“Alone there is nothing we can do, but together we are powerful” (322).
This quote stood out to me as representative of the journey Odede and Posner take throughout the memoir. It is difficult to sum up all of my thoughts, feelings, and reactions to this book in a singular reflection– especially since I am still processing many of the heavier parts of the story, knowing that they are real experiences that happened to real people, and not merely fictitious descriptions of a far-away-place I might never know. Yet, though life in Kibera could not be more different or separate than anything I have ever undergone, I could still connect to and understand many of these deeply human themes.
I found myself disturbed and emotionally affected more than ever in the book when we are shown the home lives of the young girls, and the corrupt systems through which their families have to navigate. This included, for example, the healthcare system in Kibera. As I learned about the fake drugs, refusal to disclose medical records, and inability to transfer medical sites without Kennedy’s connections, it was like the powerlessness was tangible; a feeling of complete lack of control over one’s life. It was all in the hands of someone else, who did not have Priscilla or her mother’s best interest in mind. I think about our own healthcare system in the United States, and how unattainable proper, affordable care feels to many low and middle income families. Reading about Kibera does not discount these terrible issues we must fix in the United States, but knowing how underdeveloped and corrupt the healthcare system is in Kibera does put the issue of agency in perspective: a layer of the problem I had not deeply considered before. I had a similar reaction learning Julie and her father’s story. I could feel her father’s anger tearing out of the page when he was unable to get his daughter help due to the underdeveloped and consequently corrupt system of justice. Knowing that this was a repeated incident and representative of a much larger issue among young girls in Kibera was even more heartbreaking, especially as Jessica describes them as “blend[ing] into the environment now, another fixture of [a] defunct system” (304). But again, I think of the United States, and of how many women never get justice when they are assaulted. We frequently see these issues as “far away,” pinning them on “the other”. It is too easy to look elsewhere and critique from the outside while turning a blind eye to what exists in our own backyard. Reading this memoir helped me stay aware of this. The young age of the girls in Kibera adds another level to the tragedy, but knowing that this is a global issue contributes to the despair.
However, it is not for nothing that one of the main themes of this story is hope. Julie’s father did not walk away. In fact, he states: “Without you guys … I would have given up. Now, I will never give up for Julie” (304). The girls at the school visit Julie in the hospital, and Baba Julie goes on to become a fierce advocate for all of the girls, working with the school to ensure their safety. It is inspiring to read this, to understand that out of despair can grow strength. When Kennedy learned about another one of the students, Annette, who was unsafe at home, he could not help but exclaim angrily: “I’m really tired. You can do everything and you still can’t stop, you can’t protect them. You can’t end it” (301). Kennedy is referencing the cycle of poverty in Kibera, and Kenya more generally. There is anguish, and so many reasons to feel torn down. But it does not stop him: “we need to do something. We need to involve the entire community to end this” (301). In the face of darkness, Kennedy cannot find a light. So, he makes his own. Not only this, but he knows the light will be stronger if he brings everyone together– if they all fight alongside one another. One can reclaim power in the collective.
There were many times when I felt that this memoir wrapped up all of the issues in a pretty bow. “Everything is fixed because of hard work and a dream,” it seemed to say. But it is not fair or simply say that inequitable, disempowering conditions can be changed with “hard work”. This would be superimposing a premise similar to the false “American Dream” onto a situation where “it shouldn’t be impossible to break out of poverty–talent and hard work should matter–but they don’t” (256). However, at the very least, hope can be held onto and always found again. The more steps taken, the more hope developed in Kibera, and the larger the next steps could become. I think about the description of the school’s hallway in the book’s epilogue, covered in writing from the students who are declaring their rights. One of which is “the right to dream” (320). To declare dreaming as a right is to imply that before it was a privilege– something I have never thought about before. Kennedy’s story involved unimaginable persistence, strenuous work, and lots of luck. But building a better future is not a pipe-dream, it is a real dream. And more than that, it is a possibility.
