What's Up World? Kenya

It’s a sunny Saturday morning, and you wake to the sound of roosters crowing in your remote Maasai village. For breakfast, you sip hot, sweet tea and enjoy a porridge called uji (oo-GEE). Then it’s time for chores. Your rural home doesn’t have running water. So your first job is to fetch buckets of water from the local well to use for cooking, washing up, and watering the garden.

Later, you and some other kids play kati (KAH-tee), an outdoor game that’s like dodgeball. And you start looking forward to next weekend. Once the school week is over, a mobile movie theater is coming to the village. The closest real theater is in the city of Nairobi, a few hours away. So this “movie on wheels” will be a treat!

Keep reading to learn more about Kenya. How does it compare with your community?

Soccer is a popular sport among Kenyan kids. But they call it “football”! Many kids dream of someday scoring goals on Kenya’s national team, the Harambee Stars.

Attention, gamers! Making video games is a growing business in Kenya’s cities. Thousands of Kenyans work in this industry. Many make games with African themes.

Kenya is home to dozens of ethnic groups. Each one has its own traditions. This group is the Maasai. When young Maasai men finish training as warriors, they perform a special “jumping dance.”

In Kenya, nyama choma (nye-AH-mah CHOH-mah) is a favorite dish. It is goat meat or beef grilled over a fire. It’s often served with greens and cornmeal porridge. You eat it with your hands instead of a fork!

People often visit Kenya to see amazing animals like giraffes, lions, cheetahs, and elephants. Many go on special wildlife expeditions called safaris.

1. Which details from the article support the idea that parts of Kenya are rural?

2. If you were a Maasai kid in Kenya, how might your day begin?

3. What is a reason someone might visit Kenya?