Tuesday, March 2, 2010

Races in Kenya?

If race is defined as a genetic similarity amongst a group of people, then races are just an excuse to create divisions. Among people in the World there is truly only one race which is the human race. The most argued claim to a race difference is the color of one's skin. Since scientificly it has been proven that there is no biologic coralation between skin tone and genetic difference, the very idea of race is discriminatory. That being said, there are uncountable cultural differences around the world. The distinction between culture and race is the difference between nurture and nature: it is how one is raised that creates a cultural identity instead of the innate classification that is assigned at birth which creates the idea of seperate races.

In Kenya cultural differences are profound to the point that they become tribes. Rich with heritage and tradition each tribe has its own way of life. There are 40 tribes and arguably more within Kenya and they are not bound only within the political borders of the country. It is culture and not race that establishes communities and tribes in East Africa.

1 comment:

Unknown said...

Well put and convincing. but/and...what if the meaning of "race" is only, therefore, a political/social meaning--wouldn't "race" then, potentially, exist in Kenya?