Paukwa? Pakawa!
Paukwa is a place dedicated to positive stories about Kenya. Our story house is named for the Swahili word that is an invitation to a story – Paukwa. It’s an age- old term, well known across East Africa. Paukwa invites one to remember the joy of stories from their childhood days and to get lost in new, familiar or unknown ideas about the daily things that surround us.
Each day ordinary Kenyans are pushing our nation forward. As volunteers, as SME owners, as creatives, teachers, farmers, counsellors, techwizards and more. There is a bigger story as they build our nation each day through their tenacity, hard work, positive attitude, search for excellence, and sheer hustle.
Through their efforts we all grow.
At Paukwa, we shine a spotlight on the everyday builders of our nation and the history we almost forgot.
This digital storybank celebrates memory, culture, modernity, but most of all, the positive. Dive in and discover a story of Kenya you didn’t know you never knew!
#NgomaZetu
Music. We all have our preferences when it comes to genres, and fortunately, there are countless songs on the internet, in music stores and phone applications to discover new talent and industry moguls. The most significant thing about music is its ability to motivate, lighten moods, boost intelligence and concentration. Think of all the song lyrics you have memorized. The ones that have remained in your mind months,
Paukwa? Pakawa!
Paukwa is a place dedicated to positive stories about Kenya. Our story house is named for the Swahili word that is an invitation to a story – Paukwa. It’s an age- old term, well known across East Africa. Paukwa invites one to remember the joy of stories from their childhood days and to get lost in new, familiar or unknown ideas about the daily things that surround us.
Each day ordinary Kenyans are pushing our nation forward. As volunteers, as SME owners, as creatives, teachers, farmers, counsellors, techwizards and more. There is a bigger story as they build our nation each day through their tenacity, hard work, positive attitude, search for excellence, and sheer hustle.
Through their efforts we all grow.
At Paukwa, we shine a spotlight on the everyday builders of our nation and the history we almost forgot.
This digital storybank celebrates memory, culture, modernity, but most of all, the positive. Dive in and discover a story of Kenya you didn’t know you never knew!
#KePhotographers
From the time the first images were captured on film in the early 1800s photography has been a way of immortalizing life. Life in pictures. Time in photos. History made immortal. Since its inception the art and science of photography has gone through many iterations: Daguerreotypes, Brownie Boxes, 35mms, Instant Polaroids, DSLRs, iPhones. From separate gadgets that required the flash to be held up high and the photographer ensconced under
Remember the story of...
Kenyan Wind Instruments
Siwa (Swahili) - flute The Waswahili are said to be among the earliest settlers of the towns that emerged along Kenya’s coast. In Pate, the city state that grew in the northern region of the Swahili coast, various customs became part of the community, and among these was music. In 1688 the WaPate crafters made a horn from ivory. It was named Siwa and it would be used during various ceremonies. The interesting feature about the Siwa was that it was...
Our audio stories
A note from our team
FOOD GLORIOUS FOOD!
We love food, and who doesn’t? It’s an indispensable element of our lives. Food fuels our health and wellbeing and transcends dietary realms. But it is so much more than that. It is also a defining element of our heritage, deeply ingrained in our culture. By simply looking at what’s on our plates, how we’ve cooked it, and digging deeper into the intricacies of who eats what, it is possible for someone to tell who we are. As such, food is a key part of our identity. This manifests itself in many ways. In the different locations our communities inhabit, you will find varying types of produce, and with it, different methods the harvest undergoes from farm to table. Regardless of these differences, food always brings us together. In the farm, as we gather by the fire around a sizzling pot of stew, or at the table. In this uniting spirit, we welcome you to a celebration of food and its production processes through #VyakulaVyetu and #StreetFoodKenya
TEAM PAUKWA
A note from our team
WOMEN WE ARE INSPIRED BY
Celebrating the achievements of women in all spheres has been one of our key focuses. The word celebrate comes from the Latin word celebrare meaning to assemble and honour. Gathering is core to the etymology of the word celebration. It means celebrating women must include meaningfully cultivating spaces to acknowledge and honour each other. The poignancy of this kind of fellowship has not been lost on us. At Paukwa, it has meant reflecting on journeys of that show the complexity of life that is so fulfilling when one stays the course. The awe-inspiring tenacity and unbridled excellence of Kenyan women quite simply demand celebration as we have shown in out collection of #KeFemaleFirsts. We commit to holding space to recognise, embrace and speak life from the phenomenal women that inspire us.
TEAM PAUKWA
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