Jaidev S
The sun glared through the mosquito nets as I arose from the hotel bed. Immediately after, I opened the window and looked outside at the urban landscape of West Nairobi, Kenya. I noticed the stomping of a group of people scurrying to get water, the cacophonous voices in the Maasai marketplace, and the blaring horns of the numerous automobiles; the busy nature reminded me of my home in London. However, I longed to be back in New Jersey, the quiet and peaceful environment I had been exposed to just less than four years ago.
My father had dragged me out to Nairobi to learn how Kenya inspired some of his habits. He wanted me to embrace the culture of East Africa and enjoy the peacefulness of Kenya. But this what not what I expected it to be. It was noisy and humid, the opposite of what I expected the ‘peaceful’ Kenya to be like.
As I stepped outside, the 102 weather hit me like a ton of bricks. Of all the days, my parents had to pick that day to spend in the Maasai marketplace. I simply could not stand the several hours of continuous heat. However, I was distracted by the screams of the Maasai tribes who were selling traditional weapons, necklaces, and bracelets. It smelt of Ugali, a popular dish we used to make at home. As I walked into the market, I felt like an outcast. I did not speak Swahili, nor did I know certain customs in this part of the world.
Throughout the morning, I observed the primitive lifestyle that these people followed. It was easy to hear the
There was a great question asked by numerous individuals in the eighteenth century with what happens to people’s lives when their country is a colony of another country. This was very important to Americans when they were being ruled by Great Britain, and even to this day it remains important when countries find themselves controlled by more powerful outsiders. But what is colonialism? Colonialism occurs when one nation takes control of another. Kenya’s experience as a colony of Great Britain gives us more of an idea of what being colonized meant both to the people being controlled and to those who control them. Although it seems hard to believe, Kenya was created by the Europeans and generally this had a positive on effect on Kenyans because it began development.
One of hardest parts of helping the people was not being to provide everything the people needed or watching young children die of malaria and starvation. There were robberies and the outbreak of the Somali War in 1992 that caused an increase in violence between tribes. Even when talking about the low points, they are not detrimental, just bumps in the journey. The time spent in Kenya is not scared by these, but rather revealed the Kenyans personalities. She explained they were filled with kindness and hospitality, always helping each other. For people having so little, they were so giving she explained. “If a grandma down the road needed help, a family would send a child to go take care of her,” giving an example of the unfathomable kindness. Through these trials, it showed Henrietta how to “reach out to others and be aware of their needs.” It was through the trying times that a greater appreciation was generated for the Kenyans.
Billionaire New York developer Donald Trump says that legalizing drugs is the only way to win the war against what he considers one of America's most serious problems. Trump blamed the country's drug problems on politicians who "don`t have any guts" and enforcement efforts that are "a joke." "We`re losing badly the war on drugs," Trump told 700 people at a luncheon Friday. "You have to legalize drugs to win that war. You have to take the profit away from these drug czars." Trump said tax revenues from a legalized drug trade could be spent to educate the public on the dangers of drug use. In an interview, Trump said he believed it was an appropriate time to broach his ideas "because South Florida has such a huge problem with
In Jessica Posner’s and Kennedy Odede’s Find Me Unafraid, there is a part of Kennedy’s narrative that details the unrest associated with the political election in Kenya. He speaks of how many people within the Luo and Kikuyu tribes were turning to violence, killing one another, even innocent children, as a way to show their frustration with the unjust system they were born into. From forced circumcision to burning down homes with families inside to slashing people with machetes, lives were being taken in gruesome ways, in the name of justice. Reading about a tragedy, one so similar to what was seen in Rwanda a decade earlier, led to the question, “What was the most influential cause of the Luo-Kikuyu massacres after the 2007 election?”. I plan to explore whether the massacres were simply a result of unhappiness about Mwai Kibaki becoming president or if there were deeper, more substantial causes of the massacre.
Getting off the plane I can already feel the dry, humid heaves of the environment pressing against my body. My colleagues and I have traveled to West Africa, Liberia to conduct field studies in a nearby hot zone for an Ebola outbreak. We will stay in a nearby town named Monrovia, Liberia just off the coast of the Atlantic Ocean. It is a small, crowded and noisy town. Much like a majority of the country it is of very low human living standards.
