Old photos

I've had a little time to look through old pictures, and have found a lot of interesting ones I'd completely forgotten about .... want to see them ?

Camp visitor, back in the days when I had black hair !

    

Rubber tapping; the one and only photo I took on a visit         to Nigeria in January 1973.

An almost invisible cicada on a tree in the garden at night; you have to find them by torch-light, following the sound they make at night, which is a high pitched and almost deafening 'zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz ........'

Sitatunga antelope hiding in Saiwa Swamp.   These are virtually aquatic antelopes, with wide splayed hooves, so that they can walk across rotting, sinking vegetation.

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I have really no idea how many photos I have on discs and memory sticks, as well as printed photos I need to scan.   I suspect many thousands just of Kenya, with a few hundred from Namibia and Egypt (and the one single photo from Nigeria !)   Maybe I ought to hope for a really cold, snowy winter, so I can get to the job properly ! 

Meanwhile, I continue to read at least one book per week to do with Africa.   Recently, I have read one which is described as a 'historical fictional memoir' about Beryl Markham, 'Circling the Sun' which was fascinating. I had heard of her previously as a member of the Happy Valley set in the 1920's - 1940's, but she was only on the fringes of them .... her main claim to fame was as a racehorse breeder and trainer, and then as the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic in 1936.  I see she herself wrote a memoir, a book I'd never heard of 'West With the Night'  *** .... so now I must search for a copy !!

***     29th August.   I have today found a copy on the 'net, and its on its way !!  

Life moves on ....

I see its ten days since I last blogged.   But I continue to read the Kenya newspapers (online) and listen to the BBC ...

Things seem to have quietened down in Kenya now, which is good.   Only .... (ONLY ??) about 100 people killed before, during or after the elections in riots and disturbancies.   It seems that the party of Raila Odinga have lodged a case in court to have the election results looked at, which, (being very sceptical !) I don't think will find anything untoward.   But its much better than violence, and life seems to be returning to more or less normal in the country.

The catholic Tablet magazine had the following article:-

KENYA BISHOPS 'APPLAUD' ODINGA'S DECISION TO CHALLENGE ELECTION RESULT IN SUPREME COURT                               21 August 2017  by Rose Gamble

Kenyan opposition coalition the National Super Alliance (NASA) filed a petition with the Supreme Court challenging Kenyatta's re-election

Kenya’s bishops have said that they “applaud” the opposition party’s decision to challenge the contested election result in the country’s Supreme Court rather than calling for demonstrations.

“Concerning the recent contested Presidential election results, our stand as your shepherds has been very clear: all the aggrieved parties should use the legal means as provided for in the Constitution to seek redress,” write the country’s bishops in a statement released on 17 August.  

Lawyers representing Kenyan opposition coalition the National Super Alliance (NASA) filed a petition on Friday (18 August) with the Supreme Court challenging President Uhuru Kenyatta's re-election.

Raila Odinga, NASA’s 72-year-old presidential candidate, has rejected the electoral commission's results which say Kenyatta won by roughly 1.4 million votes, with 54 per cent of the vote. Odinga claims the election was rigged in favour of Kenyatta through the hacking and manipulation of the electronic vote-counting system. He has not yet provided proof of discrepancies but has said he will do so in court.

Twenty-four people are reported to have died in violence protests since the election on 8 August.

In their statement, the bishops strongly condemn post-election violence, urging state security and police to respond to protests with restraint.

“Dear Kenyans, to lose even one life because of elections is abominable,” writes chairman of the Kenyan Conference of Catholic Bishops, Bishop Philip Anyolo.

“This must never be allowed in any civilized society like Kenya. It is imperative upon all State Agents of security and indeed all peace loving Kenyans, to exercise civility and restraint in responding to disputes and protests,” the statement continues.

Accordingly, the bishops praise Odinga’s decision to move to the judiciary rather than encouraging his supporters to protest.

"It is only by respecting and having recourse to the established Constitutional institutions that we, as Kenyans, are able to enhance and strengthen the rule of law and the democratic process in our Country," they write.

Widespread violence broke out in 2007 when Odinga called for demonstrations following the election results. Around 1,200 people died in the unrest.

