Kenya and The Word “Tribe”

I noticed in reviewing Blogafrica this morning that Ethan Zuckerman (“My Heart’s in Accra http://www.ethanzuckerman.com/blog/ ) cited the allAfrica.com item about the problems posed by journalists using the word “tribe” or “tribalism” in recent articles about the latest crisis in Kenya.
Here is a key section from the allAfrica.com item:

“…the pattern of oversimplifying African conflicts to "tribe" is pervasive and long-standing. Of course, changing the terminology will not solve conflicts, whatever their roots. But many analysts have long argued that "tribe" is particularly pernicious in diverting attention from the structural and immediate causes of violence by attributing it to supposedly immutable and irrational divisions.

“This AfricaFocus Bulletin contains a paper from the Africa Policy Information Center, written ten years ago, called "Talking about 'Tribe.'

“In this paper we argue that anyone concerned with truth and accuracy should avoid the term "tribe" in characterizing African ethnic groups or cultures. This is not a matter of political correctness. Nor is it an attempt to deny that cultural identities throughout Africa are powerful, significant and sometimes linked to deadly conflicts. It is simply to say that using the term "tribe" does not contribute to understanding these identities or the conflicts sometimes tied to them. There are, moreover, many less loaded and more helpful alternative words to use.”

(The full item is at http://allafrica.com/stories/200801080683.html )

This reminded me of when I was sent out as a correspondent to Kenya in 1993 and was warned in advance that I should never use the word “tribe” or variations thereof. I understood the rationale but still, such admonitions are a kind of temptation. So less than a year after taking up my duties in Kenya, my chance to use the word came in the form of direct comments by the man who was then Kenya's foreign minister, then using the full name of Stephen Kalonzo Musyoka. (Now he is the country’s just appointed Vice President and has dropped the Stephen. See http://www.kalonzomusyokaforpresident.co.ke/ )

He had no apparent trouble using the T word. Here is the March 1994 story.

Kenya’s Foreign Minister has rejected suggestions that the country's ruling party is preparing to jettison the multi-party system. But the official, Stephen Musyoka, says tribalism (eds: his word) is threatening democracy in Kenya.

Mr. Musyoka says there can be no question of Kenya reverting to the single-party system abandoned three years ago.

But the Kenyan Foreign Minister told reporters in Nairobi the country's ruling party has a right to examine what has to be done in order for democracy to flourish.

He suggests political pluralism has exacerbated tensions between the country's various ethnic groups and is now jeopardizing Kenya's democratic system.

“As long as you continue to think in terms of which tribe one comes from, majority tribe, minority tribes, and the like, then you're not really talking in the best interests of democracy. . . Democracy cannot thrive in a situation of tribalism.”

Mr. Musyoka made the comments in response to a question about Kenyan President Daniel Arap Moi's recent announcement that his governing KANU party would soon launch a review of the multi-party system introduced in 1991 under the intense pressure of the country's major western aid donors.

Pointing to recurring political violence since then, Mr. Moi complained about what he called the agony suffered by Kenyans as a result of the shift from single-party rule.

Mr. Moi has accused some opposition leaders of using ethnicity to divide Kenyans for what he has termed selfish political reasons.

But opposition officials, as well as some western diplomats, have in turn accused Mr. Moi and other Kenyan authorities of manipulating tribal allegiances and even fueling ethnic violence for their own purposes.

These officials and diplomats have also expressed concern that the announced KANU review of multi-partyism could lead to a reversal in the process of democratization and a renewal of political repression.