The Relations Between Asian And African Communities of Kenya (original) (raw)
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The relations between the African and Asian communities of Kenya's Nyanza region, 1901-2002
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This study investigates the problem of race relations between Asians and African communities in Kenya‟s Nyanza region. It examines the roots of Asian presence in the Nyanza region and explores the various levels of interactions between the Asian ethnicities and the Africans. Although the literature review demonstrates that some research on the Asian Question in East Africa has been undertaken by a number of scholars, there is little evidence to show Afro Asian relations in Nyanza Province has been given scholarly attention. This hiatus makes the proposed study abundantly significant and justified. The study revolves around four fundamental premises. It proposes that forced immigration played a remarkable role in the emergence of interracial relations between Africans and Asians in Kisumu, Ndere, Kendu Bay and Yala areas of Nyanza region. Besides, it assumes that government policies were the main causes of suspicion, tension and conflict between the Asians and the African communities...
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Since the establishment of populations of Indian or Asian origin in Kenya, the history of Afro-Asians relationships has been shaped by changes in the economic and political context. However, due to the specific position and status occupied by most Asians in comparison to the majority of Africans since colonial rule, segregation and tensions expressed in racial terms have been significant features of such relationships. The case on the city of Kisumu, in Nyanza region, illustrates this argument about identity formation and race relations against the backdrop of the social, political and economic history in Nyanza region.
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Ethnicity" and disparate group-based socioeconomic development make governance in Africa problematic. Despite this existential reality, the "ethnic" question in African governance remains, largely, only the subject of general discourse. There appears to be very little rigorous scholarship on the economic and socio-cultural dimensions related to the socio-historical construct, "ethnicity". Similarly, attempts to explain why African political culture, in general, continues to encourage the social reproduction of "ethnic" identities also appear to be largely lacking. This thesis aims to fill some of the gaps existent in scholarship of ethnicity vis-à-vis socio-economiccultural development by examining the antagonism between the Luo community and the Kenyan state. Its main objectives are to examine the specifics of the socioeconomic consequences of the political marginalization of the Luo and to explain why "ethnicity" is, seemingly, strongly correlated with the crisis of state power in Kenya. This thesis is grounded on the following two major assertions: first, that "ethnicity", like its correlative, "race", is an ideological concept, devoid of any scientific substance; second, that "ethnicity" is an "exogenous construct", imposed on aboriginal people of Africa mostly by European colonizers. The following research questions direct this thesis: What are the specifics of the negative socioeconomic consequences of political marginalization within the Kenyan context? Why do the Kenyan governing structures and practices persist in promoting "ethnicity" despite its existential problems for particular social groups? This thesis tests the following five research assumptions/hypotheses: i) the Luo have enjoyed minimal public investment from the Government of Kenya because of opposition politics making them relatively poor compared to other communities; ii) political exclusion, during the period under study, has had the unwitting effect of fostering "ethnic" cohesion amongst the Luo; iii) political exclusion at the national level has translated into economic difficulties at the individual level for the Luo, limiting their chances of ever getting to power in Kenya; iv) the Luo are gradually adopting alien cultures in uniform/homogeneous fashion, owing to politically constructed and mobilized stereotypes and prejudices, to gain acceptance as fullyfledged members of the Kenyan society at large; and v) the strong correlation between "ethnicity" and the crisis of state power in Kenya, and the pervasiveness of the ideological construct, are partly the result of the machinations of global capitalists and western interference in the country's affairs. For its theoretical framework, this study adopts an eclectic approach: it fuses various propositionsobtained from a review of contemporary literatureon leadership http://etd.uwc.ac.za viii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I am profoundly grateful and eternally indebted to the Almighty God who, in child's play fashion, turns predicaments into opportunities for breakthroughs. The story behind the pursuit of this qualification, including the identification of the research topic, the inspiration behind it, connection to a suitable guide, the acquisition of the requisite funding, and the resultant research outputs, is rife with significant dialectics, untold uncertainties and divine interventions. Moreover, the health, strength, perseverance and ideas that facilitated the writing of this thesis all came from the Almighty upon whom, with all humility, I pledge reverence. The financial assistance of the National Research Foundation (NRF) towards this research is hereby acknowledged. Opinions expressed and conclusions arrived at are those of the author and are not necessarily to be attributed to the NRF. My sincere gratitude goes to the Distinguished Professor, John James Williams, who was more than a supervisor; an inspirational father-cum-brother figure, "Jay-Jay" was genuinely concerned with my spiritual, financial, psychological and physical well-being and taught me to believe in myself. He also encouraged me to develop an Afro-optimist perspective, and to write and "fight" for Africathe cradle of humankind. He continues to epitomize, to me and many of my colleagues at different academic levels, all over the continent of Africa, the true meaning of humility and service to humanity. I am extremely thankful to Professor Gary Kline, of Georgia Southwestern State University, who not only encouraged me during the difficult moments associated with the writing of this thesis, but also reviewed my work and provided invaluable comments. Gary would also take time off his busy schedule as the Editor of the Journal of Global South Studies, to edit my work pro bono. An excellent role model, Gary has taught me that true achievement lies in humility and that knowledge and wisdom devoid of compassion are futile. I am indebted to Emmanuel Ameh, who assisted with the construction of the graphical illustrations in this thesis and its formatting. My gratitude also goes to Prof. Lorna Holtman of the University of the Western Cape's Division for Postgraduate Studies and to the members of the non-academic staff, School of Government, University of the Western Cape, who encouraged and prayed for me.