In 2013, Odinga also contested – and officially lost – an election, but quelled potential violence by taking his case to court. Judges eventually ruled that much of his evidence was being submitted outside time limits set by the court, frustrating his supporters and sparking suspicion over the judiciary’s independence.

In their statement the bishops call for the judiciary to discharge their mandate justly, “in a fair and impartial manner” and urge them not to “give in to any form of coercion or intimidation”.

As the country waits for the determination of the disputed election the bishops urge their government, starting with President Kenyatta, to “take the lead in uniting the country.”

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Other amazing and wonderful news I spotted is that the rare bongo antelope, which is on the verge of extinction in Kenya, and is now in protected reserves, has at last started to recover numbers with the birth in the reserve of four new calves.   

Searching online for a decent picture of one, I was horrified to see so many pictures of this very beautiful animal, dead, with a grinning hunter beside it.   I cannot understand the mentality of people who want to shoot such rare and amazing animals.  What's wrong with a camera ?

I saw a bongo once, a fleeting glimpse in their natural forest habitat high in the Aberdare mountains, when I stayed overnight in a lodge there with my mother, and unfortunately, have no photo of my own !

Let's have a mix of unseen photos as a change from politics !

What an odd coloured cow !   (With cattle egret eating insects disturbed by the cow.)

A tinsmiths open air workshop/shop in Nairobi.

A beautiful irridescent beetle                  

 I really must spend some time when the winter comes  sorting out my African photos; I have literally thousands of them,  in a right muddle !    I use them as a random screen saver, and occasionally up comes a really wonderful photo, that I can never find again.   Very annoying .....

The protests continue

"Police used teargas to disperse youths who had lit old tyres on roads leading to Nyalenda slums in Kisumu on August 11, 2017."

A road I travelled along almost daily in March .......... 

The official result is announced ...

"President Uhuru Kenyatta has won a second term in office, garnering 54.2 per cent of votes, according to final results declared by the electoral commission on Friday night. Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) Chairman Wafula Chebukati declared Mr Kenyatta the winner of the presidential race at exactly 10.17pm EAT.

“He attained 25 percent of votes cast in 35 counties ” Mr Chebukati, the returning officer of the presidential election, said at Bomas of Kenya— the national tallying centre, in the capital Nairobi.  The announcement was met with celebrations in the strongholds of Mr Kenyatta’s party, Jubilee, and protests amongst some Nasa supporters.

President Kenyatta won with 8.2 million votes compared to 6.8 million votes for his closest rival Raila Odinga of the National Super Alliance (Nasa).  Mr Kenyatta, riding on a well-oiled campaign machinery, prevailed despite persistent dissatisfaction with the economy and a hard-fought challenge by Mr Odinga."

(From the Daily Nation latest news.)

This was the expected result really, and now its up to the population to accept it, and get on with life.  Here in the UK, we had a referendum about staying in or out of the EU .... and like it or not (and many don't like it !) we are now going to leave the EU.   Here, in Britain, we remembered Passchendaele a few weeks ago, and I read this:-   "The real monument to those who lost their lives at Passchendaele is not the Menin Gate, it’s the European Union. It’s not perfect, and it’s not as dramatic as the Menin Gate, but it has been a damn sight more successful at stopping the pointless slaughter of Europeans."

In my experience, political results are almost never what I hope for or expect !  C'est la vie !  And lets hope that those who have lost in Kenya can accept the results with a good grace, and try to put aside suspicions and grievances .... there's another election in 2022 !!

~   ~   ~   ~   ~  

Back to photos ....  

I found this one today; footprints in the sand; there is a print of a boot at the top, but look at the others ... the hand and foot of a baboon !  

Calmer days ahead ??

"National Super Alliance flag bearer Raila Odinga has said he is disappointed with international election observers over their view that Kenya polls were credible.

Mr Odinga, in an interview with CNN, said Nasa does not want violence and appealed to its supporters to remain calm."

and ....

"International observers on Thursday called for lawful settlement of disputes arising from the Tuesday General Election.

The Carter Centre, Africa Union, European Union and the Commonwealth urged aggrieved parties to petition the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission and move to court if not satisfied.

The observers said voting had been largely peaceful and thanked Kenyans for turning up at polling stations to choose their leaders.   However, they said complaints about the tallying and transmission of results raised by the opposition National Super Alliance leaders should be investigated by the electoral agency.

