I will be having a photo exhibition at Rutgers University (New Brunswick, New Jersey) at The Center for African Studies (CAS) from 14th February to the 27th Feb. The Exhibition is titled, Never Again, a collection of my work that captures the tragic moment of “ethnic” violence in Kenya in the immediate aftermath of the 2007 Presidential Elections. The exhibition includes a screening Heal the Nation,” a 30 minutes documentary providing eyewitness accounts of the tragedy that befell Kenyans in 2007-2008 and discussions. Through photo exhibitions and audiovisual presentations,Picha Mtaani Initiative intends to create a platform for Kenyans in the Diaspora to see the images of the 2007 election violence and an opportunity to get involved in the Kenyan roadmap to reconciliation.
I will engage in conversation with scholars, students and the American public about the subject of the exhibition. The Center for African Studies also plans to have two distinguished speakers at the launching of the exhibition who will make presentation on the theme of “violence and healing.” One is Ngugi wa Thiong’o, Distinguished Professor of English and Comparative Literature at the University of California, Irvine. His recently released childhood memoir Dreams in Times of War on memory in the context of a history of violence is particularly pertinent to the theme of this exhibition. The other speaker is Gabriele Schwab, Chancellor’s Professor of Comparative Literature at the University of California at Irvine. A power-house in cultural theory, Professor Scwhab is currently completing Haunting Legacies her latest book on trauma and healing.
During the build-up to 2007 elections many Kenyan politicians travelled to different corners of the World to seek endorsements from political leaders and financial support from international sources and Kenyans in the diaspora for the General Elections held on 27 December 2010. Kenyans in diaspora participated actively in the processes to the General Elections, from shaping public opinion to financial contributions and other material support to the various political parties and candidates. According to a report by the Coalition for Accountable Political Financing, approximately $65 million was used in a period of nine (9) months preceding the General Elections by political parties and candidates. These pictures will also serve as a reminder to Kenyans in the Diaspora to be more concerned about the destination of every dollar they contribute to the election process. The World is watching how well Kenya meets this Agenda. This photographic demonstration of how devastated Kenya and Kenyans were in the post-election period forms a baseline on which to appraise Kenya’s progress towards national healing, reconciliation and cohesion.
Kenyans in Diaspora are concentrated in seven (7) key states. We wish to explore the possibilities of doing more exhibitions in Washington DC, Boston, Atlanta, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles, New York and engage with Kenyans in all these states, across the U.S which have high population of Kenyan professionals and students: It is to these cities that politicians will turn in the run up to the 2012 Elections as well.
Thank You Boniface Mwangi
Some of the photos from Boniface Mwangi
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