SlideShare ist ein Scribd-Unternehmen logo
1 von 9
Downloaden Sie, um offline zu lesen
The Tragedy of Little Kezia: Race and Adoption Politics in Africa This story begins on August 4, 2005 when Kezia (in photo) was born. She was abandoned, and six weeks later a good Samaritan dropped her off at Happy Life Children’s Home in Nairobi. She was a far cry from the photo here. Kezia was  horribly sick with fever and a cough, and emaciated.  About then a friend, Louise Turnbridge (those who weren’t  in diapers in the 1990s will remember her as  a regular correspondent’s voice on the BBC) got to meet Kezia at the children’s home – and fell in love with her.  She cajoled and pushed, until Kezia was treated for pneumonia. She visited her many times with her son Gisa, and decided to take Kezia in as a foster parent. There was tension on the day Louise turned up to take Kezia home. The orphanage director demanded she pay a “contribution” to the home. Louise was upset because, she thought  she was being made to buy Kezia. By Charles Onyango-Obbo
At Louise’s home,  Kezia recovered her health and put on weight rapidly. Gisa took to his new sister, and would take her to his school to meet his class. He played with Kezia  a lot and learnt to feed her.  Louise fostered Kezia for three months and then applied to court for her adoption. Nothing happened. A social worked at Little Angels (the adoption society, not to be confused with Happy  Life, the children’s home)  told Louise that she had bumped into a senior state official who told her that ‘that baby from Kiambu’ had to go back. Toward  the end of the year, Louise heard that Kezia might have a living parent... October  2005
Gisa and  Kezia eat guavas. March 2006 In February 2006, Happy Life sent a letter to Little Angels saying the children’s parents were in prison for her neglect and were asking to have her back. Little Angels were surprised, and continued to do the paperwork for Kezia’s adoption. Happy Life then  sent Louise a text message asking her to take Kezia for a committal hearing at the home conducted by a visiting magistrate, a key part of the adoption process. The story of  Kezia’s life was about to change  – but no one would have guessed how dramatically.
At the Coast  December 2005 The files at Happy Life didn’t have much information about Kezia. Louise decided to do her own investigations. In Kiambu court, the files showed that Joseph Thuo and Leah Mathiu, believed to be Kezia’s parents, were convicted of child neglect and ill-treatment of a baby called Grace Nyambura (she was named Kezia  by Louise) and sentenced to two months in prison. The court had issued no orders in respect of the child. Investigations from the couple’s village showed that Thuo was a drunkard who could not hold down a job. His wife had left him. He had also split up with Leah, described by the police as a “loiterer”, after Kezia’s birth. Leah had had another child who died. She had abandoned Kezia several times after birth, until finally dumping her farther away at the roadside, where she was picked and taken to Happy Life. Six months later, the adoption paperwork hadn’t come back from the courts.
Little Angels, the adoption society, sent Louise an email on May 30 th  2006. It said the Kiambu District Children's Officer had telephoned Happy Life ordering them to return Kezia immediately to Kiambu.  She was 10 months old. Louise agreed to take Kezia to Kiambu two weeks later. The most difficult part followed – telling Gisa that Kezia would have to leave, and she wasn’t sure she would return. Gisa was inconsolable. He cried endlessly, and asked his mother: “But mum, how do we know they will look after her? What if they abandon her again? On Friday June 16, 2006 – the day of the African child! – Louise and Gisa  Kezia took to the Kiambu District Children’s Officer’s office in Kiambu. Thuo and Leah were waiting. They signed papers acknowledging Kezia’s handover.  Louise handed the child to Leah, but she refused to hold her. They drove with the  couple to their  village in Kibichio. There was nobody waiting to greet them. There was no preparation to receive Kezia either. No food, no milk (except that which Louise had brought), and no place for her sleep. It was difficult for  Louise to peel herself from Kezia and leave. So she hang around settling her in until late evening.
Gisa  and  Kezia June 2009 Louise went back to Kibichio two weeks later to visit Kezia. She was shocked by what she saw. She had lost weight and her skin was covered in insect bits and rashes. She was silent, withdrawn, and her body felt stiff. She did not want to stand and put  weight on her feet as she had been doing before. The one thing that hadn’t changed, is that she knew Louise. She touched Louise’s hair and whispered “Mama”. When they were driving off, she wailed. It was, Louise, says; “a desperate cry.” Louise went to the Kiambu District Children’s Officer‘s office to complain, and appeal to him to monitor Kezia. She followed later with daily calls. The only thing she succeed in doing was to irritate him.
Visiting Kezia became too painful for Louise, so she arranged for the social workers at Happy Life to do it on her behalf. She would send things like mosquito nets. The news about Kezia was not good, though. On July 21, 2006 Thou’s father called the children’s home, asking them to go and take away Kezia. The parents had been fighting and the child was often caught between them, he said. Leah had taken to sleeping with a knife under pillow. Thuo’s father  Kamau wanted Leah and  Kezia off his compound.  One day, Leah upped and left Kezia behind with Thuo. Louise reported her concerns to the district children’s office again. The new children’s officer summoned Thuo and Leah, together with Louise, to discuss Kezia’s welfare. In the end, she told Louise to leave the family alone to sort out their problem. Upon returning from holiday in September, Louise called the district children’s officer, who told her she had gone to visit the couple and was surprised by the “hatred” between them. Louise also kept in touch with the chief police officer in Kibichio.
Louise took in Kezia, before the case of  pop superstar  Madonna’s adoption of  baby Banda in Malawi.  Madonna’s case demonstrated how a white person adopting an African child can turn controversial and emotional. There are those who resent it, because they feel the  mzungus  are taking advantage of “poor Africans” to take away their children. The cultural  conservatives argue that an African child raised in  a mzungu  household would  be “lost”. Maybe if  Louise was better tuned to these tensions, it is a journey she would not have set out on. Or having done so, she might have bribed everyone in the system not to wreck the Kezia adoption plans.  Now,  all that doesn’t matter.
Louise called Kibichoi in November 2007. She was told that Kezia had died. Her grave in the banana garden is a small mound of earth, unmarked,, with a few plants growing over it. Every day thousands of children like Kezia die in Africa. This is one death, though, that didn’t have to happen because, at least, Kezia had a chance – even if it was not the chance her parents thought she should have. Louise sent me the materials of this story last year. Nearly every other  couple of weeks I read it…and for some reason I can’t put a finger on why, with time, Kezia’s story reads more tragic. In a strange way, it sums up all the contractions, adversities, the hopes, crashed dreams, the odds, that define and explain our Africa today…

