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!
#KeInnovators
Technology is an ever-present feature in modern living. We all rely on certain gadgets or software to make our lives easier. The integration of tech into our daily lives makes it evident that we can use innovation for more than just recreational activities. It therefore comes as no surprise that Kenyans are at the fore of inventing homegrown solutions to challenges in the country and on the continent. In
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!
#BomaZetu
The term ‘boma’ is a traditional word used to refer to traditional community enclosures or homesteads. In past times, the structure of a boma said a lot about a community and even a family in the context of wealth. Large bomas were a display of a man’s wealth, and depending on the community, had huts and homes that belonged to his wives, his mother, his sons, and even guests
Remember the story of...
The Library That Was and Continues To Be
At the junction of Wabera Street and Banda Street, a colossal building invites the imagery of another era. The architecture stands out, with imposing lion sculptures manning the flight of stairs leading to the entrance of The McMillan Memorial Library. The building was given the name in honour and memory of Sir William Northrup McMillan – a traveller, and pioneer of European Agricultural effort in The British East Africa Protectorate....
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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