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Red Strangers: The White Tribe of Kenya
Kenya's forgotten history from its inception to independence in 1963.
Hardcover
First published February 25, 2011
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About the author
C.S. Nicholls
16 booksChristine Stephanie Nicholls
Editor at the Oxford University Press
Editor at the Oxford University Press
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
July 23, 2016
Red Strangers: The White Tribe of Kenya by C.S. Nicholls got its title from the name the Kikuyu people gave to white people who easily burned under the tropical sun. The book’s focus is primarily on the white settlement of East Africa from the building of the Uganda railroad to the Mau Mau rebellion that led to independence from the British in 1963. The book is not an apology for European imperialism. In her introduction, Nicholls wrote, “There is indeed much to condemn. But the truth remains that there was a great deal of good…It is far too simplistic to see one side as villains and the other as heroes.”
I am not about to attempt a summary of the book’s content, but will here relate a few miscellaneous facts gleamed from the book that I found interesting. Although whites were at the top of Kenya’s colonial era social hierarchy, not all whites were equal. Afrikaners (Boers) were looked down on, and in general had their own schools, clubs and churches. Most settlers did not have a high opinion of the missionaries. They were turned off by inter-denominational squabbling, and resented the education of Africans “beyond their status” and the propagation of “the notion of equality in the sight of the deity.” G.H.R. Hurst, who began the production of Tusker beer, was killed while attempting to photograph a charging elephant. During the First World War, a skirmish in German East Africa (Tanganyika) resulted in a swarm of bees attacking soldiers on both sides. British troops in East Africa were fed game meat, but some animals were killed simply because they were a nuisance. Giraffes were killed because their long necks kept breaking the telegraph wires. During Theodore Roosevelt’s 1909 hunting expedition, he was called Bwana Tumbo by the natives. The press translated this as “portly master,” but its real meaning was “Mr. Big Belly.” There was much hardship in the lives of the early settlers and they needed to be self-sufficient. “Families made soap and candles of hippo fat, and baked their own bread in anthills.” Whites were not the only target of Mau Mau violence. On March 25, 1953, the Mau Mau set fire to the African village of Lari. Those who were not burned alive were butchered as they tried to escape.
Having visited Kenya I found the book very interesting and informative, although I do have a few criticisms. In the first two chapters, there were frequent references to a place called Machakos. I could not find it on the map at the front of the book. I thought perhaps I had quickly glossed over an earlier passage that gave its location. When I tried to use the index to go back, I discovered that the name was not listed. (For the record, Machakos is 60 kilometers southeast of Nairobi.) I also noticed that the map misspelled Osiolo. And, I’m still trying to figure out the meaning of this passage from page 126. “In 1917 there were 1,423 military admissions to hospital for malaria per 1,000 soldiers.”
I am not about to attempt a summary of the book’s content, but will here relate a few miscellaneous facts gleamed from the book that I found interesting. Although whites were at the top of Kenya’s colonial era social hierarchy, not all whites were equal. Afrikaners (Boers) were looked down on, and in general had their own schools, clubs and churches. Most settlers did not have a high opinion of the missionaries. They were turned off by inter-denominational squabbling, and resented the education of Africans “beyond their status” and the propagation of “the notion of equality in the sight of the deity.” G.H.R. Hurst, who began the production of Tusker beer, was killed while attempting to photograph a charging elephant. During the First World War, a skirmish in German East Africa (Tanganyika) resulted in a swarm of bees attacking soldiers on both sides. British troops in East Africa were fed game meat, but some animals were killed simply because they were a nuisance. Giraffes were killed because their long necks kept breaking the telegraph wires. During Theodore Roosevelt’s 1909 hunting expedition, he was called Bwana Tumbo by the natives. The press translated this as “portly master,” but its real meaning was “Mr. Big Belly.” There was much hardship in the lives of the early settlers and they needed to be self-sufficient. “Families made soap and candles of hippo fat, and baked their own bread in anthills.” Whites were not the only target of Mau Mau violence. On March 25, 1953, the Mau Mau set fire to the African village of Lari. Those who were not burned alive were butchered as they tried to escape.
Having visited Kenya I found the book very interesting and informative, although I do have a few criticisms. In the first two chapters, there were frequent references to a place called Machakos. I could not find it on the map at the front of the book. I thought perhaps I had quickly glossed over an earlier passage that gave its location. When I tried to use the index to go back, I discovered that the name was not listed. (For the record, Machakos is 60 kilometers southeast of Nairobi.) I also noticed that the map misspelled Osiolo. And, I’m still trying to figure out the meaning of this passage from page 126. “In 1917 there were 1,423 military admissions to hospital for malaria per 1,000 soldiers.”
May 12, 2020
“Until the lion tells his side of the story, the tale of the hunt will always glorify the hunter.”
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews