DOCSLIB.ORG

Signs of Hope As Land Bills Are Assented To

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Signs of Hope As Land Bills Are Assented To 1 Issue Number 26 • May 2012 Issue Number 26 • May 2012 Clan politics at play Women strategise as representative seat promises to be a bruising battle …By Hussein Dido s the scramble for political posi- tions take shape in Isiolo, women are bracing themselves for what promises to be a hot contest for Athe women representative seat created under the new Constitution. The seat has attracted several aspirants who include Rahma Dida, Tiyyah Galgalo, Fatuma Dullo, Lucy Mworia and Mumina Konso among others. The region has never had a single wom- an in an elective position since indepen- dence and those who are there have only been nominated into civic wards. However, the cast is different this time as the new constitution has not only cre- ated elective positions for women but also set out the gender rule which provides that not more than two thirds of elective seats shall go to either gender. Elders Elders in this region play a major role in the process and all candidates seeking elec- tive positions are usually endorsed during clan meetings. Women have in the past been excluded in meetings held by elders to deliberate on clan issues. They have, this time around, been allowed in clan meetings in order to get endorsement from the elders as commu- nities re-organise to make alignments with other clans ahead of the general election. Out of the five candidates contesting for the women representative seat, three of them have sought clan endorsement at meetings held at Kinna that brought together elders, youths and women seeking elective positions. Dida, Galgalo and Dullo who hail from pastoralist communities have attended clan meetings where they have enumerated their vision and agenda for the County a Continued on page 7 EDITORIAL Signs of hope as land bills are assented to he land question has always land clashes in 1992, 1997 and the 2007 fat on our land so that our children age between the Commission, county ernment in land registration and other been a sensitive issue in the post elections violence which left over grow up in prosperity; and we do not governments and other institutions related purposes. country’s history long before 1,300 men, women and children killed want the fat removed to feed others.” dealing with land and land related re- Now that the new laws are in place, the colonialists arrived took and over 600,000 others displaced in The three are the long awaited Na- sources. On the other hand, the Na- Kenyans will look up to the imple- Tover the best prime agricultural land in Rift Valley Province and other parts of tional Land Commission Act 2012; the tional Land Commission shall manage menting actors and agencies to trans- the country. the country. Land Act 2012; and the Land Regis- public land on behalf of the national late their dreams into reality. Kenyans have fought each other for tration Act, 2012, which activists like and county governments. During the ongoing AWC Features it at the individual, family and com- History Odenda Lumumba, the CEO of the Service countrywide peace forums in munity level leaving a trail of blood, But that dark phase of our coun- Kenya Land Alliance, among others, Land Garissa, Kibera, Eldoret and Nakuru, destruction and hostility. try’s history is about to change forever, have been lobbying for decades have With regard to the Land Act, the women from all walks of life have sin- Indeed, it has always been a major thanks to the assenting of three cru- been assented to by President Kibaki. law provides for the mechanism to re- gled out the unresolved land question topic at all forums since independence cial land laws by President Kibaki last The National Land Commission vise, consolidate and rationalise land as one of the major causes of conflict in 49 years ago and featured prominently month, that have captured the women’s Act establishes the National Land laws as well as to provide for the sus- their respective families pitting broth- at the Lancaster Constitutional Con- gains in the new Constitution aptly. Commission and as well as creates tainable administration and manage- ers against sisters and/or in-laws; in ference, in the Kenya We Want in the Indeed, Kenyans can now heave a rules for the management and admin- ment of land and land based resources. their homes and in their community. 1980s, in the Bomas Conference in sigh of relief remembering the words istration of land in accordance with On its part, the Land Registration These women now have a reason 2005, and was finally captured in the of the founder of the nation, Mzee the principles of land policy as out- Act establishes mechanisms to revise, to smile, as they look forward to Par- new Constitution in 2010. Jomo Kenyatta, in 1952: “God said this lined in the Constitution and in the consolidate and rationalise the registra- liament taking the next step towards The thorny issue has been politi- is our land, land in which we flourish national land policy. tion of titles to land, to give effect to the legislation of the three laws and ensure cised over the years and led to political as a people. We want our cattle to get The Act further provides for a link- principles and objects of devolved gov- that women fully reap the benefits. 