Kenya’s name derives from Mt. Kirinyaga, which means ‘mountain of whiteness’ for the Kikuyu people who lived around the area. For many centuries goods from Arabian and Asian traders, who established the first colonies, have entered the territory due to its proximity to the Arabian Peninsula, along with the Nilotic and Bantu people, who mainly settled inland. Evolving from a mixture of Bantu and Arabic, the Swahili language developed as a trade language between the different groups. The Portuguese arrived in 1498, but in the 1600s the Imam of Oman gained back its dominance. Kenya then emerged from the establishment of a British protectorate and the subsequent Kenya Colony. During this period members of the Kikuyu, Embu, Meru, and Kamba tribes gathered together to fight for freedom, giving birth to the Mau Mau Movement. The movement led to constitutional reforms and finally independence, in 1963. Today Kenyans proudly embrace their individual cultures and traditions, while celebrating the importance of national solidarity through the motto of “Harambee” (“Pulling together” in Swahili). Especially rituals and customs from the country’s rich tradition are very well documented, thanks to an intense anthropological study of Kenya’s peoples during the period of British colonial rule.
Eastern Africa
Kenya
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