The Digo are the indigenous people of Diani. They live on the south coast, in the area from Mombasa all the way down to the border with Tanzania. From Diani it’s possible to visit one of their traditional villages, and the local bush doctor.
Our driver first takes you to the village of Ukunda where you can visit a local market, try local food and test your bargaining skills. After that you go on to the Digo tribe.
The Digo people are a muslim people, which is a minority in this mostly Christian country. But Kenya’s south coast has a relatively big islamic population, and the Digo are part of that. More to the north you might find other tribes, such as the relatively large tribe of the Christian Giriamas. However, both of these and other tribes along the coast are Mijikenda tribes that share certain traditional believes, as you might encounter during your visit.
Villages
The Digo used to live in large, fortified villages, but nowadays their villages are comprised of approximately 40 huts each. The shape of each hut clearly indicates the age of their inhabitants; huts of elders are round, while those of other people are rectangular. When visiting the village you will learn about these and other traditions, see a traditional dance performance with drums, meet soms locals and get a feel for the village life.
At the end the tour you will visit the local bush doctor. Many Africans believe in witch doctors and witches, and the Digo tribe is no exception to that. They believe in the power of curses and natural medication and many times prefer the local medicine over western medicine. Instead of going to a regular hospital or after finding that a local hospital doesn’t have the answer, they usually turn to the local alternative. During your visit the local healer will tell you about his work, and about how the different plants and roots are used to help heal local people.
The visit ends at a nearby snake park, where you can see and hold smaller and bigger snakes, chameleons and lizards.
Ukunda and the Digo village
