Page 16 - Msingi Afrika Magazine Issue 8

years, guns have been silent on
the West Pokot-Turkana border
(Kenya) following voluntary dis-
armament and peace efforts by
elders and local leaders. The story
went on to say that "The prevailing
peace in the region is a result of an
initiative by locals and leaders from
loved her. And Amnon said to her, ate or don't use the internet? How
“Arise, be gone!” (Please read the will they be aware of what's hap- Pokot and Turkana communities to
entire story for more context and pening at the AU? Truth be told, I bury the hatchet and end hostilities."
the many other violent deaths that have never seen any AU advert or A beautiful story that shows clearly
happened based on that single act promotion of any AU event on any how silencing the guns in Afrika can
of domestic violence). social media. Not on Facebook, not work from the ground up.
on Instagram and not even on Twit-
Is it working on the ground? ter. Recently, I was in a meeting What this means to me is that,
Obviously, we all as Afrikans, with my wife and two professional when it comes to silencing the guns
have the responsibility to take very content creators. My wife and I in Afrika, we must be able to nar-
seriously the issue of gun violence were sharing with them about what row it down to how such gun-run-
on our streets, terror gangs that are we do in our magazine and why we ning really works and in which areas
wreaking havoc in our rural areas do it. I mentioned the AU thematic it is prevalent. In this case, we have
and keenly put in place modalities agenda for 2020, which is to silence so much of it in the rural areas
that will help to fully silence the the guns in Afrika. Clearly, they where security personnel don't
guns in Afrika. were surprised and didn’t waste frequent. So, bringing together the
any time to say they were not aware locals themselves who are directly
The Afrikan Union, I can say, have that AU has such annual thematic affected by this violence, and em-
done a pretty good job in calling for agendas. And these are profession- powering them with basic defense
an organized attempt to silence the al Afrikan content creators. They and security resources, should
guns in Afrika, but the question that simply are not aware of whatever it enable them to defend themselves
never ceases to bother me is, what is the AU is doing on behalf of the from the frequent bandit attacks
is it really like on the ground after very Afrikans they say they do it for. that plague rural areas in Afrika.
the papers have been signed by the My point is, the AU is only present This is just one of the many ways
heads of state and government of in Addis Ababa and it should not guns can be silenced in Afrika. But
Afrikan countries when they meet be so. we will certainly do more if we can
at the AU headquarters in Addis tame violence from the home front,
Ababa? Secondly, are the Afrikan Another thing I also want to point for nothing happens on the street
people themselves even aware of out is that, for the AU's agenda that does not have some direct or
the agendas of the AU concerning to silence the guns in Afrika to indirect connection to what is going
Afrika? It’s a very sad answer which work, there must be a good flow on in the family system.
points to NO more than it points of information from the leaders of
to yes. Personally, as a writer and each Afrikan country to the locals, Stop domestic violence, stop the
a constant user of social media for coupled with a clear and organized guns
various searches, it was when I was method for bringing together these Certainly, there is nothing new
looking for something on the AU people to defend their environ- under the sun and so neither is
website that I realized there was ments from the actions of terrorists the issue of gun violence that is
anything like an annual theme or and bandits that are more frequent the result of many things including
agenda that the AU tries to push in rural areas. See what I mean? domestic violence.
every year. And that got me really I read an article online that clearly We all, as Afrikans, have the
thinking. One of my thoughts was articulates my thoughts. I will share singular duty of taming domestic
if I who always use the internet a short excerpt from the article. It's violence, if we really want to silent
for my searches and studies don't an article published by The Stan- the guns that are causing bloodshed
know anything about what the AU dard titled: Two Years Later, Locals in our beloved Afrika.
is doing, what about those men and Sleep Easy As Guns Go Silent.
women and youth who are not liter- It’s a story of how for close to two We can do this. So let's do it.