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Experience the Culture
There is no single wellspring of modern Kenyan culture: it was born of a large number of sources both new and old. But despite the many and varied influences that have shaped its society, Kenya has developed a culture that is truly its own. If one thing defines this unique character, it is the melding of modernity with tradition. In Kenya it is possible to leave Nairobi, a city whose thriving business heart is powered by the latest information technology, and drive in just a few hours to a place where life is lived in accordance to tradition and custom, where warriors armed with spears drive cattle into thorn brush enclosures to protect them from lions at night. In Kenya the modern and the traditional live side by side, and at times the lines blur. For many visitors to Kenya, this is evident within minutes of arrival. Among the busy urban traffic, the median strips of fresh grass along Nairobi’s airport road are a popular place for Maasai herdsmen to graze their cattle. The end result is a culture of innumerable influences, and yet one completely and uniquely Kenyan. __________ Population The population, which, for many years had a growth rate faster than that of any other country in the world, sits around 30 million, but the rate of increase has at last begun to slow down. Population concentrations include the highland areas in the southwest quadrant of the country, Mombasa, and the south-central valley area of Nairobi. __________ | ||||
Ethnicity and Religion There are more than 70 tribal groups among the Africans in Kenya. Ethnic Africans are members of more than 40 groups belonging to four main linguistic families: Bantu, Nilotic, Paranilotic and Cushitic. The largest ethnic groups are the Bantu who speak Kikuyu, Luhya and Kamba. Yet, even though the average Kenyan is getting further and further way from tribal traditions, what tribe one is born in remains central to a Kenyan’s identity. The most prevalent religions are Protestant (40%); Roman Catholic (30%); Islam/Muslim (16%); Animist (4%). Most Kenyans outside the coastal and eastern provinces are Christians, while most of those on the coast and in the eastern part of the country are Muslim. The widespread adoption of Christianity has been accompanied by the creation of many small sects that combine the Christian ethos with traditional beliefs.
Conversely, the Luo, who live around Lake Victoria, have become increasingly dependent on fishing as a means of revenue. While many traditions no longer exist, the Luo remain a close knit community. The Kikuyu are Bantu-speaking people who represent the largest tribal group in Kenya. Traditionally agricultural people, today the Kikuyu are among the most educated and prosperous people in Kenya.
Apart from the African majority, who make up about 99 percent of the population, Kenya has a considerable and diverse Asian population – estimated at over 100,000. Lastly, there are still around 10,000 European residents, strongly represented by generations of British and Italian expatriates. __________ | ||||
Language English and Swahili are both widely spoken in Kenya. Despite the cultural diversity, North American visitors can count on the English language to predominate everywhere but the most remote villages. Although Swahili is the national language, all signage and business communication is presented in English. However, even visitors’ most feeble attempts to speak Swahili are welcomed by Kenyans. Here are a few useful words in Swahili:
Music Kenyans like to celebrate, and the music style known as benga, which came on the scene in the 1970s, is the modern dance music that is most popular. It originated in the 1950s among the Luo people of western Kenya, who took dance rhythms traditionally associated with the lyre and adapted them to the acoustic guitar. Homemade drums and guitars are commonly used to accompany dancing in rural areas. The guitar, originally played in the late 19th century by freed slaves near Mombasa, is the single most important instrument and is a common element in modern Kenyan pop styles. __________ | ||||
Sports and Recreation Soccer is the most popular sport. Highly organized soccer leagues are everywhere, and national and local teams play throughout Africa as well as abroad. Track and field activities are also popular. Some of the world’s best athletes, such as runner Ibrahim Hussein, come from Kenya, and many Kenyan distance runners have performed superbly at Olympic Games and marathons. Many Kenyans enjoy wrestling, tug-of-war, and a traditional pebble or seed board game called bao or ajua, as well as sports such as field hockey, cricket, and croquet, which were introduced during the country’s colonial days. Rugby has grown fast in popularity with some teams competing on an international level. __________
