Legacies of Kenya

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Many different tribal communities inhabited Kenya, during its pre-colonial period. Today there are about 42 different tribes in Kenya who are all different from each other ("Safari in Africa”). The Agikuyu and the Miji Kenda were farmers, the Maasai and the Samburu lived off of livestock, and the majority like the Luo and the Abagusii practiced a mixture of crop cultivation and pastoral work. Subsistence production was the norm and manual labor came from the family. Classes were mostly non-existent and poverty was not much of an issue either as reciprocity was largely practiced. Relations between other tribal communities were for the most part were good as they traded, married with each other, and had limited and sporadic conflicts (Ndege). Foreigners first appeared in Kenya with the constant visits by Arab traders who eventually created Arab and Persian colonies. (“A Brief History”) The Portuguese who later held their own colonies in what is now Kenya were defeated by the Ottoman Arabs, who ultimately were overpowered by the growth of the British and Germans. This constant change of power in the area was due to competition in slave trade. However, like in the rest of Africa, the official start of colonialism in Kenya began with the 1884/85 Berlin Conference.
With the 1886 Anglo-German Agreement and agreements through the Berlin Conference, Britain established protectorate over Kenya. Kenya’s boundaries were delineated without the consultation the tribal groups and communities that inhabited the area. With the new boundaries Britain brought together over forty formerly autonomous communities into one territorial country (Ndege). These boundaries were responsible for separating tribes and communities, such as the Maas...

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...ortunately cannot really be answered since we cannot see what these countries would be like if colonialism never was a part of their history.

Works Cited

"A Brief History on Kenya | Republic of Kenya | The Embassy of the Republic of Kenya." A Brief History on Kenya | Republic of Kenya | The Embassy of the Republic of Kenya. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Feb. 2014.
Harris, Richard L. The Political Economy of Africa. Cambridge, MA: Schenkman Pub., 1975. Print.
"Kenya Constitution." Early Kenya History. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Feb. 2014.
"Kenya Profile." BBC News. BBC, 09 Oct. 2013. Web. 20 Feb. 2014.
Ndege, Peter O. "Colonialism and Its Legacies in Kenya." Lecture. Fulbright – Hays Group Project Abroad Program. Web.
"New Histories." New Histories. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Feb. 2014.
"Safari in Africa with Shadows Of Africa." Shadows Of Africa. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Feb. 2014.

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