Fortress

Our Nairobi apartment community is lovely. It is also a fortress. It is not only gated, it is completely surrounded by high walls and guarded by a dozen colorfully-uniformed security staff. Your car is searched when you enter the gates. You pass through metal detectors when you go into the supermarket. Every store in the community’s bright and modern three-story mall has a guard and a bag check.

The paranoia is palpable and I wonder if it is truly justified. I’m not naive, I understand that Kenya is a developing country and Nairobi has its share of crime (the local nickname for the city is “Nairobbery”). But the precautions taken at this walled community seem to go beyond excessive.

Fortress communities like this disturb my basic egalitarian nature. I grew up in a small community in Georgia where if you “lorded your wealth” or “put on airs,” you were harshly judged by your neighbors. From my high-falutin’ apartment balcony I can see over the wall into the city, where the citizens of Nairobi busily go about their days.

Honestly, I feel a little trapped. I believe that in most cases walls and gates do a greater harm to those huddled inside than those excluded outside. It’s a fear-promoting psychological effect. The more you guard yourself, the more you fear the outside world, the less free you are.

I’m not a fool. I understand that there are bad people out there who will do harm, and that a prudent and common-sense level of precaution is necessary to safeguard your person, your family and your property. But this ultra-conspicuous level of security is downright oppressive. Safety is important, but it must be balanced with freedom and quality of life. Fear and paranoia can easily become shackles. I’m not saying that is what’s happening here, because I wouldn’t presume to understand Kenyan society after just a week, but in the end, I believe that anything that exists to separate the world into us and them will eventually prove to be a bad thing.

Don’t mistake me; I’ve enjoyed my time here in this place. I admire what the community developers have accomplished. It’s a beautifully done Western-style planned community with lovely shops and delicious high-end restaurants. Culturally, I’m perfectly comfortable here. It’s a little slice of suburban America, albeit crouching behind high walls. But, I didn’t come to Africa to experience suburban America. I came to Africa to experience Africa. We leave this place in a few days, and while I’ll likely miss the convenience of a high-end mall with a Kentucky Fried Chicken and Starbucks a hundred yards from my front door, I won’t miss the walls and the guards. At least I hope not!