Colonial Kenya observed
Subtitle: British rule, Mau Mau and the wind of change
By: S. H. Fazan; edited and with a foreword by John Lonsdale
Contributors: Lonsdale, John, editor, writer of foreword, writer of added commentary
Publisher: I.B. Tauris
Published: 2015
Place of publication: London
Language: eng
Number of pages: 358
ISBN-13: 9781780768656; 9780857737847
Copyright date: 2015
Subjects: Politics and government; Colonies; Administration; History; Mau Mau
Description: "The coast of East Africa was considered a strategically invaluable region for the establishment of trading ports, both for Arab and Persian merchants, long prior to invasion and conquest by Europeans. In the initial stages of the scramble for Africa in the 18th century, control of the area was an aspiration for every colonial nation in Europe - but it was not until 1895 that it was finally dominated by a sole power and proclaimed The Protectorate of British East Africa. In the early 20th century, the coast was brimming with vitality as immigrants, colonisers and missionaries from Arabia, India and Europe poured in to take advantage of growing commercial opportunities - including the prospect of enslaving millions of native Africans. The development of Kenya is an exceptional tale within the history of British rule - in perhaps no other colony did nationalistic feeling evolve in conditions of such extensive social and political change. In 1911, S.H. Fazan sailed to what later became the Republic of Kenya to work for the colonial government. Immersing himself in knowledge of traditional language and law, he recorded the vast changes to local culture that he encountered after decades of working with both the British administration and the Kenyan people. This work charts the sweeping tide of social change that occurred through his career with the clarity and insight that comes with a total intimacy of a country. His memoirs examine the fascinating complexity of interaction between the colonial and native courts, commercial land reform and the revolutionised dynamic of labour relations. By further unearthing the political tensions that climaxed with the Mau Mau Revolt of 1952-1960, this invaluable work on the European colonial period paints a comprehensive and revealing firsthand account for anyone with an interest in British and African history. Fazan's story provides a quite unparalleled view of colonial Africa and the conduct of Empire across half a century."--Bloomsbury publishing.
Notes: Completed in 1969; not previously published.

Includes bibliographical references (pages 341-351) and index.
Table of contents: title: Part 1.; title: British East Africa.; title: Historical background --; title: Early days of the Protectorate --; title: First impressions --; title: Races and migrations --; title: The First World War. -- -- Part 2.; title: The Colony during the inter-war years.; title: The coast --; title: Principal events and politics --; title: Changes. -- -- Part 3.; title: Government in the African lands.; title: The field administration --; title: African authorities. -- -- Part 4.; title: Land.; title: Agrarian problems of the African lands --; title: The white highlands. -- -- Part 5.; title: The later colonial period.; title: The Second World War --; title: Post-war settlement and Kikuyu politics --; title: The Mau Mau revolt --; title: Economic development. --; title: Part 6.; title: Towards independence.; title: The Lancaster House Conference and the end of the colony --; title: The wind of change. -- Appendix 1:; title: Policy and theory -- -- Appendix 2:; title: African laws and customs -- -- Appendix 3:; title: An economic survey of the Kikuyu reserves.