And here it is … my first post had to of course be about my magnificent country or as I would like to call it … Home (*being totally biased – no shame)

Kenya, a country in the heart of East Africa, has a culture born of countless sources. The country has crossed by paths of a long and complex history. From the prehistoric records of early man to the present day, Kenya has been a land of unending change, contrasts and diversity. (*that is probably the most artistic and dreamy intro I could have ever written)

The early tribal states saw cycles of migration and shifting power, with Kenya as a meeting place for peoples from the plain lands of the South, the forests of the East and the deserts of the North. (*this part and the next 4 paragraphs are for those who have never been to, never heard of, never bothered to check Google or just have no real idea of Kenya’s diverse history)

The sea brought influences from the outside world, and the passage of the spice trade created the unique coastal culture, where lines between Africa and Arabia blurred. During the Middle Ages, the East African Swahili coast was a wealthy and advanced region, which consisted of many merchant cities. Wealth flowed into the cities via the Africans’ roles as intermediaries and facilitators of Indian, Persian, Arab, Indonesian, Malaysian and Chinese merchants. The Swahili culture then developed its own written language; the language incorporated elements from all the different civilizations to touch its shores, with Arabic as it’s strongest quality.

The open coast also brought European influences into this world of change and thus began a turbulent struggle for control whose exotic history lingers today.
In 1948, the Portuguese explorer Vasco De Gama reached Mombasa and the Portuguese presence in East Africa officially began after 1505 with the purpose of controlling trade within the Indian Ocean and securing the sea routes linking Europe to Asia.

In 1895, the British government took over and claimed the interior as far west as Lake Naivasha and set up the East Africa Protectorate. With the beginning of colonial rule in 1895, the Rift Valley and the surrounding Highlands became the enclave of white immigrants engages in large-scale coffee farming dependent on mostly Kikuyu labour. A key development of Kenya’s interior was the construction of a railway from Mombasa (east) to Kisumu (west – on Lake Victoria), which was completed in 1901.

Kenya attained its independence on the 12th of December 1963 as a Commonwealth Realm with Queen Elizabeth II as Head of State. In 1964, Kenya became a republic with Swahili and English as official languages.

Kenya’s culture exemplifies the art of adornment and decoration, and history shows that this has been a long and influential tradition. The presence of approximately 52 diverse tribes and various other races in various regions has created a platform for over 70 individually spoken languages among countless forms of dress, food, music and traditions. Each one unique. (*please note that 1. I couldn’t have ended my post any better and 2. the last paragraph was meant to clear up any doubts about how a person who is not black can end up being Kenyan)