Saturday 27 October 2012

Enjoy the Varied Fragrances of Rural Kenya



Note for the folks at home: In some areas of Kenya, a traditional mode of tooth care involves brushing with the stick of a certain fibrous tree (which may be called "Salvadora persica"... if you're willing to trust sources as malevolently unsubstantiated as Wikipedia). Narrow branches are picked from the upper reaches of the tree, and the bark is removed to expose the inner fibers. The practice is still common today, notably among the Samburu people (who populate the region around Maralal). In some cases, the traditional practice is given a modern twist when toothpaste is smeared on the Salvadora stick before usage. The stick does leave the mouth feeling clean, but how it compares to the alternative "toothbrush-and-toothpaste" method, I'm not sure.

Saturday 20 October 2012

First Name



Note for the folks at home: Outside of the Samburu culture, many Kenyan tribes have stricter rules on the naming of children. The Kikuyu system is the most common: the first-born male and first-born female must be named for the fathers' father and mother, whereas the second-born male and second-born female are named for the mothers' parents. (Two baby boys in a row, then, represent both sides of the family tree, despite no girls being born yet.) From that point on, each subsequent male child alternates between a fathers'-side relative and a mothers'-side relative, and each subsequent female child follows the same rule. Members of the extended family who desire a name-sake, I'm told, may coax a couple into continuing to reproduce, until their turn comes. (This is one rationalization I've heard for the traditionally large sizes of Kenyan families.)

Saturday 13 October 2012

"Fist Bump"



Note for the folks at home: If you are a foreigner walking through rural Kenya, expect one of three responses from local children: 1.) A group may urgently scream "HA-WA-YU!" at you from great distances, then run to your side to greet you with a handshake. 2.) [More common] "Give me candy!" "Give me five shillings!" 3.) [Most common among the very young] Bursting into tears and fleeing for safety.
... or, maybe I'm just a particularly scary-looking white dude.

Saturday 6 October 2012

I Thought He Was



Note for the folks at home: International communication from Kenya has become easier in recent years. Currently, all of the major mobile phone networks in Kenya (Safaricom, Orange, Airtel, and Yu) allow callers to reach international numbers, usually at an average of 3 shillings ($0.04) per minute. I've been told that, only a matter of years ago, this price was 10 shillings ($0.12) per minute or more. Most mobile phone users in Kenya (myself included) prefer the scratch card method, something Americans would call "pay-as-you-go". After a mobile phone number is purchased (via SIM card), an account must be "topped up" by purchasing credit on disposable scratch cards. These cards, available in shops even in deeply rural areas, have a unique sixteen-digit number that grants its owner an amount of credit (in shillings). As far as I can tell, very few Kenyans (if any) use a pre-paid service plan. The only downfall to the scratch card method is the staggering amount of used scratch card trash strewn about every town in Kenya.