Culture Walls

Geography

Kenya is located on the continent of Africa. It is inn the eastern hemisphere  The capital is Narbiol. The neighboring countries are Sudan,  Ethiopia, Uganda, Tanzania and Somalia. The water surrounding Kenya is the Indian Ocean, Lake Radok and  Lake Victoria. Mount Kenya is the biggest mountain in Kenya 5,199miles.  Kenya has seven provinces.    

The whole country's population is 31,138,735. Only 78.1% of the country can read and write. Sadly, the life expectancy is only 47.2 year because of the threat of AIDS.

Economy

A Kenyan shilling is 100 cents in America. Kenya makes coffee, tea, corn, wheat, sugarcane, fruit, vegetables, dairy products, beef, pork, poultry, eggs, plastic furniture, batteries, textiles, soap, cigarettes, flour, oil and cement.  

Children's Rights

The girls of Kenya have less rights then the boys. The girls have to raise a family, so they have to help around the house at twelve. Most women in Kenya drop out of school at twelve. And eighty percent can't read.  Boys usually, if the family has enough money, go to college .

Family Values

In Kenya a child is considered a child from the age of zero to fourteen, an adult from the age of fifteen to sixty-five and a  senior citizen sixty five and above.

In 1846 the Church Missionary Society established a school at Rabai near
Mombasa in the Coast Province. This was the start of formal education in Kenya. That school's primary purpose was to promote evangelism but as education developed it became an instrument to produce skilled labour for the settlers' farms and clerical staff for the colonial administration. Education in the colonial period was racially stratified.

Idea of Beauty

Kenyans  like gowns of leather, suede, silk
and satin, hand-beaded by the Kikuyu, Wakamba and Maasai women of Kenya.

Cultural Arts

Distinctive forms of music and dance are associated with each of Kenya's ethnic groups, and traditional musicians.

For sightseeing, the National Museum, Snake Museum and National Archives are all interesting and easy to get to. The latter contains far more than the usual dry documents, and includes painting and handcrafts exhibitions. Just outside the metropolis is the country's most accessible natural park, Nairobi National Park. If you have kids with you, the nearby Langata Giraffe Centre makes an entertaining day trip.

Useful Expressions:

Climate

Kenyans usually face hot, wet days and cool, wet nights. The natural disasters are recurring droughts and flooding during rainy seasons. 

Food

Some unique dishes from Kenya are Oyster Mombasa Salad, Mch Wa Kuku Samaki, Na Nazi,  Fish and coconut, ugali, Chapati, gither and goat.  A usual breakfast is oatmeal like dish that is made with cornmeal cooked to a thin glue like consistency called Uji.  Dinner starts with tiny bananas and ground up peanuts. Then they have soup.  

Social Etiquette

 In Kenya it is rude to chew with your mouth opened. During breakfast, lunch and dinner usually the whole family eats together. 

 Government

Presidents are elected by people who vote for a five year term; in addition to receiving the largest amount of votes, the presidential candidate must also win 25% or more of the votes in at least 4 of its provinces.  The government is Republic (multiparty state) and the President is Mwai Kibaki

Fun and Recreation

Distinctive forms of music and dances are associated  with each of Kenya's ethic groups, and traditional musicians. Disco has also been popular since Kenya's independence. Marsabet National Park, Tana River Park and Aberchare Park are all recreation in Kenya. Bao is a game involving a wooden board with a number of seeds. 

Jackstones is played on a flat smooth surface. Three or more people can play.  You can use ten to fifteen palm nuts, peach or plum pits, or almonds for each player. Players sit in a circle on the ground and place all their palm nuts or pits in a pile at the center.
Each player keeps one nut to toss into the air. He or she tosses the nut in the air. Before it comes down, the player scoops up as many nuts as he or she can from the pile, catching the falling nut with the same hand. A player who misses the falling nut must put the nuts he or she just took back in the pile. Play continues around the circle until all nuts are gone. The player with the most nuts at the end of the game is the winner. 

English

Translation

Hi

 Jambo

Yes                                              

 Ndiyo

No

Hapana

Thank You

Asaute 

Good Morning 

 Haburi Za Asbuhi