subject: Kenya; Where Cultural Diversity Blends To Form One Happy Nation [print this page] Kenya as a country has faced endless challenges, but still remains one of the most stable East African countries. Where else can you find 42 different tribes, each with a unique culture, a unique language and overall way of life, supplementing to each others wellbeing?
Prehistorically, different tribes moved into the present-day Kenya and occupied specific regions depending on their way of life. The hunters and gatherers from the West African forest came, as well as the Northerners; those from the plains in the South also came and found Kenya as their new home. That is not all; the Indian Ocean exposed Kenya to the outside world. The unique Kenyas coastal culture is inimitable in its own ways as it is mostly a mixture of the early Arab traders and the Digo. As a result, the Swahili people came into being and with the same the rich Swahili culture that is a pure blend of African and Arabic way of life.
The Portuguese came knocking, and so did the white missionaries. The Coast became the entry point of varied cultures, different languages, diverse foods, and ways of dressing, religion, trade and modernity, among others. During the scramble for Africa, the British, Kenyas former colony was quick to note the beauty and richness of the country, the hardworking people to work on the coffee farms, and hence took over the country.
Before the coming of the British, each tribe in Kenya was governed by either a council of elders, or a king. The British gradually transformed the segmented leaderships into one great nation that is modern day Kenya. Through assimilation and at times force, Kenyans were made to recognize only one form of leadership, the the Queen of England.
The religion, especially Christianity that was introduced and replaced the African culture united Kenyans under one God. Initially, every community had its own way of worship, the Kikuyu worshipped facing Mt. Kirinyaga, other tribes worshipped trees and some other gods. Christianity unified the country through worship. Converted Africans were made to understand that there is only one God and he loves all equally. The peace that has prevailed in Kenya over the years is because of religion. Kenyans are prayerful. The same doctrine of one God Christians preached in churches, is precisely what the Muslims, the second largest religion in Kenya insisted on.
Finally, when Kenyans felt time was ripe to attain uhuru (independence) and repossess the grabbed land by the colonial masters, they united. So many tribal associations were forced to fight the white man. The Mau Mau, who fought in Mount Kenya region where many white settlers had come to call home, finally became the main fighting force. Eventually the country attained independence. Other than the 2008 post election violence, Kenya has always been peaceful country. Kenyans appreciate their diversity because that is where their unity emanates from.