Kenya’s traditional food is very tasty. The staple food is ugali (dough) or uji (porridge) made from maize meal, millet, or sorghum flour. Ugali is eaten with a stew of beans, goat, beef, lamb, chicken, or fish. Potatoes, spinach, rice, kitumbua (rice-flour fritters), and chapati (flat bread) are also eaten, particularly on the coast. Thanks to a tropical climate, fruit is available in abundance. Popular fruits include bananas, pineapples, mangoes, oranges and papayas. Sweet potatoes and avocados are also common. Although Kenya does not have a national dish, many consider the nyama choma (barbecued goat meat) an unofficial one. Kenya’s seafood and meat are renowned and are the basis of most serious meals. Dawa, a popular drink served at major hotels, is an alcoholic beverage blended with vodka, limes and honey. Kenya’s most distinctive regional cooking emerged on the coast, as a result of its long association with Indian Ocean trade. Rice and fish, flavoured with coconut, tamarind and exotic spices, are the dominant ingredients. Snacks, which can easily become meals, include samosas, chapatis, miniature kebabs, roasted corncobs, mandaazi and “egg-bread.” Mandaazi — sweet, puffy, deep-fried dough cakes – are made before breakfast and not served until evening, when they’ve become cold and solid. __________ | ||||
Famous Names Born Free (1966) is a classic family adventure film that tells the true story of Elsa the lioness, who was raised by game warden George Adamson and his wife Joy before being returned to the wild in Meru National Park. It won the Academy Award for Best Song and Best Original Music Score. There was also a 1972 sequel, “Living Free,” and a 1974 “Born Free” television series. Out of Africa, a huge hit in 1985, starred Meryl Streep and Robert Redford. It was a spectacular, beautiful filming of Danish author Isak Dinesen’s autobiographical classic, in which Karen Blixen (Dinesen) reluctantly accompanies her husband to Kenya in 1914 to run a coffee plantation, only to gradually fall in love with the untamed land and a dashing American hunter. The movie adaptation went on to take seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Director. Today, the home of Dinesen/Blixen is open for touring in Nairobi. The Lion King, which premiered in 1994, is Disney’s most successful animated feature to date. It tells the story of Simba, a lion cub born in Kenya’s Savannah, who has to take a journey of self-discovery and redemption before claiming his rightful place as king of the beasts. The original score is by Elton John and Tim Rice. To Walk With Lions, starring Richard Harris, was released in 1999 and tells the story of an extraordinary man who battles to save the native creatures of Africa. American author Ernest Hemingway was one of many who hunted big game in Kenya. He used his experiences to write the Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber and the Snows of Kilimanjaro. The big-screen version of Snows of Kilimanjaro, starring Gregory Peck, was shot on location in Kenya. Older classics shot on location in Kenya include King Solomon’s Mines with Stewart Granger and Mogambo featuring Clark Gable and Ava Gardner. Survivor, the hit CBS reality show, chose Kenya’s Shaba Game Reserve for its third season in 2001/2002. Ethan Zohn of Lexington, Massachusetts was the last Survivor and took the million dollar prize. Many award-winning television wildlife series have been shot on location in Kenya, including BBC’s popular documentary Big Cat Diary, which followed the lives of predators on the Maasai Mara. Musician Roger Whittaker was born in Nairobi in 1936 and lived in Kenya for over 30 years. He claims that his years growing up in Kenya have played a great part in everything he has written and sung, naturally including the song My Land is Kenya. To request a brochure, please email: kenya@hillsbalfour.com [testbutton] |
Introduction
One of Kenya’s most colorful and well-known ethnic groups is the Maasai, who number approximately 250,000 and live in southern Kenya and northern Tanzania. They are nomadic, constantly seeking fresh water and grazing land for their cattle. Cattle, the group’s only recognized form of wealth, are the centre of Maasai life. 
Lamu and the coastal region are home to the Swahili culture. This is a unique blend of African and Muslim culture. The word “Swahili” is an Arab word meaning “coast.”
Cuisine
