Kenya is a diverse and multicultural country with over fifty different tribes each with their own distinct language. Kenya consists of three main ethnic groups; the Bantus, Nilotes and Cushites. These three groups all have different religious and cultural practices (“Cultures of The World, Kenya”). Although diverse, Kenya is mainly constituted of Bantus with the majority of them coming from the Kikuyu tribe. Other major groups include the Luo, Maasai and Kalenjin.
Kenya is very lush and is mainly cool which attracted the interest of European explorers. Countries such as Britain steadily increased their influence in the area by introducing missionaries and sending explorers throughout the nation. By the late 19th century, Britain controlled Kenya and declared it a British colony (“Countries and Their Cultures”). The British attracted people from Europe by creating more economic and political opportunities for Europeans to move to Kenya. They would allocate large pieces of land to British citizens, which would displace the natives, or offer them political positions in the government. The British implemented segregation which led them to forcing Kenyans to work as “squatters” on the land of the British but in truth, they weren’t any different from slaves. Kenyans tried resisting British policies by protesting but this only angered the British. The British colonists reacted by killing twenty five people which came to be known as the Nairobi Massacre (“Countries and Their
The biggest reason the British colonized Kenya was to gain more power and land. In August 7, 1885 five German ships landed on the coast of Africa and then ships from London, France and Britain came to claim territory for themselves. All these countries end up taking territory and Britain and England ended up claiming Kenya together. The British eventually wanted more land, so they traded a tiny useless island to them for the rest of Kenya. The tiny island ended up being a huge profit to England. Later on the British claimed part of Uganda, but then revoked it to focus more on controlling Kenya. In 1944 the first African American received a seat in the council of Kenya (the council ran all of Kenya). In 1950 the British took over all of the council and later in 1952 Jomo Kenyatta was arrested for rebelling against the British and for being a terrorist. Kenyatta inspired people to rebel against the government and gave people hope. A total of 11,000 Africans were killed in prison camps for rebelling and protesting. The British
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.
Under the British Empire, Kenya was affected negatively, because it had a large impact on its and culture. In Document 5, it shows individuals who lead Kenya, including the first president of Kenya, Jomo Kenyatta and Tom Mboya, Independence activist wearing suits similar to clothings that Europeans wore. It made Kenyans feel that what they were wearing was unfashionable and bizarre so they changed how they dressed. Colonization had a huge impact on Kenya’s culture. European Colonization influenced Kenya negatively different way, by making people convert their religion.
During the time period 1850-1914, even though Britain imperializing, Kenya was, in turn, very beneficial for the inhabitants of Kenya. However, the direct rule of Britain put Kenya through a massive transition from being independent to being colonial dominant, in which the natives of Kenya had lesser rights than did before and were treated inhumanely. Before being imperialized, Kenya was already divided into forty-two tribes. The two main kinfolks to be known are the Masai and the Kikuyu. These tribes helped in making the country's diversity, rich culture and heritage. Nonetheless, Kenya didn’t have much global contact; however, they did trade with the Arab merchants but kept it limited because they wanted to preserve their traditional
From what my mom told from her time in Kenya. She stayed on a base located in Nairboi and went out several times on safari to visit multiple villages. She described the people “as vibrant as you can imagine” and “the highest spirited people with lots of faith”. She also told me in certain areas they have very specific traditions. For example, the Kenyan people love to dance, their dancing style is known as “benga”. The food has a wide range of ethnic diversity. My mom tried a plate called “irio” which is basically made up of green peas and potatoes. These ingredients are boiled together after which corn is added to give the meal texture and is usually served with beef stew. One thing Kenyan people cherish above al is family and friendship. Kenyan families tend to be on the larger side including many members of the extended family. Even when times are tough Kenyan families usually welcome guests as if they were family. However, the guest is expected to help with the daily chores just as the family does. The Kenyan people are made up of different tribes. Each tribe has strong tribal beliefs for instance it is easy to distinguish one tribe from another by the way they dress. For example the Samburu tribe, the tribe my mom visited, wore traditional clothing of bright red material that is wrapped around like a toga. The women as well as the men accessorize their toga with beaded necklaces, bracelets
Canada is a diverse country with people from different cultures living harmoniously together. Unlike nations such as America where people consider themselves as Americans first, almost a third of Canadians identify with another culture or ethnic group, in addition to being Canadian. Internationally, Canada is praised for its progressive, antiracist laws that support multiculturalism. While multiculturalism is something that is gaining currency in most countries around the world as a strategy for including the minorities, Canada was the first country to develop comprehensive multiculturalism policies. Canada also supports international efforts to protect human rights. Despite the international credentials of Canada as a bastion of freedom and equality, there are problems regarding the historical treatment of first nations. Even now, the standard of livings for members of first nations is significantly lower than that of the average for Canada. Aboriginal life expectancy is lower and, has fewer high school graduates, and other quality of life outcomes are poor compared to the rest of the population. What is apparent is race determines success, with euro, Canadian outperforming the rest. Inequity in socio-economic conditions between Aboriginals and non-Aboriginals is the result of a history of colonialism and institutional racism (Bryant, 2015, January 22).
