Swahili Pronouns, Part 1

Last week we learned some common Swahili phrases, and this week we begin learning Swahili Pronouns.

Next week we will continue learning Swahili Pronouns :)

Need help with your Swahili pronunciation? Refer to our guide.

This Week in Kenya

We at World of Difference love to stay apprised of Kenyan current events. Here are some of the headlines that caught our attention this week.

This article about a group of moms raising money to build a hospital in Kenya really brought the mist to our eyes [Key Biscayne Times]

• Mobile Banking Gives Kenyans New Weapon Against Poverty [VOA News]
• Disadvantaged Children in Kenya Introduced to National Heritage [VOA News]
• An Inspiring US-Kenya Partnership to Fight HIV/AIDS [The Huffington Post]
• Kenya Court Rules Islamic Courts are Illegal [BBC]
• Kenyan Girls Flee Their Homes to Avoid Controversial Traditions [The Tribune]
• Kenya Adopts No-Tolerance Policy Against Poaching [eTurboNews]

Meet the Ameru

The Ameru are a Bantu tribe that inhabits the Meru region of Kenya. They speak the Meru language. The Ameru are a community living primarily on the fertile agricultural northeastern slope of Mount Kenya, in the Eastern Province of Kenya. The Meru are primarily agrarian, with some animals kept mainly in the northern part of the region.

The Meru were traditionally governed by elected and hierarchical councils of elders from the clan level right up to the supreme "njuri ncheke" council that governed the seven sections of Meru, making Meru perhaps the only pre-colonial democratic nation in sub-Saharan Africa. The Njuri is the only traditional judicial system recognized by the Kenyan state and is still powerful when it comes to political decision making amongst the Meru.

Taken as a whole, the Meru have one of the most detailed and potentially confusing oral histories and mythology of any people in Kenya. It is also one of the most deeply intriguing, at least from a western point of view, as it contains extremely strong Biblical similarities that suggest to some that they may once have been one of the lost tribes of Israel, and to others that they were once Jewish. This history includes a good part of both Old and New Testament stories: a baby in a basket of reeds who becomes a leader and a prophet, the massacre of newly born babies by an evil king, an exodus, the parting and crossing of the waters by an entire nation, Aaron's Rod in the form of a magic spear or staff, the leadership of a figure comparable to Moses, references to ancient Egypt (Misiri), and so on. In brief, it recounts that the Meru were once enslaved by the "Red People". They eventually escaped, and in their exodus came across a large body of water called Mbwaa or Mbwa, which they crossed by magical means. The details of the tradition are replete with parallels to the Old Testament, and also contain references to events described in the New Testament.

Photo credit: TRMS

Common Swahili Phrases, Part 4

Last week we learned some common Swahili phrases, and this week we will learn even more.

Next week we will begin learning Swahili Pronouns :)

Need help with your Swahili pronunciation? Refer to our guide.

This Week in Kenya

We at World of Difference love to stay apprised of Kenyan current events. Here are some of the headlines that caught our attention this week.

Every WOD expedition to Kenya includes a trip to the Masai Mara and a visit with the Masai warriors. [BBC]

• Fraud, Fears of Violence Complicate Kenyan Reform [VOA News]
• Colorado School Helps Kids in Kenya [9 News]
• Kenya Signs Nile Basin Pact [Daily Nation]
• Teachers Vow to Strike over Salary Pact [AllAfrica.com]
• Wagalla Massacre - The Anatomy of Atrocity [AllAfrica.com]

Meet the Kisii

Kisii is a community of Bantu speakers who inhabit the Kisii District in Nyanza Province, Western Kenya. Kisii town, known as Bosongo by the locals, is located in Nyanza Province to the southwest of Kenya and is home to the Kisii people.

The Abagusii along with other Bantu speaking groups are believed to have originated in the Congo. The migration is believed to have been due to overpopulation, food scarcity, inter-group conflicts and exhausted soil for farming. As these Bantu speakers migrated from the Congo, they split up into different groups with the Kisii ending up in Nyanza Province near Lake Victoria.

The Kisii ended up in a geographical location unique among Bantu speaking groups in that they were surrounded on all sides by hostile Nilotic communities of the Luo, Kipsigis, Nandi, and Maasai. Constant sieges resulted in the development of a war-like culture to defend against cattle-raiding neighboring communities. To this day, they have a reputation of being tough, emotionally labile, resilient, and very industrious.

The Kisii are regarded as one of the most economically active communities in Kenya, blessed with rolling tea estates, coffee, and banana groves. However, Kisii district has a very high population density. It is one of the most densely populated areas in Kenya (after the two cities of Nairobi and Mombasa), and the most densely populated rural area. It also has one of the highest fertility and population growth rates in Kenya. These factors have ensured the Kisii to be among the most geographically widespread communities in East Africa. The Kisii are some of the most heavily represented Kenyans in foreign (usually Indian and American) universities.

Common Swahili Phrases, Part 3

Last week we learned some common Swahili phrases, and this week we will learn even more.

Next week we will continue to learn common Swahili Phrases :)

Need help with your Swahili pronunciation? Refer to our guide.