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Ouagadougou in Burkina Faso - Green City of the Upright People
Ougadougou is the largest city and capital of Burkina Faso, the land of the upright people, which literally means incorruptible. The official language is French but the most widely spoken language is Moore of the Mossi. This is a leafy city with wide roads and large monuments, worth your visit.
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Lamu - an Exotic Island on the East African Coast
Lamu island on the East African coast has a long history. Some say it has been inhabited since the 1300s, but evidence points to a much earlier period. This palm fringed island has no vehicles, just donkeys for transport and an enviable culture. No wonder it is a magnet for tourists and locals alike
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Desert Locust Plagues - From Pharaonic Times to the 21st Century
The Desert locust causes destruction of enormous proportions to farmland and pasture. Chemical control methods can cause damage to the environment. However, there are biological control methods that can be adopted early to minimize this damage. Besides, locusts can be included in the human diet.
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Daniel Arap Moi - 2nd President of Kenya
President Moi led Kenya into ruin for a lengthy 24 years from 1978 to 2002. In one quarter he is praised as a father figure who did everything to preserve peace at home and in the region. In another quarter he is a tyrant that trampled on people's rights as he ruined a previously robust economy.
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A Visit to Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania
The coastal city of Dar-es-Salaam is the largest in the Republic of Tanzania. It was the capital at independence but this honor has since gone to Dodoma. As a port, it is a fast growing city with attractive beaches, first class hotels and therefore a major tourist attraction.
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Kikuyu Wisdom in Proverbs
Proverbs express a people's wisdom mostly through their way of life and experience. These proverbs are a small fraction of the one thousand proverbs that were compiled by G. Barra. They show how timeless human wisdom is and how it cuts across cultures.
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The Donkey Meetings of Ole Tepesi
During the wet season, donkeys of the Ole Tepesi area have a meeting everyday on the main road in their thousands, The meeting starts at around 5 pm in the evening and ends at 5 pm in the morning.
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The Landlord and the Tenant
A landlord is the owner of a rented house, apartment or even land. The best landlord is the one you never get to see. The second best is the one you see once a year. That way, your problems are postponed for 12 months. Most tenants have understandably a love hate relationship with their landlords.
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Message From Jomo Kenyatta, Prime Minister at Kenya's Independence in 1963
This year, 2013, marks 50 years after Kenya’s Independence in 1963. This hub commemorates the Jubilee by highlighting the thoughts of the founding father of the nation on that day.
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A Kikuyu Ancestor's Wrath
The ancestor who speaks in this poem was last appeased before the coming of Europeans and western culture in Kikuyu land.
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Investment Opportunities in Kenya
The Kenyan economy is bulging with numerous new opportunities for investors. Many existing sectors merely require improved efficiency and better public relations to compete with other global giants.
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Rabbits: keeping them healthy on pellets and other foods
Rabbit keeping is fast catching on. This form of animal husbandry is termed “emerging livestock,” in the same class as quails and guinea fowl. Here's how Keep them healthy on foods other than pellets.
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Biogas: How to Get Free Gas From Your Livestock
The science of making and using biogas from cowdung has been in the public domain for a while. The design and its variations are so simple that anybody can adopt it without spending a fortune. Here I present to you a practical use of the technology even if you have only one cow.
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Who were the ancient Thagichu people in Kenya?
The Thagichu appear in Kikuyu myths as their ancestors. However, variants of this word appears in other Bantu and non Bantu communities. In this hub, I include the Osu of Nigeria - read on.
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Joseph Zuzarte Murumbi - a Prolific Art Collector of Maasai and Indian-Goan Cultural Heritage
Joseph Murumbi, Kenya's second Vice President after independence was a freedom fighter and a prolific collector whose legacy is the Murumbi Collection of African art and rare books.
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Betrothal ceremonies before a marriage among the Kikuyu of Kenya
Due to the fast pace of modern life and the expenses that would accrue in lengthy ceremonies, what is practiced today is an abridged version of what Kikuyu ancestors considered adequate.
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Principles of Art and Design
Art, just like music and dance is a form of communication. Art is guided by certain principles, which when applied consciously, will enhance the quality of the art project.
