Kenya Cultural Paper : Kenya

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

Located in Eastern Africa, Kenya lies across the equator in central Africa. Kenya is surrounded by Somalia to the east, Ethiopia to the north, Tanzania to the south, Uganda to the west, and Sudan to the northwest. Kenya has a young population of 45,925,301 people with 5.3 percent of the adult population living with HIV/AIDS in 2014. English and Kiswahili

Kenya was affected by colonialism in multiple ways. Although some of them were bad like taking away their land and changing their religious beliefs. Others were good like establishing schools and raising their average earnings.

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

William Kamkwamba, who was born in a place where hunger and drought were some of their biggest problems, was able to overcome these struggles and create an amazing life for himself and his family. William was a very innovative, intelligent and inspirational child growing up. He never let these issues get in his way or distract him from reaching his goals. He was always interested in science and he was devastated when he had to drop-out of school because of the famine in the area where he lived. Yet, even without going to school William continued to teach himself and create new inventions that ended up changing his life for the better.

It consists of one hundred twenty-four seats, one hundred twelve of which are filled by representatives from the country’s fourteen districts. The remaining twelve are filled by the administrative districts.

The leader is an elected or nominated monarch. Men and women can vote at the age of 18. Kenya is currently led by Uhuru Kenyatta. The population is 45,925,300, that’s over 73 times the population of Vermont. On average, every woman gives birth to three children and the infant mortality rate is 38 for every 1,000 live births. For children who survive into adulthood, they are expected to live for 64 years. Most people in Kenya speak either English or Kiswahili. The majority of the population is Christians but there are also a lot of Muslims that live in Kenya. There is an overwhelmingly high poverty rate in Kenya, as of 2005 it was 45.9%. For people who do have jobs, most of them work in the agriculture industry, working in plantations that grow; tea, coffee, corn, wheat, and sugarcane.

One notable aspect of the Ancient African civilization was its magnificent art; reflecting the importance Africans placed on storytelling, the natural world, and spirits/ancestors. The Africans used art as a way to express life and culture within their generations. They believed there was "more than a mere representation of something concrete," and that "an artistic depiction of something made it an actual fact" (Bogucki). So unlike most cultures who passed on history by word of mouth, the Africans also used forms of art to create a better picture of history.

Africa is the world’s oldest inhabited continent, filled with the richest recourses and perhaps the richest history. However, in order to truly understand Africa’s amazing culture and society, we must first start at the very beginning. We must first look at how Africa came about, why it looks the way it does and why it’s location makes it such a unique place.

In a time of ruthless dictators, Jomo Kenyatta was one of the most influential and controversial leaders of his time. In 1947, Jomo Kenyatta was elected the leader of the Kenya African Union or KAU, a pro-independence rebel group. For the next three years, Jomo Kenyatta toured Kenya, campaigning for independence. In 1951, The Mau Mau Rebellion, a conflict between the Mau Mau protesters and the British Military began. In response, the British declared a state of emergency and banned the KAU. Jomo Kenyatta was arrested in October of the following year with charges of leading and being a member of the KAU and was imprisoned for nine years. Kenyatta was released from prison in 1959 and immediately began protesting and educating the people again. Kenyatta soon became a part of the Kenyan Legislative Council where he was elected to be the leader of the pro-independence KAU. On the Twelfth of December 1963, Kenyan independence was declared and Jomo Kenyatta was declared Prime Minister. The following June, the Constitution was signed and Kenya was declared a republic giving Jomo Kenyatta the title of President. The leadership of Jomo Kenyatta greatly impacted the

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 also the preferred entry point for companies wishing to expand further in the region. Moreover, East Africa’s largest economy is one of the most innovative on the African continent, which bodes well for future economic development.

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