Unfortunately, the political elite in Africa and particularly Kenya have resorted to various dubious applications of language not only to defraud, loot, plunder and further their selfish agenda but also to mystify politics as well as stoke ethnical differences to brew animosity (the politics of them against us) among the citizenry. They have cannily created a volatile environment where communities and neighbors who have coexisted for centuries in peaceful neigbourliness by planting thorny seeds of distrust thereby killing the spirit of Ubuntu (human kindness) and Ujamaa/undugu (‘familyhood’); the Rwanda genocide notwithstanding.
I learnt through the accompanying song that the natives hold tradition. The lyrics of “O Great Spirit, hear our song, help us keep the ancient ways” tells me of how the Natives do not wish their traditions to be forgotten or converted from. The song also tells me of the native way, of using the “Earth our mother gives” when they growing their crops showing the peoples deep appreciation
I come from Los Angeles, a city over 7,500 miles away from Nambonkaha, yet I am not new to the African culture. Having friends and teachers from various countries within the continent such as Ghana, Namibia, Egypt, and Rwanda. I remember my first introduction to my friend, Justin, who was from Ghana. I can distinctly recall the aroma of Coco Butter, which I only learned to identify in the following weeks. Growing up with a friend who is from Ghana never seemed odd to me, other than I would rarely be able to meet his entire family. I often would catch myself thinking about the cliché thoughts, What is it like over there? Is it safe to go? Should I go when I’m older? Each of these questions proved to be a fruitless argument, cycling through my
Furthermore, I will discuss the dichotomy of languages throughout the country, and how public media exacerbates this particular cleavage. Finally, I will argue that there has been significant political reform. However, the situation in Kenya will always create a fear of ethno-political mobilization.
Settled in Kenya and Tanzania, the Maasai enjoy a simple life with an abundance of culture. With roots in pastoralism, the Maasai live an intriguing life with traditions unlike any in the world. Language, marriage, societal statuses, the economy, religion, and health are fundamental in appreciating all that the Maasai have to offer. The warriors of the savannas’ red clothing signify power, and with that comes a powerful amount of knowledge that is still being learned.
Rye Barcott had visited Nairobi, Kenya when he was in the middle school. From that time onwards, he had build fascination for Africa. As he grew older, his interest in Africa increased as well. He wanted to go back to Africa. While Barcott was an undergraduate student at University of North Carolina, he decided to visit Rwanda during summer to study the roots of ethnic violence. Unfortunately, his plan failed at the last minute due to political crisis in Rwanda. On a suggestion of one of the professors at UNC, Barcott decided to visit Kibera in Nairobi, Kenya. Kibera is one of the largest slums in Africa with a history of ethnic violence. He planned on studying the causes of ethnic violence and what NGOs were doing to help the youth of Kibera.
Despite the confusion that colonialism brought, it introduced the people of Kenya to many new possibilities. Kenya was rapidly evolving. “Despite its many abuses, colonialism eliminated slavery, human sacrifice, and internecine warfare while providing opportunities for Africans with modern skills to rise socially and economically regardless of
Though Kenya’s impoverished and underdeveloped conditions were certainly not highlighted in the film, I believe it is important to observe. These conditions are best displayed by the state of the primary school. In the film, students were forced to sit 5 students to a desk and were crammed into a tiny room. Moreover, the Kenyans were highly grateful for the concept of free education. This highly contrasts the state of American schools, which are typically well funded. Americans are used to the concept of free education, so much so, that people now desire free higher education. I believe this theme is important to note because it is the key difference between the Kenyan and American
The paper seeks to understand the political, social and cultural variables that have thrown Kenya into the geo-political limelight insofar as the so-called ‘War on Terrorism’ is
Bleep! Bleep! Bleep! My eyes snap open and for a split second my surroundings confuse me. It’s not long though until I recognize just where I am. The Clarion Hotel in Brown County, Indiana. Someone across the room pounds the wailing alarm clock until all you can here is the air vents tranquil humming (personification). Eventually Captain comes around and raps on the door until we heave ourselves out of bed. It’s so early in the morning, everything around us was a blur of movement as we piled onto the bus, each of us covered in heavy layers over our crimson cross country uniforms. Most of the team crams into the back with earbuds stuffed into their ears to block out the noise, but not me. I’m up towards the front decked out in baggy grey sweatpants that practically swallowed my torso and three layers of shirts to block out the frigid morning air. No one can tell if I’m warm or not though, because all I can do is bounce my leg up and down and up and down. I’m sure if Captain didn’t have the heat blasting I would have driven anyone in earshot absolutely nuts. Can you really blame me though? Me, this tiny little freshman, getting to run with the big dogs. I could run the whole way there and back I’m so excited!(hyperbole)