A History Lesson

I’ve never been to Kenya. I don’t know much about it. My only interactions with Kenya over the years was having a couple of Kenyan roommates (I showed them how to clean and they gave me a lovely traditional Kenyan dress) and hearing about the elections in 2007. As part of the SauderAfrica Initiative, I hope to learn more about the history, culture and lifestyle in Kenya. So I decided to share some Kenya trivia - my preliminary learnings:

• Population is around 41.6 million
• Kenya was a British colony between 1895 and 1963
• Kenya has large income disparities. Most people fall into either very rich or very poor. There isn’t much of a middle class
• Kenya has only two seasons: rainy and dry
• Capital of Kenya is Nairobi
• Primary religion in Kenya is Protestant
• It’s been described as the “cradle of humanity”because some of the oldest human remains have been found here
• The majority classifies itself as Christian
• Languages: Swahili, English
• Life expectancy is 57 years (men) and 59 years(women)
• 1 Kenya shilling = 100 cents
• Main exports: tea, coffee, horticultural products, petroleum products
• The “Great Rift Valley” bisects Kenya. It is a geographic fault line

The Great Rift Valley (UNESCO World Heritage Site) is a massive 6000 km trench on thesurface of the earth that runs from Syria to Central Mozambique - within it are some deepest lakes, highest mountains and most beautiful parks in Africa. Kenya is bisected by the Eastern Rift.

In Kenya, it appears that the rift is not just a geographical divide but a political rift as well. In the controversial andviolent elections in 2007, the Rift Valley towns such as Nakuru and Naivasha became hotbeds of dissention. The opposition accused the government of havingrigged the polls. The root cause of the violence, however, is said to be the hunger for the fertile rift lands.

The Rift Valley was dominated, before the advent of largescale commercial farming, by Massai herders and Kalenjin people. They weredisplaced from the most fertile land in the late 19^th century byBritish settlers. When independence came, the white farmers were replaced bythe politically well-connected Kikuyus, who played a large role in gaining that independence, according to a Nairobi historian. Some people viewed the violence not just as ethnic clashes but as the results of the deep, long-running income inequalities in Kenya.Where land ownership is seen as a means of survival in a rapidly growing population.

The post-election violence in 2007, during which over 1200people died and some 600000 were displaced, was thought to be catalysed by thepoliticians and their supporters. They are now accused by the InternationalCriminal Court (ICC) of planning attacks on supporters of the opposition andfostering hate and violence amongst the people. Recently, Kenya’s FinanceMinister, Uhuru Kenyatta, resigned following a ruling that he will face crimesagainst humanity.

On a more upbeat note, Kenya is a major flower exporter andthey seem to be commanding more and more of the market recently. Small scale growers that specialize in local flowers are also starting to become sustainable small businesses.

I also thought that the flag was an interesting piece. The black represents the majority of the people; red, the blood shed during the struggle for freedom; green, the fertile lands. Thegraphic in the centre is a Masai shield.

I think is a decent base but I’m looking forward to ferreting out in my next blog popular Kenyan culture, music and video.

Kwaheri! Nimefurahi kukutana na wewe.