Kenya the Cradle of

Mankind

Written and Researched by: Anthony

Salemi and David Thacker

As we arrive, in Kenya the magnificent Lake victoria dominates the south and on the flip side the Chalbi dessert covers most of the North. Kenya is a land of great beauty from the emerald savanna crowded with assortments of wildlife to the calm desert in the north filled with dust storms to the abundant water of Lake Victoria and Lake Turkana to North. Kenya is bordered in the north by Ethiopia, east by the Indian Ocean and West and south by Uganda and Tanzania. Mount Kenya towering 17,000 feet lay at the horizon farther than anything the eye can see. As we landed in Nairobi the capital of Kenya we saw the diversity of people living there. I saw some boys playing soccer bear-footed on the sand road. Merchants scattered the the streets selling their goods to the needy people. The blistering heat bore down upon the people. They wore lighter clothes and took drinks from the flasks they carried from their belts. As I looked a head I saw one of the natives approach me. “Welcome to Nairobi, Kenya strange fellow” I was glad he spoke English, most people in Kenya speak English because the British colonies settled in Kenya. The other main language is Swahili. Also, most people are Christian because the British introduced Christianity to Kenya.

Geography

The beautiful Nairobi National Museum shows an elegant which no one knows what it is (left). An ancient Kenya dance (right)

CULTURE AND ECONOMY

The next day we went to the Nairobi National Museum. We found out a lot there about their culture. Kenya has many natural resources like: coffee, tea, and horticultural products, Pyrethrum, livestock, core, wheat, rice, cassava, and sugarcane. Kenya was ruled by Britain, they ruled with an iron fist. The British were very violent . Different cultures fought to flee Kenya. English is the main language in Africa. It was introduced by some of Britain’s young men who migrated to Kenya to lead a simpler life. Also, the British also affected their religion. Colonialism resulted in 84% of the population being Christian/Catholic. Other settlers resulted in 6% of the population being Muslim and a measly 10% still lead the same beliefs as their ancestors. Most Muslim women cover their entire faces except for their eyes and nose. Also, there was an area in the museum where they sold native foods. They had all kinds of meats from Goat beef, lamb and chicken and very sundry fruit. They had pineapple, mangoes, oranges, bananas, plantains, papaya, sweet potatoes, avocados, and cassava.

Affects of Colonialism

As we walked throughout the museum we saw different aspects of their culture and economy. We learned that Kenya gained its independence in 1963 but many problems that came from it like poverty, destruction of culture, and overcrowding. We learned that different cultural groups were forced out of their native land and into big cities and nomads were forced there too. This caused over population and high levels of poverty and unemployment. But some positive notes that came out of it was that people started to practice different religions like Christianity which today the majority of people are. Also when the British colonized Kenya they also brought the English language into the country, but people still use the native language of Swahili which both are the official language of Kenya. We also learned that the currency of Kenya is a shilling. 1 shilling is equal to 1 US cent and that the president of Kenya is Uhuru Kenyatta. He is the fourth president of Kenya in history.

Economy .

Economy

Economy

Economy

GovernmentThe current president for Kenya is Uhuru Kenyatta. The current prime minister is Raila Odinga Although the people and climate are different the way the country runs is very similar to ours. They have a legislative branch, a judicial branch, and an executive branch. The president serves 5 year terms. He elects his vice president and candidate members in agreement with the Prime Minister. His candidate members must also be part of the National Assembly. The National Assembly resembles the house of representatives. There are 210 members, 196 are elect by the people, 12 are appointed by the president, and 2 are saved for the speaker and attorney general. They all serve 5 year terms but can be removed by the president sooner. The Judicial In Kenya the voting age is, just like ours, 18. Kenya is also divided up like the United States but instead of being called states they are provinces. There are 8 provinces in Africa.

Health Issues

As we walked further into the museum we saw a health

exhibit. We learned that HIV/AIDS was discovered in

Kenya and that is one of the main causes of death in

Kenya. We also learned that malaria is wide spread and

is very common among citizens, but we learned

something good as well. Infant mortality rates have

dropped and more kids are surviving in Kenya. In

contrast, only half of Kenyans have basic health care.

Current Events

Luis Moreno-Ocampo was charged with being involved in a massacre that killed more than 1,000 Kenyans. That occurred when different Ethnic groups were fighting about if the previous president Mwai Kibaki or elect the current president Uhuru Kenyatta. Luis Moreno-Ocampo works at an international criminal courts which is ironic for a convicted felon. Also, in Kenya, because of modernization, ethnic groups all over Kenya were fighting and debating on twitter.In addition, 600 year old Chinese coin was found in Kenya. It traveled thousands of miles. A famous landmarks in Kenya is Fort Jesus. Fort Jesus was built in the dawn of colonialism in 1593 by the Portuguese architect Joao, Batista Cairato and over the course of hundreds of years Fort Jesus was fought for and won by many different countries in Europe until it was turned into a museum in 1962 nearly 400 years after it was built by the Portuguese. Also, Kenya is being proven the cradle of mankind because it holds the oldest fossils of humanoid species, like the discovery of the famous Lucy.