Move on? Here are pictures to remind everyone of what we are being asked to forgive and forget in Kenya

by Fiona Adongo

The testimony of the first witness at the International Criminal Court drew mixed reactions in Kenya. Some question the authenticity of her evidence, while others wonder if she is merely relying on hearsay.

The Kiambaa revenge attacks on the innocent men, women and children who sought shelter in a church but suffered extremely painful deaths seems to be the one incident that no one can accept in order to move on.

Painful memories
Yesterday morning on Facebook, a Kenyan man called Joram Ragem decided to post pictures of the aftermath of the massacre to remind everyone of what happened.
 


One photo shows a pile of charred bodies lying in debris. Onlookers are shown gazing down at them through a window.

The description reads:
The Kiambaa revenge attackers in Naivasha locked this family up and burned them to death. We are being told to forgive, move on, and forget. We are being told that there should be no big brother like ICC to speak for them. Well, we can remove our nation from ICC, but thank God for Facebook and freedom of expression. I will make sure those who did this evil never hide it. By displaying this [sic] pictures, my intention is that ICC prosecutor has access to them.

Earlier, Joram Ragem had posted a photo of a woman lying on the floor. Her head is in a pool of blood. A terror-stricken child looks in the camera’s lens.


 
The description reads:
The Kiambaa Revenge Attackers In Naivasha Broke Into This Woman's House And Killed Her In Front Of Her Child. Who Will Speak For This Child If I don't? She May Never Remember This But The Truth Is That We Must Not Forget. If We Forget, May God Send Us Straight To Hell.

And finally there is the photo of a man on the ground, his head bleeding, his pants down to his knees. Two men in army fatigues look down at him.
 


The description reads:
After the Kiambaa revenge attackers circumcised this man, they killed him with machetes. His loved ones are being told to forgive and forget. Even if they do, they will get no penny while others will get money and land to relocate to.
 
Joram is just one of the many Kenyans reacting to the first witness’s testimony. Many more continue to react angrily. Some are dismissive.

These pictures are waking the demons we had buried too hastily.
 
The question is: do we need to accept the ICC proceedings and let the victims talk about the tragedies that transpired?
 
Let’s let justice take its course. And while it does, we need to reconcile with our past, deal with the post-election violence vibe, rather than hide it under the carpet.
 
Fiona Adongo is a Nairobi-based journalist.
 
Content generated in corporation with RNW. Follow and join the discussion about the the Kenyatta, Ruto and Sang trials at the ICC at the Facebook dialogue page The Hague Trials Kenya, and at the www.thehaguetrials.co.ke.