A Very Kenyan New Years

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A Very Kenyan New Years

So to balance my German and expatriate filled Christmas celebration I had a chance to enjoy some proper (well maybe not proper) but a traditional or local styled Kenyan New Years celebration - complete with tribal dancing around a bonfire, traditional music, a local pub and crowds of people dancing, celebrating and ringing in the New Year.

7:00pm - A friend of mine and I went to the local Kenyatta Sports Grounds for a traditional story telling hour - of course they were not ready to begin on time so we stepped into the restaurant there, had some French fries and watched a local band perform the same song on repeat for about an hour… by the time we ate and memorized the song we headed back to the storytelling already in session. When we walked up the kids were singing traditional songs and dancing around the fire which was followed some stories - which were a combination of traditional Kenyan and other. For example, one was a political commentary on the recent execution of Saddam Hussein. One was a traditional Maragoli (Kenyan Tribe) story.

9:30pm - A local restaurant owned by a German couple was closing on the first of January so knowing the owners we went by to say hello and have a couple drinks before hitting a local pub… This part of the evening was pretty quiet actually and a nice prelude to the crowds and insanity that followed.

11:30pm - Arrive at “Tommiez” just in time to ring in the New Year. We had “poppers” to explode at the New Year but I broke mine before so instead we just all toasted and sat around telling stories and laughing before heading upstairs for some dancing. Now the thing I like about the local bars is that you are really in Kenya, it’s not like some of the expatriate places that are filled with mostly Europeans, Americans, Indians and the odd Kenyan (which is rare). In contrast this evening my friend and I were the only white people in the entire bar. It was a nice contrast to my very non-Kenyan Christmas and although I had a lovely Christmas - really could not have asked for a nicer time - there is something to be said for the local, cultural flavour for making a New Year’s memorable.

Hope everyone else had a nice, eventful, fun filled New Years! Until next time….

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Photos

Bam, Malte, Moses & Christine
Friends hanging out at local pub Tommiez to celebrate the new year

Celebrating the New Year
Collins & some friends ringing in the New Year

Me & Moses
Me & Moses (taking a picture of ourselves)