Karen, Kenya

Karen is an affluent suburb of Nairobi in Kenya, lying south west of the city centre.

It is generally believed that the suburb is named after Karen Blixen, the Danish author of the colonial memoir Out of Africa; her farm occupied the land where the suburb now stands. Blixen herself declared in her later writings that "the residential district of Karen" was "named after me".[1] And Remy Martin, the developer who bought the farm in 1931 and converted it into residential lots for Nairobi's fast-growing population, confirmed that he named the neighborhood for Blixen.

The provenance of the name may in fact be more subtly complex. Blixen herself was known to her friends in Africa not as "Karen" but as "Tanne". The farm, a coffee plantation, was officially incorporated as the "Karen Coffee Company", and was owned by her extended family, most of whom lived in Denmark. The chairman of the board was her uncle, Aage Westenholtz.[2] Westenholtz may have named the company after his own daughter, Karen.

It is possible that Martin gave the area the name "Karen" because he thought the name of the coffee company came from Blixen herself; he may not have been aware that the farm's official name was derived from a different Karen. Either way, in 1975, Martin confirmed for Judith Thurman, Blixen's biographer, that in calling the district "Karen", he was thinking of the farm's famous resident.

The suburb of Karen borders the Ngong Road Forest and is home to the Ngong Racecourse. It is also known for its large European population. Karen and Langata jointly form a somewhat isolated area of high-income suburbs.

Blixen's home is still standing and is a local tourist attraction. The Nyumbani Orphanage is also located in Karen.

History

Karen was previously within Ngong County. After Nairobi received city status in 1950 the counties were redefined. In 1963 Karen was placed under the Nairobi City Council's administration.[3]

Cityscape

Karen includes international schools, a commercial centre, religious congregation headquarters, charity associations, and a country club with golf facilities. There is a branch of the Red Cross in Karen.[3]

Government

The Karengata Association manages Karen and Langata. It was organized in 1940 and by 2010 it had begun to manage the area's infrastructure.[3]

Demographics

As of 2010, Karen remained populated by large numbers of American, German, Japanese, and Scandinavian expatriates and their families. Other residents include white Kenyans of European ancestry.[4] Until 1980 the residents of Karen were chiefly British nationals.[3]

Education

The West Nairobi School is located in Karen. The current campus opened in 2000.[5]

The Nairobi Japanese School is located in the Lang'ata area,[6] in proximity to Karen.[7]

References

Notes

  1. ↑ Dinesen, Isak, Shadows on the Grass, from the combined Vintage International Edition of Out of Africa and Shadows on the Grass, New York 1989, p. 458
  2. ↑ Thurman, Judith (1983). Isak Dinesen: The Life of a Storyteller. St. Martin's Press. p. 141.
  3. 1 2 3 4 De Lame, p. 177. "Karen was earlier an integral part of Ngong County. Nairobi acquired the status of City in 1950, which led to a redefinition of the counties, and in 1962, Karen was placed under the administration of the City Council."
  4. ↑ White Mischief
  5. ↑ "School profile." West Nairobi School. Retrieved on February 20, 2015.
  6. ↑ "NAIROBI JAPANESE SCHOOL." (map to the Nairobi Japanese School) (Archive) Rosslyn Academy. Retrieved on August 27, 2013.
  7. ↑ "image1.jpg." (Archive) Nairobi Japanese School. Retrieved on August 27, 2013.

Further reading

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