Via Subadai come a terrifying look at the current state of Kenya’s tribal warfare. Only a year ago promoted as a stable democracy in volatile Africa that made it a darling of Washington and other donors and investors, since allegations of election rigging in December there has been ongoing tribal warfare that has not subsided since the political compromise.
Warriors from feuding tribes now clash on battlefields that take place daily and follow codified, age-old traditions. The weapon of choice is homemade bow-and-arrows. The photo-journal from Time is required viewing. And why missile weapons instead of machetes?
“We were using swords but they were not effective,” says Sylvester, 24, slashing a knife in the air. “In a day we can make between 80 and 100 [arrows],” he adds, refusing to give his last name out of fear. Community members pool money together to buy the necessary tools in secret; the arrows are then distributed within the neighborhood. Local leaders know about the arrow factories, but police forces do not.
Shooters say the advantage of arrows is that people often do not see the weapon coming, leaving victims vulnerable. “Before this conflict, arrows were not used for these kind of recent attacks. They were mainly used for activities such as hunting,” says former Rift Valley police commander Everett Wasige. “This is obviously something very wrong and very new.”
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COMMENTS / 10 COMMENTS
kende added these pithy words on 15 Mar 08 at 7:04 amHeh. Well that’s the problem right there. The seedbed of anarchy, even. Kenyans were in the mood for rebellion thanks to their displeasure at having their entire nation moved from East Africa to West Africa. If I were them, I’d be at least a bit disoriented too. How exactly this tremendous feat of geographic upheaval took place… :)
kende added these pithy words on 16 Mar 08 at 4:12 amDamn, I was just getting used to the idea…
The photo with the bows and arrows is just classic. I wonder how fast this innovative technology will spread to the rest of the continent.
Curzon added these pithy words on 16 Mar 08 at 1:37 pmDammit, you’re trying to be funny when this shit is serious! On one level we can be happy that the casualty rates are low, and as one friend noted, as these are following long-standing tribal rules of war, this is really a perverse version of primite sports.
kende added these pithy words on 16 Mar 08 at 9:56 pmYes, it’s very serious. But there is also something absurd about it. Maybe even more serious because of how absurd it is…
How does anyone bring a stop to this violence that at its root is so irrational? Its methods are thankfully irrational so far (there would be much greater carnage if they chose weaponry from a recent century), and while I think you are right in stressing that the implications towards a spiraling descent into much worse social collapse are worth looking at seriously (or at least that’s how I’m interpreting what you’ve said), I also think there is a benefit in disarming some of the seriousness of the concept of tribes attacking each other with bows and arrows. My immediate reaction along that line is just “You’ve got to be kidding me. Bows and arrows?”
When taking a bigger view and mapping out the whole problem, I can’t think of any better way to get this conflict to settle down than by starting with a reminder to ourselves that this kind of anarchy, while a default state of nature, does not need to be inherently unavoidable or impossible to counter. It’s a reminder that this whole thing is rooted in the choices of players outside of those focused on in this photo series. The tribes are acting out in reaction to not much more than the reactions of the tribes, and that is pretty absurd. By returning to that point it gives a contrast to what an alternative reality for this situation could be. I would say the joke of it all gives the start of an answer for how to resolve this mess.
Michael added these pithy words on 17 Mar 08 at 6:55 pmSwap all their arrows for SCA-style golf tube arrows. Force the losers of the fights to pay for post-fight beer.
Michael added these pithy words on 17 Mar 08 at 7:06 pmWith that out of my system, big question in my mind is: Why are the Maasai and Kalenjin fighting? Did the Maasai take the Kikuyu side in the recent conflict? Was there an intrusion of one group upon the other’s territory that wasn’t covered in the news reports?
Mitch H. added these pithy words on 17 Mar 08 at 7:26 pmIIRC from my old anthro courses, this sort of ritualized open-field battle tends towards low casualty rates, but it’s also usually accompanied by night-time raids which cause the vast majority of bloodshed.
In other words, the bows are cutely exotic, like a multi-cultural version of British soccer hooliganism. But it suggests that the tribal violence which kills is probably getting started in the darkness, with, yes, machetes and knives in the dark.
Seerov added these pithy words on 18 Mar 08 at 2:22 amThis picture reminds me of the ethnography called “Dead Birds.” Many people mistakenly believe that warfare at the primitive level is only “ceremonial” which produces low rates of casualties. They couldn’t be more wrong.
Primitive societies in Africa, South America, and New Guinea inflict and sustain rather large amounts of casualties if one considers the scale of the society being studied. They also ambush children and have no remorse for doing so. These pictures look just like the battle scene from “Dead Birds.” Dead Birds is an anthropology classic. I’ve been forced to watch it at least 8 times.
Soob added these pithy words on 18 Mar 08 at 8:54 pmThe Strategist has an interesting counter-point. Seerov, in light of your above comment, you might be especially interested in reading it.
http://kotare.typepad.com/thestrategist/2008/03/the-dawn-of-war.html
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