Maragoli.

Maragoli, in Western Kenya, was chosen for a study project on population by the Institute of Development Studies, England. Aerial film indicates its high population density despite its rural location. Joseph Ssennyonga, a graduate student, visited Maragoli and finds there are barriers to population control such as infant mortailty - even though mortality has been greatly reduced, these views are heard to be deeply held. The women speak of stopping children as 'closing up'. The form of Christianity practiced by the villagers promotes large families. A few of the men are sick and in pain whilst the young women and girls fetch water. The elders share their views of why people have large families. Due to the population growth, common land is now being turned over to agriculture. There is no longer enough space to produce enough maize to store for the future; in fact the villagers talk about keeping their crops in their bedrooms to prevent theft. An elderly woman speaks of her hunger, a problem which all the villagers experience in the lean months. The problem of large families is intransigent with insufficient land left to support the whole family. Mr and Mrs Makindu talk about the many sacrifices they have made to educate their 12 children in order for them to become one of the administrative elite; their expectation is that the children bring them gifts and support them. For most people in Maragoli, this is a dream as education is not free. The women have devised several means to raise money (raising rabbits, making pottery, picking vegetables and selling them on for a profit), Men, however, have fewer opportunities - trapping termites to feed chickens, couriering. Education is seen not to deliver job opportunities to the men. Club ya Busaa (a public house) has a lively male crowd drinking at dusk and the women are critical but resigned about their behaviour. Ssennyonga analyses the complex interrelated issues. There is only one man, Muhindi, who is planning a small family (four children) in order to guarantee his family enough food and education. Muhindi works in the city as a teacher which has enabled him to be relatively wealthy and support his family. His wife, a female teacher, struggles to grow or buy enough food for her children. She is coaching them in the evening on top of her day job. Ssennyonga identifies a problem with the educated elite who are buying the land and further disenfranchising their neighbours from the means to support themselves.