Weitere ähnliche Inhalte

Was ist angesagt?

In the heights
In the heightsIn the heights
In the heightsCiaraSian
 
Media Kit
Media KitMedia Kit
Media Kitgagnier
 
Colleen's Place of Hope
Colleen's Place of HopeColleen's Place of Hope
Colleen's Place of Hopebabiblu
 
Night for the homeless Dec 2014 in pictures
Night for the homeless Dec 2014 in picturesNight for the homeless Dec 2014 in pictures
Night for the homeless Dec 2014 in picturesMikkel Juel Iversen
 
Independent research task
Independent research task Independent research task
Independent research task Joe_Roberts97
 
Little message 4 god
Little message 4 godLittle message 4 god
Little message 4 godtristangrace
 
Final little message 4 god
Final little message 4 godFinal little message 4 god
Final little message 4 godtristangrace
 
The help
The helpThe help
The helpmaramg
 
Night for the homeless dec 2015 event round-up
Night for the homeless dec 2015   event round-upNight for the homeless dec 2015   event round-up
Night for the homeless dec 2015 event round-upMikkel Juel Iversen
 
Jane Eyre: Chapter 21-25
Jane Eyre: Chapter 21-25Jane Eyre: Chapter 21-25
Jane Eyre: Chapter 21-25Jack Román
 

