Who are the Luo?

The Luo are an African tribe who have been primarily fishing, but also doing farming and herding, for hundreds of years in the Lake Victoria area, primarily in Kenya. They are the third largest ethnic group in Kenya, about 13%; their intellect and political prominence in post-colonial Kenya is evident. It is thought that the Luo migrated southward into Kenya, Uganda & then Tanzania from South Sudan around 500 years ago.

Notably, President Obama's paternal heritage is Luo! Last February, on my way from SEEK to Eldoret, Kenya, we drove within about 10 km of President Obama's grandmother's home.

In the Suba District around Mbita, there is another smaller tribe, the Suba. The Suba tribe has been in this same region for hundreds of years. Their language was dying out, until recently, when folks have started writing it down, and also translating the Bible into the Suba language.

Because all the students at CGA are from the Luo tribe, I will see how much of their language, Dholuo, I can learn this year!

For more information about the Luo, from Wikipedia, go to: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luo_people_of_Kenya_and_Tanzania