Harvard African Student Association Hosts Vigil for People Affected by Kenyan Shooting

Members of the Harvard community linked hands and joined voices to the Kenyan national anthem on the steps of Memorial Church Monday night in memory of those affected by Saturday’s shooting in Nairobi.

The vigil, hosted by the Harvard African Student Association, drew about 30 people who commemorated friends, family, and fellow Kenyans lost or injured when masked gunmen opened fire against civilians at the upscale Westgate shopping mall in Nairobi, Kenya, a little after noon on Saturday. The militant Somali group al-Shabab has assumed responsibility for the violence, which claimed the lives of dozens of civilians, including Elif Yavuz, a 2013 graduate of the Harvard School of Public Health, and Mbugua Mwangi, the nephew of Kenya’s president Uhuru Kenyatta.

"Thank you for coming to support us, " said Edwin Magema ’15, a member of HASA and a Kenyan native. "As Kenyans, as Africans, united with one another."

Many of the attendees knew individuals involved in the attack, while others had ties to Nairobi and attended the vigil in solidarity with their community members back home. Some students also attended an additional vigil at Adams House.

"We stand with Kenya," said Prince Antwi ’14, another member of HASA. "In the words of Apostle Paul to the Corinthians: ‘We pray the God of all comfort may comfort those who have been afflicted.’"

News of the attack shocked the global community with its barbarity, especially in shopping center frequented for its energy and apparent safety. Still, many at the vigil expressed hope and gratitude that the Kenyan population will recover from the tragedy.

"I am really proud of how our people were able to respond," said Lorena O., who graduated from MIT in 2012 and requested that her name not be used in full. "Though the [shooters’] intention was to terrify us, it only made us stronger."

HASA has initiated a media campaign called "Harvard for Kenya," through which students can send video condolences to the Kenyan community. According to Princess Daisy M. A. Akita ’15, these videos will be sent to local media houses in Boston and spread throughout the Harvard community. Akita said that HASA hopes the distribution of these videos will spread the message of Kenya’s tragedy and encourage Kenyan rehabilitation.

"[We hope] that things will fall back into normality," said Magema.

As of Monday night, a military assault begun on Saturday has secured most of the mall, and most hostages have been evacuated from the complex, according to The New York Times.