Kwa Heri Means Goodbye: Memories of Kenya 1957-1959

by Dorothy Stephens and Dorothy Stephens

Book Overview

In 1953, when Dorothy Stephens and her husband lived in married student housing at the University of Michigan, she envisioned a safe, conventional life ahead. She never imagined living in Kenya toward... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0595415172
• ISBN13: 9780595415175
• Release Date: November 2006
• Publisher: iUniverse
• Length: 188 Pages
• Weight: 0.70 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

This Book Will Take You Away

As soon as I started reading Kwa Heri, Dorothy Stephen's book, I felt as if I was taken away to Kenya. Not only did her writing make me feel as if I was going on an adventure, but what an adventure. I can only hope to share this book with everyone I know, because I can't say enough about it, I just have to give them a copy of it.

Kwa Heri Means Goodbye

Kenya? As a new home, as a place to live while rearing three small children? For most of us whose knowledge of this African country consists of impressions gleaned from what we read and see on TV news these days, the very idea of moving there sounds way too scary. There's been so much news of violence and chaos in Kenya in recent months that I would be fearful, even, of visiting there, and Dorothy Stephens had similar reactions 50-some years ago when her husband announced that he was being posted by the United States Information Service (USIA) to Nairobi. Dorothy, 33 at the time, had just read a novel about a Mau Mau uprising against the British in Kenya when Bob, excited by this chance to serve and advance his career, proposed that they move there with their children, two in grammar school and one only two years old. "Kwa Heri Means Goodbye: Memories of Kenya 1957-1959" is one result of this family relocation, and it is a fascinating, richly detailed story of a three-year adventure that changed the lives of all five members of the Stephens family. The tale begins with reflections on what it took to screw up one's courage to make such a change. Then it moves on to the necessarily rushed preparations, to the emotions of leaving one's home country, and, in clear and colourful language, to what it was like to fly in at night, land, and begin experiencing a totally new culture. After many engrossing stories of difficulties and triumphs, the book ends with how hard it was for the Stephens family to say "kwa heri" to Kenya and its people. The children gained an education in world-awareness and cultural diversity that couldn't have been matched in Michigan or anywhere else, and so did their parents. Dorothy Stephen was a keen observer and her immersion in the daily life of being a mother who needed, often, the advice and help of her Kenyan counterparts gave her opportunities to learn about the practices, personalities, and living conditions of African women. Bob's ASIA position required her to host occasional events that introduced her to others in the diplomatic corps and gave her a chance to meet and form insightful opinions of many of Africa's leaders at that time. This is a well-written memoir that will retain, perhaps forever, its appeal for those interested in Kenya. It is also a story of personal development that will always provide pleasure to those of us who love adventure stories with fact-based authenticity.

Kwa Heri transports the reader in time and place

I loved Dorothy Stephens' Kwa Heri Means Goodbye. It successfully transported me to another place and time, making me feel as if I myself had been to Kenya in the late 1950s. I also enjoyed it as her personal adventure, in which she was yanked from a comfortable, traditional life and whisked off to an exotic and potentially very dangerous place. With dry wit, she conveys her sense of dread about the trip, citing horror stories of the Mau Mau uprising and malaria, and describes a nerve-wracking flight across the ocean with hard-partying pilots. She introduces us to very memorable locales, characters, and wildlife--include safari ants and a wild monkey. A thoroughly informative and enjoyable read!

A memoir of great depth and beauty; a must for students of Kenya

Dorothy Stephens's memoir of the two years she spent living with her young family in pre-independence Kenya is deeply felt, sensitive and intelligent. Her language describing Kenya's land and people is both gorgeous and unsentimental. The reader feels drawn into every scene with her, experiencing the beauty and the strangeness she felt as she made the unsettled land her home. From the smallest things, like learning the Kenyan words for grocery staples, to the more complex, like learning to fit into the existing colonial system while maintaining her sense of all Kenyans' dignity, Stephens shows how an "ordinary" white American can have an extraordinary effect on her surroundings. Without flaunting their views in the face of the British, Stephens, her husband, and their three children make friends with the brave, educated Kenyans who will soon lead their country into independence. They do this even though the British prefer to treat Kenyans as servants and maintain the status quo, and resent Americans like the Stephens who have different ideas. The book offers a wonderful background to help understand the current unrest in Kenya. The book is in many ways Dorothy Stephens' love song, both to Kenya and to her daughter Kelly, the little blonde two-year-old whose hand she holds throughout much of the book. Kelly Stephens, encouraged to explore by her parents world views, died in the early 90s during a volcanic eruption in Indonesia. All proceeds from the sale of the book go to a foundation in Kelly Stephens' name which funds education for Indonesian school teachers.