HOLA
SIR,—Having served in Kenya as a rehabilitation officer I would like to comment, without going into the legality or morality of locking up individuals without trial, on Victor Gordon's 'The Man from Buchenwald.'
Gifted as Hopf is, and I hope he will still be fit to return to Kenya, there were others in these camps in subordinate positions, admittedly very few, who also fought battles against ignorance, prejudice and futility, and without the support of a strong PC or DC they were more often than not losing ones. He was at least a DC with the power to lay down policy and remove unsuitable European staff, both essentials for effective rehabilitation.
The standards of intelligence and imagination, with a few exceptions, of the rehabilitation and prison staff were deplorably low.
The real cause of the Hola tragedy was the failure of the Kenya Government to admit its mistakes in 1956.57 and to make a completely fresh start with suitably qualified individuals. From the psychological aspect, experience had shown that de-oathing cere- monies and screening so loved by the Kenya Government were valueless. The only effective method was personal contact. 1 made a point of visit- ing work parties and talking to as many detainees as possible every day. A most effective gesture was to visit huts to say goodnight and joke with the detainees.
Another neglected aspect of rehabilitation was the lack of thought given to the 'after-care' of detainees, when they were released either to Holding Camps or the Reserve, where they came up against hostility from European officials and local headmen, and in many cases the previous good work done by one or two individuals in the camp was promptly undone.— Yours faithfully,
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