By
the time you read this, Babu Owino, the leader of SONU (Students Organization
of Nairobi University) and his mates will have probably calmed down after an
athletic smoke-filled day. Would they have achieved the desired results
from the day long demonstrations? Well, to some of the rotten eggs in the
basket, they will be a few side mirrors and phones richer, but I doubt if the
university folks will have achieved the goal of getting Jacob Kaimenyi the
Cabinet Secretary for education to listen to them.
For
a long time, certain images have been printed on the brains of Kenyans,
shouting crowds, with sketchy banners full of demands marching towards the city
centre only to make a hasty return trip a few hours later with the police in
hot pursuit in a tear gas filled environment that will culminate with running
battles, injuries, loss of property and in some cases fatalities courtesy of
police batons, stray bullets or flying stones.
This
is the local definition of a demonstration, groups of people organized to come
together at a specific place and time to call attention to a specific issue.
Although we often think of demonstrations as negative--against
"something," they can also be positive, supporting particular
politicians and their ideas, specific initiatives, or existing programs. They
are usually meant to influence the way things are done, or the way people
think. Whether they're aimed at politicians, bureaucrats, corporations, or the general
public, they can take many forms. From large, media -covered marches, to small
gatherings at Jevanjee gardens to address an issue within a certain region.
World over, demos have been used as a way of getting their points across to
those in power.
While
many of us are used to thinking of demonstrations in the form of mass marches
or gatherings, often with signs, there are actually several ways to shape a
demonstration. Some, especially those which address very local issues, such as
the use of a neighborhood parking lot, don't require huge numbers of people in
order to be effective. Others don't aim directly at issues, but use humor,
theater, music, or other methods to make a point. Remember the pig-filled
Occupy Parliament demonstration against the parliamentarian a few months
ago?
You
can employ many forms of demonstration, ranging from rallies, sit-ins to
marches and parades which is basically numbers of people marching on a route
from one significant site to another to highlight their commitment to a
particular issue. On a local level, such a demonstration could involve a march
from the graduation Square at University Of Nairobi to parliament buildings in
city center, where the marchers' concerns are expressed in speeches or other
ways. Marches and parades are usually associated with advocacy, support, or
protest, and often serve as well for public relations. In some cases, they may
also serve as counter-demonstrations.
For
rallies, demonstrators gather on their own at a particular place, where they listen
to speeches or participate in other activities expressing their concerns
(music, skits, and/or remarks by celebrities are common). Rallies, like
marches, are usually associated with advocacy, support, protest, and
counter-demonstration, in addition to providing opportunities for powerful
expressions in the media. Politicians have mastered this form of communication,
thriving on topical issues affecting the populace; they always amass popularity
through such forums.
In
a sit-in, demonstrators do just that: occupy a space in a government office, a
street, a particular building, etc. and sit down. Sometimes, a sit-in is
accompanied by speeches or other activities; sometimes it is silent. It may
involve trespassing, and thus be illegal, it may simply be a statement of
people's right to be in a particular place, or it may be meant as a moral
statement. Okiya Omtata and the late Nobel Prize laureate Wangari Mathai are
perfect examples on how impactful these sit-ins can be.
All
said and done, all you need to do is to consider beforehand whether a
demonstration is the right vehicle for you to get your point across, plan it
carefully, carry it out well, and follow up diligently. A successful
demonstration should be able to accomplishes its goals either
immediately or over the long term by getting buy in from the people involved,
getting the message to those who need to hear it and leaving a sense of
success and support from all and sundry including the media.