Was ist angesagt? (18)

In the heights
In the heightsIn the heights
In the heights
 
Anya
AnyaAnya
Anya
 
Winter legacy 8
Winter legacy 8Winter legacy 8
Winter legacy 8
 
Media Kit
Media KitMedia Kit
Media Kit
 
NOSTALGIA
NOSTALGIANOSTALGIA
NOSTALGIA
 
Colleen's Place of Hope
Colleen's Place of HopeColleen's Place of Hope
Colleen's Place of Hope
 
Lost lover story
Lost lover storyLost lover story
Lost lover story
 
Night for the homeless Dec 2014 in pictures
Night for the homeless Dec 2014 in picturesNight for the homeless Dec 2014 in pictures
Night for the homeless Dec 2014 in pictures
 
Independent research task
Independent research task Independent research task
Independent research task
 
AMIKI
AMIKIAMIKI
AMIKI
 
Little message 4 god
Little message 4 godLittle message 4 god
Little message 4 god
 
Final little message 4 god
Final little message 4 godFinal little message 4 god
Final little message 4 god
 
The help
The helpThe help
The help
 
Age of Innocence
Age of InnocenceAge of Innocence
Age of Innocence
 
Night for the homeless dec 2015 event round-up
Night for the homeless dec 2015   event round-upNight for the homeless dec 2015   event round-up
Night for the homeless dec 2015 event round-up
 
LWAC part 6
LWAC part 6LWAC part 6
LWAC part 6
 
Jane Eyre: Chapter 21-25
Jane Eyre: Chapter 21-25Jane Eyre: Chapter 21-25
Jane Eyre: Chapter 21-25
 
Play synopsis
Play synopsisPlay synopsis
Play synopsis
 

Andere mochten auch

Presentacio Ciutats
Presentacio CiutatsPresentacio Ciutats
Presentacio CiutatsReckonerr
 
Everest - Everything is a resource
Everest - Everything is a resourceEverest - Everything is a resource
Everest - Everything is a resourceClément Escoffier
 
Pycon 2011 talk (may not be final, note)
Pycon 2011 talk (may not be final, note)Pycon 2011 talk (may not be final, note)
Pycon 2011 talk (may not be final, note)c.titus.brown
 
Navigating Your Way to Business Success in India
Navigating Your Way to Business Success in IndiaNavigating Your Way to Business Success in India
Navigating Your Way to Business Success in IndiaKegler Brown Hill + Ritter
 
Trainings Evaluation Reports WPS Phase-II Bhakkar
Trainings Evaluation Reports WPS Phase-II BhakkarTrainings Evaluation Reports WPS Phase-II Bhakkar
Trainings Evaluation Reports WPS Phase-II BhakkarZafar Ahmad
 
Sixth formers at the University Library
Sixth formers at the University LibrarySixth formers at the University Library
Sixth formers at the University LibraryTina Hohmann
 
Pluto Project Greg And Victor 1
Pluto Project Greg And Victor 1Pluto Project Greg And Victor 1
Pluto Project Greg And Victor 1Gregorio
 
Orange Israel iPhone startAPP contest winners at MoMoTLV
Orange Israel iPhone startAPP contest winners at MoMoTLVOrange Israel iPhone startAPP contest winners at MoMoTLV
Orange Israel iPhone startAPP contest winners at MoMoTLVMobileMonday Tel-Aviv
 
Company Presentation for Publishers
Company Presentation for PublishersCompany Presentation for Publishers
Company Presentation for PublishersSponsormob
 
Linuxtag 2012 - continuous delivery - dream to reality
Linuxtag 2012  - continuous delivery - dream to realityLinuxtag 2012  - continuous delivery - dream to reality
Linuxtag 2012 - continuous delivery - dream to realityClément Escoffier
 
The tsunami that washed time away
The tsunami that washed time awayThe tsunami that washed time away
The tsunami that washed time awayTakahe One
 
