Monday, February 28, 2011

Question 2

How do people see themselves and their cultures reflected on mass media?

Kenya's media is a work in progress. They have basic news related television shows run by Kenya Broadcasting Corporation. Their media is one that continues to grow on a regular basis despite the relatively strong restrictions that it faces. Kenya's biggest hurdle for mass media dominance in Africa are the lack of funds, and the conservative nature of their cultures. In Africa, each country has its' own culture, and many times, hundreds of culture's in each country. With so many different tribes, cultures, and living capacities, it is hard to portray Kenya properly through the mass media.

Kenya is most famous in America for its' great marathon runners. Kenya produces the world's greatest marathon runners, and they dominate much of the world's running scene. Both men and women of Kenya regularly win the biggest marathons such as: The Boston Marathon, New York City Marathon, Chicago Marathon, Berlin Marathon and the London Marathon. The people of Kenya feel that their culture is not reflected in the best light, however, as their history, food, and music are not reported on much in the mass media.

The food of Kenya is something that is relatively undiscovered. Due to the vast resources that Kenya possesses, such as rich farmlands, great lakes, and the Indian Ocean, Kenyan cuisine presents endless opportunities. Much of the food in Kenya is fresh - fresh fish, meats, vegetables, grains, and fruit. Tropical fruit, such as mangos, oranges, pineapples, bananas, papayas and pears are all readily available, and a staple of Kenyan diets.

Kenyan music is based around folk music using a variety of the 40 different dialects that exist in the country. Lately, hip-hop, reggae, rock n' roll, soukous, zouk, and Europop have become extremely popular. The style of music that interests me is Taarab, the word is arabic for "having joy with music". This genre was most popular back in 1928, it is a combination of music from East Asia, the Middle East, Sub-Saharan Africa, and North Africa all mixed into one.

Here is a YouTube video depicting this type of music

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