A Quest for Faith

New Zealand Listener, Volume 36, Issue 925, 3 May 1957, Page 21

A Quest for Faith

HE Commonwealth Broadcasting Conference in 1952 recommended delegates to proceed with a series of documentary reports on various countries, designed, if not to eliminate, at least to reduce, community tensions by their frank expression. The BBC report on Kenya was one of these, and it may stand as one of the Corporation’s finest achievements in this field. The \impressionistic opening, giving a vivid sketch of the Kenya landscape and climate, faded into a scene in a prison compound where eight young African women were detained, either directly on charges of murder, or of close involvement in it. The girls spoke, and their remarks were translated; all now seemed willing to co-operate with "their father, the Government," or "to make a new start working with God." This led to a discussion of the Mau Mau movement with its awful amalgam of savagery and religious ecstasy, so strikingly reminiscent of our own Hauhau period, and so, finally, to the expression of the most divergent views on what ‘course must be followed in Kenya. The central problem for the Europeans, it was suggested, was to find the Africans a faith to live by, and on this there seemed to be full agreement. On how it was to be secured, as many opinions as speakers. There must be multi-racial government: there must not be, at any price; there must be separate reserves for Europeans, Africans and Arabs; they must learn to live together, the white Highlands must be open to Africans; they must not be; Kenya must be separate from Whitehall; Kenya cannot yet afford to do so; we must have vision and faith; we must be practical. This would have been disheartening but for the large measure of goodwill apparent in nearly all the speakers. In fact, except for one rather Imperial gentleman with no nonsense about him, a fine magnanimity was struck by all the speakers. The whole programme was informed by a passionate impartiality.

B.E.G.

M.