As promised, before I ruin your
lives with pictures of my news digs and such, I will give you a quick overview
of the security situation in Lamu.
In June of last year, more than 60
people were killed near Mpeketoni, Kenya, by Al-Shabbab militants (at least
they claimed responsibility for the attacks). The attacks happened in predominantly Christian towns, and
Christians were the targets. This
was obviously a terrible event, but I want to point out the differences between
Mpeketoni and Lamu island.
First of all, places where violence
has occurred in Lamu county are in towns along trading routes and on the Somali
border. Lamu is not a major trade
hub and is actually very isolated.
There is a small airstrip on neighboring Manda island where visitors fly
in, and then the only way to access the island is by a boat.
Lamu island is a predominantly
Muslim community. The island is
very peaceful, and while Muslims are in the majority, they live in peace with
members of other religions here.
All religious traditions are respected, but Muslim values heavily
influence life here.
You can check out the maps below to
see where I am located on the coast in relation to the more insecure internal
mainland towns. Feel free to send
any questions my way!
No comments:
Post a Comment