They also called for speedy investigations into the killing of IEBC technology boss Chris Msando.    Msando, who was the IEBC data manager, was abducted and killed a few days to the elections.   Nasa chiefs said his password was used to hack into the IEBC servers in order to manipulate results, a claim denied by the commission.

Meanwhile, the UK Minister for Africa, Mr Rory Stewart, asked Kenyans to be patient as IEBC verified the results and investigated reports of fraud.

 “We urge political parties and candidates to remember that Kenya and Kenyans matter more than any candidate, party or election, and to refrain from actions or statements which could heighten tension whilst the country awaits the vote outcome,” Mr Stewart said.

“Any disputes should be addressed through the established resolution mechanisms, in line with Kenya’s Constitution.”

(From The Daily Nation)

Post election .........

So what was hoped wouldn't happen is happening in Kenya; the election result is being disputed.   I think I said a day or so ago that whatever the result, it was essential that the losers accepted the result with good grace.    But .... when you add in corruption, and the death about ten days ago of Chris Msando  (the head of information, communication and technology), and the wish of the alliance of Kenyatta supporters to continue to rule Kenya (for ever ?) rather than allow the Luo people and their associates to control the country .... its a mess.   Nasa flag bearer Raila Odinga (of the Luo alliance) has claimed IEBC systems were hacked using the identity of the late Chris Msando to manipulate General Election results. We'll never know who killed Msando; such murders and assassinations are never solved.

So .... in Kisumu today ....

Police have dispersed crowds of youths who staged protests in Kisumu and Homa Bay over alleged electoral fraud in favour of President Kenyatta. In Homa Bay, the protesters barricaded major roads in the lakeside town, paralysing transport.  They also lit bonfires in the streets to express their anger in what they termed as a “rigged election”.

In Kisumu, a majority of businesses remained closed as protests rocked parts of the town in agitation against alleged rigging of the presidential poll.

Residents opted to stay away from the Central Business District, with the police shooting tear-gas in the air to disperse irate youths.    The demonstrators also lit tyres on roads leading to informal settlements of Manyatta, Obunga and Carwash Estate.

Some of the affected businesses were major supermarkets, banks, markets, eateries, schools and small-scale businesses, which closed down out of fear of attacks and looting.

There were bonfires lit at the Kondele roundabout, forcing vehicles plying the Kisumu-Kakamega road to use alternative routes.  Some of the feeder roads within the town were also barricaded by the youths.  A majority of the streets within the CBD were also deserted.

(Information from the Daily Nation)

I just hope and pray that things calm down quickly, and that there isn't a repeat of the dreadful happenings of 2007.   We need to get a full and honest report from the IEBC (Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission) as soon as possible, and people need to believe it .... which will be difficult for disappointed voters.  

Election Day

The queues started last night, and thousands waited all night to be able to vote.  (We aren't so keen here in the U.K. !)

What happens after the election is less about who wins and more about how those who lose take their defeat.

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Later:-  Its gone 4 p.m. here in U.K., and most of the polling stations in Kenya have now closed.   Some are continuing to let in voters because of the long lines of people who have been queuing for 12 - 18 hours, and because some very rural places were swamped by rain, and in the far north the ballot papers hadn't got to the polling stations .    But apart from some biometric ID machines not working, and some people finding their registrations had been muddled .... the election seems to have gone OK.   For an African country, its seemed fairly orderly.

A woman in West Pokot gave birth at the polling station, and decided to call the child Helen Chepkura, which means 'Election' !   And in Kisumu, an elderly man cast his vote and then died a few minutes afterwards.


Now we await the results ... and the aftermath .... 

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I discovered this morning that I could watch live NTV  online .... a Kenyan TV station !   So I've watched the election on and off for a lot of the day !

Tomorrow is the day ....

Tomorrow is the elections in Kenya, for president and various councillors and lesser county leaders.   The newspapers and BBC are apprehensive .... 

From the BBC:-

"Kenya is holding its breath as the blaring speakers of the election campaign cars finally fall silent ahead of Tuesday's vote.

Ten years ago there was terrible post-election ethnic violence in the country, which nobody here wants to see repeated.  But with opinion polls predicting a very close race between incumbent president Uhuru Kenyatta and opposition leader Raila Odinga, there are fears there could be trouble ahead.

