This is Mt Kenya, at 5,199 metres it is the highest mountain in Kenya second to Mt Kilimanjaro in Africa!
This mountain was and still is very significant to the Kikuyu tribe of Kenya, it was where they settled after migrating from Congo. The mountain was an important aspect to the Kikuyu culture and all major decisions in regards to the agikuyu people would be made by elders at the bottom of this mountain. They believe that their first parents were molded by mwene nyaga (God) in this very mountain, then they came forth and multiplied.
Kikuyus pray facing mount Kenya, they will camp for several days in fast and prayer at the mountain seeking God's intervention and guidance.
Kikuyus houses are built facing the mountain, and in likeness to the mountain (see below).
It was meticulously designed, you will agree when you hear the explanation for the house "Thingira" plan (story for another day). The door faces Mt Kenya.
When agikuyu slaughter a goat it has to face Mt Kenya.
Kikuyus also believed that Mt Kenya was God's throne on earth and that it is where whe would rest when visiting earth. You can see how important this Mountain is to the cultures that live around it - the Ameru Embu and the Massai community. Apart from the Massai, the Ameru and Embu have similar beliefs.!
But lo and behold a German by the name Jonathan Krapt who came to Kenya in the 1800s takes all the credit in our history books as the person who discovered Mt Kenya! Wow!!
KIONDO
My Grandmother used to make viondos for a living, i know this to be true because i can take you step by step from sisal cuting, extracting the ropes from the sisal, drying and weaving the kiondo - infact she was soo good, older grannies would come to her for lessons! This is something that women were required to learn and it was the mother's duty to teach her young girls how it was done otherwise how would they carry food from the farms?
Fast forward, we now have this 👇 already patented by - yeah, you guessed it!
Pic circulating on WhatsApp
I know what you're thinking now
- Its damn expensive
- They saw an opportunity
And i couldn't agree more! You are very right. When i saw that i was like damnnn that's a pretty penny! Questions of how i didn't come to be an apprentice to my grandmother haunted me to deep sleep! I could be laughing all the way to the bank with these kind of sales! I could be a kiondo millionaire!!
But just like me, many people before me had not seen this kind of an opportunity viable to explore mainly because it was a kiondo, a kiondo my friend! Putting it out there on a global scale is something one could not even think of - how do you commercialize your heritage? How evil can you be to patent things you never discovered or even know how to make? Its like putting a patent on mukimo or one of our many traditional foods and alcoholic beverages.!
It is something that is part of our culture and heritage and we will still continue making Viondos, Kikoys and the Massai Shuka..... SUE ME
AMBITION
It's human nature to feel appreciated, wanted and noticed. We all want to be great like Alex there and discover the whole world and it's understandable because we are ambitious creatures but how in hell do you discover something that already exists? Well, you can and go ahead bragging to your buddies but writting a book about it and owning all that history!! That's selfish..
Hey, wait a minute. That's not it - we have another one!
The G-Spot!
What the hell?! Okay, you can name body parts - no biggie. But saying you discovered them? You need Jesus! Glad you discovered this in the 21st century atleast you achieved what you wanted - fame. It's on record that many before you had already discovered the gspot. (I honestly think that you could just tell people it exists and where it can be found and let the two lovers explore it alone)
Now, many centuries ago in the old Kikuyu circumsison method, the foreskin would be slightly cut and folded over the penis protruding like a lump! Its purpose varied (will never tell you) but one of its main purpose was rub on the gspot while spouses got intimate. This knowledge reveals that they already knew it existed and knew what purpose it served. I therefore don't see how you could have discovered it!
Very soon someone will come to Kenya or Tanzania and discover the Massai community and patent them!
It is these kind of things that irritate. Africa has been exploited in the name of discoveries! Discover oil and make it yours for life,m discover minerals and mine forever, discover talent and take it to your country to exploit. Andm if you thought theres nothing else they can possibly take they take the knowledge we inherited from our fathers and make it their own - they take kiondo and kikoy.
I am not even mad at them i am mad at how the African leadership allow to be used, African governments should assist communities to protect their heritage. They should actually help them to patent otherwise we won't have anything left to pass on to our generations.
Look at what happened to Cain when he sold his birthright to Abel for a bowl of soup
Thanks for stopping by. Ser you next time.