I’ve mostly been interviewing old mamas and wazee in the village where I’m staying, and other villages nearby. I wanted to post some of their responses; most are translated from Dholuo.
On direct experiences with the British:
“During time, whites could not manage to be with black people…hated each other. Nowadays, we are together, we can share- not like the olden days.”
“There were no good jobs for Africans. No equal pay for equal work….Europeans were highly educated, Asians followed, Africans were last.”
“When whites entered, they took junior Africans … tried to introduce them into the administration to cool animosity and rebellion. But the real intention of the whites was to take the country.
“Some would say colonialism over independence, because of corruption.
On Independence:
“People were not aware…everyone believed white people were supposed to lead and govern. But Jomo Kenyatta.. who lived abroad and got exposure, informed fellow Africans about freedom of self rule.”
“We expected free jobs, free education. Wrongly or rightly, people assumed Indians and Whites would go home and leave the wealth. Now, there are no jobs. Getting a job is hard labor… Leaders are busy nursing wealth for themselves."
“Everyone had a feeling that self rule by Africans would bring changes and a good life…we would live as brothers and sisters. But, since then, we have not seen that. We are living in a way that people don’t care much about each other.’
On culture:
“ (colonialism) killed some of the African culture. Now…people are not free to share belongings with extended families. Now a brother is not prepared to spare pain for a brother…everyone for himself.”
“We used to pay dowry. Everyone like it, everyone did it. But the whites discouraged it.”
“Before currency, we exchanged grains for fish…it was hard to find the person who wanted what you had. Currency, can be used to be anything- it’s easier.”
“We didn’t mix much with the whites and Indians. Each kept to themselves with respect to culture except for clothes, education and Christianity.”
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This blog will document my explorations of the British colonial experience in Kenya, as well as links to news of post-colonial or anti- colonial activities around the globe. As an aspiring freelance writer, I have been conducting in-depth interviews with elderly Kenyans on their experiences before independence and attempting to share their stories with the public. Feedback and comments are highly appreciated. If you have a blog or links to a related subject, please list them!
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