This video clip, from NTVKenya, focuses on the plight of internally displaced people in Kenya. These people have largely been displaced due to conflicts, and often consist of families and/or farmers.
A good portion of this clip focuses on one of the men in the camp who has AIDS, and has been unable to consistently recieve the nutrition and medicine that he should due to his disease. Unfortunately for us, his interview is not in English, so it is difficult to understand what he is saying. It is clear, however, that he is suffering, and people all around him are as well.
Another focus of this clip is about government donations of seed to displaced persons to help them start farming again, but it seems disturbingly like a photo opportunity (or even propaganda).
Estimates of displaced people in Kenya put numbers somewhere between 300,000-350,000 total, with many able to find homes (whether their old homes or new ones). One website puts the estimate of currently displaced Kenyans at 50,000-100,000.
This second video talks more about the desires of the Kenyans in displaced persons camps. Some of them want to return to their homes and farms, others want to be given different land to settle in. It seems that the government is happy to let those who want to return do so, but it's more questionable as to whether any will be provided with new land if that is what they want. There are also questions about what land would be used for displaced persons and where the money would come from, if things turn that way.
I found this second video to be somewhat more dry than the first, since it focuses much more on the government, with soundbites of a number of officials. The first seems to focus much more on the people, with no fancy graphics, and less time spent on politicians.
It is hard to watch these types of videos, because it brings vividly to mind the displaced persons camps after World War II. This seems to be yet another reminder of history repeating itself. It does seem that governments are putting forth some effort to solve the problems of the people in the camps, but in the meantime, people like the man in the first clip are dying of disease, and have been pushed out of their homes.
Statistics found at http://www.internal-displacement.org/countries/kenya
2 comments:
Wow ... interesting sites and videos - It does remind us of the past ... but we need to think about how we deal with this issues in contemporary society ... the question remains of why this continues to occur and why there is so little action taken against it.
Just took another look ... that's a great website.
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