ex-president Obama achieve a similar feat for Africa and Kenya (yes, dream on!)?

Google: Finally, in September there was the announcement that Google had entered into partnership with Liberty Global and HSBC Bank to bring high-speed Internet to people in Africa and other developing markets. The idea is to dramatically improve access to high-speed Internet throughout Africa using satellites.

This is a consequential event because it could herald a new trend in which technological solutions for the developing world are seen as part of smart business strategy.

Imagine rural economies spurred by mobile telephony, portable energy sources and access to the world through high-speed Internet!

Happy New Year.

The writer ([email protected]) is based in the US.