Acrobats defying tribalism in Kenya

I’m sitting on the side of the gym watching training. It’s already been 3 hours and I am tired. The men around me are still going. Trying out new pyramids and tricks. They climb on top of each other trying to make stable constructions, falling 40% of the time. When we fall we catch each other, literally. There have been many times where my head was quickly approaching the floor when suddenly just before it gets too close, two strong arms grab me and put me back on my feet.

I am different from the group of men in front of me. I am a woman. I am white. I grew up on the other side of the world, living a privileged life. I trained gymnastics my entire life, with good coaches and in beautiful gyms. The men in front of me are Kenyans, most grew up on the country-side but came to Nairobi to find better opportunities. We train in the social hall of Kangemi, an informal settlement on the West-side of Nairobi. Although, the group of acrobats in front of me all look similar, they are not the same. They represent different tribes. They represent the incredible groups of people who have built this country. The Luos, Luhyas, Kikuyus, Kalenjins, Giryamas, Taitas and many more. In total Kenya has 44 tribes, each with their different characteristics that make them unique. Unfortunately, history, colonialism and power relations have sometimes made the relationships between the different tribes tense.

Meanwhile, I have gathered my energy again, it’s time to get back up and join the pyramids. Charles notices me and immediately tells me to hold on to Juma and Walter, who are both positioned on top of two other guy’s shoulders. It’s a safe and easy pyramid but it still requires great balance and teamwork of everyone involved. We synchronize the pyramid, trying to make weights equal and create this perfect balance between a group of individuals. The magic of cooperation and equality, falling and trying again, communication and perseverance. Words that merely describe the struggle that many of these men have lived through.

(Join me in the moment: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lFKKj9LXukQ)

The new year was only a few days away when violence erupted in Kenya. On December 27^th, 2007 the results of the presidential elections turned out to be in favor of the former president Mway Kibaki. The opposition; Raila Odinga accused Kibaki of having fixed the vote and EU observers agreed that there should have been an investigation and independent audit. This resulted in big outbursts between rival ethnic tribes, killing over 700 people and displacing over 100.000 people (source: Al Jazeera).

Since the groups of acrobats are based on talent and not on someone’s ethnicity, age or their political viewpoints, the acrobats were put in a difficult situation. Were they going to turn on each other or protect each other? “It was a very tribal thing, it was Luos against Kikuyus, we had groups that would consist out of 6 Luos and 1 Kikuyu and they would hide their Kikuyu colleague under their beds at night, it was like they could go around and just flush out the Kikuyus on the Eastlands and flush out the Luos in the Westlands.” – Marion op het Veld, Managing Director and Founder Sarakasi Trust. Besides protecting each other, the acrobats also became a shining light in showing that it is possible to trust each other and lean on each other, that the Kenyans are all one people. “Nonono, we try also to make Luo, Luhya, Giryama, we are one people. We try to unite because if you do this (…) maybe in future our children will know, Luo is my brother, Luhya is my brother, Giryama is my brother, yeah so, we try to do something like that. Because if we’d have Giryama only, it would be tribalism. We want to be brothers and sisters together.”- Ali , acrobat

As the post-election violence has shown, tribalism can lead to exclusion and violence. The acrobats used their talent to create awareness of this and show that it does not matter what tribe someone represents. Following the violence, the acrobats got together to create a project where they would perform all over Kenya. Showcasing that they are all from different tribes but that they still have great trust in each other and dare to put their lives in each other’s hands. They used their sport and art to bring people together and create a mutual trust and understanding. “We were performing some acrobatics to show them unity and how we are together, because we are different tribes in this industry of art. So, we were together from different tribes and when we performed, people were like: Ah this is really good, because how can someone go on top of this different people from different tribes” – Bruce, acrobat.

The training is finished. We are all tired and just chatting away. Friends; all from different backgrounds, with different views and different upbringings, building a bond of trust. As we all walk out the gym and walk through the streets as a united front, people look at us and greet us. We are all the same, we are all one people and I realize, that these men have done something that others might deem impossible; they have defied tribalism.

Author: Veronique Sprenger