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CNN journalist Larry Madowo, while basking in the breathtaking beauty of Mount Kenya, has sparked a spirited call for the "Great Decolonization of Scenic Splendours."
During his sojourn through the park, Madowo championed the notion that iconic locales, which bear the names of bygone colonial figures, deserve a vibrant reawakening in the hands of their true stewards – the Kikuyu, Meru, and Embu communities.
It's a passionate plea to rediscover history's hidden gems and let the mountains echo with the voices of the people who call them home.
In a series of posts shared on his X account, Larry detailed how he and his team trekked for 5 days to summit Mount Kenya but he was greatly disappointed to learn that the beautiful place was marked by colonizers names decades after.
"Why is this lake called Michaelson inside Mt Kenya?" Started off an agitated Larry and I for one totally second his thought process.
The season international journalist went on to note that it was about time to give back our beautiful flora and fauna their indigenous names.
And the man has a point! After all, what do we celebrate Independence Day for if our colonizer's names are still heavy on our tongues and are used to outline the beauty of our land?
"I loved summiting Mount Kenya but isn't it time to decolonize these names, or reclaim them?
Image: Instagram
Delamere Peak, Krapf, Thomson, Macmillan, Lake Ellis, Mackinders Camp. What did the Kikuyu, Meru & Embu people call these places before the white man?" Larry added asking his followers who have an idea of the native names of these places to educate him and others on his timeline.
He also called on more Kenyans to embrace local tourism and enjoy the beauty that our land has to offer while also calling for decolonization of lakes and other beautiful places across the country.
Larry argued Lake Turkana used to be called Rudolph so changing names was more than possible.
Responding to a X user who argued, "the whites discovered the mountains" Larry had the most Kenyan and comical reply ever. "unatumia hiyo akili kuvuka barabara?" Wrote the CNN reporter leaving netizens in stitched.
In a different post still calling for decolonization, Larry reminded black people who still think that the African curly, kinky hair was unsuitable for the workplace that they have a long way to go from enslaving their minds.
"Black people in 2023 who still believe the Eurocentric/colonial lie that our hair is "not presentable" is crazy," wrote the former TV show host.
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