298mm x 240mm

Edge wear; creased and folded; spine chipped.

R800

Box 6 no 27

The East African Annual (Christmas 1950) marks a historic milestone as it ushered in the decade that transformed the post-war colonial landscape into an era of national park expansion and impending political upheaval.

Key Historical & Visual Aspects

• Celebration of East Africa’s Rift Valley Lakes: The front cover features a painting signed by "Kinsey," depicting lesser and greater flamingos feeding along the soda shores of a Great Rift Valley lake (most likely Lake Nakuru or Lake Elmenteita) with the Rift escarpment rising in the background.

• The Golden Era of National Parks (1945–1950): Published in late 1950, this issue coincided with the rapid expansion of East Africa’s national park system. Following the establishment of Nairobi National Park in 1946, the late 1940s and 1950 saw the formal gazetting of Tsavo and Amboseli, turning East Africa into a global hub for wildlife conservation and international safari tourism.

• Nairobi’s City Status (1950): The year 1950 was historically significant for Kenya: King George VI granted a Royal Charter to Nairobi on March 30, 1950, officially elevating it from a municipal town to a City—the first in East Africa. The Christmas 1950 edition heavily featured this milestone alongside civic developments across the region.

• The "Christmas Number" Tradition: This edition prominently displays CHRISTMAS 1950 at the base. The East African Standard timed its annual release for the holiday season so settlers, expatriates, and local residents could send them overseas to relatives in Britain, South Africa, and Australia as photographic keepsakes of life in East Africa.