AUTHOR’S NOTE:
Guys, this is an article my small sister wrote for her high school newspaper which I thought was a good analysis of 2008. Feel free to share your thoughts on this!
2008 was probably the year that will go down in history as the most remarkable one. Records were broken, history was recorded & controversial decisions were made. As the curtains fall on the year 2008, let’s make a brief recap of the year that was…
Firstly, who’d want to remember all the post election violence & its devasting effects? As people were mercilessly killed, our politicians were busy arguing at KICC about spoilt Form 16As. An old African proverb says, “When two elephants fight, the grass suffers.” That was exactly what happened. Months down the line, Kenyans aren’t all smiles but a “grand coalition” was established. Will it be efficient? Will it lead Kenya to the land of manna? Only time will tell…
Secondly, the Olympics took another big chunk of the year. The festival held in Beijing was the most entertaining exhibition of sportsmanship. Kenyan athletes did us proud by getting a total of 19 medals & being the topmost ranked country in Africa. From Chepkoskey to Wanjiru… Yes, we did it!
On the other side of the world, economic crisis had reached its peak. It started with the fall of Wall Street then the rapid recession in its economy. It spread to Europe then to Eurasia & was later unleashed on Africa. This confirms that, “When America sneezes, Europe catches a cold, Asia gets a serious case of tuberculosis & Africa’s pnuemonia worsens.” How true! Apparently, crisis was the word of the game. Food crisis, oil crisis, economic crisis… The list is endless!
Every cloud has a silver lining. Obama is exactly that! Elected 44th President of the United States of America, the world rejoiced with disbelief. We embraced: “Yes we can!”, accepted it & because of those simple words, change came the world over. I think Kenyan politicians should emulate such a great man. In fact, to add insult to injury, he’s of Kenyan heritage! The “Son of Kogelo” is now the most powerful man in the world. Bulls were slaughtered, chickens had their last crow & there was plenty of merry-making. It was the post Obama euphoria.
With all the highs & lows, joys & sorrows , tears & laughter that we all faced this year, I only hope you played your part in being the change you want in the world. Oh! Don’t make resolutions you’ll know you won’t keep & most probably forget them by February.
Have a happy holiday & a splendid new year!
Jeptum Bullut,
Form 3L,
Riara Springs Girls High School.