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Bananas in the Life of the Kikuyu People
The Kikuyu value bananas as a food item and recognize several varieties. They knew the nutritional value of bananas and used them as the baby’s first solid food. Some varieties are cooked before they ripen to make a delicious meal. This hub presents 15 varieties known to the Kikuyu.
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Where Was Punt? the Last Word on This Famous Destination in the Chronicles of Ancient Egyptian Travelers
Known also as God’s land, the land of Punt supplied Ancient Egypt with Frankinsense, Myrrh and other valuable produce of the land. The island was visited numerous times by the Pharaos of Ancient Egypt. The most famous trip to Punt by a reigning...
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The Luo People of Kenya: Legend of Nyar Mgondho
This legend informs us that we should not forget where we came from when we make it in life. Most important is the fact that we never make it without other people's help. We should recognise the input of others and never ever ridicule them.
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Milk: Ten Languages From Africa, Asia and Europe Show Uncanny Confluence
Milk is a life giving liquid produced by all female mammals after giving birth to young ones. It is therefore primarily intended to be the first item on the menu of any baby, calf, puppy or whatever else the young is called. The very first issue of milk, called colostrum gives the baby immunity...
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Basics in the Language of Art and Design
Art is a universal language. It is understoond by all in every corner of the world. If you understand the basic vocabularly more deeply than just the natural occurence, you will enjoy art even more. For artists, these basic vocabulary puts you more squarely in the driving seat of your artistic...
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How to Refresh Dry Old Plasticine for a New Art Project
Many sculptors choose to work with plasticine for their models. It is easy to model with tools and bare hands. Plasticine can be used over and over for years.
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The Luo Language of Kenya: Basic Vocabulary and Conversation
The Luo of Kenya and Tanzania are a Nilotic-speaking people whose main occupations are fishing, farming, and animal husbandry. In this article you will learn the basics of their language.
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How to mark hundreds of exam papers quickly and efficiently
Marking 40 scripts with essay type questions may take you three hours at the very least. Marking more than 100 scripts could be draining both mentally and physically. This is aggravated by the fact that the teacher still has to prepare for classes and actually teach besides marking continuous...
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How the Ankh symbol of ancient Egypt has survived in modern languages
Impossible as it may first sound, the Ankh in the name Tutankhamen has survived in languages spoken today. One of these languages is English. The other languages are in Africa. Maybe by probing further, we may find more languages with vestiges of the ‘Ankh.’
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The Dodo: As Dead as a Dodo
We say ‘as dead as a Dodo because we hunted the Dodo to extinction three centuries ago. If we are not careful, there will a long list of extinct animals in less than 20 years to come - no elephants, lions or rhinos except replicas in museums. Imagine that!
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Kikuyu Language: the Lord's prayer and other christian terms
The Kikuyu people are predominantly Christian. This makes the Lord's Prayer very important in the lives of every member. Most have committed it to memory. It is translated here using the commonest version.
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A Bird Watching Safari in Kenya - the African Purple Gallinule and the Saddle Billed Stork
There are a total of 1133 bird species recorded in Kenya. Out of this number, 7 are endemic to Kenya and 6 have been introduced from outside. Only one species is known to have become extinct. In this hub, we shall look at the African Purple Gallinule -Porphyrio alba madagascariensis, and...
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Rock Art: A Pictorial Record of Human History
To the ancients, Rock Art was a medium like modern Newspapers and Television. Evidence in rock art indicates that at one time the Sahara was habitable and home to fishermen, hunters and herdsmen in separate epochs. With that medium, ancient men and women recorded for posterity the important...
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How to Make Mahamri: Recipe for Great Snacks for Your Tea or Coffee
Mahamri are made by the people of Eastern Africa to take with their tea or coffee. You do not need any special skills to make them. This hub will take you step by step on how to make these tasty snacks. Besides, you can improvise once you understand the simple technique.
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Early Human Migration From East Africa and Constant Intermingling Over the Centuries: Linguistic Evidence
Is it possible that some words in European, Bantu and Nilotic languages have an ancient history that is thousands of years old. This hub will show you how that is possible, with a few examples.
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Use green Leaves as an Alternative to Toilet Paper
Before colonisation by the British, the Kikuyu used a certain plant with feathery leaves and a great scent the way we use toilet paper today. They called it maigoya. Its scientific name is Plectrunthus barbatus.
