Kenya’s Road To Independence

1247 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Road to independence in Kenya

In the year 1942, fellows of the Kikuyu, Meru, Kamba, and Embu tribes took an oath of unity and secrecy to fight for independence from British decree. The Mau Mau movement initiated with that oath and Kenya ventured on its relentless journey to National sovereignty. The Mau Mau movement was a militant African nationalist unit that resisted against the British authority and its colonial rule. The Mau Mau members were chiefly made up of Kenya’s largest tribe, Kikuyu. The Kikuyu conducted intense assaults against their colonial leaders. Between the years 1952 and 1956, the British overpowered the Mau Mau over a violent operation of military action. Nevertheless, the Mau Mau Rebellion also convinced the British that social, agrarian and political improvements were essential for Kenya’s future.

Journeying back to year 2000 B C, Cushitic speakers from northern region Africa settled in east Africa, known as the land of Kenya. During the 1st century AD, the Kenyan coastal city of Mombasa was chiefly settled by Arab and Persian traders by which Arab and Persian colonies were established. In the first millennium AD, the Nilotic and Bantu speakers migrated into the region and settled inland.

Progressing from a combination of Arabic and Bantu, the Swahili language was developed as a tool for communication for trade amongst different people. When the Portuguese disembarked in the year 1498, the port of Mombasa became a major resupply stop for ships. During the 1600s, the Portuguese started dominating the Islamic religion under the sultan of Oman until another European barricade came along. Followed by the United Kingdom in the 19th century.

The roots of the colonial history of Kenya travels back to the Berlin Conference in 1885, whe...

... middle of paper ...

...rt and the whereabouts of the Mau Mau. The Mau Mau started killing their own men, because they knew the plan of the British, therefore, instead of the Mau Mau killing the British it was the Mau Mau killing the Africans so fundamentally it was Africans killing Africans. The British watching Africa’s cruelty decided to simply give up Kenya’s independence.

Bibliography

· Curtis, Mark. "The Mau Mau War in Kenya, 1952-60 | Mark Curtis." Mark Curtis. N.p., n.d. Web.

28 Apr. 2014.

· Elkins, Caroline. "The Struggle in for Mau Mau Rehabilitation in Late Colonial Kenya."Jstor. Boston University African Studies Center, 2000. Web.

06 May. 2014.

· "History in an Hour." History in an Hour. N.p., n.d. Web.

06 May. 2014.

· Newsinger, John. "Revolt and Repression in Kenya: The "Mau Mau" Rebellion." Jstor. N.p., n.d. Web.

01 May. 2014.

Show More
Related

  • European Imperialism in Africa

    1417 Words  | 3 Pages

    Europe, in the late 1800’s, was starting for a land grab in the African continent. Around 1878, most of Africa was unexplored, but by 1914, most of Africa, with the lucky exception of Liberia and Ethiopia, was carved up between European powers. There were countless motivations that spurred the European powers to carve Africa, like economical, political, and socio–cultural, and there were countless attitudes towards this expansion into Africa, some of approval and some of condemnation.

    Read More

  • Decolonization In The Battle Of Algiers

    1322 Words  | 3 Pages

    The beginning of colonization also marks the beginning of decolonization. From the day the colonists start exploiting the colonized people and belittling the colonized people for the colonists' self-aggrandizement, the colonized ones have been prepared to use violence at any moment to end the colonists' exploitation (Fanon, 3).Decolonization is violent, there is a necessity for violence. This is a point that is repeated again and again throughout The Battle of Algiers and The Wretched of the Earth. Here, the focus will be on The Battle of Algiers to discuss the violence of

    Read More

  • Decolonization of Africa

    1625 Words  | 4 Pages

    The Web. 25 Apr. 2014. The 'Standard' of the 'Standard'. "Nationalism in Africa - African Nationalism After World War II." Colonial, Pan, Rule, and Nkrumah.

