1895: The British government establishes the East Africa Protectorate, which controls the political and economic life of the people of what is now called Kenya.

1963: Kenya gains independence.

Today: Kenya remains an independent republic with a parliamentary form of government.

Late 1890s: The Uganda Railroad makes Nairobi an important trade center and the center of British East Africa. The city offers relatively comfortable accommodations for Euro-pean settlers, who bring many of their customs with them.

Today: Nairobi is the capital of Kenya with a population of approximately 1.5 people.

1910s: In the patriarchal cultures of Europe and America, women's roles are strictly limited; they have few legal rights. In Dinesen's case, as a settler in British East Africa, women are afforded more freedom and opportunity.

Today: As a result of the women's liberation movement of the 1960s and 1970s, women in the Western world have more...