I was born in Kenya; I even have a birth certificate issued by the government of Kenya. I was raised in Kenya, and my passport says that I am Kenyan. My parents are Kenyan, and my family is Kenyan. Naturally, everyone thought I would become Kenyan, and I must have passed off as one. Well, I think I have managed to fool everyone, because, well I do not think I am Kenyan.
I have spent the majority of my last 5 years outside Kenya. I have traveled to various countries on the African continent, worked and lived there. I even passed off as one of the locals, with enough local language to get through daily situations. What I have enjoyed most though, is the diversity in the tastes and sounds: food, drink and music. From amala in Nigeria to kenkey in Ghana and sadza in Zimbabwe, and Carlsberg Chill in Malawi, I have tasted life.
But I partook in different cultures long before my traveling days. I listened to Rhumba music from the DRC and enjoyed Pavarotti. Hollywood movies formed my first conceptions of America before Grisham novels painted the American law practice scene. Growing up as a professed Methodist, I have nonetheless come to admire the architectural finesse of Roman Catholic cathedrals and mosques. It's as if my mind is Protestant and my heart is Catholic!
I do not see why, therefore, I have to necessarily be Kenyan. I mean, I understand governments would want to label people as Kenyans or Americans or Dutch, in order to legitimately collect taxes from them and possibly draft them to fight wars as soldiers defending the ideals of the nation. And other groups as well may have very good reasons for their continued existence. However, I do not think these labels that we give ourselves describe us fully.
Anytime you see me, I probably have in my belly food imported from Mexico or Puerto Rico or South Africa or China. My brain is thinking thoughts influenced by Socrates, Jesus, the Buddha, Abe, Jeremy Clarkson etc. Why then do you call me Kenyan? Labels are useless. They fail to fully grasp the complexity of humans. We are not one thing. We are shaped by multiple influences: physical, psychological, mental, emotional, spiritual. We are human, and even this label, I suspect, does not tell the whole story.
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| What have I become? photo courtesy of kyusho.com |
But I partook in different cultures long before my traveling days. I listened to Rhumba music from the DRC and enjoyed Pavarotti. Hollywood movies formed my first conceptions of America before Grisham novels painted the American law practice scene. Growing up as a professed Methodist, I have nonetheless come to admire the architectural finesse of Roman Catholic cathedrals and mosques. It's as if my mind is Protestant and my heart is Catholic!
I do not see why, therefore, I have to necessarily be Kenyan. I mean, I understand governments would want to label people as Kenyans or Americans or Dutch, in order to legitimately collect taxes from them and possibly draft them to fight wars as soldiers defending the ideals of the nation. And other groups as well may have very good reasons for their continued existence. However, I do not think these labels that we give ourselves describe us fully.
Anytime you see me, I probably have in my belly food imported from Mexico or Puerto Rico or South Africa or China. My brain is thinking thoughts influenced by Socrates, Jesus, the Buddha, Abe, Jeremy Clarkson etc. Why then do you call me Kenyan? Labels are useless. They fail to fully grasp the complexity of humans. We are not one thing. We are shaped by multiple influences: physical, psychological, mental, emotional, spiritual. We are human, and even this label, I suspect, does not tell the whole story.
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