The first people in what is now Kenya settled there around 2,000 BC. By 800 AD, Arabs migrated to Kenya because of the distance between the two places. Soon after, the Swahili culture was created in Kenya as a result of trade because of cultures blending. Europeans began navigating by ship to Kenya, and the Portuguese, with Vasco da Gama, were first to reach the country. The Portuguese helped open new ports and had a cultural impact on Kenya. However, the Islamic soon controlled Kenya until the English took over in the 1800’s. In 1885, Britain controlled Kenya when Africa was split up among European countries. Many people, mainly settlers and Indians, took land from the native tribes while the English were in power. Many native Kenyans had
Europeans westernized all parts of Kenya. Europeans tried to make Kenya into a hierarchal government. However, this was a huge problem for the Kikuyu people. The Queen or King is equivalent to a Chief, but the Kikuyu people don’t have chiefs. Therefore, the British chose a leader for them. This created great problems for them and destabilize their country. The Kikuyu people refused to work for money especially from the British, until the British created taxes which forced Kenyans to search for work. While the fathers searched for work the children and mothers went off to school created by the British. The Europeans made the Kenyans learn to read and turned them into missionaries once this was accomplish and required them to spread the word of the bible.
At the start of my research, the main factor in the massacres seemed to be the racial divide. With the incumbent president Mwai Kibaki being a part of the Kikuyu tribe, a tribe that accounts for nearly twenty-two percent of the Kenyan population (Elkins 2008), and winning the 2007 election, people could easily cite injustice. Since most political parties in Kenya are drawn along ethnic lines, with Mutahi Ngunyi, a Kenyan Political Scientist stating that “[political parties] are actually ethnic coalitions with...big political party names”(Warner 2008), historians
The British colonization of Kenya destroyed the culture and economy of the native people, but it established a democratic government and left Kenya a more modernized country.[1] During the 1880’s through 1914, the start of WWI, was an age of imperialism. One place that felt victim to this imperialism was Africa. At this time Africa was a wholly unmodernized continent. The reason the Europeans went after Africa was the introduction of the idea of social Darwinism and the “white man’s burden”. Social Darwinism is the belief that only the strongest and the most cunning can make it to the top of the social ladder, and it was the White Man’s Burden to step in for these undeveloped countries
In the past when I would think of Kenya I would think of wild animals, African tribes, and AIDS. When I met Wanjiku an international student from Kenya she told me many things about the culture of her country. I know from talking and working with her that they value friendship and believe in hard work.
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
Kenya is the regional leader in East Africa and this position is expected to be a constant over time. The economy is fairly diversified with a strong and well developed services sector. The financial services industry in particular is well developed and established, moreso the country is considered East and Central Africa’s hub for financial services.
Jomo Kenyatta’s ethnography, Facing Mt. Kenya was written in the 1930’s about Kikuyu society during 1890-1910, the early years of British colonialism in Kenya. Since the coming of the early colonization the Kikuyu people have tried to develop a religious attitude that would define it’s own culture while adapting forcefully to the European conforms of religion.
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