TIA= This is Africa

For any of you who have seen Blood Diamond, you'll remember Leonardo DiCaprio using "TIA" quite a bit to sum up the feeling that every day is an adventure here in Africa, and Kenya is no exception. It has been a week since I was last able to write in this blog, as this is the first time I've had an internet connection in a week. Given that electricity and hot water were in short supply, an internet connection wasn't even on the hit list of "nice-to-haves." Mind you, we spent some of our electricity and hot water deprived days in very high-end lodges. This is to say that if you think you can insulate yourself from Africa by upgrading yourself to a fancy hotel, you are sadly mistaken. So, when your safari vehicle gets struck in a pool of water by the side of the "road" in the middle of a game park as the sun is going down or you watch herds of giraffe and elephant from 750 feet above in a hot air balloon or the election tensions get so high that your family and friends start asking you whether you've been in contact with the U.S. Embassy- you just say TIA, stay safe and enjoy the ride.

Over the next few day, I will try to recap my last week here in Kenya but for now, I just wanted to write a few thoughts on the current situation in Kenya based on the latest election tensions. Over the last few days, there have been a handful of riots/killings around Kenya in reaction to Kibaki's declared victory over Raila despite evidence of voting irregularities. There has been a lot of concern that this will devolve into an ethnic conflict between the various tribes in Kenya (particularly the Kikuyu and the Luo). As our friend Tom reminded us once again tonight, over dinner, there are 42 tribes here in Kenya. It is unlikely for one tribe to pit themselves against another as there are too many tribes and they have lived peacefully together for many years.
With that said, there is the reality that many Luo and other ethnic groups were happy to see any non-Kikuyu tribe member rise up to be President.

To be continued