Ethnic identity and attachment to land

I was listening to From Our Own Correspondent on BBC radio the other day when an item on the constitutional referendum in Kenya was featured. As I expected much of the item focused on the potential for ethnic conflict resulting from the referendum process. As I would have expected it seems that politicians are exploiting ethnic tensions for their own ends but the economic factors that were discussed seem real enough. The problem is land that has traditionally belonged to one ethne being lost to other ethnes and with the loss of land there is a feeling that identity is being diminished. As I listened to the programme I felt that I understood well how the Africans that shared their frustrations are feeling. [I have focused on emotion in this context in response to Carson Weitnauer’s reminder that this whole area of ethnic identity is charged with emotion].

 

I come from a part of Wales in the United Kingdom/Britain where, when I was a child, 85% of the people were Welsh speaking Welsh. My primary schooling was entirely in Welsh except for the English class. With migration out of the area in pursuit of employment – including myself – and inward migration from England because of greater economic clout the character of the area has changed considerably since my youth, although not as radically as other parts of Wales. As a result of vigorous non-violent campaigning there is some legislation in place by now that affords some protection to the identity of the predominantly Welsh speaking areas but more needs to be done to protect our identity as a Welsh nation in the land that we have occupied for millennia. Mercifully what has been done has almost invariably been done without violence because of the profound influence of the gospel on many of the leaders of the so called ‘nationalist’ movement in Wales. In strongly Protestant Wales adherents of the more liberal Social Gospel movement, which was profoundly pacifist, and of the evangelical holistic gospel movement combined together in a non violent struggle with significant success for justice for Welsh ethnic identity. A short distance away across the Irish Sea in Ireland at roughly the same time a strongly Roman Catholic people embarked on a long and very bloody conflict to free their land from English and Scottish domination that may not be quite over yet.

 

I know that Kenya and Wales are very different but I wonder whether there would have been quite such an explosion of ethnic violence as a result of the 2008 election if the gospel that had been preached with such great success in the country was a holistic gospel. From what I hear ethnic tensions are increasing again. Is it too much to hope that we can do something in Cape Town to ignite a movement that will contribute to restraining the forces of ethnic violence in Kenya and many other countries? If that is to happen we will need to gain a much deeper appreciation of the nations in the merciful purpose of God and a much deeper understanding of the ungodly aspects of the modern nation state.