Creating a common identity beyond athletics

The political party primary elections are over, and once more we soundly discarded Chapter 6 of our Constitution. 

We violated the Electoral Offenses Act of 2016, the National Cohesion and Integration Act of 2008, along with its revised edition of 2012, and a host of other criminal laws that were put in place to deter us from returning to the violent past.

Watching the unfolding electoral fiasco, I kept on asking myself: “What is the Kenyan identity? What motivates Kenyan behaviour?” 

Although there are different definitions of identity, there is one that really stands out. It was advanced by two researchers, Jukka and Timo, who defined identity as “clarity of definition of one's self, commitment to values, beliefs and objectives, activity towards these commitments, consideration of identity alternatives, approval of one's self, and thrust in one's own future.”   

Many other studies have shown identity does not remain static but changes with conditions of life and when people encounter crises. Therefore, if there was a time Kenyans needed to change their identity it is now, particularly given the crisis of 2008.

Our collective behaviour is a puzzle. To fully appreciate why I think it is a puzzle, I have to take you back to the early 20th century. In 1913, a man called John Watson started a movement that he aptly called behaviourism.

COMMON IDENTITY

He proposed the process of classical conditioning, which virtually all of us understand from the lessons of Pavlov’s observations we learnt in junior high school.    

Saul McLeod, who studied Watson, argued that:

everything from speech to emotional responses were simply patterns of stimulus and response. Watson denied completely the existence of the mind or consciousness. Watson believed that all individual differences in behavior were due to different experiences of learning.

Indeed Watson was so sure of his conditioning idea that in 1924 he said:

Give me a dozen healthy infants, well-formed, and my own specified world to bring them up in and I'll guarantee to take any one at random and train him to become any type of specialist I might select - doctor, lawyer, artist, merchant-chief and, yes, even beggar-man and thief, regardless of his talents, penchants, tendencies, abilities, vocations and the race of his ancestors

Earlier in 1905, another psychologist, B.F. Skinner, well known as the father of operant conditioning, had introduced a new term into the law of effect: reinforcement. By this, he basically meant that “behaviour which is reinforced tends to be repeated or strengthened and that behaviour which is not reinforced tends to die out-or be extinguished or weakened.”

Skinner’s work perhaps is even more relevant to what we are going through at the moment. While it can be argued that developing collective behaviour is impossible, there are many cases that prove the validity of his statement.

We ought to develop a common identity by expressly stating national values and principles of governance. In essence, it is the values that create identity, while identity itself influences behaviour.

HOLY TERROR

For example, the Protestant ethic greatly influenced the behaviour of the people in the Western world. Max Weber, in his book The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism, chronicles the impact of this ethic on behaviour.  

In economist McKinnon’s words,

Europe evolved when the Protestant (particularly Calvinist) ethic influenced large numbers of people to engage in work in the secular world, developing their own enterprises and engaging in trade and the accumulation of wealth for investment. In other words, the Protestant work ethic was an important force behind the unplanned and uncoordinated emergence of modern capitalism.

Even in recent years, with many people having abandoned religion, this ethic continues to have a greater impact on behaviour. 

The freedoms of setting one’s own enterprises and engaging in trade, coupled with the accumulation of wealth, acted as positive reinforcement that persists even today in many parts of the world. 

On various occasions, I have seen ordinary folks in the Western world punish those who go against their collective ethic. 

In October 1992, singer Sinéad O'Connor appeared on US television entertainment programme "Saturday Night Live" as a musical guest to sing Bob Marley’s "War" a cappella. Instead she changed the lyrics and ripped up Pope John Paul’s photo on camera. 

Protest from viewers ensued and within a few days, close to 5,000 had protested. Only seven of the first 400 callers thought there was nothing wrong with the performance. 

NBC, the station that aired the episode, had to apologise to viewers. The New York Daily News termed the performance a “Holy Terror,” and some of her performances in New York and London were cancelled. 

The media refused to cover her performances and she learnt a lesson. Such is the power of the people united under common ethics. How do we sustainably create a common ethic to deal with our political situation? 

TRIBALLY ORIENTED

Everybody I talk to agrees that something needs to be done to get leaders with integrity but we do the opposite every time we have an opportunity. 

A group of religious leaders came up with a noble idea of ensuring Chapter Six is followed up on behalf of citizens but their efforts have since fizzled out. Perhaps they too lacked the moral authority to question the political class.

The constitutional prescription of values has failed to work and it may never work, since many Kenyans never read the document.

Communal values will emerge around communal culture. Brand Kenya was meant to develop a national culture and a Kenyan identity but there is nothing to show for our effort.   

In my view, there is an opportunity in the making. This opportunity is encapsulated in the term “Millennials.” 

Contrary to some surveys that claim that millennials are becoming increasingly tribal, many of those I encounter on many campuses do indeed hope for a better future. 

It is possible to rally Kenyans around the issues we agree on. For example, we are as united as ever when Kenyan athletes bring gold home. We must reward the effort hugely and soon the reward system will begin to slowly change our culture. 

Already, today's youth lack the language and cultural artefacts of their tribally oriented parents and we just need a reward system to reinforce what they have started. 

ANOTHER VIOLENT PERIOD

For the beginning, we all must agree to respect the rule of law, which we have continuously disregarded. This is perhaps the most basic requirement for a values-based future. 

Democracy cannot thrive without the rule of law, and the only certainty with such impunity is complete anarchy in the days to come. We are simply setting the stage for another violent period, just like in past plebiscites.

Such violent episodes are expensive: economic growth is impaired, some people die while others are maimed and property is lost.  

Paulo Coelho said, “Culture makes people understand each other better. And if they understand each other better in their soul, it is easier to overcome the economic and political barriers. But first they have to understand that their neighbour is, in the end, just like them, with the same problems, the same questions.”

Let us understand our culture and build values that respect our neighbours. That way we avoid unnecessary conflict.

The writer is an associate professor at University of Nairobi’s School of Business. Twitter: @bantigito