3835 N Greenview #1
3835 N Greenview #13835 N Greenview #1
3835 N Greenview #1bamadogg
 
Absence Makes You a Goner: Dealing with Employee Leave
Absence Makes You a Goner: Dealing with Employee LeaveAbsence Makes You a Goner: Dealing with Employee Leave
Absence Makes You a Goner: Dealing with Employee LeaveKegler Brown Hill + Ritter
 

Andere mochten auch (20)

Body Language
Body  LanguageBody  Language
Body Language
 
Presentacio Ciutats
Presentacio CiutatsPresentacio Ciutats
Presentacio Ciutats
 
Everest - Everything is a resource
Everest - Everything is a resourceEverest - Everything is a resource
Everest - Everything is a resource
 
2013 alumni-webinar
2013 alumni-webinar2013 alumni-webinar
2013 alumni-webinar
 
Pycon 2011 talk (may not be final, note)
Pycon 2011 talk (may not be final, note)Pycon 2011 talk (may not be final, note)
Pycon 2011 talk (may not be final, note)
 
Navigating Your Way to Business Success in India
Navigating Your Way to Business Success in IndiaNavigating Your Way to Business Success in India
Navigating Your Way to Business Success in India
 
Future Developments + Regulations
Future Developments + RegulationsFuture Developments + Regulations
Future Developments + Regulations
 
Trainings Evaluation Reports WPS Phase-II Bhakkar
Trainings Evaluation Reports WPS Phase-II BhakkarTrainings Evaluation Reports WPS Phase-II Bhakkar
Trainings Evaluation Reports WPS Phase-II Bhakkar
 
2014 abic-talk
2014 abic-talk2014 abic-talk
2014 abic-talk
 
Sixth formers at the University Library
Sixth formers at the University LibrarySixth formers at the University Library
Sixth formers at the University Library
 
Designer 2000 Tuning
Designer 2000 TuningDesigner 2000 Tuning
Designer 2000 Tuning
 
Pluto Project Greg And Victor 1
Pluto Project Greg And Victor 1Pluto Project Greg And Victor 1
Pluto Project Greg And Victor 1
 
Orange Israel iPhone startAPP contest winners at MoMoTLV
Orange Israel iPhone startAPP contest winners at MoMoTLVOrange Israel iPhone startAPP contest winners at MoMoTLV
Orange Israel iPhone startAPP contest winners at MoMoTLV
 
Company Presentation for Publishers
Company Presentation for PublishersCompany Presentation for Publishers
Company Presentation for Publishers
 
11i Logs
11i Logs11i Logs
11i Logs
 
Linuxtag 2012 - continuous delivery - dream to reality
Linuxtag 2012  - continuous delivery - dream to realityLinuxtag 2012  - continuous delivery - dream to reality
Linuxtag 2012 - continuous delivery - dream to reality
 
The tsunami that washed time away
The tsunami that washed time awayThe tsunami that washed time away
The tsunami that washed time away
 
3835 N Greenview #1
3835 N Greenview #13835 N Greenview #1
3835 N Greenview #1
 
Absence Makes You a Goner: Dealing with Employee Leave
Absence Makes You a Goner: Dealing with Employee LeaveAbsence Makes You a Goner: Dealing with Employee Leave
Absence Makes You a Goner: Dealing with Employee Leave
 
Shirk
ShirkShirk
Shirk
 

Ähnlich wie Kezia Tragedy

Ähnlich wie Kezia Tragedy (7)

Secret Life Of Bees
Secret Life Of BeesSecret Life Of Bees
Secret Life Of Bees
 
Alice Maltz Memory Book
Alice Maltz Memory BookAlice Maltz Memory Book
Alice Maltz Memory Book
 
Lizzie Borden Research Paper
Lizzie Borden Research PaperLizzie Borden Research Paper
Lizzie Borden Research Paper
 
11_23_14_F3.PDF
11_23_14_F3.PDF11_23_14_F3.PDF
11_23_14_F3.PDF
 
Tranformation Into A Confident Woman In The Secret Life Of...
Tranformation Into A Confident Woman In The Secret Life Of...Tranformation Into A Confident Woman In The Secret Life Of...
Tranformation Into A Confident Woman In The Secret Life Of...
 