What happens to Kenya is less about who wins the elections and more about how those who lose take their defeat.  The success of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) computerised voting system is key to the process being considered free and fair.

If it fails - as it did in 2013 - the votes will be counted manually, and in a country where vote-rigging has been alleged in the past, the loser will no doubt challenge the result.   In theory, the voting system is a good one:

• Electronic identity verification should not allow people to vote more than once or the many dead people on the roll to vote at all
• Results will be announced at the constituency level
• Published counts will be sent digitally to Nairobi to be added up
• Election observers will be at thousands of polling stations

But if the computer system goes down, verifying the voters' roll will be a lot harder, and may raise suspicions.

The murder of a key figure a week before the poll - the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) head of technology - has really put the country on edge. Chris Msando was in charge of the electronic system, and was the man who appeared on TV to reassure the public it would work - and couldn't be hacked.  When his tortured, strangled body was found dumped in a forest, it raised suspicions that somebody was planning to interfere with the election."

If nobody wins more than 50% of the vote, then it will go to a second round. Whatever happens, this will be the last battle of the dynasties: Uhuru Kenyatta, the son of Kenya's first president, against Raila Odinga, the son of its first vice-president and a man who also spent much of his political career in opposition."  

~   ~   ~   ~   ~ 

And in the Kenyan Daily Nation:-

"Mr Barack Obama particularly called on President Uhuru Kenyatta and his main challenger Raila Odinga to ensure unity among Kenyans prevails regardless of the outcome.   'I have witnessed your remarkable progress and I'd like to return to see you fulfill your even more remarkable potential.   This election is one more milestone for Kenya, and I urge President Kenyatta and Mr Odinga, and all other Kenyans to act with respect to the proverb: 'we have not inherited this land from our ancestors, we have borrowed it from our children.'

Mr Obama further said that for the nation to advance, Kenyans must embrace inclusive democracy by rejecting "politics of tribe and ethnicity".   With the huge deployment of security forces across the country, he called on them to be impartial.   On justice, he said polls petitions should be resolved amicably through the legal institutions and the rule of law.

More importantly, he encouraged Kenyans to think progressively.   'The choices you make in the coming days can either set Kenya back or bring it together.   As a friend of the Kenyan people, I urge you to work for a future defined not by fear and division, but by unity and hope.' "

Elections in Rwanda today ...

I do hope they go peacefully .... there was some unrest there a short while ago; we heard of grenade attacks in the capital, and didn't send our planned volunteers ....

Four more days until Kenya's elections .... 😟 .... 

Tension is rising ....

I quote from The Guardian, 31st July 2017:-

"Fears of electoral violence in Kenya  rose on Monday after colleagues of a senior Kenyan election official who was found dead said he had been tortured and murdered.

The body of Chris Msando, the head of information, communication and technology at the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC), the main body overseeing the polls, was found on the outskirts of Nairobi on Saturday but news of his death was released 48 hours later.   The corpse of an unidentified woman was also found.

The apparent murders come nine days before voters in the east African state will choose a new president, as well as lawmakers and local representatives.

Msando, who had a key role developing a new electronic ballot and voter registration systems at the IEBC, had been tortured before he died, election officials said".

Six more days until the elections ......... 

... and from The Independent:-  

"It is telling that the key person who was perhaps holding very vital passwords has been eliminated at this delicate time," NASA's Musalia Mudavadi said.

"Chris Msando's brutal killing was an attempt to drive a dagger into the heart of the forthcoming election."

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But, I think I have at last solved the mystery of that little triangle of land I've been niggling at for over a week !   Every question has an answer, somewhere; and having discovered it is called the Ilemi Triangle, I find quite a bit about its history via Mr Google !   Look it up .........

It seems it has been in disputed ownership of both South Sudan and Kenya, and neither appear  to want it at the moment.   Kenya's pastoral nomadic Turkana people pass in and out of the triangle from the west of Lake Turkana (previously Rudolph) to graze their animals.    Can I be cynical and say perhaps if/when oil is found there, both South Sudan AND Kenya will want to stake a claim to that little piece of barren land ?

