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A group of more than 80 people, including Kenyans living in Beijing as well as Chinese and people of other nationalities, held a vigil on April 18 in honor of the nearly 150 people killed following a terrorist attack at Garissa University College on April 2.
Officials of the Kenyan embassy in China, students, friends of Kenya and the working community in Beijing all gathered at a section of expansive Chaoyang Park in Beijing for the event.
A moment of silence that lasted for 147 seconds in memory of the people who died marked the beginning of the event. Participants then lit 147 candles and wrote personal messages on cards to the families of the victims.
Kenyan security forces killed all four terrorists who attacked the students. Responsibility for the attack was claimed by the militant group al-Shabab, an al-Qaida offshoot.
The cards were being sent to Kenya through the main organizers of the event. The organizers included the Kenyan embassy in China, China Radio International, Africa 2 Point 0, Kenyan Students in China Association and Friends of Africa in China.
Speeches were then made with the majority of the speakers reiterating the theme of the vigil: "147 is not just a number." Beatrice Maisori, secretary of the Kenya Students Association in Beijing read a speech on behalf of the student group in China.
"We are all deeply saddened by the heinous attack that prematurely stole the lives of 147 very young Kenyans with a promising future. Our hearts are full of sympathy. The depth is clear as we wrote a message to each of the families. We pray that the bereaved will find comfort and strength and the injured will have a quick recovery," she said.
Maisori further appealed to Kenyan authorities to do all within their reach to guarantee peace and safety for students and teachers in all institutions of learning.
"The panic and stampede at the University of Nairobi Kikuyu Campus over a week later is a sign that many students may be living in fear of further attacks. It is the government's responsibility to guarantee the security of all Kenyan citizens," she added.
Maisori appealed to all Kenyans to embrace tolerance and peaceful co-existence and agree not to be divided on tribal, religious or any other lines.
She concluded her speech by condemning attacks against foreigners in South Africa as well as giving thanks to all those who showed their support to the nearly 150 Kenyans who lost their lives.
"We thank our sisters and brothers from other African countries, China and the world for joining us in this event and we pray especially for South Africa that there will be a swift and firm action to end the ongoing xenophobic attacks," she said.
Anti-immigrant mobs in South Africa have attacked shops owned by people from other African countries and threatened foreigners, the Associated Press reported. The violence there followed riots in and around the coastal city of Durban that reportedly killed about six people.
Shadow Li, a tour operator who runs a tour company in Kenya, said she was very encouraged by the numbers of not only Kenyans but also other nationalities that showed their support for Kenya through attending the event. Participants from countries other than Kenya included those from South Africa, Democratic Republic of Congo, the United States and China.
"Terrorist attacks are lurking in the shadows every day. It is indiscriminate slaughter and we strongly condemn it in all its forms and manifestation. Today's vigil is organized by volunteers who are Kenyans and who have been to Kenya and even who have never been there but care about life," she told China Daily.
Justina Wahu, a Kenyan working in Beijing, said she had used the WeChat platform to get out word of the event.
"Even though the terrorist attack at Garissa University College happened while we were in the diaspora, we remain united in grief as Kenyans," she said.
For China Daily