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How to Make Excellent Colour Pictures With Free Paint Software Program
Paint is a simple application that comes free with your Windows. With a little practice you can create images to rival those done with expensive software, and most people will not notice the difference.
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The Kikuyu Language Online: Future Tenses for Conversation Practice
In kikuyu, a sentence can inform you whether something will happen later today or tomorrow and into the future by only a slight modification of the verb. The past has four tense forms to mean 1. A moment ago, 2. early today, 3. Yesterday and 4. Day before yesterday - Example: ria (eat) 1. Waria 2....
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Bonding Between Teachers for Better Performance
Every morning at tea time, teachers have a chance to meet and inquire on each other’s health. A feeling of belonging to a family is fostered and it is not unusual to refer to each other as brothers and sisters. If a teacher misses for one day, it is noticed immediately.
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How Much Money Do You Need to Live on After Retirement?
How much money you will need when you retire will be determined by the lifestyle your will want to maintain. How much money do you use per week currently? In future you will need more when you take inflation into account. You can plan to change your lifestyle to account for inflation and a reduced...
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Francis Hall: Born in India, Built a Fort at Mbiri, Now Murang'a Town in Kenya
Francis Hall was born in India in 1860. Around this time, traders, missionaries and slave trade abolitionists were beginning to pay attention to East Africa. About 20 years earlier, Ludwig Krapf had made contacts with the Kamba and ventured in the interior as far as present day Kitui.
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Kikuyu Language: Numbers and Counting
The simple numbers in Kikuyu are as follows: 1. Ĩmwe 2. Igĩrĩ 3. Ithatũ 4. Inya 5. Ithano 6. Ithathatũ 7. Mũgwanja 8. Inyanya 9. Kenda 10. Ikũmi But there is more to numbers than this. Each of the words above changes slightly depending on the noun class.
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Akhenaten’s Grandmother, Queen Mutemwiya and the Kikuyu Word "Mũtumia"
Akhenaten was the Pharaoh credited with starting Monotheism in 18th Dynasty Egypt. Here, we shall be more concerned with his grandmother called Mutemwiya (spelled as Mutemwaya by some writers).
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Publishing in Kenya
Publishers and authors all over the world have a lukewarm relationship, yet one cannot do without the other. I have since learned that two years is only two days in the publishing world.
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Ancient Egypt: King Menes, His Fish Symbol and the Kikuyu Word - Mũthamaki
In 3100 BC, King Menes moved North from the South of Egypt probably from an area that is in today’s East Africa.and conquered the Delta.The Hieroglyph that identifies him has a mud-fish.The Kikuyu call a leader a Mũthamaki - The word is intriguing because it no doubt has the same roots as the...
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Traditional Uses of Cattle in Africa
The cow has always been very important to Africans. Here are some of the ways it is used in Africa.
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A Good Teacher: Seven Qualities
A good teacher prepares Work Plans at the beginning of the term or semester... prepares Lesson Plans for each month (week, or day)...arrives on time...has a sense of humour...understands the individual limitations of the students...works as a team player with fellow teachers...
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Chief Kinyanjui wa Gathirimu of the Kikuyu
Kinyanjui belonged to the initiation age set called ‘Njenga.’ Kinyanjui had been banished from his home area in Githunguri for some transgression which caused him to relocate to Southern Kikuyu. Muriuki gives his origin as Kandara. It is not clear at which point he joined Waiyaki’s company as a...
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Kikuyu People: Secrets of an ancient migration from Egypt to Mount Kenya
The nucleus of the people called Kikuyu today came from the land of Ancient Egypt, during the reign of Pharaoh Akhenaten. They used the Ethiopia route to get to Mount Kenya. According to evidence from power handing over ceremony described below, it took less than thirty (30) years for the first...
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Kikuyu People and the Traditional Ceremony of the Second Birth
Before the rite of circumcision, Kikuyu boys went through a ceremony of second birth.
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Kikuyu people and the goat as legal tender
The goat was a very important animal to the Kikuyu people of Kenya. In pre-colonial times, most people had only sheep and goats to meet all tribal obligations that required payment. It was the rich man who had cows. The goat was the ‘legal tender.’ When one required the services of the medicine, or...
