Can't say it, write it in 'Sorry Book'

By Edwin Cheserek A pamphlet only known as the ‘Sorry Book’ is said to have been instrumental in uniting communities divided by politics in Burnt Forest.
Bloodshed that rocked the cosmopolitan region after the disputed 2007 polls has been replaced by scribbled reconciliation messages mostly in local languages.
The words tell of a people’s frustrations and desire to bond after a long spell of silence from the political class that divided them.
Victims smarting from the horrors of the skirmishes, and perpetrators struggling with guilt, have been trooping to the township from dawn to dusk to pour out their hearts in writing.

Residents express their feelings in ‘Sorry Book’ on tribal animosity and the post-election chaos in Burnt Forest. [PHOTOS: PETER OCHIENG/STANDARD]

"People yearned to speak to their neighbours and reclaim lost relationships but there was no avenues, and now this ‘Sorry Book’ provides the opportunity," said Edna Cheserem, a resident. When the idea of the book was mooted soon after the violence, there was little enthusiasm from communities, as it was perceived a spying platform.
"In this part of the country, anything written is perceived with lots of suspicion. They only related it to the negative power of written words experienced from hate leaflets that preceded clashes," said Ken Wafula, chairman NGO Council, who initiated the idea.
Power of the word
He said after several roadside bonding meetings, the residents had warmed up to the power of the word.
"We want to establish a new environment founded on forgiveness after the realisation of peace in the areas which were hard hit by the violence," he said.
Two NGOs, Rural Peace Link and Centre for Human Rights and Democracy recently met for the first time in three years after the end of the skirmishes to sign the ‘Sorry Book’. During the fete, many residents in former clash torn areas admitted that things would have been different had they thought before acting.
Chairman of Burnt Forest displaced persons, Joseph Njoroge, says efforts from Government, communities and NGOs restored peace. He praised clerics in the region who prevailed upon their flock to give back things they had taken and vacate houses they had forcefully occupied.
"The clerics and their aggrieved flock have also closed ranks with the signing of the ‘Sorry Book’. In writing, they express their condolences and desire for the return to sanity," said Njoroge. The office where the ‘Sorry Book’ is placed is open throughout the day.
The voluminous book has now become a gallery of local linguistic heritage, as most of those who fill the book have preferred to use their mother tongues. "Many feel safe writing in English or Kiswahili because they believe it is more sincere and less open to spying which some still believe could be the motive of the book," says Wafula.
Residents admit the messages in the book and the proposed change of the name Burnt Forest to Tarakwa –– a cedar tree –– has motivated the return of peace.
But others argue there are victims who are still bitter with what they experienced, and perpetrators who remain unrepentant. Women who were victims of rape and those still living in camps for internally displaced persons have found it difficult to write about forgiveness and insist that justice must be done.