    Read More

  • African Responses to Colonialism: A Study of the Peaceful and Violent Dichotomy

    2088 Words  | 5 Pages

    In order to analyze Boahen’s work as well as produce a coherent interpretation of his evidence, definitions for and connections between the terms in question are critical. Therefore, peaceful responses are defined as devoid of bloodshed and aggressive confrontation whereas violent reactions are defined as uprisings of a coalition or faction that involve open hostility. In the context of African resistance to colonialism, success is defined as the achievement of the party in question's objective as well as sustaining the attained goal in order for it to have a lasting positive impact on the country. These objectives typically fall into the two categories of state sovereignty and amity. While they are generally found to be the products of peaceful reactions, fatalities and destruction are by large the most notable outcomes of violent opposition. Moreover, this pattern observed from the results of the two types of responses is best understood when presented in terms of time periods: invasion and occupation.

    Read More

  • The Maasai Tribe

    1840 Words  | 4 Pages

    and were helped by the present day Somali, Borana and Rendille peoples. The Maasai later

    Read More

  • Kenya: Jomo Kenyatta

    1080 Words  | 3 Pages

    For this assignment I chose to write about Jomo Kenyatta. After reading chapters three and four of Khapoya’s book, it was hard to imagine an Africa that wasn’t under colonial rule. I can only comprehend on a very basic level the impact colonialism had on the Africans economically, physically, and mentally. It is inspiring to read further and discover the immense, calculated, and passionate efforts that many Pan African leaders played in the years that followed. I found Jomo Kenyatta to be particularly interesting. For many reasons, Kenyatta is considered one of the most significant leaders of the Pan African movement in the twentieth century. Kenyatta had a clear vision of what he wanted for Kenya (or Africa as a whole), he was prepared for the path he would have to take, and he accomplished much for the country and continent as a whole.

    Read More

  • How did European Colonialism affect Kenya?

    836 Words  | 2 Pages

    European colonization in Kenya had a large impact on Africa’s religion and culture. Africa had over 100 ethnic groups in which were effected from the colonization. (Doc.2). The Europeans believed that Africans did not have a developed religion and believed in bizarre thing such as witchcraft (Doc.6). But, in the Abaluyia Story of Creation, it told how the world and man was created, which was really like the European religion of Christianity in which Adam and Eve was made in a similar way. This proved that they indeed did have an organized religion (Doc.7). In 1962, 80% of Kenyans believed in the indigenous beliefs, but after in 2002, only 26% of the population believed in the indigenous beliefs. Because Europeans believed in Christianity, Protestant beliefs went from 7% in 1962 to 38% in 2002, and Catholic beliefs went from 3.5% to 28% (Doc. 8). Europeans felt they gave Africans the Christian religion, a “superior” form of government, and a more developed civilization (Background Essay). The colonization in Kenya changed their culture also. Kenyans changed their clothing. Leaders of Kenya including the first president Jomo Kenyatta wore clothing very similar to the clothing of the Europeans (Doc.5). This made people feel that their clothing was not in fashion and they had to follow the way of the Europeans. This decreased the amount of people wearing their regular clothing and the amount of people following their own culture. Kenya’s religion and culture truly converted, because of European colonization.

    Read More

  • Negative Affects of Imperialism in Africa in the 19th Century

    1758 Words  | 4 Pages

    ... Cambridge Encyclopedia of Africa. Ed. Roland Oliver. 1. New York: Trewin Copplestone Books Limited, 1984. Print.

    Read More

  • Ethnography of the Maasai

    926 Words  | 2 Pages

    Politically, prior to 1961 the British ruled over Tanganyika. Many of the Maasai people were not completely aware of British government because they maintained rule over themselves. Tepilit depicts a political scene where his father had no idea that the British ruled over Tanganyika. The Maasai were unaware because of the subtle way that the British used the chiefs to create and carry out the policies that the British wanted. This method of government, constructed in such a way led Tepilit’s father to be ignorant of the leadership until it ended in 1961. Tepilit’s father, however, was correct on a smaller scale because Maasailand was not under direct influence of the British rule. Tepilit even states that one Maasai rule infers that if direct interference occurs then “Rebellion would be inevitable” (Saitoti 41).