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The Kikuyu language online: Past tenses
The Kikuyu language is one of the most archaic of the Bantu group. It is spoken by about 20% of the Kenya population, mainly in Central Province and the Rift Valley.
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Stonehenge: a linguistic link with Kikuyu and the Thim Lich Ohinga stone structures in Kenya
The technology to transport and arrange the stones of the Stonehenge monument was from Africa, in Ancient Egypt.
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Practice Running a Marathon Like a Kenyan
Running is invigorating and a great way to keep fit. You don’t need to be a member of a club to run. Running a Marathon is also prestigious for finishers, not just winners. So if you run a half marathon, plan to finish and add that feather to your hat.
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How to Clean a Fresh Water Aquarium Efficiently
More than half of those with an aquarium hate the cleaning process. That is why after much enthusiasm at the beginning, it is usual to see an aquarium that has turned green. This need not be the case. You can learn to clean an aquarium quickly efficiently and enjoy the process.
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How to Make a Glass Fish Tank: Diy Basics
Here’s how to make your own fish tank. Start with a manageable size until you have sufficient experience to maintain a large one. Making a small or large tank isn’t that much different though. The information here is for a 15” X 9” X 9” inches
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Chief Waiyaki wa Hinga of the Kikuyu
Little is known about Chief Waiyaki wa Hinga who saw the transition from self government of the Kikuyu to colonial domination first by the Imperial British East African Company followed by the crown of the British Empire.
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Kisumu - Lake Side City at the Source of the Nile
Kisumu is Kenya's third largest city after Nairobi and the port City of Mombasa. It is the second largest in the Lake Victoria basin, after Kampala in Uganda. Kisumu’s origins as a town can be traced to the arrival of the Uganda Railway in 1901 from the port of Mombasa. The train went into service...
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Portrait of Robert Thorne Coryndon and the Restoration of His a Damaged Portrait
Robert Thorne Coryndon was awarded the CMG in 1911 and KCMG in 1919. On 10 February 1925, Corryndon passed away in Nairobi. In 1929 the Kenyan colonial government allocated land in Nairobi for a museum in his memory. It was officially opened on 22 September 1930 as The Coryndon Museum. It was...
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African Oral Literature: Kikuyu story of The Dancer from another Village
This folk-tale was one of the many that were told to Kikuyu children and young adults by the fireside as they waited for supper. I have retold it as faithfully as I could. I have however given the characters and the village my own names and inserted some relevant proverbs.
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DIY Egg Incubator for Chicken Brooder - Easy to Make and Manage
You can easily hatch your own Chicken eggs if you have the patience to wait for twenty-one days.
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Wangu wa Makeri: the first Woman Kikuyu Chief in Colonial Kenya
Wangu wa Makeri was the first Kikuyu female leader in living memory. This post will bring fresh insight in the life of Wangu wa Makeri, the first ever woman Chief in Colonial Kenya. A grand child of the legendary leader agreed to a candid interview.
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Chief Wangombe wa Ihura
Chief Wangombe was the son of a Kikuyu man and a Maasai woman. He was born in Tetu, at Kamakwa near present day Nyeri Town. His father and therefore the whole family belonged to the Ambui clan, of Thiukui Mbari.
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Wangare Maathai the Nobel Laureate: A Comparative Study of an Environmentalist and Pharaoh Hatshepsut of 18th Dynasty
Wangare Maathai recognized the value of trees. She founded the Green belt movement and through her examples, she has caused millions of trees to be planted all over the world. Read on to see what she shares with Hatshepsut of the 18th dynasty of Ancient Egypt. The world is greener because of her.
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The Akamba (Kamba) people of Kenya
The Akamba language has some of the most archaic word roots in the Bantu family. Its strong relationship with Kikuyu is not in doubt since the two languages are intelligible.
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Kikuyu People: Traditional Foods
The Kikuyu diet was mainly from agricultural produce. They kept cattle and goats, but mainly for ritual purposes and as a currency for the purchase of goods and the payment of dowry. Like in the Maasai community, the Kikuyu were forbiden from eating wild animals. It was also taboo to eat fish and...
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Chief Karuri wa Gakure of the Kikuyu
Chief Karũri wa Gakure was born in Gathigiyo, in the district of Iyigo. His father was from the Angare clan while his mother was actually called Wangare. In 1915, Chief Karuri fell gravely ill and requested to be baptisedby the Reverend Perlo and On 16th May 1916, the great Paramount Chief Karuri...