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I hear from a Kenyan friend that the cholera outbreak in Kisumu was in the town prison, and has now been contained there; however, there is a worse outbreak in Nairobi.   

Something beautiful to finish with today .........

What a surprise ! Kisumu on TV !!

A good friend messaged me to say Kisumu was going to be on TV, featured in one of my favourite programmes, Who Do You Think You Are, which take a 'famous' person and investigates their genealogy.   (Available on iPlayer in the UK for, I think, about four weeks).

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b08zj63p/who-do-you-think-you-are-series-14-4-adil-ray

It was so interesting to see the streets and people of Kisumu again .... many of my friends have no idea what the town is like, and its attraction for me .... so I hope they watched this ! I have no idea who the personality was who was featured .... never heard of him .... but his mixed Pakistani and African heritage was most interesting.  

Most genealogy in UK and USA etc is done by following a paper trail of certificates, censuses, newspaper reports, etc., but this doesn't apply to the non European communities; for them, the oral records are everything, and so it proved in this programme.   The oral 'records' and conversations linked his grandmother back to Uganda, and to the Kabaka of Buganda !   

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I am still niggling away at the history of that mysterious little bit of land in the north west of Kenya.    See  http://luolaughter.blogspot.co.uk/2017/07/an-annoying-puzzle.html

I have looked at several old maps I have, and think I may have part of the answer, but still need some more investigation.   It seems it might be to do with the distribution of land back in the days of the British Empire.   Before 1902, what we now know as the west of Kenya was considered to be Uganda; the rest was the East Africa Protectorate, the border being a line very roughly from the north of Lake Rudolf (now called Turkana) straight down to roughly Namanga on the Tanzania (Tanganyika) border.   Various re-alignments were done on maps in the 1920's, (that little lump of land was still not part of Kenya) until 1933 when Kenya was the shape we know it to be today, but still excluding that little piece, which wasn't included on maps until 1961 !   I have absolutely no idea about the politics of all this.  Why anyone would actually want that little piece of dry, arid, inaccessible desert I don't know, but as its still 'administered' by Kenya, I suppose there must be some reason.   I have contacted friends in Kenya to see if anyone knows anything about it.   I don't expect to find out much from them until after the election on 8th August.  

Its interesting to note that at one time, Israel was going to be created as a homeland for the Jewish people in what is now western Kenya.   But that's a whole different story, which I might find out more about another time !

Cholera !

I heard today from a friend in Kisumu that there is an outbreak of cholera in the town.   I wonder how this started .... the towns dubious and poor water supply can't help, and nor can public meetings and gatherings pre the election which is in about ten days, on 8th August.   

The year we spent living in Kericho, in the tea highlands, was also an election year, and there was a cholera outbreak in the town.   A few (white) people I knew panicked and flew back to UK; we stayed but made sure the children only drank water we had boiled, and I made the bread and all the food we ate, rather than trusting it to our 'staff' !!   (Sorry, but Europeans always had 'staff' .... it gave Africans employment, and I think we treated them as equals.   But I had young children, and didn't want there to be any risk to them.)  I had always made sure our staff had soap and the means to keep their latrines clean ... but you never knew who else might use them.

  

It is SO easy to pick up dysentery and other similar illnesses, as I knew well on my return from Kisumu in the spring this year when I came back with dysentery.   I had been eating three or four times a week in the slums, and although food and African tea was always piping hot, you never knew if the plate or the spoon was really clean ...

~   ~   ~   ~   ~  

I have also had an update on how Sylvanus is progressing.   He is slowly, slowly making progress; one of his leg ulcers has healed, and the other is taking longer, but is improving.   His greater family are (hopefully !) going to sign him up for NHIF .... a Kenyan health insurance scheme which will cost them about 500 shillings per month (£4).   So little for us, such an enormous sum for them.  

An annoying puzzle

You know how you get little niggles and questions that ought to be simple to sort out, and they aren't ?   And they get bigger and bigger in your mind, and you can't leave it alone  .... stupid, I know !

Well I've been trying to find the answer to something ALL day (it has been raining heavily most of the day, so I had a good excuse !)    Maybe one of my ex-pat friends who read this, or anyone .... can tell me the answer.

Look at this map of a bit of N. W. Kenya:-

If you have a decent modern atlas, you will see this little bit of desert and dry bush (which I've indicated) is supposedly 'under Kenyan administration'.    Why ?

