Relating Kenya to Gourevitch’s Rwanda

Without a doubt, the one book or article I would recommend an aspiring journalist read is We wish to inform you that tomorrow we will be killed with our families, by Philip Gourevitch.

He didn't pretend to have all the answers or even know the whole truth about Rwanda's genocide. Nevertheless, he took the time to get to know the people involved, visit the places where the tragedies occurred, and attempted to come to an understanding of Rwanda's rhythms of life. His reporting takes you deep into the lives of people affected and into the sources and results of the hatred and slaughter of Rwanda's Tutsi population.

My first exposure to We wish to inform you was during the height of the post-election violence that tore Kenya apart at the beginning of 2008. As I read, I began to question the truth and reality of the reporting I was hearing and reading and for that matter the reporting I was doing. It taught me the importance of looking beyond the obvious to find the truth.

Kenya needs a Gourevitch. Though the violence was mild in comparison to Rwanda, no one has taken the time to find out what happened, how it happened, or why it happened. It would take solid foundation knowledge of Kenya's history and issues, time and willingness to dig deep into the sources of the conflict, and getting to know people involved at all levels, just as Gourevitch did to help make sense of the Rwanda genocide.