The Burden of Peace

On 27 December 2007, the people of Kenya voted in the most competitive election of its history. As the results came to be announced, there was widespread suspicion amongst many that there had been serious irregularities, especially as the incumbent President Mwai Kibaki was hurriedly inaugurated as president in a privately held ceremony. The result was that violence erupted. This took several forms: first, the understandable reaction of citizens suspicious that the elections had been, as some put it, stolen. But the real violence began when the state forces, especially the presidential paramilitary force – the General Service Unit – and the police began indiscriminately killing and maiming unarmed citizens. In addition, the country was consumed by what at one level appeared to be ethnic violence that many believe was perpetrated by politically motivated armed gangs that sought to intimidate their opponents' constituents.

On 28 February, yielding to pressures from ordinary citizens, civil society and the international community, the country's main rivals signed a political settlement to return the country to normalcy. Over 1,000 people had been massacred, and 650,000 people had fled from their homes out of fear. And as in all instances of mass violence, it was women who bore the brunt of the attacks – from both armed gangs and state forces.

More than a year later, those responsible for unleashing terror against citizens remain free. The culture of impunity that has been the bane of the country continues. Justice has yet to be done. The stories of the women who bore the brunt of the attacks – and who continue to bear the burden of peace – remain untold. This film is their story.

'Sitting through a 29-minute screening of the film is one of the best ways to understand why so many Kenyans hope a credible legal process to try the perpetrators of the violence will be launched by the International Criminal Court.'
Daily Nation (27 February 2010)

This film was made with the generous support of Pambazuka News, Fahamu Trust, the Oxford Funding Network, Sigrid Rausing Trust and TrustAfrica.

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