Disentangling Ethnicity in East Africa, ca.1-2010 CE: Past Communities in Present Practices
2017
The workshop provided opportunities to discuss my research with other early career scholars from several disciplines and institutions which enriched my scholarship and provided professional contacts for future collaborations. My research permit in Kenya was sponsored by the Research Institute of Swahili Studies in East Africa, a branch of the National Museums of Kenya. They provided me with office space, access to Fort Jesus Museum Library and other museum facilities, invitations to museum events, and introductions to my research assistants and many of my consultants. I would particularly like to thank Director Omar Kassim, Mohamed Karama, and Munira Mohammed for their administrative support, as well as my research iv assistants: Mohamed Hassan in Lamu, Amira Mselem in Mombasa, and William Tsaka in Rabai. Daniel Mrenje provided numerous consultations regarding the Chi-Rabai dialect of Mijikenda and Ustedh Zein provided 'oud lessons, a welcome weekly diversion from my daily research routines. My consultants are too numerous to list here and the arguments I make in the dissertation cannot possibly integrate their many contributions to my understanding of eastern Kenya; I list each of their names in the bibliography. I would especially like to express my gratitude for the hospitality of Price Tsaka, Ahmed Sheikh Nabhany, and the families who let me join in some of their most cherished celebrations. Other Kenyan institutions that assisted me in my research include the Kenya National Archives (in Nairobi and Mombasa), the Wakf Commission in Mombasa, the Kenya Land Office, and the University of Nairobi. I would like to recognize the staffs at each of these institutions for the professionalism with which they maintain Kenya's historical records. Several men and women deserve special mention for the access they provided me: Kassim Mazrui, the former Chief Kadhi of Mombasa, granted permission to access Wakf Commission records, Chief Stephen Mutta of Rabai arranged for me to photograph records stuffed in an old chimney of the guard house at Rabai, Deputy Vice Chancellor Henry Mutoro personally escorted me around the University of Nairobi, and Professors Milcah Amolo Achola and Mary Mwiandi provided access to the University of Nairobi History Department's research project archive. I would also like to thank my fellow researcher in the field, Reynolds Richter of New York University, for his friendship, advice, and hospitality in sharing his home during our final month in Kenya. v I also wish to acknowledge the support of colleagues at home. Thomas Hinnebusch, David Nurse, and Ellen Contini-Morava graciously provided me with linguistic data in digital formats; Thomas Spear offered a thorough critique of my Masters Thesis, which this dissertation expands; Cynthia Hoehler-Fatton provided recommendations at nearly every one of my research presentations; Lydia Wilson offered helpful perspectives on historical archaeology; and Jared Staller provided moral support and motivation to keep up with him through our graduate program. My committee members John Mason, Roquinaldo Ferreira, and Adria LaViolette provided inspiration in teaching as well as guidance in my research. To my advisor Joseph Miller, I express my appreciation for years of incisive critiques and unflagging support from the incubation of this dissertation in my first graduate seminar to its completion. I reserve my greatest acknowledgement for my wife Patience, a constant companion through two (and counting) moves halfway across the world. Thank you. vi Contents
Scholars journal of arts, humanities and social sciences, 2016
This paper traces the origins and development of Asian sugar plantation agriculture and industry in Kisumu County of Kenya. The sugar plantation economy still remains the cornerstone of the County's economy. The study examines the factors for the emergence of the sugar plantation economy such as the completion of the Uganda railway, colonial land policies and the climatic conditions among others. The study points out that the colonial government in Kenya established and maintained authoritarian labour policies characterized by forced labour, land alienation and taxation. These colonial labour policies gradually induced Africans to join wage labour. Even though the colonial labour policies were mainly aimed at assisting the European settlers, coincidentally the Asian settlers to some extent benefitted too. Material for the study is derived from archival research, oral interviews and analysis of existing works on socioeconomic history in general and agriculture in particular. The study is informed by the underdevelopment theory. Using the perspective, the study demonstrates how colonial land and labour policies led to the underdevelopment of peasant sector in Kisumu County. The local people from the surrounding locations tended to work in the nearby Asian sugar plantations because of economic and social reasons and also because the locations were set aside for labour within Kisumu County. Although there was only a limited land alienation for Asian settlement in Kisumu County, its negative effect had become pronounced by the Second World War period. The article contends that colonial capitalism had numerous negative effects on the African peasants in Kisumu County. First, land alienation which was meant to provide land for Asian settlers and to force the local people into wage labour limited the land available to the local people. It concludes that colonialism in its manifold forms intensified the underdevelopment in Kisumu County. The study contributes to the Asian historiography in Kenya. In addition it explores the contribution of African labourers to Asians' agricultural endeavours.