    Read More

  • Jomo Kenyatta: The First President of the Republic of Kenya

    1958 Words  | 4 Pages

    Katzenellenbogen, Simon. “The 1945 Pan-African Congress and its Aftermath.” World History Archives. 2 May 1995. http://www.hartford-hwp.com/archives/30/058.html.

    Read More

  • European Imperialism in Africa

    1534 Words  | 4 Pages

    In the early 1880’s, the powers of Europe started to take control of regions in Africa and set up colonies there. In the beginning, colonization caused the Africans little harm, but before long, the Europeans started to take complete control of wherever they went. The Europeans used their advanced knowledge and technology to easily maneuver through the vast African landscape and used advanced weapons to take control of the African people and their land. The countries that claimed the most land and had the most significant effect on Africa were France, England, Belgium, and Germany. There were many reasons for the European countries to be competing against each other to gain colonies in Africa. One of the main reasons was that the Europeans believed that the more territory a country was able to control, the more powerful it could become and the more powerful it would be seen as by other countries. Other reasons for the desire to control African land included the many natural resources that could only be found in Africa, such as diamonds, gold, and as time progressed, rubber. It also provided new markets in surrounding places so that manufactured goods could be sold for a larger profit. The Europeans had many motives for imperialism in Africa. Yet the true motives were often shielded as they tried tom present themselves as humanitarians when in reality they were making Africa a terrible place to live with brutality and harsh treatment of the African natives. The ways of the Europeans had many physical and emotional costs for the people of Africa. The imperialism process also took a toll on the people of Europe. The European imperialistic colonization in Africa was motivated by the desire to control the abundant natural resources an...

    Read More

  • The Psychological Impact of Colonialism on the Victimization of Africans

    1070 Words  | 3 Pages

    While Collins does a succinct job of examining the economic and political factors that heightened colonization, he fails to hone in on the mental warfare that was an essential tool in creating African division and ultimately European conquest. Not only was the systematic dehumanization tactics crippling for the African society, but also, the system of racial hierarchy created the division essential for European success. The spillover effects of colonialism imparted detrimental affects on the African psyche, ultimately causing many, like Shanu, to, “become victims to the white man’s greed.”

    Read More

  • The Scramble for Africa

    1166 Words  | 3 Pages

    The New Imperialism and the Scramble for Africa 1880-1914. Jeff Taylor, n.d. Web. 19 Mar. 2014.

    Read More

  • The Effects of the Berlin Conference on Africa

    2036 Words  | 5 Pages

    The Berlin Conference of 1884 peacefully divided Africa between world leaders. The conference, also known as the Congo Conference, looked at Africa as a great source of wealth in many areas to be shared among the participating countries. The division that took place at no time had at interest the people of Africa. By the time Africa regained its freedom in the 1950’s most areas had developed severe political and racial division. The result of this turbulence and division is the occurrence of such violent civil wars and genocides in African countries such as Rwanda.

    Read More

  • A Feminist and Post-Colonial Analysis of Anowa by Ama Ataa Aidoo

    1257 Words  | 3 Pages

    Colonialism is a situation whereby a dominant imperium or center carries on a relationship of control and influence over its colonies (Key Terms in Post-Colonial Theory, n.d.). In this drama, Aidoo not only tells a disobedient child’s story, but she actually reveals a very important historical moment in Ghanaian history through the personal tragedy of Anowa and Kofi Ako. Anowa in this drama represents Africa. Her destruction represents Africa’s fall which was as a result of the actions of selfish men (represented by Kofi Ako) who only cared about amassing wealth to the detriment of their fellow Africans’ wellbeing, thereby betraying Africa as a whole.... ...

    Read More

More about Kenya’s Road To Independence

Open Document