We Are One Kenya: Representing the Nation and De-ethnicizing Kenyan Identity

• In Event: Africa and African Ethnicity and Race Concerns

Abstract

This research analyzes the Uongozi, a massive multimodal civic education campaign that culminated in the Uongozi reality television show, situating the campaign within contemporary Kenyan politics. The analysis focuses on two key themes of the campaign: leadership and national unity, articulated through the promotion of a nonethnic collective Kenyan identity. Underlying the Uongozi conception of leadership is a commitment to a collective Kenyan identity and support for a unified Kenya. As such, the campaign deemphasizes ethnic differences in favor of focusing on commonalities among Kenyans. Uongozi contributes to a larger pre-election narrative promulgated through mass media efforts that encourages Kenyans to move beyond ethnicity in their voting and participate in a peaceful election. This research argues that favoring national identity over ethnic identities neglects the actual political and social situation in Kenya.

Authors

• Melissa Tully, University of Iowa

• David Tuwei, University of Iowa