Luos in the diaspora to position themselves centrally at the Luo human development

The Lake Victoria is the greatest economic resource for the Luos and other communities living within the Lake Victoria Basin. It’s supporting a multi million dollar fish export. It is also endowed with natural resources, good climate, plenty of water and good ecosystem services.

Yet the region is experiencing deepening poverty, economic decline, and environmental degradation and as if that is not enough experiencing high incidences of preventable diseases i.e water borne related diseases, malaria and HIV / AIDS. It is also a reality that even our education standards have started to deteriorate.

The question I want to pose here is why have we as the Luo nation accepted to allow the multiple values of the Lake Victoria to degenerate like this. Why do Luo live in extreme poverty in the presence of great natural wealth?

Is it possible for us the Luo in Kenya and those in the Diaspora to chart a new meaningful forum for educative debates and reflective dialogue on how to reduce the Luo poverty – devoid of politics and rhetoric?

The Luo region is one of the leading in Kenya poverty index. What a paradox? One educator once put it that “poverty is criminal because it does not allow people to be people. It is the cruelest denial of all of us human beings”. Still on the poverty the late Prof. Oyugi Aseto once asserted that “poverty is a social issue, terrible and devastating thing and needs to be eradicated”. What have we done to eradicate the Luo poverty, apart from political rhetoric? What steps and measures have we put in place to reduce Luo poverty as Luo in Kenya or in diaspora?

As Luo nation, how do we sustain food security? Food security is a fundamental access by all people at all time to food for a healthy life. Again, why is it difficult for our people to access food despite the endowed natural resources? The ecosystem services are the benefits people obtain from ecosystem. Most of our people cannot access food most of the time. Yet food is a basic survival needs for human beings besides shelter and clothing.

The critical issue is how could we address Luo human development? It is possible to develop a new critical thinking in the Luo nation to chart economic empowerment. Should politics take centre stage of the Luo economic empowerment? Are there other options or is it a Luo collective responsibility? The promotion of the sustainability of the livelihood of the Luo, I think, requires a multi disciplinary approach. It requires the participation of not only the politicians but all of us, the professionals, Luo in the diaspora, the artistes, peasants, farmers and fisher folk. The approach should be reflective and soberly done away from political rhetoric.

Should our brothers and sisters living in the disaspora position themselves at the centre of the Luo human development? What then should be their role in the poverty reduction, sustainable management of the Lake Victoria Basin disease reduction and poverty alleviation and the improvement of education standards? Should they plough back a small fraction of their income to boost the region? Could they be able to use their skills and scientific knowledge to translate the ecosystem services to economic gain for the region?

I am wary of our politicians (MPs). In the recent past, it was alleged that some of them in cohort with some foreigners, unfortunately tried to “mortgage” our greatest resource, the Lake Victoria. Why do we have selfish (MPs)? What is their vision and mission in tackling the Luo poverty and promotion of the empowerment? We have the CDF or Constituency Development Fund – It’s very difficult to access information on how the funds are utilized and for what purposes – sometimes these questions may earn you some beatings. Why? It’s anyone guess. In some cases it’s used for manipulation purposes.

As artistes, we have also positioned ourselves in the empowerment of the Lake Victoria Basin through information propagation and dissemination by promoting critical thinking on how the region could benefit from the ecosystem services. It is simply to sensitize, conscientise and mobilize human creative potential to understand the root causes of poverty and take collective action to solve the problems of threats and challenges facing Lake Victoria. Through the medium of entertainment and education strategy (EDUTAINMENT), the Misango Arts Ensemble is already pioneering on this genre to reduce poverty and environment degradation in form of stage plays, radio theatre and screen plays (screen productions).

The then Lake Victoria Region Environmental Cultural & Health Aid (LAVIRECHA) is using International Lake Victoria Arts Festival to stimulate community discussion on the environmental sustainable management of the Lake Victoria Basin. The Cultural services will provide recreational, aesthetics and spiritual benefits to all. The Western Kenya Theatre Awards is also geared towards the recognition and the contributions of artistes in the regional development.

The focus now is on the Luo Eco- Tourism and Luo Cultural Tourism. We would like to share with you some of our ideas in the management of Luo poverty through eco tourism and cultural tourism.

1. LUO ECO TOURISM
Most parts of towns and cities within the Lake Victoria Basin are well connected with water ways along which cargo ships and small vessels ply daily. This is one of the greatest tourist attraction in the form of

·        Water sports
·        Boating / Boat racing
·        Big time fishing
·        Bird watching
·        Cruising in floating (hotels)
·        The Lake Basin is endowed and simply unique and dotted with amazing historical shrines and sites – This has unfortunately not been tapped.

2. LUO CULTURAL TOURISM
a) The Luo villages will be a buzz with cultural activities. This is the second tourist attraction to Luo lands. It will empower the community to share its day to day activities with the tourists. Villages cultural activities i.e. ritual rites, music, dances, drama, bull fighting, cock fighting, art (basketry, pottery) agricultural activities. These activities will provide an alternative tourist attraction to formal game watching, beach swimming, beach sun basking. The tourist attractions (cultural) will go along way in raising the income levels of villagers in the entire Luo region. This will culminate in the improved welfare and the life styles of the Luo people, thus reducing the poverty level

b) The Tourists will grossly benefit from these innovative, participatory, creative cultural expressions by broadening their understandings from a cross cultural activities as they will directly participate in the day to day activities of the people. This role is one that our brothers and sisters living in the disapora could promote internationally.

Time has come for the Luos living in the diaspora to position themselves centrally in the Luo human development. Last but not least, let’s not ignore the role of arts in this new development. The arts may also have answers to some Luo problems thus promoting economic empowerment.