Greg

Diani through Fresh Eyes: My experience with Omkambi Ken

One afternoon after a hard morning of work at Colobus, the group began discussing some of our favorite recipes to make. I mentioned that when I was younger I went through a cake phase where I mastered a chocolate cake that included mayo as a secret ingredient! I would say trust me, but now I have a whole group of people who can advocate for the mayo cake. Our wonderful chef Ken was so intrigued by such a cake. He offered to go with me to the store and bake it so he could see for himself, so we did just that.

The next afternoon Ken and I made our way to Chandarana supermarket where I followed Ken like a puppy as he masterfully weaved in and out of the aisles, seemingly knowing where all the key ingredients were located. It was a rather standard grocery experience, but I did notice how expensive specifically the butter and chocolate were, likely because they are considered to be more luxury food items relatively speaking. I asked Ken questions about his life and learned that he is a professionally trained chef after attending culinary school in Nairobi. We also stopped at a fruit stand to buy fruit for the house. Seeing this series of interactions from a local Kenyan was super unique, and it helped me contextualize what tasks like food shopping in Diani Beach are like beyond the scope of a tourist.

In the kitchen, it was clear Ken had less experience baking as he did not like to stick to the measurements, but his technical skills were extremely impressive. Dicing, stirring, chopping, you name it, Ken could do it. After about a three-hour endeavor, the chocolate aroma filled the house, and the cake was served for dessert. It was safe to say everyone enjoyed their slice of mayo cake. I love preparing food for other people, and not only did I get to do this, but I got to form a relationship with someone I likely will never see again. Since leaving Kenya, we have connected once more as he shared his Kachumbari recipe with me.

Attached is the recipe for the cake, as well as Ken’s Kachumbari:

https://tasty.co/recipe/the-ultimate-chocolate-cake

*Kachumbari salad*

Ingredients

1. 4pcs Tomatoes sliced

2. 2big onions sliced

3. I bunch fresh Corriander finely chopped

4. 1 lemon juice

5. Salt to taste and one hand full aside

6. 3Tbs olive oil

*Procedure*

✍Put your sliced onions on a bowl and in a handful of salt squeeze them together till the onions are tender and soft, wash the onions carefully.

✍Take the rest of the Ingredients mix them together

✍Chill it in the fridge for approximately 2hours.

✍Serve it cold.

Commodification of the Exotic and My Role as a Tourist

It is pretty standard when visiting any sort of tourist destination to be advertised to, as tourists often carry excess money with them. Whether it be clothing, a souvenir, or food, there always seems to be something marketable, and this trend was no different in my experiences in Kenya. Often these transactions are a mutually beneficial occurrence, where the vendor offers a service to the consumer, and both leave the exchange possessing something they find valuable. While tourism can be essential to sustaining an economy, a specific experience in the Maasai nomadic tribe left me pondering my own role as a consumer in a third-world country, and the morality of what can be bought and sold.

It was the second day of Alexa, Annie, Jane, and I’s safari when we were offered the opportunity to take a tour of the nomadic tribe after a 1500 shilling donation to buy uniforms for the children to attend private school, something none of us had a problem paying. From the minute we arrived, we were treated with such intense hospitality. We were greeted and told repeatedly that it was okay for us to take pictures and videos, and the group welcoming us broke out into a ceremonial welcome dance. None of us knew how to respond initially, but we were all taken and encouraged to participate. The gesture was certainly kind and wholesome but throughout the entire experience, I couldn’t help feeling like the group of white tourists interrupting something that wasn’t for me. Proceeding the dance we were taken through a very informative tour where we learned how houses were constructed with cow dung, how brush from the landscape was used to enclose their animals, and how various wood species were used for healing techniques by the tribe’s doctor.

At this point in the tour is where I felt myself undergoing some serious self-reflection. We were then taken to a clearing where all the tribes’ children were lined up, and immediately started singing nursery songs in their own language (Maa) and Swahili. Then, they sang the English alphabet, seemingly to appeal to us as English speakers. The four of us were each paired with an adult and ushered around a display of blankets where each family had various souvenirs to be sold. I happened to be with the doctor, who offered to sell me his dagger to help support his family. When all was said and done, I had collected a fair amount of trinkets, including the dagger, but after some reflection, I left the experience with mixed emotions.

What stood out to me the most as troubling was the dynamic that seemed to emerge surrounding the fact that we had money to spend as tourists. I truly appreciated all that I learned from the tour, the generosity and hospitality of the Maasai people, and the experience that I had. However, I can help but feel that my presence in the transaction of culture for money is inherently corrupt. This thought stems from a comment that was made on our tour, where the doctor told us the beads we were wearing used to be sacred and not for sale to the public, but now they can be purchased as the tribe was in need of money. In a society of this scale that is nearly self-sufficient, having money from an external source like tourism is powerful for the tribe, as it allows them to make purchases for goods they can’t produce themselves. But what lengths must a group go to in order to acquire this capital? How much of our tour was a sales pitch, and if it was a sales pitch, what was being sold? This dynamic created by monetary demand of tourist and “foreign culture” was certainly prevalent, and something we discussed on our drive to our next location. There is no definitive conclusion to this conversation, only thoughts, as I don’t think there is a correct way to approach this situation. In visiting this tribe, I gained experience, they earned money, but I can’t help but feel as though there is a better way this exchange can be conducted. I, the consumer, recognize my role in this problem by commodifying a culture different than mine. This model encourages the Maasai people to sell their exoticness to tourists, as they live unconventional lives, and this commodification achieves the goal of making money but at a less tangible cost.

I am curious to know what everyone else thinks. This is something I have thought about quite frequently and I think it can make for an interesting discussion.