ETSU Institute of Continued Learning urged people from different countries to share their experiences with Americans.
Speaking during a presentation about Kenya, the director of the program Dr. George O’Neill challenged more people to speak about their countries because it helps students to share information about different cultural backgrounds around the globe.
Every semester ICL holds talks with different people who share their various countries’ experiences. “In simple, here at ICL we usually go around the globe in one semester, every Tuesday in the course of the month,” O’Neill said.
The event, which was held at the ICL in Kingsport, ETSU student and guest speaker, George Naholi present a true picture of the Kenya regarding its history, politics, government, geography, economy, religious affairs, women’s issues, and the effects of HIV/AIDS.
Naholi started his lecture by showing a 10-minute video depicting the Kenyan wild life and the Maasai people. He went further to talk about socio-economic issues affecting Kenya since independence from British rule in 1963.
In addition, Naholi went through the stages of how Kenya has moved from single-party state to multi-party democracy.
The lecture organized by ETSU International Student Program Director Maria Costa featured different speakers from Kenya, including Dr. Kip Eliolia of Emmanuel School of Religion and Anne Kanyi of St. Timothy’s Episcopal Church in Kingsport.
Eliolia expounded on the spheres of Christianity in the African region and the central part played by the traditional African Christian religion.
He amused the audience when he said that African Christianity has got both songs and dance.
“Africans dance in church and praise God in body language, while Americans dance in discos and sing in church,” he said as the audience erupted in laughter.
Kanyi shared a moving experience about Kenyan women. “The Kenyan woman is the beast of burden,” she said.
“She wakes up at cockcrow and does all the house chores, ranging from tilling, planting and harvesting,” Kanyi said.
In addition to that, women are the breadwinners in most homes and play an important role in the growth of the economy.
Despite all the problems, women have excelled in various specialized fields.
Kanyi highlighted Professor Wangari Maathai, the 2004 Nobel Peace Prize winner from Kenya, who won the award as a result of her efforts in championing for women’s rights, fighting for democracy and the conservation of the environment.

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