Social Story Roshen
Social Story   RoshenSocial Story   Roshen
Social Story Roshen
 
The Secret Life Of Bees Summary
The Secret Life Of Bees SummaryThe Secret Life Of Bees Summary
The Secret Life Of Bees Summary
 

Kürzlich hochgeladen

Européennes 2024 : projection du Parlement européen à trois mois du scrutin
Européennes 2024 : projection du Parlement européen à trois mois du scrutinEuropéennes 2024 : projection du Parlement européen à trois mois du scrutin
Européennes 2024 : projection du Parlement européen à trois mois du scrutinIpsos France
 
One India vs United India by Dream Tamilnadu
One India vs United India by Dream TamilnaduOne India vs United India by Dream Tamilnadu
One India vs United India by Dream TamilnaduDreamTamilnadu
 
Green Aesthetic Ripped Paper Thesis Defense Presentation_20240311_111012_0000...
Green Aesthetic Ripped Paper Thesis Defense Presentation_20240311_111012_0000...Green Aesthetic Ripped Paper Thesis Defense Presentation_20240311_111012_0000...
Green Aesthetic Ripped Paper Thesis Defense Presentation_20240311_111012_0000...virgfern3011
 
Por estos dos motivos, defensa de JOH solicita repetir juicio
Por estos dos motivos, defensa de JOH solicita repetir juicioPor estos dos motivos, defensa de JOH solicita repetir juicio
Por estos dos motivos, defensa de JOH solicita repetir juicioAlexisTorres963861
 
19032024_First India Newspaper Jaipur.pdf
19032024_First India Newspaper Jaipur.pdf19032024_First India Newspaper Jaipur.pdf
19032024_First India Newspaper Jaipur.pdfFIRST INDIA
 
Another Day, Another Default Judgment Against Gabe Whitley
Another Day, Another Default Judgment Against Gabe WhitleyAnother Day, Another Default Judgment Against Gabe Whitley
Another Day, Another Default Judgment Against Gabe WhitleyAbdul-Hakim Shabazz
 
Ministry of Justice Extradition Eswatini 3.pdf
Ministry of Justice Extradition Eswatini 3.pdfMinistry of Justice Extradition Eswatini 3.pdf
Ministry of Justice Extradition Eswatini 3.pdfSABC News
 
Light Rail in Canberra: Too much, too little, too late: Is the price worth th...
Light Rail in Canberra: Too much, too little, too late: Is the price worth th...Light Rail in Canberra: Too much, too little, too late: Is the price worth th...
Light Rail in Canberra: Too much, too little, too late: Is the price worth th...University of Canberra
 
Anantkumar Hegde
Anantkumar Hegde  Anantkumar Hegde
Anantkumar Hegde NewsFeed1
 

Kürzlich hochgeladen (9)

Européennes 2024 : projection du Parlement européen à trois mois du scrutin
Européennes 2024 : projection du Parlement européen à trois mois du scrutinEuropéennes 2024 : projection du Parlement européen à trois mois du scrutin
Européennes 2024 : projection du Parlement européen à trois mois du scrutin
 
One India vs United India by Dream Tamilnadu
One India vs United India by Dream TamilnaduOne India vs United India by Dream Tamilnadu
One India vs United India by Dream Tamilnadu
 
Green Aesthetic Ripped Paper Thesis Defense Presentation_20240311_111012_0000...
Green Aesthetic Ripped Paper Thesis Defense Presentation_20240311_111012_0000...Green Aesthetic Ripped Paper Thesis Defense Presentation_20240311_111012_0000...
Green Aesthetic Ripped Paper Thesis Defense Presentation_20240311_111012_0000...
 