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Kikuyu Traditional Music instruments
The Kikuyu were agriculturalists, an occupation that is not known for great music. However, after the harvests and other farm labour, they participated in dances which were mainly choral in nature with hardly any accompaniment except for the jingles on the legs to maintain a rhythm. A few...
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Kalenjin Names for Boys and Girls
This article explains how the Kalenjin people name their children, and the meanings of the names.
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Kikuyu names for Girls and their meaning
God made Gĩkũyũ and his wife Mũmbi and placed them near Mount Kenya at a place called Mũkũrwe wa Gathanga. Gĩkũyũ and Mũmbi had nine daughters - Wanjirũ, Wambũi, Njeri, Wanjikũ, Nyambũra, Wairimũ, Waithĩra, Wangarĩ, and the last one was Wangũi. These are the founders of the nine clans of the Kikuyu.
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Kikuyu Names for Boys and Their Meaning
The Kikuyu people of Kenya have a very specific way of naming children. The first born-son is always given the same name as his paternal grandfather. The old man is usually very eager to be named and may start insinuating that 'he wants to be born' if the couple lingers too long.
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Kisii and Meru people of Kenya and Mentuhotep II of Ancient Egypt
The Kisii, also called Gusii are a highland Bantu agriculturalist community like the Kikuyu. The proto Kisii entered western Kenya from Uganda to the foothills of Mount Elgon.
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Kikuyu People - Ancient Scripts and Symbols similar to Egyptian hieroglyphs
Writing falls into two major categories: 1.When there is no painted or drawn design. 2. When there is a design that has been painted or drawn. This post will look at the ways that the Kikuyu kept their records.
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Falsification of African history - Diop and others
Many black scholars have documented this falsification since the 1800’s. Cheikh Anta Diop is a modern scholar of comparative studies between Egypt and black Africans. John Henrik Clarke, in a review of one of Cheikh Anta Diop’s book online states that, “In the chapter called, ‘Birth of the Negro...
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Kikuyu Language Online: Phonology
Gĩkũyũ is written with seven vowels. Two of the additional vowels are i-tilde (ĩ) and u-tilde (ũ). These are: a (low /central), e (ɛ Mid-low/Front), i (high/front), ĩ (e Mid-high/Front), o (ɔ Mid-low /Back), u (High/Back), ũ (o Mid-high/Back). Kikuyu and Italian seem to share the same vowels -...
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Kikuyu People - the trees and shrubs around them
All names for trees in Kikuyu start with Mũ, the prefix for nouns that have a spirit such as a person - Mũndũ. Trees therefore belong to the first class of nouns just like humans and should be accorded due respect. The list below is by no means exhaustive. It is compiled with the help of...
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Kikuyu People of Kenya - Beauty Marks hair styling and scarification for men and women
Scarification is the process of making patterns on the skin by scarring. It was an important form of ornamentation to the Kikuyu.
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Kikuyu, Meru, Gumba and Chuka Myths of Origin
The Kikuyu claim that their father was called Gikuyu and his wife was called Mumbi. The entire Kikuyu community refers to itself as the 'House of Mumbi.'
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the Kikuyu and Luo languages of Kenya: some similarities between them
The Kikuyu are classified as Bantu while the Luo are Nilotes. There are major differences between them, but this post will dwell on the similarites. Surprisingly they are quite a number, which makes one wonder if perhaps there might be a better classification of languages than the one in existence.
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Akhenaten and the Kikuyu People of Kenya - More Than Meets the Eye
Did something that could caused misery and tears happen in the month of Mesore in ancient Egypt? I think so. After Akhenaten’s departure from Egypt, his name was hacked from the monuments and the Phar
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Kikuyu Language Online: Vocabulary and Conversation Practice
Here, you will get a brief background of the Kikuyu people before progressing to the language, its structure, and vocabulary. There are simple dialogues to aid you in conversation practice.
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Akhenaten and the Kikuyu People of Kenya
Akhenaten the monotheistic Pharaoh of the 18th Dynasty had some influence in Kikuyu culture, language and religion. The evidence is not very obvious but once you see it, it stands out like a white elephant.