The following text about the Makongeni village has been written and prepared by Salim with help of Mwanajuma, as an answer to my request to write about his people. When Salim invited us to “his” village he was giving me a lot of information, impossible for me to remember all.
Nevertheless I have the feeling that with the love for his people, he has described it rosier than I have seen it. In another post I will describe my impressions from the point of view of a European.
I publish this Post with great gratitude towards the two authors, and with love, respect and compassion for the Kenyan people, especially the women, girls, children and the few men like Salim, who dedicate themselves to make a change.
INTRODUCTION
Makongeni is a village found in the South coast of Kenya. The word ‘Makonge-ni’ simply refers to a place where Sisal was grown. Originally, the place was a farm-land for the sisal plantation, hence the name was derived.
Geographical Location
Makongeni village is located about ten miles from Ukunda town, South coast of Kenya.The village is supplemented by the Mombasa-Lunga lunga Road. Despite its closeness to Diani beach, the hotspot for tourism in the Kenyan Coast, not many tourists come close to the wonder of this unique and fascinating place.
The People
The village is inhabited by around 2,000 people. The local indigenous people are the Digo. Digo is one of the biggest ethnic groups known as Mijikenda. Mijikendas are the native people of the Kenyan coast and comprises of nine sub-ethnic groups which have a related linguistic and cultural heritage.
Today, the village has a blend of cultures from a mix of different people from different areas of the country. Despite their difference in cultural background, they mingle and live together in harmony.
Social-economic Life
The proximity of the Indian Ocean to the village has greatly influenced both social and economic lifestyle of Makongeni people. The village is embraced by a friendly atmosphere where every one is a friend to the other. The people are united by a strong bond of brotherhood which brings them very close to each other.
About 95 percent of people in the village live below the poverty line. Their livelihood depends heavily on the sea both direct and indirectly. For many years men have been the bread winners responsible for sustaining their families with basic needs like food, clothing , etc. while women are caretakers of the family and properties.
Around 50 percent men are fishermen. And 20 percent do the odd jobs in the village to win their daily bread. The rest either work in the flourishing hotel and tourism industry around Diani beach or run their own small businesses in the village such as kiosk. Only a few fortunate ones are employed by the government. Mind you, most of those who are employed are men.
Makongeni people are not lazy, they are very hardworking and determined but their lack of standard education denies them the chance to scoop the jobs around their localities. This has made them, specially the elders, realize the importance of education. And now they send children to school to be educated. But this initiative is met by big challenge of poverty.
Education Background
The country’s education system is 8-4-4 which means eight years of Primary school, four years of Secondary school and the rest four years are of further studies (college/university). There is one primary school in the village which was built from the effort of the community. So the locals can now enjoy the taste of western education.
Most children go through primary school which enables them to get basic education. Some fortunate ones get a chance to join secondary schools which provides them with secondary education but most of them end up dropping out of school at that stage due to financial constraints. Tertiary education such as college or university is beyond the reach of most parents of Makongeni.
Girl Child Education
Girl child education is still elusive because of a combination of factors like poverty, disease and backward cultural practices. These with other minor but common factors such as unexpected pregnancy and early marriages denies girls their right to education. Unlike boys most girls find themselves out of schooling owing to a number of reasons. Many of them start school at a late age because of demand for their labor at home such as assisting in looking after the young ones.
The old traditional ways which most people still practice are in favor of the boy child to girls. This has influenced girls to feel that they are weaker and less intelligent than boys. But the reality is that both girls and boys are equal and more so girls show that they have the potential to do better than boys in the society.
Nevertheless I have the feeling that with the love for his people, he has described it rosier than I have seen it. In another post I will describe my impressions from the point of view of a European.
I publish this Post with great gratitude towards the two authors, and with love, respect and compassion for the Kenyan people, especially the women, girls, children and the few men like Salim, who dedicate themselves to make a change.
INTRODUCTION
Makongeni is a village found in the South coast of Kenya. The word ‘Makonge-ni’ simply refers to a place where Sisal was grown. Originally, the place was a farm-land for the sisal plantation, hence the name was derived.
Geographical Location
Makongeni village is located about ten miles from Ukunda town, South coast of Kenya.The village is supplemented by the Mombasa-Lunga lunga Road. Despite its closeness to Diani beach, the hotspot for tourism in the Kenyan Coast, not many tourists come close to the wonder of this unique and fascinating place.
The People
The village is inhabited by around 2,000 people. The local indigenous people are the Digo. Digo is one of the biggest ethnic groups known as Mijikenda. Mijikendas are the native people of the Kenyan coast and comprises of nine sub-ethnic groups which have a related linguistic and cultural heritage.
Today, the village has a blend of cultures from a mix of different people from different areas of the country. Despite their difference in cultural background, they mingle and live together in harmony.
Social-economic Life
The proximity of the Indian Ocean to the village has greatly influenced both social and economic lifestyle of Makongeni people. The village is embraced by a friendly atmosphere where every one is a friend to the other. The people are united by a strong bond of brotherhood which brings them very close to each other.
About 95 percent of people in the village live below the poverty line. Their livelihood depends heavily on the sea both direct and indirectly. For many years men have been the bread winners responsible for sustaining their families with basic needs like food, clothing , etc. while women are caretakers of the family and properties.
Around 50 percent men are fishermen. And 20 percent do the odd jobs in the village to win their daily bread. The rest either work in the flourishing hotel and tourism industry around Diani beach or run their own small businesses in the village such as kiosk. Only a few fortunate ones are employed by the government. Mind you, most of those who are employed are men.
Makongeni people are not lazy, they are very hardworking and determined but their lack of standard education denies them the chance to scoop the jobs around their localities. This has made them, specially the elders, realize the importance of education. And now they send children to school to be educated. But this initiative is met by big challenge of poverty.
Education Background
The country’s education system is 8-4-4 which means eight years of Primary school, four years of Secondary school and the rest four years are of further studies (college/university). There is one primary school in the village which was built from the effort of the community. So the locals can now enjoy the taste of western education.
Most children go through primary school which enables them to get basic education. Some fortunate ones get a chance to join secondary schools which provides them with secondary education but most of them end up dropping out of school at that stage due to financial constraints. Tertiary education such as college or university is beyond the reach of most parents of Makongeni.
Girl Child Education
Girl child education is still elusive because of a combination of factors like poverty, disease and backward cultural practices. These with other minor but common factors such as unexpected pregnancy and early marriages denies girls their right to education. Unlike boys most girls find themselves out of schooling owing to a number of reasons. Many of them start school at a late age because of demand for their labor at home such as assisting in looking after the young ones.
The old traditional ways which most people still practice are in favor of the boy child to girls. This has influenced girls to feel that they are weaker and less intelligent than boys. But the reality is that both girls and boys are equal and more so girls show that they have the potential to do better than boys in the society.
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