Por estos dos motivos, defensa de JOH solicita repetir juicio
Por estos dos motivos, defensa de JOH solicita repetir juicioPor estos dos motivos, defensa de JOH solicita repetir juicio
Por estos dos motivos, defensa de JOH solicita repetir juicio
 
19032024_First India Newspaper Jaipur.pdf
19032024_First India Newspaper Jaipur.pdf19032024_First India Newspaper Jaipur.pdf
19032024_First India Newspaper Jaipur.pdf
 
Another Day, Another Default Judgment Against Gabe Whitley
Another Day, Another Default Judgment Against Gabe WhitleyAnother Day, Another Default Judgment Against Gabe Whitley
Another Day, Another Default Judgment Against Gabe Whitley
 
Ministry of Justice Extradition Eswatini 3.pdf
Ministry of Justice Extradition Eswatini 3.pdfMinistry of Justice Extradition Eswatini 3.pdf
Ministry of Justice Extradition Eswatini 3.pdf
 
Light Rail in Canberra: Too much, too little, too late: Is the price worth th...
Light Rail in Canberra: Too much, too little, too late: Is the price worth th...Light Rail in Canberra: Too much, too little, too late: Is the price worth th...
Light Rail in Canberra: Too much, too little, too late: Is the price worth th...
 
Anantkumar Hegde
Anantkumar Hegde  Anantkumar Hegde
Anantkumar Hegde
 

Kezia Tragedy

  • 1. The Tragedy of Little Kezia: Race and Adoption Politics in Africa This story begins on August 4, 2005 when Kezia (in photo) was born. She was abandoned, and six weeks later a good Samaritan dropped her off at Happy Life Children’s Home in Nairobi. She was a far cry from the photo here. Kezia was horribly sick with fever and a cough, and emaciated. About then a friend, Louise Turnbridge (those who weren’t in diapers in the 1990s will remember her as a regular correspondent’s voice on the BBC) got to meet Kezia at the children’s home – and fell in love with her. She cajoled and pushed, until Kezia was treated for pneumonia. She visited her many times with her son Gisa, and decided to take Kezia in as a foster parent. There was tension on the day Louise turned up to take Kezia home. The orphanage director demanded she pay a “contribution” to the home. Louise was upset because, she thought she was being made to buy Kezia. By Charles Onyango-Obbo
  • 2. At Louise’s home, Kezia recovered her health and put on weight rapidly. Gisa took to his new sister, and would take her to his school to meet his class. He played with Kezia a lot and learnt to feed her. Louise fostered Kezia for three months and then applied to court for her adoption. Nothing happened. A social worked at Little Angels (the adoption society, not to be confused with Happy Life, the children’s home) told Louise that she had bumped into a senior state official who told her that ‘that baby from Kiambu’ had to go back. Toward the end of the year, Louise heard that Kezia might have a living parent... October 2005
  • 3. Gisa and Kezia eat guavas. March 2006 In February 2006, Happy Life sent a letter to Little Angels saying the children’s parents were in prison for her neglect and were asking to have her back. Little Angels were surprised, and continued to do the paperwork for Kezia’s adoption. Happy Life then sent Louise a text message asking her to take Kezia for a committal hearing at the home conducted by a visiting magistrate, a key part of the adoption process. The story of Kezia’s life was about to change – but no one would have guessed how dramatically.
  • 4. At the Coast December 2005 The files at Happy Life didn’t have much information about Kezia. Louise decided to do her own investigations. In Kiambu court, the files showed that Joseph Thuo and Leah Mathiu, believed to be Kezia’s parents, were convicted of child neglect and ill-treatment of a baby called Grace Nyambura (she was named Kezia by Louise) and sentenced to two months in prison. The court had issued no orders in respect of the child. Investigations from the couple’s village showed that Thuo was a drunkard who could not hold down a job. His wife had left him. He had also split up with Leah, described by the police as a “loiterer”, after Kezia’s birth. Leah had had another child who died. She had abandoned Kezia several times after birth, until finally dumping her farther away at the roadside, where she was picked and taken to Happy Life. Six months later, the adoption paperwork hadn’t come back from the courts.
