Kenya: Jomo Kenyatta

1080 Words3 Pages

For this assignment I chose to write about Jomo Kenyatta. After reading chapters three and four of Khapoya’s book, it was hard to imagine an Africa that wasn’t under colonial rule. I can only comprehend on a very basic level the impact colonialism had on the Africans economically, physically, and mentally. It is inspiring to read further and discover the immense, calculated, and passionate efforts that many Pan African leaders played in the years that followed. I found Jomo Kenyatta to be particularly interesting. For many reasons, Kenyatta is considered one of the most significant leaders of the Pan African movement in the twentieth century. Kenyatta had a clear vision of what he wanted for Kenya (or Africa as a whole), he was prepared for the path he would have to take, and he accomplished much for the country and continent as a whole. Jomo Kenyatta began his journey in the country of Kikuyu. When he was 10 years old he became gravly ill and had to have surgery. It was then that he was brought to the Church of Scotland mission and encountered Europeans for the first time (“Jomo Kenyatta”, Britannica). After being exposed to the Europeans, Kenyatta later ran away from home to become a student of the Church of Scotland mission. During this time, he studied the Bible, English, Math, and worked for a European settler to pay his tution. He later left the mission and moved to Nairobi where he would encounter his first affiliation with an African political protest movement, the East Africa Association (EAA), led by a fellow Kikuyu named Harry Thuku. Kenyatta empathized with the movement because it involved his people, the Kikuyu. One of the main goals of the EAA’s was to regain the land that had been taken by the Euorpeans when Kenya ... ... middle of paper ... ...plishments as a political activist absolutely impacted the rest of Africa. He was not the only Pan African leader on a mission, he found comradery, ironically, all over the world. He traveled many places and managed to find likeminded people all set out to aide in the development of African independence. His vision of a free Kenya was accomplished, his struggle was the road less traveled, and his accomplishments are invaluable. Works Cited Khapoya, Vincent B. The African Experience: An Introduction. 4th ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1998. Print. "Jomo Kenyatta". Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 2014. Web. 20 Feb. 2014 . "Jomo Kenyatta." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 20 February 2014. .

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