Posted by There are many things I love about living in Kenya, but most of all I think I love the cultural diversity of its citizens. I stayed late at work yesterday, finishing up bits and pieces of what I had to present today in the office. Since it was getting late at night, I decided to walk across an open market so that I could get home in time.
As I did so, I was enticed into buying fried fish for supper from a lady who was sitting by the road side. I was so surprised when she spoke to me in my mother tongue. I use “mother tongue” to indicate the language of my ethnic group here. I don’t know if I seem to have my tribe inscribed on my forehead these days. I should hope not.
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I try as much as I can to conceal it. Not because I hate it. In fact, I am very proud of my tribal origins. But in this country, where ethnic clashes took away scores of lives during the last general election, I would rather be a just another countryman. I prefer to speak and communicate in Swahili, the national language, or English, rather than my mother tongue. I feel comfortable when people don’t suddenly judge me according to my ethnicity. However, it’s never that easy, especially in cases where I need to produce my identity card or quote my name--because from those alone, one can easily and accurately know my ethnic origin.
In the part of Nairobi where I live, ninety percent of the population come from one ethnic group--let’s call them Tribe2. I grew up in this part of Nairobi, went to school and played with children from Tribe2. I remember that in primary school, I was the only one from my tribe. I started at the lowest grade, and didn’t know too much of English or the national language, Swahili, by then. According to our Kenyan Education System at that time, children had to learn the national language as a subject in school since their parents would have raised them in their respective mother tongue. This same mother tongue that was also taught on the syllabus for pupils to learn how to read and write it.
Ironically, this was regardless of your ethnic group. Your ‘mother tongue’ was taught according to the region in which you went to school. As a result, I did not learn how to read or write in my mother tongue--the little I know was the much I was raised with before I went to school. I speak Tribe2’s language fluently, can read and write it as well. According to current Kenyan politics, my tribe and Tribe2 should not interact. All this stemming from ethnic based power struggles, and traditions through our parents, which dictate that we should never intermarry. However, our current generation is erasing this tradition, albeit with baby steps.
Yet this woman really amused me. She reminded me of my relatives upcountry, who speak in our mother tongue to each and everyone regardless of what ethnic group they may be from. I still wonder what she saw in me to make her come to the conclusion that we spoke the same language.
You see, Tribe2 are generally light-skinned while my tribe is usually a dark color, having emigrated from Sudan. If you have ever been to Sudan, you will know that these people are extremely dark-skinned.
I am never surprised when the matatu (mini-bus) conductor asks me for my bus fare in his native Tribe2’s language and confirms where I should alight in the same. It amuses me most of the times. They always think that since I am light-skinned, I must come from their tribe. But I just wish as a country, we would embrace each other, regardless of our ethnic composition.
I speak of only two tribes here, but there are roughly forty tribes in Kenya. I wish Swahili was our mother tongue. It makes no sense to me which tribe is superior. For while the world battles with wars and racism, Africa battles with tribalism. It seems so juvenile sometimes.
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