KENYA

Prof. Elenita P. Pateña

Equator
Largest city- NAIROBI
Official Languages: English and Swahili
Currency: Kenyan Shilling
Population: 44.35 million as of 2013
Named after Mount Kenya: tallest mountain in the country
 BRIEF TIMELINE HISTORY

800 AD- Arabs sailed to Kenya and traded

with Persians.
1498- Vasca de Gama, the first European,
reached Kenya.
19th Century- British controlled Kenya.
1952- Mau Mau was formed, a secret group
that kills European and African collaborators.
Dec. 12, 1963- Kenya gained independence.
1964- Republic of Kenya is formed with
Jomo Kenyatta as president.
Jomo Kenyatta- founding Father of
Kenya Nation
Kenyatta-A Swahili which means light of Kenya.
 Culture and Religion:
Protestant is 45%
Roman Catholic 33%
Muslim 10%
Indigenous Belief 10%
Others 2%
Kenyan’s are group oriented rather than
individualistic.
 Harambee

coming from the Bantu word meaning “to pull

together”) defines the people’s approach to
others in life. The concept is essentially about
mutual assistance, mutual effort, mutual
responsibility, and community self-reliance.
Extended family is the basis of the social
structure. It includes relatives on both
sides of the family as well as close
friends. When people marry, they join
their families, thus ensuring that there
will always be a group to turn to in times
of need.
 -
When greeting an elder or someone of
higher status, grasp the right wrist with the left
hand while shaking hands to demonstrate
respect.
- The most common greeting is
“Jambo?” (“How are you?”), which is
generally said immediately prior to the
handshake.
- Women over the age of 21 are often
addressed as “Mama” and men over the age
of 35 are often addressed as “Mzee”. Children
generally refer to adults as Aunt or Uncle,
even if there is not a familial relationship.
 Dining Etiquette
Do not begin eating until the eldest male
has been served and started eating.
- Beverages are not generally served with meals
since Kenyans think it is impolite to eat and drink
at the same time. They are generally served at the
completion of the meal.
Irio is a combination of potatoes, green
peas and kernels of corn mashed up into a
heavy nutritious starch. It’s often enjoyed
with beans, stew, meat or just with some
sukuma wiki.
Sukuma Wiki
Along with ugali, sukuma wiki (known as
collard greens in English) is a staple vegetable
in the Kenyan diet. It is normally sliced very
thin, and fried in oil, along with onions and
tomatoes. Many Kenyans eat ugali and sukuma
wiki as a standard meal.
Chapatis
Originally from the influence of Indians,
flatbread chapatis are popular in Kenyaover
They are rolled out and fried in oil until
becoming crispy on the outside and gooey on
the inside. Sometimes they are eaten as a
snack with tea, and other times along with stew
or vegetables.
Ugali
- The staple and most common food
in Kenya is a cornmea starch
made into a thick paste known as
ugali. It is heavy and hearty and goes
down well with fried vegetables or
any kind o meat stew.
Tourist Attractions
1. Masai Mara National Reserve
- Each year, the Masai Mara National Reserve is
visited by thousands of tourists who come here to
watch the exceptional population of game and the
annual migration of zebra and wild beast. The
“GreatMigration” takes place every year from July to
October when millions of wild beast and zebra
migrate from the Serengeti.
2. Lake nakuru
- Lake Nakuru is a very shallow
lake in central Kenya. The lake’s
abundance of algae attracts vast
quantities of lesser flamingos,
sometimes more than one million at once.
Often called the greatest bird spectacle on
earth, the flamingos are one of Kenya’s top
attractions.
Tsavo National Park
- Tsavo is the largest national park in Kenya
and one of the largest in the world. Due to its
size the park was divided into Tsavo West and
Tsavo East. The Tsavo West has spectacular
scenery with a rolling volcanic landscape
while Tsavo East has more open savannah than
its western sibling.
Malindi
Introduction to the coastal tourist
attractions in Kenya with its
extensive coral reefs and beautiful
beaches. There are surfing,
snorkeling, deep-sea fishing and
other water sports. The Malindi Marine
National Park is protected and has fine
beaches clear water and very colorful fish.
Utendi Wa Tambuka
(The
as
Story
Kyuo
of Tambuka)
Kya
also known
Herekali
( The book of Heraclius)

