Kenya Art and Culture, a History. The People, Economy, Government and Politics. Today there are around 42 different tribes in Kenya, with varying cultural identities and traditions that have, in some cases, become intertwined over time due to similarities in language and a sharing of the same environment. Visitors to Kenya have the unique opportunity to spend days in the homes of various tribal villages, learning and participating in their daily lives, and even in some cases attending ceremonies. While in the past the development of national parks, in some cases, caused displacement of tribes from traditional grazing areas, today many are employed in the management of conservancies or rangers to protect the wildlife they once kept their cattle safe from

Kenya Art and Culture, a History. The People, Economy, Government and Politics. Today there are around 42 different tribes in Kenya, with varying cultural identities and traditions that have, in some cases, become intertwined over time due to similarities in language and a sharing of the same environment. Visitors to Kenya have the unique opportunity to spend days in the homes of various tribal villages, learning and participating in their daily lives, and even in some cases attending ceremonies. While in the past the development of national parks, in some cases, caused displacement of tribes from traditional grazing areas, today many are employed in the management of conservancies or rangers to protect the wildlife they once kept their cattle safe from

Kenya, a land of safaris, wild animals, and Maasai warriors, perfectly represents Africa for many Westerners. This peerless single-source book presents the contemporary reality of life in Kenya, an important East-African nation that has served as a crossroads for peoples and cultures from Africa, the Middle East, and East Asia for centuries. As such, it is a land rich in cultural and ethnic diversity, where unique and dynamic traditions blend with modern influences. Students and general readers will be engrossed in narrative overviews highlighting Kenyan history, as well as the beliefs, vibrant cultural expressions, and various lifestyles and roles of the Kenyan population. A chronology, glossary, and numerous photos enhance the narrative. Kenya today struggles with nation building. Its society comprises the haves and the have-nots and faces the challenges of the trend toward urbanization, with its attendant disruption of traditional social structures. For Kenyans, the preserving of traditional cultures is as important as making the statement that Kenya is a modern nation. Chapters on the land, people, and history; religion and worldview; literature, film, and media; art and architecture; cuisine and traditional dress; gender roles, marriage, and family; and social customs and lifestyle are up to date and written by a country expert. A chronology, glossary, and numerous photos enhance the narrative.

Kenya Art, Culture and History. Kenya continues to occupy a prominent place in the history of humankind. As the home of the ancestry of human race, fossils recovered on the floor and in the sediments of the Rift Valley show that some human species traversed the region as far back as 200 million years ago. Primates were in the region as early as 23 million years ago, apes 18 million, chimpanzees seven million and hominids five million years ago. When the Europeans came to Kenya in the late 1800s, the region did not have any written word. However, the country had documented its past in the rocks that form the hills and mountains; in the strata forming the sides and eroded by water and wind; and in the tools left behind by early humans at their sites of habitation and in fossilized fauna and flora. And as the country celebrates 50 years of independence from colonial rule, it has stamped its mark in the world map and continues to play its rightful role in the comity of nations

In Kenya, cultural and natural heritage has a particular value. Its pre-historic heritage not only tells the story of man's origin and evolution but has also contributed to the understanding of the earth's history: fossils and artefacts spanning over 27 million years have been discovered and conserved by the National Museums of Kenya (NMK). Alongside this, the steady rise in the market value of African art has also affected Kenya. Demand for African tribal art has surpassed that for antiquities of Roman, Byzantine, and Egyptian origin, and in African countries currently experiencing conflicts, this activity invariably attracts looters, traffickers and criminal networks. This book brings together essays by heritage experts from different backgrounds, including conservation, heritage management, museum studies, archaeology, environment and social sciences, architecture and landscape, geography, philosophy and economics to explore three key themes: the underlying ethics, practices and legal issues of heritage conservation; the exploration of architectural and urban heritage of Nairobi; and the natural heritage, landscapes and sacred sites in relation to local Kenyan communities and tourism. It thus provides an overview of conservation practices in Kenya from 2000 to 2015 and highlights the role of natural and cultural heritage as a key factor of social-economic development, and as a potential instrument for conflict resolution

Focusing on the theme of warriorhood, Sidney Littlefield Kasfir weaves a complex history of how colonial influence forever changed artistic practice, objects, and their meaning. Looking at two widely diverse cultures, the Idoma in Nigeria and the Samburu in Kenya, Kasfir makes a bold statement about the links between colonialism, the Europeans' image of Africans, Africans' changing self representation, and the impact of global trade on cultural artifacts and the making of art. This intriguing history of the interaction between peoples, aesthetics, morals, artistic objects and practices, and the global trade in African art challenges current ideas about artistic production and representation.

This strikingly illustrated, authoritative reassessment of African art is based on the world-renowned collection housed in the British Museum. By presenting art from across the continent, past and present, the volume offers an innovative approach that allows the reader to appreciate African art in its totality. 200 illustrations, 150 in color.