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  The Portuguese-built Fort Jesus in Mombasa ( An excerpt from Edward Corcoran's Mombasa Mission  1888-1990 Part Two) As far as Christianity is concerned, the first stirrings seem to have been in the island of Socotra in the northern part of the Indian Ocean. We have alluded to a description of St Francis Xavier's visit there. Christianity was brought there by Christian Arabs as early as 524 AD when Cosmas Indicopleustes visited the island. We cannot say why missionary activity did not radiate from there, nor is there any trace of any penetration of Christianity further south on the well-defined trade route along the East Coast of Africa.   What Christianity remained on the island itself was in a sorry state when St Francis Xavier called there. There was no longer a bishop or an ordained clergy; the inhabitants "...are Christians in their own opinion", according to Francis, "and pride themselves on having Christian names to prove it; they have churches and crosse...

The Scott family THE next time the Friday Club meets in Sydney, there will be a glass empty, permanently, in memory of Andrew Scott who passed away on May 30, 2022. I first met Andrew in Nairobi, Kenya, during the early 1950s. Andrew had given one my best friends at the time a job at Gestetner when Andrew was a kingpin, especially in the servicing area. I am convinced, that even with the demands of ageing, he really did not change very much. He remained true to himself. He was above everything a perfectionist: he dressed impeccably, his hair shone with Brylcream and did not have a hair out of place, and the skin on his face shone too, thanks to Ponds vanishing cream (he felt out of sorts when it was not available in Australia) and I think Old spice added a kind of spice to his persona. Naturally, his clothes were always fresh, impeccably pressed and crisp. More often than not, he wore a suit and tie to any party or function he attended. He was impeccable. He was stylish. For many y...

  Dickie Burke: everyone’s star   The late Dickie and Jim Burke had nine sisters. Their mother was Seychellois and their father a Trinidadian. Dickie was born in Mombasa. He became a sailor and it is no exaggeration to suggest that he might have had a girl in every port. Dickie’s funeral was celebrated in London 3.30 UK time on May 30. It was a quiet, dignified farewell. Messages were read  from his daughter, Christina, Peggy, and his two cousins: Nina Logisse and Doris Gunpatrav: One of the sisters, Nina or Doris read a beautiful poem chosen by  Kelly and Peggy was Dick’s long time partner (40+ years). I SPENT most of my early life among the Seychellois and Mauritians in Nairobi, Kenya. In fact, most of the families adopted me as one of their own. I learned Creole and sat and listened to the old men as they stirred the pot making a drink called bakka (not the correct spelling). Of all the guys I met in the communities, there were a few that always stood out: t...

  I am attempting to write an early history of Kisumu, mainly about its communities, sports and entertainment. I am hoping to do this with a little help from my Kisumu friends who are now all over the diaspora. God Willing WOULD LOVE TO READ YOUR MEMORIES! THE HISTORY Kisumu was located on a rocky ridge covered with thorn bush before it was cleared and roads were cut,” so wrote Charles Hobley a colonial administrator in 1900. On 20 December 1901, Florence Preston the wife of the engineer drove the last nail in the last sleeper by the shores of Lake Victoria and Port Florence came into being. However, it was only called Port Florence for a year, and then it reverted to its original Luo name – Kisumu, meaning a place to look for  food . The  English statesman Winston Churchill visited Kisumu in 1907.   Kisumu was identified by the  British  explorers in early 1898 as an alternative railway terminus and port for the Uganda railway, then under construction. It ...

 

  ( An excerpt from Edward Corcoran's Mombasa Mission 1888-1990 Part One) Let’s start at the very beginning - a very good place to start". So, Maria tells the Von Trapp children in the musical The Sound of Music. Why not let us do the same? And for our history of the faith in modern Kenya, with special reference to the Diocese of Mombasa which corresponds to the civic region of the Coast Province, we find the beginning in the second verse of Genesis. There we read: "...God's spirit hovered over the waters". And, of course, part of that vast expanse of water was what we know today as the Indian Ocean, the only passageway from the outside world, until comparatively recent times, to that strip of Coastal East Africa we call the Kenya Coast. God's Spirit hovered over this stretch of ocean for centuries, watching the comings and goings of the earliest seafarers through it. Among these were possibly Assyrians as early as 3000 BC; Jews and Phoenicians around 2000 BC...

  Goodbye to Writing! Thank you for everything  you have done for me! FROM the day I was born I have had a fortunate life, interspersed with a lot of pain and grief but for a kid who was forced to leave school at 12, it has indeed been a fortunate life. I who was born with nothing, who had nothing, was sustained by the goodness of the people I met on life’s many and differing paths. Seychellois, Mauritians, Somalis, Bohranas, Swahilis, Arabs, Indians of every ilk, Pakistanis (Muslims, we used to call them), Europeans and indigenous Africans. It was not until I met a bunch of guys called the Jokers that I got to know the Goan club crowd. It was a blessing in many ways because I made life-long friends. Before I met and got to know the Goans again, I was lost in a paradise of my own: journalism. I was completely consumed and success came quickly which fuelled my appetite and dedication even more. I would finish work at Midnight and head for the nightclubs to check out t...

  CLICK ON THE PICTURE IF YOU CAN READ THE TYPE      Duncan Rollo: You could add the Devonshire Declaration of 1923. “Primarily, Kenya is an African territory, and His Majesty's Government think it necessary definitely to record their considered opinion that the interests of the African natives must be paramount and that if, and when, those interests and the interests of the immigrant races should conflict, the former should prevail. Obviously the interests of the other communities, European, Indian or Arab, must severally be safeguarded ... But in the administration of Kenya His Majesty's Government regard themselves as exercising a trust on behalf of the African population, and they are unable to delegate or share this trust, the object of which may be defined as the protection and advancement of the native races.” It clearly states the basis of British Government policy. Admittedly the settlers did not accept this and did their best to obstruct its implementat...

  Yes, she is a Goan, the first Goan Member of the Australian Federal Parliament. Congratulations and best wishes for a long life in Parliament. You have earned it! Her parents, Joe and Ethel Mascarenhas,  migrated from Kenya but she was born in Australia. Former FIFO (fly in fly out) mining engineer Labor’s Zaneta Mascarenhas defeated her Liberal opponent, Kristy McSweeney. She is the first woman to hold the seat of Swan in its 101-year history. On the night she told her supporters: “It’s a pretty exciting moment. I know that tonight the people of Swan have made me the first female to be elected as a representative. “We believed in a better future. “People say it’s time for change and a better future. “I studied science and engineering. “While this isn’t the typical skill set of a political candidate, I’m looking forward to learning about all the skills required to be a strong advocate for our community.” She made special mention of her two children, Felicity, 2, and Lincoln...