-an epic poem in Swahili language

- written by a man named Mwengo
The Utendi wa Tambuka is a prime example
of the Swahili poetic form of utenzi. Utenzi
verse form consists of four-line stanzas, with
each line having eight syllables. Most
Swahili words have penultimate stress,
resulting in every line having at least
penultimate stress.
 “Bisimillahi kut̠ubu yina la
Mola Wahhabu
Arraḥamani eribu
na Arraḥimu ukyowa”
First three lines all end in -bu. The last syllable of the
fourth line ends in the vowel a, and this sound is
found at the end of every stanza of the poem. When
recited, this last syllable is sustained for some time
and given emphasis.
The plot depicts a religious war
between the Byzantines and the
Muslims. The Prophet sends a letter to East
Roman Byzantine
Emperor Heraclius, in which he tells him
that the Byzantine belief that Jesus is the
son of God is incorrect. they refuse to be
converted and are executed.
Heraclius declares his intent to persevere in his
adherence to Christianity on the grounds that the
Byzantines have inherited their belief from their
ancestors. The Muslims attack and, after epic
struggles, eventually defeat the Byzantines.
Heraclius' minister and his associates are captured
and once again given the choice to accept Islam or
die; they refuse to be converted and are executed.
Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o
 - An icon of not only Kenyan but African
literature, Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o casts a large
shadow over the canon of
literary works in Kenya, and his
forthright opinions about language,
publishing and writing make him a vital presence
within the African literary
world.
 Weep Not, Child
-First major novel in English by an East African.
-tells the story of a family and how it is affected
by the open antagonisms between natives and
colonists. When the novel opens, the family is
poor but happy and harmonious; the course of
the novel traces the disintegration of the family.
The protagonist, Njoroge, is a young boy
who wants more than anything to receive
an education and is thrilled to attend a
missionary school. His father, Ngotho, is
a tenant farmer on land owned by
Jacobo, a wealthy African farmer.
Ngotho works for the British Mr. Howlands on a
tea plantation that is Ngotho’s ancestral land.
He waits patiently for the time when the gods will
fulfill the prophecy and deliver his people from
their oppression. His older son, Boro, has
returned from military service in World War II.
 bitter, disillusioned, and having learned of
the white man’s violence.
Boro loathes his father’s passivity. In an
effort to appease Boro, Ngotho becomes
involved with a strike and leads an attack
on Jacobo, who attempts to quell the
strikers.
Consequently, Ngotho loses his job. Boro
becomes a guerrilla leader and political activist
who ultimately kills both Howlands and Jacobo.
Although Boro is arrested and sentenced to be
hanged, Ngotho confesses to killing Jacobo and
is tortured and killed.
He finally decides to leave town and
makes an attempt to take his own life, but
his two mothers are able to bring him
back from the brink. The novel closes with
Njoroge's utter sense of hopelessness.
 Excerpt from Weep Not My Child

“Aaa! You could never tell what these

people would do. In spite of the fact that
they were all white, they killed one
another with poison, fire and big bombs
that destroyed the land.”
His most celebrated work remains A Grain of
Wheat, which focuses on the Kenyan
struggle for independence, and weaves a
complex web of betrayal, deceit and bitter
rivalry beneath the seemingly celebratory
occasion of Kenya’s independence.
Grace Ogot
- East Africa's best-known
woman author, Grace Emily
Akinyi Ogot (born 1930) wrote novels and
short stories. She also became an
important political figure in Kenya, and the
first African Female Writer to be published in
English.
 The Promised Land
A young farmer and his wife who have
migrated to Tanzania from Kenya become
embroiled in issues of personal jealousy
and materialism, and a melodramatic tale of
tribal hatred ensues.
The novel explores Ogot's concept of
the ideal African wife: obedient and
submissive to her husband; family and
community orientated; and committed to
non-materialist goals. The style is
distinctively ironic giving the story power
and relevance.
 Excerpt from The Promised Land

“Why waste your tears? The men

have chosen the job themselves.
They are neither Slaves nor
prisoners; they are just normal men who
come to town to earn money to buy
things for their wives,” explained Ochola,
seeing his wife looking at the labourers
and weeping for them.
Yvonne Adhiambo Owuor
- Named "Woman of the Year"
by Eve Magazine in Kenya in
2004 for her contribution to the
country's literature and arts. She
won the 2003 Caine Prize for
African Writing for her story
"Weight of Whispers", which
 Weight of Whisper
This is the story of a man who once had
the universe at his feet. A man used to
glamour, refined food, beautiful women
and who travelled the globe on a whim.
Boniface was once a royal prince of a
French speaking African country.
He finds himself suddenly
thrown into a world of
dissarray when the political
in his homeland
situation
brutally flings him into an
Anglophone country in exile.
Kenya no less.
 Excerpt from Weight of Whisper
The collection of teeth on the
man’s face is a splendid brown.
I have never seen such teeth before. Refusing all
instruction, my eyes focus on dental contours and
craters. Denuded of any superficial pretence; no
braces, no fillings, no toothbrush, it is a place
where small scavengers thrive. “Evidence!” The
man giggles.
Sources:
wikipedia.org
theculturetrip.com/africa/kenya/articles/kir inyaga-rising-ten-of-the-
best-kenyan- writers/
http://www.sciencekids.co.nz/sciencefacts/c
http://www.gallardo.net/gen-

http://www.touropia.com/tourist- http://www.africanbookscollective.com/boo
attractions-in-kenya/ ks/the-promised-land

h ttp://www.goodreads.co m/book/show/1593
36.Weep_Not_Child