Public meeting: KENYA IN TURMOIL

bristol | globalisation | event notice Sunday February 17, 2008 21:25 by Dave Weltman - Bristol SWP dave.weltman at yahoo dot co dot uk

What lies behind the conflict?

Public Meeting:
KENYA IN TURMOIL: WHAT REALLY LIES BEHIND THE CONFLICT?

7.30pm Wed 20th February
@ Monte Carlo Cafe,
Stapleton Road (opp. Natwest Bank), Easton

Speaker: Ken Olende (journalist of African affairs)

The mainsteam press have been quite ready to characterise the on-going violence in Kenya as simply arising from 'tribal conflict' between mainly two ethnic groups.

However, this view obscures the centrality of three factors in understanding what's going on: the brutal history of British colonialism and divide-and-rule in Kenya, with its damaging current legacy of political violence; the ever-growing gap between rich and poor exacerbated by the neo-liberal regime; and the role of Kenya as another front in Bush's 'war on terror', especially since Ethopia's US-backed invasion of neighbouring Somalia in December 2006.

This meeting wil seek to consider the significance of these factors and what sort of alternative futures are worth fighting for both in Kenya and further afield.

Come along and join in the discussion. Refreshments available.

Organised by Bristol SWP.