Does it belong to Kenya, or South Sudan  to the west, or Ethiopia to the east, all of which it shares boundaries with, or perhaps even Uganda to the south-west ?   

I have googled; looked in my massive 1970 Atlas of Kenya published by Survey of Kenya; checked in a modern atlas .... all to no avail.   

The ground to the west of it is part of S. Sudan, a district called Namorunyang .... see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Namorunyang_State.   But it doesn't seem to include this little snippet of land .... 

Maybe I need to wash the dishes and have an early night !!!

No sex, thank you, we're voting !!!

This amused me today on the Kenya news:-

"Kenya’s main opposition leader Raila Odinga has called on his supporters not to have sex on the eve of the elections on August 8.

The National Super Alliance party candidate said on Monday in his local Dholuo dialect at a rally in Homa Bay in western Kenya that his supporters should only have intercourse after the results are announced.

This pronouncement follows a similar one in June when he explained that 'when you are going for war, sex is a bad omen.'

This is a common belief in many parts of Africa."

~   ~   ~   ~   ~

I wonder if the British election result a few months ago would have been different if Britain had been so instructed then !!

The Welsh language and Timbuktu.

There, that title attracted your interest, didn't it !


I was talking today to a friend in Talgarth, after we heard on the news that the Welsh Government is going to promote the Welsh language and create more Welsh medium schools, where every subject is taught in Welsh.  

We were saying that even children in schools in Wales who have compulsory Welsh language lessons from nursery up to 18 years don't use it in every day conversation with their friends.   Its a nice idea to try and preserve the language in this way, but it is fraught with problems.   Parents who are not Welsh speakers but who live in Wales can't help their children with homework.   And what sort of Welsh is going to be taught ?   North Wales Welsh is very different to South Wales Welsh.  

An example of the difference between North and South Walian usage would be the question "Do you want a cup (of tea)?"  In the north this would typically be 'Dach chi isio panad?' while in the south the question 'Dych chi moyn dishgled?'  would be more likely.    

My friend was saying she would like to see the WAG funding the translation of all the Welsh poems, books etc from the past so that they are available to more people.  Also historical documents.  She imagines it must be really hard to research a Welsh-speaking family's family tree because so much stuff in the past (before England started making laws about it) was written and recorded in Welsh.   

So for historical purposes, and cultural reasons, yes, its good and necessary to keep Welsh alive, but I'm sorry, I am of the opinion its mostly irrelevant for every day useage.   How many people go around speaking Latin to their friends ?


Now for Timbuktu !      I've been reading this book .... 

Its "a fascinating interweaving of past and present ... " as the dust jacket says.   Timbuktu has for hundreds and hundreds of years been a centre of learning; I believe it had a university from the 11th century, but not quite as we would know a university.   There were many centres of learning within the city, where various subjects such as astronomy, plants, medicine, mathematics and others were written about, in an old form of Arabic.  The ancient manuscripts which were studied have never been stored in a 'library' but in family homes, some of them with great care and reverence in chests, and others much less so.  Over the centuries, the sand and heat and insects have wrought havoc with many of the manuscripts, which are and can be such a valuable source of learning.    More recently, al Qaeda destroyed by burning many hundreds of them, BUT fortunately hundreds of thousands were hidden away and looked after by the families who had had them in their care for generations.   It is estimated that there are something like 700,000 of these manuscripts in the city !

So what has this to do with Welsh ?   It seems to me that both the Welsh language and the ancient form of Arabic used in the Timbuktu manuscripts are clues to the past of both countries, and their culture.  So much of the past could easily be lost and I do hope that Welsh academics are translating old Welsh documents into English, for future generations.   (They may be doing this for all I know !)   In Timbuktu, manuscripts are now being appreciated and translated (many of the translators are women !)  AND it is so important for youngsters in Wales and in Mali .... and other parts of Africa ... to be taught about their past and learn from it.   

I am horrified that in Kenya, English and to a lesser extent Kiswahili are the languages of choice in schools and nowadays in the homes.   There are over 60 languages spoken in Kenya, but many are dying out and being allowed to die out.   I met a Luo family in Kisumu last year, where the children are taught in English at school, their well-educated parents speak English in the home, and the children cannot now speak to their grandparents, who have a wealth of ancient lore and history and knowledge which is being lost.   That's taking modern education TOO far.   

