Kennedy Odede

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A supporter of the opposition leader Raila Odinga in the Kibera slum in Nairobi, Kenya. It is often said, “When Kibera burns, so does Kenya.” Credit Goran Tomasevic/Reuters

MundoÁfrica,

Peace means so much more after you’ve experienced violence. Less than a month ago, my country, Kenya, held a hotly contested presidential election. On the morning the polls opened, my heart raced — I come from and work in the Kibera slums, and it is often said, “When Kibera burns, so does Kenya.” But not this time.

During my childhood, campaign season was the only time we ate rice. My mother would come home with a small portion of rice, a handout from a politician. “Where did the rice come from?” I would ask her, and she would say from someone campaigning, the name unimportant, her vote equally unassured.…  Seguir leyendo »

MundoÁfrica

Africa's population is growing rapidly -- and unlike much of the world, it's also getting younger. Based on current trends, the continent's population is poised to increase from just over 1 billion today to more than 4 billion by the end of the century. And while countries like the United States, Japan and many of those in Europe are aging, within the next 35 years, 40% of all our planet's children will likely call Africa home.

Some analysts worry that the continent isn't prepared for this youth bulge. Yet the reality is that as Africa grows, its economies, cultural dynamics and aspirations are evolving with it.…  Seguir leyendo »

MundoÁfricaInternacionalTerrorismo Internacional, ,

Terrorism is a global reality, and for me as a Kenyan, this struck close to home in September with the siege of the Westgate mall. Yet in many ways, growing up in Nairobi I was always in the midst of terror. As a boy living in extreme poverty in Kibera, one of Africa’s largest slums, I learned early on that I was disposable, that human life is not equally valued. Life expectancy in Kibera is estimated at 30 years, compared with 64 in the rest of Kenya and 70 worldwide. In Kibera, people are desensitized to death. Living is understood to be the exception.…  Seguir leyendo »

MundoÁfrica

I have never met Nelson Mandela, but we have had many conversations.

In my family's tiny shack in Nairobi's Kibera slum, my one-way exchanges with the great man kept me going. Mandela survived 27 years of prison; maybe I would make it out, too.

Mandela became South Africa's first black president in 1994, when I was 10 years old. In Kibera, people celebrated and talk circulated the streets about this man, but I didn't see how his story connected to mine until much later. I was struggling too hard simply to survive.

At 10, I was on and off the streets.…  Seguir leyendo »

ReflexionesSocial,

Slum tourism has a long history — during the late 1800s, lines of wealthy New Yorkers snaked along the Bowery and through the Lower East Side to see “how the other half lives.”

But with urban populations in the developing world expanding rapidly, the opportunity and demand to observe poverty firsthand have never been greater. The hot spots are Rio de Janeiro, Mumbai — thanks to “Slumdog Millionaire,” the film that started a thousand tours — and my home, Kibera, a Nairobi slum that is perhaps the largest in Africa.

Slum tourism has its advocates, who say it promotes social awareness.…  Seguir leyendo »