Karen, Kenya
Encyclopedia
Karen is a suburb of Nairobi
in Kenya
, lying south west of the city centre.
It is generally believed that the suburb is named after Karen Blixen
, the Danish author of the colonial memoir Out of Africa
; her farm occupied the land where the suburb now stands. Blixen herself declared in her later writings that "the residential district of Karen" was "named after me". And Remy Martin, the developer who bought the farm in 1931 and converted it into residential lots for Nairobi's fast-growing population, confirmed that he named the neighborhood for Blixen.
The provenance of the name may in fact be more subtly complex. Blixen herself was known to her friends in Africa not as "Karen" but as "Tanne". The farm, a coffee plantation, was officially incorporated as the "Karen Coffee Company", and was owned by her extended family, most of whom lived in Denmark. The chairman of the board was her uncle, Aage Westenholtz. Westenholtz may have named the company after his own daughter, Karen.
It is possible that Martin gave the area the name "Karen" because he thought the name of the coffee company came from Blixen herself; he may not have been aware that the farm's official name was derived from a different Karen. Either way, in 1975, Martin confirmed for Judith Thurman, Blixen's biographer, that in calling the district "Karen", he was thinking of the farm's famous resident.
The suburb of Karen borders the Ngong Road Forest and is home to the Ngong Racecourse
. It is also known for its large European
population. Karen and Langata
jointly form a somewhat isolated area of high-income housing.
Blixen's home is still standing and is a local tourist attraction. The Nyumbani Orphanage
is also located in Karen.
Nairobi
Nairobi is the capital and largest city of Kenya. The city and its surrounding area also forms the Nairobi County. The name "Nairobi" comes from the Maasai phrase Enkare Nyirobi, which translates to "the place of cool waters". However, it is popularly known as the "Green City in the Sun" and is...
in Kenya
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
, lying south west of the city centre.
It is generally believed that the suburb is named after Karen Blixen
Karen Blixen
Baroness Karen von Blixen-Finecke , , née Karen Christenze Dinesen, was a Danish author also known by her pen name Isak Dinesen. She also wrote under the pen names Osceola and Pierre Andrézel...
, the Danish author of the colonial memoir Out of Africa
Out of Africa
Out of Africa is a 1985 romantic drama film directed and produced by Sydney Pollack, and starring Robert Redford and Meryl Streep. The film is based loosely on the autobiographical book Out of Africa written by Isak Dinesen , which was published in 1937, with additional material from Dinesen's book...
; her farm occupied the land where the suburb now stands. Blixen herself declared in her later writings that "the residential district of Karen" was "named after me". And Remy Martin, the developer who bought the farm in 1931 and converted it into residential lots for Nairobi's fast-growing population, confirmed that he named the neighborhood for Blixen.
The provenance of the name may in fact be more subtly complex. Blixen herself was known to her friends in Africa not as "Karen" but as "Tanne". The farm, a coffee plantation, was officially incorporated as the "Karen Coffee Company", and was owned by her extended family, most of whom lived in Denmark. The chairman of the board was her uncle, Aage Westenholtz. Westenholtz may have named the company after his own daughter, Karen.
It is possible that Martin gave the area the name "Karen" because he thought the name of the coffee company came from Blixen herself; he may not have been aware that the farm's official name was derived from a different Karen. Either way, in 1975, Martin confirmed for Judith Thurman, Blixen's biographer, that in calling the district "Karen", he was thinking of the farm's famous resident.
The suburb of Karen borders the Ngong Road Forest and is home to the Ngong Racecourse
Ngong Racecourse
Ngong Racecourse is a racecourse in Nairobi, Kenya. It is the main and currently only thoroughbred racing venue in Kenya. It is located along the Ngong Road in besides the Ngong Road Forest between the estates of Woodley, Langata and Karen. It is operated by the Jockey Club of Kenya .The racecourse...
. It is also known for its large European
European ethnic groups
The ethnic groups in Europe are the various ethnic groups that reside in the nations of Europe. European ethnology is the field of anthropology focusing on Europe....
population. Karen and Langata
Langata
Lang'ata is a suburb of Nairobi in Kenya, lying south west of the city centre and east of Karen. The suburb consists of many smaller housing developments, referred to as estates. They include Nairobi Dam, Otiende, Southlands, Ngei, Jambo estate, Onyonka, Madaraka Estate and many others...
jointly form a somewhat isolated area of high-income housing.
Blixen's home is still standing and is a local tourist attraction. The Nyumbani Orphanage
Nyumbani Orphanage
The Nyumbani Children's Home was founded by Father Angelo D'Agostino and Sister Mary Owens in 1992 to serve mostly abandoned children created by the AIDS pandemic. Originally a medical doctor in the US Air Force, D'Agostino joined the Jesuits early in his career, focused on psychiatry, and held...
is also located in Karen.