The hotel front desk manager highly recommended that I should visit this Museum. It's just a short ride from the hotel and the pick up and drop off cost Ksh 1000 for a ~1 km drive (each way). I have no idea if this is a fair price or not.
This is an interesting institution: almost empty on a Sunday, hardly any locals and only a small band of white Caucasians in suit and tie looking very bored with their guide. The entrance fee is Ksh 1,200 without the snake pit. It was far too hot to contemplate going outside to find some snakes. The young staff at the reception were keen to make conversation: "Where do you come from?" "How long have you been at Nairobi?", but the prevailing ambiance was one of lethargy. The security guards sitting outside the entrance door were chatting among themselves and were inactive the whole time.
There are 5 main sections: Human Origins, Hall of Mammals, Birds of Kenya, Kenya History and Circles of Life. Apart from the stuffed birds of which I have no interest, the other 4 sections can easily take up 3 hours of viewing time. The illustrations are generally good, so there is no need for a guide. Besides, I like my own pace and my own space.
It sounds a bit macabre to look at skulls, however ancient they are. I cannot say that I found the skulls or the skeletons of the Turkana Boy jaw dropping, but it is enlightening to see at first hand human evolution. The Black Skull gets its name from the blue-black sheen it acquired from the minerals surrounding it at Lake Turkana.
Much of the section on Kenyan history was devoted to the colonial era: land alienation (basically land grab by the white settlers), colonial exploitation, local resistance and eventually independence in 1963.
One of the objects that symbolized colonial oppression was the Kipande, introduced shortly after the outbreak of WWI for Africans to wear around their necks, containing their registration papers. The Europeans were exempt because they had passports. To the Africans, the kipande was an oppressive badge of slavery since failure to produce it when required attracted instant punishment and even incarceration. Considering that only recently in the 21st century did the British debated about carrying an ID card as an infringement of civil liberty, the same sentiments clearly did not apply to the Africans.
The politics were actually quite depressing, even if one has an open mind about imperialism. Coming from an ex British colony, I had an innate revulsion about colonization: the politicians, the missionaries, the traders, and all those self-important civil servants who perpetuated white supremacy at its worst.
The learning part of the visit came from the section on Circles of Life.
Increasingly with the advent of men wearying jewelry and bracelets, I see the influence of the African tribal art popularized among the metrosexuals.
I left the Museum in the blazing sun. The dry heat drew home the fact that there is currently a drought in Kenya and according to the "Standard" newspaper there are 1.7 m people in Kenya facing starvation. On the way back to the hotel, the driver told me that he has 3 cows in up country and the drought means that there is no grazing for the animals, forcing him to buy feed.
This is an interesting institution: almost empty on a Sunday, hardly any locals and only a small band of white Caucasians in suit and tie looking very bored with their guide. The entrance fee is Ksh 1,200 without the snake pit. It was far too hot to contemplate going outside to find some snakes. The young staff at the reception were keen to make conversation: "Where do you come from?" "How long have you been at Nairobi?", but the prevailing ambiance was one of lethargy. The security guards sitting outside the entrance door were chatting among themselves and were inactive the whole time.
There are 5 main sections: Human Origins, Hall of Mammals, Birds of Kenya, Kenya History and Circles of Life. Apart from the stuffed birds of which I have no interest, the other 4 sections can easily take up 3 hours of viewing time. The illustrations are generally good, so there is no need for a guide. Besides, I like my own pace and my own space.
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| The entrance. It was baking hot. |
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| Hall of Kenya. A lovely display of gourds. |
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| The Black Skull, 2.5 million years old |
It sounds a bit macabre to look at skulls, however ancient they are. I cannot say that I found the skulls or the skeletons of the Turkana Boy jaw dropping, but it is enlightening to see at first hand human evolution. The Black Skull gets its name from the blue-black sheen it acquired from the minerals surrounding it at Lake Turkana.
Much of the section on Kenyan history was devoted to the colonial era: land alienation (basically land grab by the white settlers), colonial exploitation, local resistance and eventually independence in 1963.
One of the objects that symbolized colonial oppression was the Kipande, introduced shortly after the outbreak of WWI for Africans to wear around their necks, containing their registration papers. The Europeans were exempt because they had passports. To the Africans, the kipande was an oppressive badge of slavery since failure to produce it when required attracted instant punishment and even incarceration. Considering that only recently in the 21st century did the British debated about carrying an ID card as an infringement of civil liberty, the same sentiments clearly did not apply to the Africans.
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| Kipande: the metal container for registration papers |
The learning part of the visit came from the section on Circles of Life.
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| A black & white photo of a native of Turkana. Note the skin decoration, the equivalent of the modern day tattoo. |
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| A baby carrier |
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| A mask worn by healers to transform themselves into the spirits of the departed ancestors |
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| The medicinal paraphernalia of a Thakara elder. The large beehive was used to store the medicine man's items |
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| Aprons worn by women to cover their private body parts. Clutch bags they are not. |
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| A circumcision mask worn during the rite of passage ceremony |
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| A Massai warrior outfit |
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| Wristlets |
I left the Museum in the blazing sun. The dry heat drew home the fact that there is currently a drought in Kenya and according to the "Standard" newspaper there are 1.7 m people in Kenya facing starvation. On the way back to the hotel, the driver told me that he has 3 cows in up country and the drought means that there is no grazing for the animals, forcing him to buy feed.
