It’s turning out to be a very emotional week for me this week. But it’s not about me that am writing this post. It’s about my fellow students. My comrades. My friends.
I was reading the feature story of the DN pullout in the Daily Nation of Wednesday 6th April 6, 2016. It is the story of a girl who was caught in the terrorist attack at Garissa University College on 2nd April 2015. It was a touching story of pain, suffering and resilience. In her, I saw the constant struggle to survive. I saw the pain we go through. I saw the fear we live through. I saw my roommates. I saw my friends. I saw every student in every university in the country. I saw myself.
In the past year, university students have been under siege from forces both internal and external. We have experienced loss at massive levels. We have lost properties. We have lost friends. We have lost loved ones. We have lost time. Dare I say it, we have lost hope.
A walk around the various universities will reveal a sense of tension, desperation, frustration and fear. We are all living on a knife’s edge. That, combined with the pressures of our education, is having a negative mental strain on the students’ psyche. This, in my humble opinion, could be contributing to what could be described as a spike in student unrest and violence among students. It’s like every week seems to have new negative reports on the state of the comrade. Sure, there are some positive and inspiring stories here and there but they are so few and far apart that they are almost non-existent.
Of particular interest to me is the University of Nairobi unrest. As you are all aware, the University of Nairobi is on indefinite closure. This is as a result of the disputed students’ elections which were marred by violence and claims of rigging by some candidates. There has been massive destruction of property and injuries to students in the university. It’s like a scene from Sarafina.
On the surface, it seems like a minor issue among students that has been blown out of proportion. Just some students who have decided to take their childish and fiendish hooliganism to the streets. I mean, haven’t we seen this scenario being repeated regularly whenever students think they have a reason to protest? But have you sat down to evaluate the situation differently. In my perspective, I think that this is case of the students just expressing themselves and releasing their frustrations. Their frustrations at a system that pressures them to perform in their exams or else they’ll have to do the dreaded supplementaries. Their frustrations at leaders who seem hell bent on holding on to power at all costs. Their frustrations at the complexities of the world. Their frustrations at life in general. In addition to these issues, there is also the issue of lack of concern for the students from the general public. A majority of the people I have talked to are curious as to the cause of the unrest but are indifferent, even callous, towards the students’ grievances. How sad considering that these very people are busy saying that students, and the youth in general, are the leaders of tomorrow and yet they are not bothered about their well-being.
It’s not easy to suggest one specific remedy to these issues since the situation is too complex to judge on face value. However, I believe that it would help if we showed the students that they are not alone. Now, am not asking for sympathy, but rather for empathy. When you see a student out there, pat him/her on the back and tell that it will get better. And remember to offer a prayer for a comrade. God knows how much we need it. Cheers!
thatmoonguy 