Lentils, Lentils, Lentils - the Kenyan Deathstalker, part 2
“SOLITARY, POOR, NASTY, BRUTISH, AND SHORT”
Donate here to help Sultan: https://gofund.me/7142b7f7
What is HOME to you, dear reader?
Is it where you were born? Is it where you live now? Do you own the place in which you live? If you’re a renter, are you protected against unwarranted eviction? Do you have a right to keep your property inside the four walls you occupy? Can you receive mail there? Are you pretty sure you’ll be able to live there tomorrow? Can you place your name above the door? If you answered yes to any of these questions, then you do not live in a refugee camp.
The main issue for refugees such as my friend Sultan in his camp is the insecurity of their “homes.” The roof leaks, the toilet is a hole in the ground outside, and there are no real doors. But worst of all, at any moment now, the camp itself may be closed and razed… In 2021, the Kenyan government announced its intentions to close the Kakuma refugee camp permanently.
“UNHCR has been informed by the Kenyan authorities of their intention to close Dadaab and Kakuma refugee camps within a short timeframe.”
https://www.unhcr.org/ke/19849-unhcr-statement-on-the-government-of-kenyas-intention-to-close-dadaab-and-kakuma-refugee-camps.html
And wherever possible, the camp leaders have made it their job to force refugees to “self-deport” back to possible death in their “home” country.
"...They [the camp staff] work to entice refugees to do so [return "home"] all in order to reduce the number of refugees in the Kakuma refugee camp."
The pressure on refugees to "self-deport" is also done by weaponizing food rations and access to clean water.
“The food rations that we receive are one liter of cooking oil, two kilos of lentils and two kilos of wheat per month, and the amount of this is $5 per month. As for water, the suffering has increased, the amount of water has become less, and the time has become shorter than before, while it continues to be unclean”
I'm not a very good cook but… I know how to use SUPERCOOK to find recipes with what I have in my pantry. You wouldn’t look forward to meals if you only had lentils, wheat, and oil for nearly 7 years in a row. Lentils Monday, lentils Tuesday, lentils Wednesday, you get the picture…
Thomas Hobbes (1588–1679) had a very bleak view of life and humanity. In his book The Leviathan, he is quoted as saying that life is “SOLITARY, POOR, NASTY, BRUTISH, AND SHORT.” The pandemic has made it clear that life is often nasty, brutish and short… it can really end any minute. Many of us, yours truly included, have lost people we knew to this pandemic. But I wonder if the solitary and poor aspects of life are as baked-in as Thomas Hobbes observed them to be in the 17th century. Can we not impart a certain solidarity (an end to lonesomeness) to our brothers and sisters on this Earth via the overwhelming amount of connections we have to each other in this the 21st century? And are poverty and hunger as inevitable as they were 400 years ago in a world where it is not the lack of resources but the misallocation of resources which causes want. And there is something you can do about it.
I ask you to kindly take a look at the fundraiser I have organized, and, if you can spare a few dollars, to donate. All of the donations I receive will be transferred directly to Sultan. I keep nothing. https://gofund.me/865a4286
If you can't donate, one other option is simply to click on the link and watch the video. It will help you get a better understanding of the situation that refugees such as Sultan face in camps. And, if you can share the video with your loved ones, it would make a huge difference!
Thank you for your attention and, in whichever way you see fit, keep in mind that you can change someone's life for the better today in if you choose.
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