Nairobi: Two Worlds, One City
This week, I spent three days in Nairobi as I am making my journey back home to the states. At first, I wasn’t too thrilled that we were going back to Nairobi so soon because I love living in Mbita. Also, my encounters with Nairobi during the first few days of the trip were rather uneventful and gloomy.
On the day that we flew from Kisumu to Nairobi it rained. I don’t mean to be dramatic, but with the rain, I felt like my soul was crying. Mbita was my home for two months, and I wasn’t quite ready to let it go for a much less appealing Nairobi. It wasn’t until the next day, when we went on safari, that I realized my pre-conceptions of this portion of our trip were totally wrong.
At 6 AM on Wednesday morning we set out for our safari. We were headed to Nairobi National Park, the only wildlife reserve in the world that is located within a country’s capital. Still groggy, I stumbled out of the car to go and pay for the tickets. To add to my grumpiness, there were hordes of tourists all around. To any other person, this would likely not be an issue, but for some reason, I hate being seen as a tourist, even though I clearly am one. After two months living amongst and interacting with locals, I was starting to feel like I wasn’t a foreigner, but going on safari was reminder that I was a just another Mzungu (white person).
We then proceeded on the safari which was pretty cool. We were able to see lions, rhinos, giraffes, water bucks, ostriches, and hyenas among other animals. We had an amazing safari experience that many are do not have the opportunity to have, but for some reason, I was still not too enthused. It wasn’t until we were driving through the savannah region of the park and I saw the skyline in the distance that it all clicked for me. It wasn’t so much the skyline itself, but more so its extremely deep metaphorical meaning that I somehow came up with and am going to share with you.
Seeing the Nairobi skyline along the edge of the savannah made me realize that Nairobi is not just another city, but rather it serves as a melting pot for Kenya. Many other cities that I have been to are also considered melting pots, but usually when this reference is made, it is only referring to people. In Nairobi, Kenya’s connection to nature is able to exist in harmony with the country’s move to development. Local farmers sell their bananas alongside businessmen with phone chargers. People from the 43 tribes that exist in Kenya as well as immigrants are able to live and work together under the city lights of Nairobi.
The beauty that I now see in Nairobi is that it is a city that champions forward movement, but within the context of Kenya’s past.
Today, I had the opportunity to go to the Nairobi National Museum which allows its visitors to have a glance into the rich history and evolution of Kenya. Before coming here, I knew some about Kenya’s history, but I was not aware of the cultural intricacies that play into its rich past. Too often, Kenya, along with other African countries, is just seen as a country of black people. Thus, we often neglect to recognize the diversity that exists within the population. I’ve come to love Nairobi so much, because while everyone melds with each other to create their own “Nairobi culture”, it is still important to them to remember where their roots are.
This balance of progress and the past will be essential in achieving the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals by 2030. For example, if Kenya focusses too much on Sustainable Development Goal 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure Development, they may develop land that was once conserved for its diverse wildlife, thus they will be backtracking on goal 15: Sustainable Management of Ecosystems.
Nairobi is truly a melting pot unlike any city that I have visited before. I have now come to appreciate its individuality and power to preserve Kenyan traditions in the midst of development. Nairobi, you’ve grown on me. I’m sorry that I unfairly judged you before. Please forgive me. Thanks in advance.
P.S. I still like Mbita more #mbitafiveever
Here are some of the pictures from my excursions in Nairobi:
