Kenyan Wahindis

My earlier trips to Kenya were mostly marked with social hobnobbing amid my sister’s family in addition to the game spotting of Kenyan wilderness. However, this summer my experiences in Kenya extended into the deeper sociological composition, which frame social hierarchies establishing a kind of human food chain, predominantly built on skin pallor.

Since Kenya and India were both British colonies in the early 1900’s the British indentured Indians as skilled labor to build the railway lines in East Africa. The railway lines were laid through the dangerous jungles by sacrificing 2500 Indians to the notorious Tsavo man-eaters. These were the earliest Indian settlers in Kenya some of which still reside along with their families for over 5 generations.

 

Kenya’s elevated city Nairobi privileged with temperate climate and favorable agricultural land was during those times predominantly a white-settler town where the local blacks were not permitted to live. However, Indians fought for their rights and were eventually legally allowed to reside in Nairobi. Similarly, Indians also demanded political representation from the British based on their economic clout however; both prevented any representation from the local Kenyans.  

Currently, although the Indians constitute less than 1% of the total Kenyan population they are integral to Kenyan economy and politics. Indian Gujarati’s and Punjabi’s dominate businesses, trade and commerce and have flourished together with the Kenyan economy. Since, Indians own approximately 30% of all businesses, it is a common sight to see Indian business owners employing local Kenyan workforce.

Indian Diaspora in Kenya is brilliantly represented through Naipaul’s book “A bend in the river” wherein, the KenIndians known as Wahindis in Swahili live in a closely guarded bubble of their religion, language and culture, which is surprisingly endogamous and close-knit in spite of over a century of settlement with the Kenyans. From the Kenyan perspective the Indians are no different then the Colonial powers of injustice and exploitation and this resentment has often taken form of violent crimes.

Nevertheless, KenIndians felt a brunt of causalities during the Westgate siege in 2013 by the Somalian Islamist Group, since the mall is located in the affluent Westlands area of Nairobi often frequented by the Indian Diaspora and nearly 60% of the business owners in the mall were Wahindis. 19 of the total 68 casualties were from Indian origin. And as observed often, occasions that involve a common enemy tend to unite the diversities. There are many stories of how the Kenyans and the Wahindis faced the Westgate crisis together and helped each other during the siege and after.  

The question is weather we require crisis situations for globalization to be truly realized? Will we continue to live in little bubbles of our cultures and identity and looking inward in spite of where we live? Is there any hope for humanity to exist as a whole by shedding our differences and taking inspiration from each others strengths?