Africa, particularly countries like Senegal, Mali, Sudan, Egypt, the Swahili coast of Somalia, Kenya, Tanzania and so on, have a very rich ancient culture which we are only just beginning to find out about; how much knowledge has already been lost I wonder ?   Oral knowledge in countries where there was not a custom of writing is just as important as written knowledge.   We need to preserve both.

Violence possible in Kenya presidential election, EU warns

Recent news item from Associated Press:-  

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) - It's "no secret" there are concerns about possible violence in Kenya's presidential election next month, the head of the European Union's election observer mission said on Monday.

A decade ago, post-election violence in Kenya left more than 1,000 people dead and 600,000 displaced from their homes. It was arguably the worst upheaval the East African nation had experienced since independence from Britain in 1963.

Violence next month would create a situation "where everybody loses," Marietje Schaake said as the EU observer mission launched.

President Uhuru Kenyatta is seeking re-election against a challenge by opposition leader Raila Odinga, whom he beat in the 2013 vote. Kenyatta supporters have accused Odinga of planning violence if he does not win. Odinga has dismissed those claims, and his supporters call them a ploy by Kenyatta's supporters to win votes.

Kenyatta and his deputy, William Ruto, were on opposing sides of the 2007 post-election violence. They were charged at the International Criminal Court with crimes against humanity for allegedly orchestrating the violence. The charges were dropped due to lack of evidence, while the ICC prosecutor blamed unprecedented witness interference and bribery.

A government report into the 2007 events found that deep-seated historical injustices, especially linked to land, sparked the violence as well as unrest in the 1992 and 1997 elections.

Currently Kenya faces deadly clashes over land in Laikipia county, where more than 34 people have died since late last year as herders have occupied ranches while claiming rights to land their ancestors occupied before colonialism. The ranchers say politicians are inciting the semi-nomadic herders to take over the land, even though the military has been deployed to remove the herders.

Goodness me, I really worry about the forthcoming elections, having friends in Nairobi and in western Kenya.   

Only in Africa (3)

Going back in my mind to the late 1960's, I remember our first camping trip to the coast of Kenya.  Did we do a beach holiday like the other ex-pat teachers ?   No, we did not !  Being keen on natural history, and especially birds, we decided to go to Mida Creek and the Arabuko-Sokoke forest area, to camp just above high water in the mangrove swamps.  

One morning, I went for a walk along a forest track by myself, and being very quiet, I saw on the path ahead of me a golden-rumped elephant-shrew !    An extra-ordinary animal .... 

(picture from Google)

Much bigger than an English shrew - about 8 or 9 inches in length, plus tail, it was just running along the path towards me, with its extremely long snout whiffling from side to side.  Of course, I didn't have a camera .... but the memory of seeing it stays with me, especially as its the only time I ever saw one.

However, its not the elephant shrew or the birds that are my 'only in Africa' moment.   The next day, we went for a walk along another narrow track .... this is Africa, remember, with very little population in the 'bush' away from the metropolis of Mombasa .... and we were startled to hear faint sounds, not of birds, but Eine Kleine Nachtmusik  wafting through the trees !  Mozart in the jungle ?   

A little further on, the music had stopped and we were accosted by two barking but friendly dogs who appeared out of the trees.   They were soon followed by an elderly (white) man who came to see what or who had disturbed his dogs.   He greeted us like long lost friends, and invited us in.   (It was always the way in Africa to invite in unexpected visitors  for anything from a cup of coffee, to a meal, or to stay for a week or more !)   

So there we were, really in the middle of nowhere, being invited into the home of a strange Scandinavian man, who lived alone with his dogs in a ramshackled house.  HOWEVER, after a drink, he took us to see his music room.  A large separate building, roughly the size of a generous double garage, with a few comfy chairs, and an enormous array of speakers, arranged around the room, and all connected to a turn-table, on which he played LP vinyl records !   He seated us in the centre of this room, so that we would get the best balanced sound from the speakers, and proceeded to play more Mozart !

Only in Africa would you find Mozart, miles from civilization, in the middle of mixed miombo/mangrove woodland !