Peace One Day in Kenya

Written by the Kenya GapBreak 2009 Volunteers

Last month, the Antipodeans GapBreak volunteers in Kenya were amazing ambassadors for Peace One Day. Just a little summary of their experience;

The Human/Wildlife Peace Day was quite a success. The officials that attended were the Education Officer, the Headmaster and the Local Chief. The HIV/AIDS Awareness Group performed a play entirely in Swahili. It was apparently was quite funny. Everyone seemed to get it, and hilarity ensued.

The group that had stayed with us in Camp Tsavo performed a brief play about poaching and the far-reaching consequences it has for not just the community, but the entire universe. Even though this was also performed in Swahili, it was relatively easy to follow, and quite funny, as the boys playing the poachers were quite expressive in their actions. There was a dance performed by some of the women with lots of jingling and an interesting instrument we had never seen before, that looked like it had been made out of a funnel and a hose. It was very entertaining.

The final performance was the school children’s dance, who invited us to join them. We did, and quite possibly damaged the school’s reputation beyond repair. "You can’t teach a white person to dance!" A few tears were shed as we left that day. Despite the conditions that the villagers had to live in, they were nothing but accommodating and welcoming. They took great pride in what they had, and were not embarrassed of their situation, only seeking a way to better it…