CARD KISUMU

Kisumu Tembea

Benji’s restaurant few meters down the Maseno market off-road serves a range of platters for your tummy cravings from snacks to full-course meals. Décored with soft lights and nice interior to royal the customers, it’s no doubt a nice spot to chill, have a burger, do a class assignment or personal projects or just listen to some Lamu Night by Octopizzo.

“Good thing about Maseno is - there’s a mosque” Abdi says delightfully and adds that even though not big in size, it holds and water runs freely. The accommodation of various people from his origin in the streets of Kisumu in spaces of trade and worship and even recreation is something Abdi appreciates because somebody can relate to his needs.

When you take a look at the Luo people today, you’d not believe their history. It is one of greatness and adventure but of course, like many other tribes of east Africa, they came from faraway lands to occupy the lands they call home today, this means that they carried with them a culture that had survived for thousands of years, however, these conquests would not be possible without a leadership structure and at the heart of it all was a powerful military and the Onagi nation as they were called, had an elaborate army with sophisticated war equipment.

One gear that stood out was the warrior’s shield called Okumba. This shield was fairly large and wide and had an almost 3d perspective. It was designed in such a way that the holder of the shield could cover themselves on the front and sides as well. This was because the shield, oval in shape, had seemingly been carefully folded in half to give it the triangular shape when viewed from the sides.