Luo people

Joluo (commonly known as Luo) are an ethnic group in Kenya and Tanzania. They are the third largest ethnic group in Kenya after the Kikuyu and Luhya. They speak the Dholuo language, which belongs to the Western Nilotic branch of the Nilo-Saharan language family spoken by other Luo people such as Lango, Acholi and Jopadhola and Alur of Uganda.´

Colonial times

By the 1840's, the Luo had a tight-knit society with ruoths or regional chiefs. In 1915 the Colonial Government sent Odera Akang'o, the ruoth of Gem, to Kampala, Uganda. He was impressed by the British settlement there and upon his return home he initiated a forced process of adopting western style of "schooling, dress and hygiene". This resulted in the rapid education of the Luo in the English language and ways. The Luo also played a significant role in the fight for Kenyan independence.

In independent Kenya

Oginga Odinga, a prominent Luo leader, became the first Vice President of independent Kenya. However, differences with Jomo Kenyatta led Oginga to leave the government and the ruling KANU party in 1966. With Oginga's departure from the government the Luo were politically marginalized under the administrations of Kenyatta and Moi.

Many years of poor economic management of Kenya, especially during the administration of the KANU party resulted in the Luo and a majority of Kenyans being systematically neglected. Ravaged by AIDS and with little or no infrastructure in most parts, the Luo areas - with high economic potential due to the proximity to Lake Victoria - remains poor and undeveloped. These factors being common in Kenya according the latest survey by the World Bank. http://www.worldbank.org/research/povertymaps/kenya/volume_index.htm

The most prominent Luo politician today is Raila Odinga, the son of Oginga Odinga and former Minister of Roads and Public Works. He is widely credited with enabling Mwai Kibaki to win the last presidential election through the support of his Liberal Democratic Party.

Prominent Luos

Barack Obama - an African-American Senator in the United States - traces his lineage through his father to the Luo.

Customs

The Luo believe in the afterlife. They conduct their lives in symbiosis with the cosmic demads of eternity. Luos are ancestor worshippers. The first major ritual in a Luo person's life is called juogi naming ceremony. Any time between birth and age 2, an ancestor would appear in a dream to an adult member of the family. It is generally believed that only people who did good things while alive appear in dreams this way, and are thus "reincarnated". It is generally believed that the child assumes some of the mannerisms of the ancestor he or she is named after. If the ancestor was quiet, the child becomes a quiet person in life, if talkative, same. The so named ancestor becomes the indivduals' "guardian angel" throughout his or her life. Evil people are rarely named. It is believed they go for good (to hell).

The Luo are one of few ethnic groups in East Africa that do not practice ritual circumcision of males as initiation. Traditionally, children had their six front teeth knocked out at initiation. This ritual is rare these days.

Traditional and contemporary Luo music

Traditionally the Luo music revolved around the nyatiti - a lyre with eight strings. Accompanying the nyatiti lead were songs about society, politics, history and change. Other traditional instruments include onand (an accordian) and orutu (a fiddle).

The Luo are most famous for the benga style of music. It is a lively style in which songs in Swahili are sung to a lively guitar riff. It originated in the 1950s with Luo musicians trying to adapt their traditional tribal dance rhythms to western instruments. The guitar (acoustic, later electric) replaced the nyatiti as the string instrument. Benga has become so popular that it is played by musicians of all tribes and is no longer considered a purely Luo style. It has become Kenyas characteristic pop sound.

Also see Luo Section of Folk Music of Kenya