Kenya Culture: A Kenyan Case

Kenya Culture: A Kenyan case study Culture is "a society's shared and socially transmitted ideas, values, and perceptions" (Chapter 2, p.25). Culture is how people make sense of human experiences and behavior. Culture is also the way that individuals make sense of themselves and others. Above all, culture is shared. Cultural transmission involves more than a single individual. It involves a way of making the "actions of individuals intelligible to other members of the group" (Haviland, et al.

2007, p.25) Culture involves aspects of human existence that are "learned, not biologically inherited" (Haviland, et al. 2007, p.24). Culture involves the transmission of symbols: "signs, sounds, emblems, and other…meaningful concepts" (Haviland, et al. 2007, p.24). Spoken, written, and body language are all symbolic systems that represent more than their literal meaning. "The most important symbolic aspect of culture is language. Language represents the most pervasive use of symbols in a culture because it uses symbols to represent objects and ideas" (Haviland, et al. 2007, p.24). Culture is integrated.

Culture consists of three foundational elements: the infrastructure that "provides the basic necessities of life," a social structure that governs day-to-day social interactions, and a superstructure, or worldview which "provides a belief system that helps people identify themselves, their society, and the world around them" (Haviland, et al. 2007, p.24). Finally, "culture is dynamic. When one element within the system shifts, the entire system shifts to accommodate it" (Haviland, et al. 2007, p.24). All of these elements can be seen in the culture of Kenya. Kenya lacks a cohesive 'national' culture.

Kenya is primarily defined by its tribal alliances. Colonialism created the Kenyan nation. Many new African nations were born after the breaking-down of the territories of Africa into nation-states in the wake of the dissolution of European dominion over the continent. Today, there are between 40 and 70 individual tribes in Kenya. Within almost all of the tribes, it is customary for members to 'help' one another to survive.

While this can have many positive results, such as supporting the elderly, educating children as a collective, and taking responsibility for others' welfare, in politics these charitable extensions of kinship ties often cause tribal members to "support a politician because of his ethnicity, rather than his ideas and capabilities" (Introduction to Kenyan culture, 2010, Kenya Advisor). Kenyan politics is full of violence and divisions, based upon tribal friction. Despite the importance of tribal culture, the fundamental unit of Kenyan society remains the family. Families tend to live together in extended networks.

"Although it's common for a father and mother to leave their children with family and work in another city, this is usually inspired by the wish to support their family better. Daycare doesn't exist in Kenya although rich families may hire nannies" (Introduction to Kenyan culture, 2010, Kenya Advisor). In contrast to American culture, where breaking away from one's parents is seen as a positive development, Kenyan culture is interdependent.

The close-knit family structure facilitates the transmission of cultural practices between generations, ensuring relative coherency in tribal life, in terms of religion and beliefs. Swahili is the official language of both Kenya and neighboring Tanzania, although many Kenyans also speak tribal languages as well. Religion, although most Kenyans are Christian, is often highly syncretic. Many Kenyans practice a fusion of Christianity and other native faiths. Islam is also practiced in certain areas of Kenya. Islam is also blended with indigenous and native cultural practices (Introduction to Kenyan culture, 2010, Kenya Advisor).

Kenyan social culture is a fusion of the conservative and the liberal. On one hand, particularly in rural communities, there is a fairly conservative attitude towards women and open displays of sexuality. However, Kenyans can also be very demonstrative to others, openly hugging and touching family and friends in the street.

"Especially in cities you'll often see street preachers, who offer religion as a solution of the many social ills in Kenya," and many Muslims wear traditional garb, but it is rare for individuals to be openly harassed for transgressing religious dictates. Even "in Muslim areas, religious rules on sexuality are interpreted liberally" (Introduction to Kenyan culture, 2010, Kenya Advisor). While rural societies tend to be more conservative, not even the most traditional Kenyan tribal society is culturally static.

For example, one tribe, the Samburu, has traditionally believed "that girls have no need for education because all their needs are catered for by their fathers and husbands" but in other segments of Kenyan society, women have assumed positions of leadership and have pressured the Samburu to change (What is Kenyan culture, 2010, Global Literacy Project). A number of women's groups support tribal women's inclusion in political life and education. One of them is lead by a Samburu woman, the Samburu Girl Child Education Support Program (Sagep).

It supports female Samburu literacy and opposes female genital circumcision. The Samburu often practice female circumcision. Even traditional societies are culturally diverse. Some Kenyan women support female empowerment, while other women are vehemently opposed to it: "In 2002, two schoolgirls took their father to court and won the right not to be circumcised. Cultural change ultimately is tied to giving people the ability to voice their opinions and the economic and political power to decide on their own futures" (What is Kenyan culture, 2010, Global Literacy Project).

Kenya has recently become prominent in the international news because of the ethnic violence that occurred during the country's recent elections. However, other aspects of Kenyan culture have been brought to light in a more positive manner, such as the 'running culture' of one of its tribes, the Kalenjin. Nearly all of the elite Kenyan runners winning marathons around the world, male and female are members of this tribe. The Kalenjin tribe has its own unique system of culture, as compared to the more isolated Samburu. But the Kenyan dedication.