  • 5. Little Angels, the adoption society, sent Louise an email on May 30 th 2006. It said the Kiambu District Children's Officer had telephoned Happy Life ordering them to return Kezia immediately to Kiambu. She was 10 months old. Louise agreed to take Kezia to Kiambu two weeks later. The most difficult part followed – telling Gisa that Kezia would have to leave, and she wasn’t sure she would return. Gisa was inconsolable. He cried endlessly, and asked his mother: “But mum, how do we know they will look after her? What if they abandon her again? On Friday June 16, 2006 – the day of the African child! – Louise and Gisa Kezia took to the Kiambu District Children’s Officer’s office in Kiambu. Thuo and Leah were waiting. They signed papers acknowledging Kezia’s handover. Louise handed the child to Leah, but she refused to hold her. They drove with the couple to their village in Kibichio. There was nobody waiting to greet them. There was no preparation to receive Kezia either. No food, no milk (except that which Louise had brought), and no place for her sleep. It was difficult for Louise to peel herself from Kezia and leave. So she hang around settling her in until late evening.
  • 6. Gisa and Kezia June 2009 Louise went back to Kibichio two weeks later to visit Kezia. She was shocked by what she saw. She had lost weight and her skin was covered in insect bits and rashes. She was silent, withdrawn, and her body felt stiff. She did not want to stand and put weight on her feet as she had been doing before. The one thing that hadn’t changed, is that she knew Louise. She touched Louise’s hair and whispered “Mama”. When they were driving off, she wailed. It was, Louise, says; “a desperate cry.” Louise went to the Kiambu District Children’s Officer‘s office to complain, and appeal to him to monitor Kezia. She followed later with daily calls. The only thing she succeed in doing was to irritate him.
  • 7. Visiting Kezia became too painful for Louise, so she arranged for the social workers at Happy Life to do it on her behalf. She would send things like mosquito nets. The news about Kezia was not good, though. On July 21, 2006 Thou’s father called the children’s home, asking them to go and take away Kezia. The parents had been fighting and the child was often caught between them, he said. Leah had taken to sleeping with a knife under pillow. Thuo’s father Kamau wanted Leah and Kezia off his compound. One day, Leah upped and left Kezia behind with Thuo. Louise reported her concerns to the district children’s office again. The new children’s officer summoned Thuo and Leah, together with Louise, to discuss Kezia’s welfare. In the end, she told Louise to leave the family alone to sort out their problem. Upon returning from holiday in September, Louise called the district children’s officer, who told her she had gone to visit the couple and was surprised by the “hatred” between them. Louise also kept in touch with the chief police officer in Kibichio.
  • 8. Louise took in Kezia, before the case of pop superstar Madonna’s adoption of baby Banda in Malawi. Madonna’s case demonstrated how a white person adopting an African child can turn controversial and emotional. There are those who resent it, because they feel the mzungus are taking advantage of “poor Africans” to take away their children. The cultural conservatives argue that an African child raised in a mzungu household would be “lost”. Maybe if Louise was better tuned to these tensions, it is a journey she would not have set out on. Or having done so, she might have bribed everyone in the system not to wreck the Kezia adoption plans. Now, all that doesn’t matter.
  • 9. Louise called Kibichoi in November 2007. She was told that Kezia had died. Her grave in the banana garden is a small mound of earth, unmarked,, with a few plants growing over it. Every day thousands of children like Kezia die in Africa. This is one death, though, that didn’t have to happen because, at least, Kezia had a chance – even if it was not the chance her parents thought she should have. Louise sent me the materials of this story last year. Nearly every other couple of weeks I read it…and for some reason I can’t put a finger on why, with time, Kezia’s story reads more tragic. In a strange way, it sums up all the contractions, adversities, the hopes, crashed dreams, the odds, that define and explain our Africa today…