UP TO 150 Kenyans were in a party mood in Dublin on Saturday night to celebrate their independence day.
Jamhuri Day on 12 December is a major holiday in the east African country, marking Kenya’s independence from Britain in 1963. And the Kenyan Society in Ireland was determined to keep the Dublin celebration alive – with some alterations.
“The party is 24 hours in Kenya, but we have to get out of here by 12,” remarked Salome Mbugua of the Kenyan Society.
She said Ireland’s Kenyans miss the longevity of the celebrations in their native land, plus the food and drink, but added that a gang would be heading to the nearby Decency African restaurant for some native nyama choma (roasted meat) later on.
Kenyans in Ireland also try to keep alive their spirit of ‘harambee’, which means ‘all pull together’ in Swahili.
“If someone loses a loved one, Kenyans use that spirit to gather together and help them,” said Mbugua, who explained that this could constitute moral support, or pooling funds to help pay-off medical bills.
There could be up to 3,000 Kenyans in Ireland, she added. “We have people on work permits, psychotherapists, nurses, and technicians in computer companies, different people.”
Kenyans at the party, which was also attended by Irish people, confirmed their longing for native dishes – and something called “the sun”.
James Mgou, from Nairobi, said the food is what he misses most, and he won’t have the opportunity to taste it again for another year, when he visits his homeland.
“The sunshine,” responded Beatrice Mbogo when asked what she pined for. The Newbridge-based woman has been in Ireland for two years, and admitted “the winter is still hard”.
She added that this independence day is an important legacy of the struggle their grandparents had made in gaining self-rule.
“Independence day in Kenya is a big event,” added Christine Simiyu, a Dublin-based accountant. “And in Ireland it is very, very important for people to have the opportunity to celebrate and remember you are from Kenya.
“I miss the culture and the fact that people always use the chance to celebrate,” added Simiyu, who’s visiting her home in western Kenya this Christmas.
Another partygoer, Mwai Ndungu, who has recently established a cargo and money transfer service called Taifa Communications, has been in Ireland eight years, and manages to visit his native land once a year.
“I miss the culture, the food, the interaction with the people,” he said.
The tragic and brutal killing of Irish priest Fr Jeremiah Roche in Kenya last week, during a burglary, cast a negative spotlight on the east African country – but there were Irish people present who have thankfully enjoyed peaceful lives in Kenya.
Elaine Bannon lives in Maasailand in Kenya, where she helps run anti-FGM (female genital mutilation) programmes. Originally from Beaumont, the Dublin woman’s partner is Kenyan, and Bannon doesn’t long for Ireland.
“I had a very good job here,” she recalled, “but when I saw the way the world was going... people were getting very avaricious.”
She’s lived in Kenya for seven years, and though she enjoys visiting her family in Ireland, she won’t be returning for good.
“I don’t miss it that much, I certainly don’t miss the cold,” she continued. “I can’t resist calling Ireland home – I suppose I don’t know where home is... but I think it’s Kenya.”
deputyeditor@metroeireann.com
