JUNCTION OF CULTURES

Looking down the junction of Kimathi Street, just next to the famous Dedan Kimathi’s statue, marvel is just inevitable. Almost every street in the city of Nairobi resembles this really westernized, yet Africanized setting. Taking just a glance can be blinding reason being of the normal day-to-day activities taking place. Across the street, there is this disabled hawker selling sweets and cigarettes, next to him is a fast food café , few steps onwards there is a couple window shopping, then there is this well built bouncer guarding an entrance to a pub, and lastly the famous Hilton Hotel behind, business as usual. Frankly, this scenario is nothing short of the truth behind the matter. However, beneath the surface lies a story of a junction that is very culturally diverse. If culture were measurable in silver and gold, this junction would be one of the wealthiest of all time. Never before has sight and vision had such a big distinction. What usually passes the glance, what happens just when you blinked away, is the moral of this story.

As the saying goes, “for you to understand a river you must trace its source”, let us trace the source of the “Junction”.  Since December 12, 1963, independence for Kenya has translated to very porous borders. A migration of all kinds has been the mother that gave birth to this global village. With over 50 tribal groups inside Kenya itself, and over 100 other different nationalities, culture has been the key issue. Cultural integration, cultural conflicts, and cultural misinterpretation are the order of the day. As Mahatma Gandhi said, “There is no way to peace, peace is the way”, the only remedy here remains peace. From the days of “Harambee” to the days of “Hakuna Matata”, peace remains the main ingredient in the recipe. On the other hand, crime prevails. A Chinese proverb, “Yin and the Yang”, states that forces of good and evil are the controlling forces of the universe. Following this, then the junction is no exception. Crime repeatedly rears its ugly head in this civilization. Although it keeps the Police force on toes, the lawbreakers also get their fair share of pounding from the long arm of the law.

Now that the picture is slightly clearer, let us take another glance of the “Junction”. If still it seems normal, perhaps it is all happening in between the blinks.  Take the story of the disabled hawker on the wheelchair, for example. Rasta is the nickname that he goes by. Apart from being a hawker, he is also a drug peddler and an affiliate of the Rastafarian religion. The sweets and cigarettes are just the cover business with profit returns ranging from Kshs 50 to Kshs 150 daily. The actual business, on the other hand, is the drug peddling with profits ranging from Kshs 400 to Kshs 1000 daily! Although a high earner, most of his money goes into paying off crooked Police officers and fighting lawsuits every now and again. The normal perception of Rastafarians is rebellion, violence, and illegal smoking of cannabis sativa. Amazingly, beneath the rugged look, a very peaceful and calm soul lies within Rasta. “Peace, love and harmony should be the ways of the people of his Majesty King Haille Sellasie”, he constantly reminds his customers.

For a more clear and vivid picture, review of the various facets of culture is in order. For a much better and precise analysis, five categories are in the limelight. First on the list is food. The different types of cultural groups inhabiting the junction are a great influence to the type of food found here. Delicacies range from all the four corners of the globe. French fries and hamburgers (from the west), roti (from Asia), fufu (from West Africa), and of course ugali (from Kenya) are just but a few of the names that you will likely come across in a menu here.  Second category is language. Swahili is the National language spoken and with a little slang in some cases. Swahili is oftenly used formally in places such as in the offices, in media houses, and in various events. Informally, the slang (also known as Sheng’) is commonly used. It also goes without say that the 50 tribal groups each have their own languages, except for a few cases where sub-tribes exist and the language shares some similarities. English, French, Spanish, Chinese, Portuguese, Somali, Arabic, and Amharic are some of the international languages spoken. In my own opinion, it is just sheer genius how in some instances a combination of more than three of the international languages are mixed with the National and native languages for effective communication amongst all.

Music is food for the soul and every one of us dances to the rhythm of our heartbeats. This statement leads to the third topic of discussion. The “Junction” has a very rich culture of music and art in general. Cultures include cinema going, graffiti, poetry, hip-hop, hanging out, and sports. Music include reggae, hip-hop, Lingala, Rhythm and Blues, traditional, and comical. Appreciation of music and art manifests itself in various forms such as; DVD screens in both public and private vehicles, and advertisements that use music and art as the main tools. Point number four is Religion. The main religions are Christianity and Islam. Other religious sects also have a congregation of their own. Sects like Rastafarianism, Buddhism, and other African traditional religions are also gaining recognition. The fifth and last point is Clothing. In this global village, the dress code is as important as the function in question. For the corporate world, the dress code is strictly official with suits and ties getting the most compliments. Traditional and contemporary African attire also have a great appreciation, especially during public functions and special traditional occasions. In between the corporate western wear and the Traditional African wear, lies the casual and street wear. These are generally jeans, khaki, and t-shirts, which are more popular with the younger generation and regularly worn on weekends.  

Whether business, pleasure or just passing through the “Junction” one thing is for sure, it will be an out of this world experience.  With such rich cultural history, diverse nationalities of people, and a great range of delicacies, it is little wonder that this junction has become a “Junction of cultures”. Funny enough some tourists have been so mesmerized by the experience that they have turned into locals and rarely do they return home. Then again, I guess home is where the heart is. Then the locals get so fascinated by this that they too turn to tourists. With tourists turned locals and locals turned tourists, the whole situation might sound like a tongue twister. Taking a flashback to the colonial period, when field Marshall Dedan Kimathi and the MAU MAU were fighting the colonial troops for independence, all of this perhaps was just but a dream to them. Very many natives and especially the founding fathers of the Nation, however, must have shared the same dream. Even though most of them not here at present, they too must be feeling the joy and the happiness. Just as the late Dr. Griffins (founder of the Starehe Boys Centre) once said, “Happy are those who dream dreams and are willing to pay the price to make those dreams come true”. 

                                             By Edwin “E.D.U” Kidiavai