INVITATION TO DIETC CONFERENCE IN AMSTERDAM

Dear all,

For the last 12 weeks I have been e-mailing, calling and even pleading with my brothers and sisters to join me and volunteer time to help make DIETC Amsterdam a reality. To those who have been helpful, I say thank you very much. To those who are still not in the picture and would like to join us, I can only say that Orwaki. The train is not yet packed, we still need people who can motivate others be useful members in our respective villages. To those who need further information, please get in touch with me. You can email me at williamodr AT yAhoo.co.uk, skpe me at, william4493, call me at +4528592787. Your decission to join others is not a gamble but a decisive step to building a strong progressive motherland.

We can debate and debate, but it reaches a time where we have to find practical solutions to our reccuring debates. Time has come whereby we have to rethink of our stand vis-a- vis our socio-economic and political situation back home and use this as a barometer of measuring where we are going.

A lot has been written and said about us, in both plain language and parables. It is time to to slow down and re think what we really want as a community. It is hightime we think of the future and future development goals capable of tranforming our villages.

As you may be aware, the phrase Jaluo usually evokes certain feelings amongst other tribes in Kenya, these feelings can sometimes be that of compassion, fear, love, hate, threat etc. This is to be expected because Jaluo by virtue of their egalitarian tendencies and politics since independence have therefore set themselves up for such mixed interpretations of their ultimate objectives and intentions in a country that tribalism remains the unofficial constitution of the land. In a country that has increasingly tended towards suppressing tribes or regions considered politically independence, we have remained a highly stereotyped community. While you and I knows that this is false, others have advanced a thoroughly flawed view of Jaluo, due mainly to half truths which we as a people have not done much to either accept and confirm or dispel. It is becoming increasingly difficult in today’s globalised world to try to fashion, shape or articulate a common agenda and purpose for Jaluo, which would then serve as mantra in our various dealings and interactions with the other tribes, and such that would serve our wider purpose in the global community of nations.

As you know, there are those who have advanced a very negative view of Jaluo; as rebellious and therefore not able to pass the loyal test needed in a world where tolerance is key to ethic and racial relations.

Several issues may have led to this quagmire, one of which is the increasing difficulty for Jaluo to work as a progressive unit with a common agenda.

For example, we build or buy big homes in Nairobi forgetting that Winam is our natural capital. The Luo elite do not have any meaningful investment in Nyanza apart from their ''simba'' and relatives, while your Gikuyu colleague commutes or drives from Kiambu. He invests his income into the economy of his village. We always attribute this to limited economic activities in Winam, while this is debatable, what are we doing to help undo that?? What about Abonyo who continue to dominate our Winam economy?

This problem seems to affect diasporan Jaluo more as the increasing physical and psychological distance from the homeland, and the lack of understanding of investment opportunities in Luoland has created a situation where they are only able to buy into the ‘poverty hate’ views and mentality being spread in the world around them, and by the uninformed commentaries of both Jaluo and non-Jango's who may be pursuing an agenda of destabilization and so on. The least Jaluo can do is not to do the detractors’ jobs for them by helping to spread the stereotypes further. But still, it is never late for Jaluo to stand up and speak up for their people, and to attempt to come up with economic programs to free our people from the bondage of poverty.

We have lost several generations due to poverty yet there are people out here who can organise meetings, use their different contacts and influences to invite investors into Luoland. This is a big mess that needs big fixing through serious unity and dialogue. The problem of different political views and approaches needs not to bother us here, as I do believe that political office alone can not help a divided people with no deliberate development agenda for implementation. We need community projects as vehicles to self independence. This is where we need allot of work and overcome the mixed signals of Jaluo when it comes to investment dialogues both out here and at home.

This ‘a house divided’ scenario plays out economically in the larger context and may have been to certain extent responsible for the problems facing Jaluo. It is like a motor vehicle engine that only works well if all parts are assembled together. It is important that we assemble together and pursue a ‘common agenda’. I can't understand why we cant do this!!! I know Jaluo as people whose lives and social systems are rooted in great tradition. Dignity of labour, strong and proud identity, respect for elders, honour for the family, honour for the dead, name etc. These are our tradional values that are also important aspects of the Jaluo in the Diaspora, which in turn play a big important role and influence in the rearing of Jaluo children in London, Copenhagen, Osaka, Alaska etc. Lets re-invent rich values and move forward.

Last but not least, I think that the most important way of actualizing this debate is to meet and dialogue. We can't just be debating virtually and when a chance of meeting each other arises we go under! We have to meet and present our ideas, point of views in order to find solutions to some of the problems facing our people. It is through this background that this diaspora movement comes in. Lets meet and see what can be done and how we can partner with international businesses already doing serious business in our Lolwe backyard. Lets listen to to them, their experiences, their worries, their operations etc. I invite you to join us for this wonderful occassion. Diaspora Investment Economic Transformation Conference- 6th - 8th July which will take place in Amsterdam-The Netherlands.

Conference venue: Hem Hotel Amsterdam
Address: Voorburgstraat 250 Amsterdam
Booking portal: http://www.hotels.nl/amsterdam/hem/
I look forward to meeting you in Amsterdam

William ODUOR wod Ogenya

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"I for one believe that if you give people a thorough understanding of what confronts them and the basic causes that produce it, they'll create their own program, and when the people create a program, you get action." MALCOM X