Dozens of Kenyans gather each week at the Palace International Restaurant for some genuine Kenyan chapati, Tusker beer and mutual support at a time when uncertainty looms over the future of their homeland.
Caren Ochola, a native of Kisumu, Kenya, and owner of the Broad Street establishment, began hosting the gatherings after President Mwai Kibaki's disputed victory in the country's Dec. 27 elections spawned a wave of tribal violence. The meetings provide a network for Triangle area Kenyan natives to support each other and their families back home, she said.
"Everyone in Kenya is a victim regardless of which tribe they are from," Ochola said. "We've been trying to get people together for support and to donate money for people who are displaced and who are going without food. Every now and then we talk about the political views, but we try not to let that get between the different tribes."
The violence, which has killed more than 1,000 people so far, came as a surprise to both the people of Kenya and many Kenyan-Americans.
"It's a very foreign feeling," said Jackie Ndirangu, who grew up in Nairobi, Kenya, and moved to Durham three months ago. "You read about it about other African countries, but now we're having ethnic clashes."
Until recently, the country had a reputation for being one of the most politically stable in Africa.
"Everyone was very optimistic and looking forward to the elections," said Charles Muiruri, a Nairobi native who serves as international service coordinator for Duke's Global Health Institute and last visited Kenya in November. "After the elections, everything took a huge twist."
Kenya Christian Fellowship in America, one of the largest Kenyan organizations in the United States, works to bring Kenyans together to dicuss issues affecting their community, said the Rev. Joe Karogi, KFCA's founder and president emeritus.
The organization's Raleigh chapter hosted a fundraiser at the Crabtree Valley Baptist Church three weeks ago. Approximately 200 Kenyan natives raised more than $2,000 for needy families in Kenya and the Kenyan Red Cross.
"One of the good things that we are learning from this is that our diversity is our strength and not something that divides us," Karogi said. "What we should try to do is try to look for that strength in every group and work together."
News of the turmoil has sparked awareness in the Durham community as well.
Muiruri, who lost an uncle and a cousin in Kenya last month due to the violence, attended a vigil hosted by the Women's Institute for Secondary Education and Research outside the Duke Chapel last Thursday.
"It was really surreal," he said. "I saw some brothers and sisters so it was really good. I thought it was well-timed and well-executed."
Karogi said there are similar stories of loss and support among Kenyans throughout the state.
"Almost every member of the Kenyan community in North Carolina is affected one way or another," he said, adding that although tribal differences have caused disagreements among Kenyans in some parts of the United States, he has not heard of any such issues in North Carolina.
"Everyone feels kind of let down, and nobody knows who to blame," Muiruri said. "I don't think there's been any suspicions here because we're so far away from home."
The events have also provoked dialogue about Kenyan identity in the states.
"Here in the U.S. it's kind of different because first and foremost, you're identified as an African," Muiruri said. "Now that the bad stuff has come out, people ask 'are you Kenyan?' and it becomes a hard thing to discuss."
Ndirangu said Durham's distance from Kenya has made it difficult to keep in touch with the reality of the situation.
"Being so far away from home, you're not close to your family and you never know what's happening," Ndirangu said. "It's something that's disheartening, but we hope that it doesn't create a stigma and things will go back to how they used to be."
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