An Observation from Some Foreigners from America on the Slum of Korogocho
Nairobi, Kenya

“I’m Not Human”
By Anita Graham, Community Voices Heard, New York City

What’s the matter American foreigner? You act like you’ve never seen a group of people forced to live in an uncivilized manner.

Stop staring at me! Are you confused? What are you thinking? Why do you want to take my pictures?

Say what? You are visiting Nairobi for the World Social Forum and your heart hurts. Why?

I’m not human! I don’t have blood flowing through my veins! I don’t put on my raggy pants one leg at a time! I don’t have eyes! So, stop staring at me! Close your mouth!

Hey foreigner, don’t step on that pile of garbage! Don’t you know my babies and children play there! They are just like baby animals! Don’t you know that?

What did you say? Yes, that is a group of three-year-old children playing in garbage, urine, and feces in the gutter water!

You say they have three-year-old children that sleep in beds in America? What, don’t tell me they also have three year old children in Nairobi that have beds too! Well, what about these three year old girls in Korogocho that sleep in garbage and smell feces and urine all day and night?

What American? When did this happen to us? Why don’t these little girls have a toilet to use? These little girls aren’t human! Don’t you know that? Toilets are for civilized people! I’m not human! My children aren’t human! They play in feces, urine, garbage, and dirt! They eat here when we get food and sleep here too!

Did you say what’s that smell? Oh that’s not any goats. That’s my community.

Why don’t I mop? American when it rains my shack (home) which is 10 x 10 for at least 7 people gets mopped automatically, mop, that must be a word be a word for civilized people! Do you see a floor? My floors are dirt! What kind of question is that?

What did you say any American? How did this happen to us? Well American, I will tell you…is it my fault the big monster came in and…

Agnes, Member/Leader, Community Voices Heard, N.Y.C.
“I thought you were coming to teach us. I didn’t know you came to steal from us by taking our land, homes, and environment. I actually thought you were helping. So here I stand with what you left me with. I sit and sleep around feces, that’s what you gave me.”

Stephen, Board Member, Community Voices Heard, N.Y.C.
“I think the government targeted people who couldn’t contribute anything to the country. They had no use for the people of the slums. They don’t want to waste resources on them.”

Shirlene, Organizer, New York City Housing Action Network (NYCHAN)
“The big monster came in and did nothing and left nothing. Nothing from nothing leaves nothing. We don’t have a constitution to support us. The people of Nairobi! Suffering is our luxury, in comparison to those who are spoiled in richer countries, such as the U.S.A.”

Agnes, Member/Leader, Community Voices Heard, N.Y.C.
“In the secular society in order to receive any “rights” the power administering the rights first has to see the people as deserving or worthy of the right.”

Who on God’s green earth has the right to withhold the basic civilized commodities of sanitation (a toilet), food (nourishment), shelter, a home, health care accessibility?

In my personal opinion, the government is creating the very poverty stricken society they proclaim they are trying to prevent!

In the world wide diaspora of poor prevention of communicable diseases poor protection, and poor sanitary precautions, and little or no access to health care, little or no access or pathway to education and employment. How on God’s green earth can the government stabilize and enhance the economy when the poverty diaspora is growing daily worldwide because they refuse to provide basics for poor people?

Until the powers to be begin to offer pathways and accessibility to the basic protections or shelter, sanitation, prevention and education, all the legislations in the world won’t even protect them “the government” from the consequences of communicable diseases and poverty!

First, I am human, just like you! If you don’t provide for me than I will create an uprising of my people and “take” from you! The government and corporations simply cannot have All the money. No justice No peace! Poverty and wealth. They must share!

Nameless, Nairobi Politician (by choice)
When the BIG companies come to Nairobi, they should tell the truth. They use trickery and before they get here they say one and once they get here we discover they tricked us.

by Anita Graham, Community Voices Heard