Christmas: What of other celebrations?

An old colonial house probably owned by Joubert De Wet. [Courtesy, XN Iraki]

Kenya is a diverse country of 44 tribes, with the last addition being Asian.

It’s not clear why mzungu has not been declared the 45th tribe, they have been here longer than Asians. Curiously, Britons brought Indians to build the railway and, less talked about, help them fight the Germans in WW I.

Some suggest hustlers were the 45th tribe but economic circumstances have dissolved this tribe. Who replaced them? Irrespective of the tribe - or more diplomatically, community - you belong to, we are bound by the air we breathe, the constitution, the economy and traditions. Some

traditions are specific to the tribes such as naming children, rites of passage, food or dowry exchanged.

Some specific traditions have stood the test of time. If you marry across tribes, you will better understand the nuances of our traditions. Out of curiosity, why do more Gikuyu girls marry Luo men? Why do Gikuyu men rarely marry Luo girls?

Economic circumstances have changed the traditions. An example is dowry where money has replaced live animals. Boys go through rites of passage managed by the church. I find this very strange. Is it driven by altruism or financial incentives thereof? What is the purpose of the rite of passage?

In the last 200 years, most of our traditions have been attenuated by religion and imported traditions from the rest of the world through media and travel. But some traditions are so strong that they run parallel with modernity. Examples: we love Western names, and not Chinese or Indian. Yet we still keep our local names. Some Kenyans and our southern neighbours are adapting to imported names, ostensibly to hide their tribal identity or sound cool.

We have church weddings but still go for ruracio, ntheo, nyombo, or esirit. Witchcraft and religion co-exist. The level of attenuation depends on the regions with urbanisation and literacy rates accelerating the slow death of local traditions. The media slowly shape our views on traditions, keenly deciding what we should adopt.

Watch American, Indian, Nigerian, Chinese or European movies or documentaries. While they entertain, they also influence us. Seen the Indian movies sweeping Kenya by storm, with voice-overs in local languages? Shall we soon start wearing saris? Does it surprise you that Afrosinema came before Nigerians started buying our banks?

How did Christianity run parallel with colonialism? How did the Chinese and Japanese ‘soften’ our hearts to make economic roads into Kenya?

Some think replacing our traditions with more global cultures is cool. Others think it’s a form of cultural colonialism. Whatever your view, we can’t deny that lots of Western traditions have become part of our culture - for the younger generations, that’s all they know. Our parents have had an encounter with original traditions. Our children are completely detached.

Enough on cultures. One dominant force shaping our post-traditional culture is religion. It replaced our gods with God. Why was it not so successful in India, where Britons stayed longer? India still keeps its gods. Only about 2.3 per cent of Indians are Christians, in Kenya, it’s 85 per cent. Britons were in Kenya for about 43 years; counting from 1920 when Kenya became a colony. They were in India for 89 years. Why the big

difference? Did our traditional religions rhyme with Christianity or Britons were more brutal in evangelisation? 

We express our religiosity through celebrations such as baptism to marriage and even funerals. Super celebrations reinforce that; Easter and Christmas for Christians or Eid ul-Fitr and Eid ul-Hajj for Muslims. Why are there no local celebrations that rival such imported celebrations?

The diverse Kenyan communities had their traditional celebrations, from harvest to power shifts like ‘ituíka’ in central Kenya, among others. Why can’t we appropriate some of these celebrations and make them national? Think of US Thanksgiving or Chinese Qingming.

How come beyond religious and national holidays we have no culturally oriented holiday? Was that the spirit of Utamaduni Day? Why can’t we try and create national holidays that capture the Kenyan spirit? For example, Hustlers’ Day? I am not demeaning Christmas, only accepting that we live parallel lives, both Christian and traditional.

Before getting carried away by traditions, let’s talk about Christmas briefly. Like other Kenyans, I too left the city for the countryside. I love the innocence of the countryside and its serenity. I visit often, to prove it’s not a graveyard where we are only taken after death if we dislike Lang’ata. By the way, did Nairobi get a new cemetery? 

Traffic jams on the Nairobi-Nakuru highway made me adventurous going through Thika, then ‘Nyoka Nyoka’ (Mau Mau) route to Njabini through Aberdare forest. Though incomplete with about 20km not tarmacked, it’s a very scenic route, unspoiled forest. It feels like creation day.

If this route and the Ngong-Suswa road together with the dualing of Kenol-Marua are completed and the Ministry of Tourism reminds us to explore our beautiful country, the traffic jam from Limuru to Naivasha would end even before dialling the Limuru-Mau summit road. Who can explain to me why we leave roads incomplete? Why tarmac 66km and leave five incompletes? Laziness? Avenues to eat?

Christmas brought us together, going back to where we grew up before we started pretending we are more urban than urbanites. There is something sentimental about listening to familiar sounds; the birds’ choir in the morning, cock crowing, winds blowing or laughter in local languages. 

They remind us of the great cycles of life and how far we have gone on our earthly pilgrimage. My destination in the countryside will remain secret for security reasons. We can discuss the details over a drink, and test my generosity.

How was your Christmas beyond the traffic jams? Talk to us.