1 Million People + 1 Square Mile Equals....
On Saturday, Aaron (a videographer from Grand Rapids who attends Rob Bell's Mars Hill Church) and I were invited by Charles Nandain, the librarian at Nairobi International School of Theology (NIST) to travel around Nairobi to see its variety. He had three themes for us; 1) The wealth of Nairobi, 2) the industry of Nairobi, and 3) the poverty of Nairobi.
The last one is the theme that made the most impression as I am sure you can understand. Charles lives on the edge of Kibera, one of the largest single slums on the planet. There are 1 Million people crammed into 1 Square Mile. There are some places where in order to enter the slum it is necessary to enter through someone else's home. In many areas there are no toilets.
As Charles talked about Kibera he wanted it to be clear that this was not how individuals were meant to live, but that this was how many needed to live, as there was no other way. As for him, a professional librarian, he chose to live on the edge of Kibera, in a "compound of other homes with a area for about 6-8 cars and that has a single gate that is locked at night, so that he could send money to his extended family in his ancestral village many miles north of Nairobi. Often individuals will work in the major cities and retire to the ancestral villages. Charles, and Ephraim from NEGST, live with their families (any where from 4-5 others) in an attached structure about the size of a US two-car garage, which is divided into small separate living spaces. Each of them have a small patch of grass outside their entrances.
It was Aaron and my understanding that we were actually going to go into Kibera, but we didn't. This disappointed Aaron. I was somewhat disappointed, but, in some ways, I was relieved as well. I am a visual learner and with that comes a strong visual memory. There was a part of me that didn't want the memories. There was also a part of me that recognized that these were fellow human beings, who were created in the image of God and for whom Christ was born, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, was dead, and was buried. These individuals are people. Part of me wanted to share, for a brief moment, their experience. It could be that Charles didn't want Kenya--Nairobi--to be generalized solely as the depths of poverty in Kibera. I think this is why he wanted us to experience the other "themes." Kenya--Nairobi--is much more than Kibera.
I have been to Brazil and have visited the slums, called favelas. I have been to a home with a single bulb hanging from the ceiling where an open sewer runs just outside the door. I have also seen these kinds of poverty in the states--in my own town. Each of these situations are vividly deposited in my mind. I will remember them, I believe, until the day I die. My prayer is that these memories will make me more understanding and compassionat--more like Christ.
The last one is the theme that made the most impression as I am sure you can understand. Charles lives on the edge of Kibera, one of the largest single slums on the planet. There are 1 Million people crammed into 1 Square Mile. There are some places where in order to enter the slum it is necessary to enter through someone else's home. In many areas there are no toilets.
As Charles talked about Kibera he wanted it to be clear that this was not how individuals were meant to live, but that this was how many needed to live, as there was no other way. As for him, a professional librarian, he chose to live on the edge of Kibera, in a "compound of other homes with a area for about 6-8 cars and that has a single gate that is locked at night, so that he could send money to his extended family in his ancestral village many miles north of Nairobi. Often individuals will work in the major cities and retire to the ancestral villages. Charles, and Ephraim from NEGST, live with their families (any where from 4-5 others) in an attached structure about the size of a US two-car garage, which is divided into small separate living spaces. Each of them have a small patch of grass outside their entrances.
It was Aaron and my understanding that we were actually going to go into Kibera, but we didn't. This disappointed Aaron. I was somewhat disappointed, but, in some ways, I was relieved as well. I am a visual learner and with that comes a strong visual memory. There was a part of me that didn't want the memories. There was also a part of me that recognized that these were fellow human beings, who were created in the image of God and for whom Christ was born, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, was dead, and was buried. These individuals are people. Part of me wanted to share, for a brief moment, their experience. It could be that Charles didn't want Kenya--Nairobi--to be generalized solely as the depths of poverty in Kibera. I think this is why he wanted us to experience the other "themes." Kenya--Nairobi--is much more than Kibera.
I have been to Brazil and have visited the slums, called favelas. I have been to a home with a single bulb hanging from the ceiling where an open sewer runs just outside the door. I have also seen these kinds of poverty in the states--in my own town. Each of these situations are vividly deposited in my mind. I will remember them, I believe, until the day I die. My prayer is that these memories will make me more understanding and compassionat--more like Christ.
posted by David Malone at 8:29 PM
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