There are 49 different ethnic groups in Kenya. The main groups are the Bantu who migrated from western Africa, the Nilotic people who originated from Sudan and the Hamitic group, who were mainly pastoral tribes from Ethiopia and Somalia. The main tribes are Kikuyu, Luhya, Luo Kalenjin, Kamba, Meru, Kisii, Swahili, Masai and Turkana.
Kenya's official language is English. The national language is Kiswahili. Both languages are taught throughout the country. A large proportion of the population is Christian found mainly outside the coastal and eastern provinces. Muslims make up 10 per cent of the population and are found in the coastal areas and the eastern side of the country. The rest is a combination of other religions such as, Hindus, Buddhists and those who follow their ancestral tribal beliefs.
Art and craft
Several art galleries throughout the country showcase the works of ancient and contemporary artists the year round. Kenya’s lucrative tourist market has also provoked large scale production of commercial artifacts.
Items produced for this market are sisal baskets, elephant hair bracelets, Maasai bead jewelry, musical instruments, silver and gold jewelry, soapstone sculptures, wood carvings, tribal masks and Maasai figurines. Paintings, prints and sculptures, batik cloth, and kangas – women’s wrap around skirts with beautiful patterns and often Kenyan proverbs printed on them and kikoi, a type of sarong for men are some items that are visible. The main tourist centers have several such markets which offer a great diversity of items.
To see and learn more about kenya art ...
Music
Kenyan music shares a common heritage with the rest of Africa, although each area has its own independence. Traditional African music is polyrhythmic; it is made up of different sounds. The rhythm of the drum is predominant while string, wind and shake instruments accompany. People become a third instrument by clapping, stomping, singing and chanting. Each instrument plays a different rhythm. Idiophones, wicker rattles, reed-box rattles, and seed-shell rattles with a stick serving as a handle are used commonly. Percussive instruments find highest expression in the use of membranophones (drums with parchment heads). Harps of five, six, seven and eight strings are also used commonly.
In Kenya, song is the characteristic musical expression. It plays a very important part in the lives of the people. There is hardly any song without dance. Dance is another form of communication with body language that involves rhythmic movement of the legs, head, and shoulders and in some groups, the hips.
Theatre
In Kenya, theatre is commonly used as a form of social education. Short dramatic presentations are often used in schools and public meetings to give meaning to lessons, campaigns and rallies.
Theatre in the traditional sense is very popular in Nairobi. There is a National Theatre, and also several small dramatic companies. Probably the best known are the Phoenix Players.
Plays tend to be local production of foreign plays, and there is a definite tendency towards broad comedy. Locally written plays are becoming more and more common, often social or political satires or domestic farces.
Heritage
Kenya is rich in culture and heritage. Coastal Kenya especially, has numerous archaeological sites and monuments. Their unique and striking architectural designs are the result of diverse influences over the ages. Some notable ones like the Tana River Delta settlement sites – Ungwana, Shaka and Mwana – grew as a result of contact between local inhabitants with Persian and Arabic culture.
This unique interaction evolved into a distinctive civilization, referred to as the Swahili Civilization, which extends along the eastern African Coast from Mogadishu in the North to Mozambique in the South, including both the Comoros and the Madagascan islands. The ruins of this once thriving civilization are located at the Tana River, along the Kenyan Coast at Kipini, and extend in Kipini, south east across the North end of Formosa or Ungwana Bay. The heritage of Kenya is well documented in its museums.
For Further details see www.museums.or.ke
Language
Kenya’s official language is English. The national language is Kiswahili. Both languages are taught throughout the country. A large proportion of the population is Christian found mainly outside the coastal and eastern provinces. Muslims make up 10 per cent of the population and are found in the coastal areas and the eastern side of the country. The rest is a combination of other religions such as, Hindus, Buddhists and those who follow their ancestral tribal beliefs.