Nicholas Rankin wrote a 560-page book called "Trapped in History: Kenya, Mau Mau and Me" that combines detailed historical research with personal memories from his childhood in Kenya. The historical sections spark deep discussions despite the less exciting personal stories about his British family living in mid-20th-century Kenya. Many indigenous Kenyans might feel that colonial authorities largely created upset reading parts where Rankin quotes sources claiming their tribal identities.
One example suggests "the Kikuyu" tribe exists only as a fiction invented during colonial rule, citing historians who argue colonial powers transformed minor differences into administrative categories. This challenges how most Kenyans view themselves, since about 70 percent live on ancestral lands among people who share their language and voting patterns. Rankin makes insensitive remarks, showing a limited understanding of Africa, like referring to someone as "the historian of Africa" despite the continent having 54 diverse countries.
The book reveals surprising claims about famous Kikuyu chiefs - that Waiyaki was actually a Maasai migrant who changed his name, and Chief Kinyanjui was merely a former porter elevated by British officials. Colonial rule brought both exploitation and certain developments in education, medicine, and agriculture, with missionary schools producing the educated leaders who eventually fought for independence.
One example suggests "the Kikuyu" tribe exists only as a fiction invented during colonial rule, citing historians who argue colonial powers transformed minor differences into administrative categories. This challenges how most Kenyans view themselves, since about 70 percent live on ancestral lands among people who share their language and voting patterns. Rankin makes insensitive remarks, showing a limited understanding of Africa, like referring to someone as "the historian of Africa" despite the continent having 54 diverse countries.
The book reveals surprising claims about famous Kikuyu chiefs - that Waiyaki was actually a Maasai migrant who changed his name, and Chief Kinyanjui was merely a former porter elevated by British officials. Colonial rule brought both exploitation and certain developments in education, medicine, and agriculture, with missionary schools producing the educated leaders who eventually fought for independence.
