The Face of Humanity: Personal review of Terror at the Mall

As we mark one year since the horrific WestGate attack, and after the release of the documentary "Terror at the Mall", I feel the need to celebrate humanity. It does truly have a face, and we saw it with the likes of Abdul Haji, Harish, Nura Ali among others... 

When I watched the documentary Terror at the Mall, I felt like I was watching a harrowing horror movie. It felt so surreal to actually see what really happened.  Most of us knew bits and pieces of what happened but not in such intricate detail.  And as the filmmaker Dan Reed intended, I immersed myself fully into what was happening. With that came anger, disgust, sadness and tears.  I felt the fear. I kept imagining how anyone stuck there felt. And it makes me so sad. One year ago, four young men aged 19 – 23 wreaked havoc in my beloved Kenya. And how our forces dealt with it was very disgusting. This documentary took me back one year ago, when Kenya was at a standstill. When my country was the scene of a ghastly horror movie.  When all most Kenyans did was stay glued to broadcast and social media just to get an update on what was happening. And to wait for the government spokesman to feed us more lies…

I was particularly angered by the soldier who said “we are here now” when civilians (one even mentioned that he was a soldier in his home country) persuaded them to let them go in and at least save those who had been injured and alive. So many people lost their lives due to the late response and sheer incompetency. Most survivors said they were waiting for armed forces to go in and save them. They failed. They didn’t go in on time. They were waiting for SWAT.  Lord, Jesus. When one Asian man screamed in anger “By the time you react people will die” – that just broke my heart.  And true – lots of people died due to the incompetence of our oh so dear “disciplined security forces”. But the world has called your bluff. I hope you enjoyed the loot.

However, I have decided to dedicate my review to the heroes of the day. In as much as I cried and felt so angered by the whole ordeal, this documentary made me fall in love with humanity over and over again. Yes it does exist amongst some of us. The act of valor portrayed by Abdul Haji, Harish and the plain clothes police men just blew me away. They didn’t not know each other prior to the attack but together they risked their lives to save so many people. I fell in love…  I am and will always remain awed by the courage these men had. They are a clear indication that humanity knows no boundaries. No religion, no tribe, no color…It exists to those who believe that no matter what beliefs you hold, your hearts functions the same. You are simply human. Shabaab which is predominantly Somali did this horrific act in the name of Islam. But the man who did most of the saving is ethnically Somali and religiously Muslim.  So my stance remains, they did not do this in the name of Islam! That is not what the teachings of Islam stand for. This is just pure madness. And as much as this video is sad, I found it funny when one lady said that one terrorist actually cocked his head and started making baby noises and faces at her baby before letting them go. Well, maybe that’s a mix of a little humanity and madness. I don’t know. 

Another act of immense humanity that blew me away was the oneness during the whole ordeal. Humanity really did win.  Instances such as the Kenyan lady grabbing the American woman’s child to safety under the computer table that was later in the middle of the cross fire. The French lady taking those kids – some weren’t hers – one was African – out of the mall. The Asian lady carrying the little American baby out of the mall. Cute little Portia running bravely to Abdul Haji. These people had all never met. But in the face of adversity, they let humanity reign. How I fell in love with the little boy who told the terrorists that they shouldn’t shoot people coz it’s bad. How he asked for chewing gum when he was given a chocolate bar. The little boy who told them off for killing his mama and brother.  The innocence of children is such a beautiful thing. To all the mothers out there, I salute you. It was clear that the primary fear of all mums in there was their kids being hurt. All they cared for was getting them to safety if possible. That is truly beautiful. Red Cross volunteers, this post would be incomplete if I didn’t salute you. God bless your souls.

 

I have watched this video a couple of times and no it doesn’t get easier with each view. I still feel angry, I still cry, I still feel horrified and disgusted each time I watch it. But it does have a beautiful side. We see humanity. We see ordinary people going out of their way to save strangers. We see kindness. So today, I celebrate humanity. I celebrate the brave people who went out of their way and risked their lives to save others. The selflessness. The courage. The bravery. You are appreciated. You are celebrated. 

As we mark one year since so many people perished in that horrific attack, I pray that their souls rest in eternal peace. For those with permanent scars, emotional, mental or physical, may you find peace and healing. May you relieve yourself of the burden of hate and forgive those capable of such madness and pray that they will one day also believe that humanity prevails. For our heroes, thank you! Thank you for showing us that humanity is such a beautiful thing.

#TerrorAtTheMall