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Ciku Kimeria is a Kenyan author "Of goats and poisoned oranges" - (https://www.amazon.com/goats-poisoned-oranges-Ciku-Kimeria-ebook/dp/B00HBBWPI6), development consultant, adventurer and travel blogger (www.thekenyanexplorer.com). She writes both fiction and non-fiction focusing on African stories that need telling. She has worked on diverse pieces for various international and local publications including Quartz, Ozy, The East African etc. She has travelled to 45 countries – 16 of them in Africa. 153 countries to go and 63 territories!
"Of goats and poisoned oranges" has been extremely well received in Kenya and beyond. It tells the story of a Kenyan middle aged power couple and their complicated marriage. The novel explores issues of greed, revenge, betrayal and murder. It runs from the 1960s to 2013. It has been described as “Wicked, funny, poignant, wacky, human, a big ball of fun and danger”, “A unique and captivating book”, “Fun and intriguing”, “Impossible to put down once you start reading.”
She recently moved to Dakar, Senegal from Kenya to work on her second novel. She also works at as the Africa Communication Manager at a leading global strategy consulting firm.
She holds a B.S. in Management Science from MIT with minors in Urban Planning and International development studies.
Decolonizing The Mind: Dropping One's Colonial Name To Use An African Name
“Kah-ri-ye!!” That is my earliest memory of hearing my English name spoken and it dates to the early 90s on the field at my primary school in Nairobi. Even then, that name felt like an older sibling’s hand-me-downs never quite fitting well.
Carrie.
That was my name, but I never quite knew how to pronounce it. It was there on all my official documents and on the tip of my tongue for whenever I was asked, “What is your Christian name?”
Thus begins my latest article for Quartz that explores the process by which Kenyan Christians came to find themselves with names such as Anne, Rose, Jeffrey, Lawrence and Carrie. The process of writing this article was cathartic in that it opened up old wounds that I did not really know I had until I found myself in the US and really questioning what it meant to be black, African, Kenyan. I questioned why it was considered "proper" to have European names in my country and the weight that these names came with. A sign that one was no longer primitive, no longer a heathen, but a Good Christian, a good custodian of the British empire's legacy in my country.
Kenyan writer Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o, who has written extensively about decolonizing African minds and language says, “Language, any language, has a dual character: it is both a means of communication and a carrier of culture.” By having the name Carrie, I wondered whose culture I was carrying on and which one I was letting go of.
I realized a name was more than just a name. It was a new identity that I was taking on, an association to a different culture while letting go of my own culture of the Kikuyu tribe, it's rich history, parts of which were carried in my name.
The story of the origin of my name would be lost forever. They would never know of when Ngai (God) created the first Kikuyu man and woman—Agikuyu and Mumbi, placed them on the slopes of Mt. Kirinyaga and gave them nine lovely daughters—one of whom was known as Wanjiku (commonly shortened to Ciku.)
And with that I changed my name.
What a wonderful story and what a beautiful name. Thanks for sharing.