2 Issue Number 26 • May 2012 Numbers not Empowerment and inclusion the answer captured in ground breaking index to women’s …By Rosemary Okello sistent obstacles and economic constraints, limiting further in- agenda t 56, Jane who lives in the clusion in the sector Central part of Uganda According to Agnes Quisu- …By Henry Kahara has not known any other mbing Senior Research Fellow way of life apart from on Poverty, Health and Nutri- s more women prepare to ascend Athat which she has been doing dili- tion who was one of the re- to positions of leadership and gently since she was seven years old. searchers, despite numerous decision making as guaranteed Her life has been centred around cultural and traditional barriers in the Constitution, questions waking up every morning to go to which women face, the study Aabound as to whether the seats will attract till the family farm. was able to reveal that areas individuals who are able to articulate wom- Before she was married, Jane where women lack empower- en’s issues in a way that helps in the allevia- diligently accompanied her mother ment is with respect to lack of tion of poverty to spur development in dif- to the farm. Today, as a mother of leadership at the community, ferent parts of the country. four, her life has been centred on the time burden and lack of con- According to Joy Masheti, a programme’s their small farm which acts like a trol over resources. officer with the Caucus for Women Leader- source of income and food. She explains that in Uganda ship, numbers alone may not help to bring “This is the only way I can beat men report relatively less disem- about the desired change. poverty, using my sweat,” she ob- powerment in decision-making Masheti says zeal is the key, it must be serves. over income, less time poverty, women who are committed to aspirations Even though Jane is not aware of and relatively greater achieve- of fellow women at all levels and are deter- how to empower herself, last month ments in community leadership mined to see change. a group of researchers undertook a than women. ground breaking study whose aim “The fact that men report Election was to measure women’s empower- less time poverty probably arises “Some women will be elected in Parlia- ment in developing countries. because women in Uganda (as ment but still stand with their respective in much of Sub-Saharan Af- parties even when important women’s is- Empowerment rica) play a very important role sues are being discussed,” Masheti observes. The pilot study on the Women’s in food production, over and She cites an example of how women in Empowerment in Agriculture In- above their roles as caregivers the tenth Parliament came together during dex (WEAI) is the first measure to and guardians of their families’ the Constitution review process in Naiva- directly capture women’s empow- food and nutrition security,” ex- sha and endorsed affirmative action which erment and inclusion levels in the plains Quisumbing. is now entrenched in the constitution. agricultural sector and it revealed Since the question of leader- “That was our first time to see Martha that women are considered to be ship is critical in Africa and be- Karua who is Narc Kenya leader take a uni- empowered if they have adequate cause the political leadership and fied stand with the likes of Rachel Shebesh achievements in four of the five food production are linked and and Millie Odhiambo from ODM,” ex- areas namely power over produc- this has always had a negative im- plains Masheti. tive resources such as land and pact on food security, Quisumb- She notes that unless we have gender livestock, decisions over income, ing points out that if African sensitive women, then we are likely to miss leadership in the community and leaders really want to bring about out on this grand opportunity to main- time use. change, the areas to begin with stream gender in all governance processes. Carried out in three countries are those where women are dis- A woman tilling her land. This is how many women earn “When women are included in decision with diverse socioeconomic and cul- empowered.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Gender and the Erotics of Nationalism in Ngu˜Gı˜ Wa Thiong'o's Drama
    Gender and the Erotics of Nationalism in Ngu˜gı˜ wa Thiong’o’s Drama Evan Maina Mwangi Evan Maina Mwangi is Assistant Professor of English at Northwestern University, where he researches the intersection of nationalism, gender, and sexuality in African literatures and popular culture. He is coauthor (with Simon Gikandi) of The Columbia Guide to East African Literature since 1945 (Columbia University Press, 2007) and the author of Africa Writes Back to Self: Metafiction, Gender, Sexuality (forthcoming, State University of New York Press). His current book project, “(M)Other Tongue Matters: Translation and Gender in Indigenous African Literatures,” focuses on Ngu˜gı˜’s and other writers’ use of sex as a theme and a metaphor in creative works and polemical essays. TDR: The Drama Review 53:2 (T202) Summer 2009. ©2009 90 New York University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Downloaded from http://www.mitpressjournals.org/doi/pdf/10.1162/dram.2009.53.2.90 by guest on 27 September 2021 Introduction Kenyan author Ngügï wa Thiong’o has been a leading voice in African indigenous-language community theatre for over 30 years. In 1977 his first literary work in Gïküyü, Ngaahika Ndeenda (published in 1980 and translated as I Will Marry When I Want in 1982), coauthored with Ngügï wa Mïriï in collaboration with peasants and workers from their hometown of Limuru, led to his detention without trial by the Kenyan government. This kind of politically engaged performance forms the centerpiece of Ngügï’s artistic production. The influence that
    [Show full text]
  • Mau Mau) Struggle for Kenya's Independence
    Syracuse University SURFACE Pan African Studies - Theses College of Arts and Sciences 5-2013 "Thaai thathaiyai Ngai thaai": Narratives of Rituals, Agency, and Resistance in the KLFA (Mau Mau) Struggle for Kenya's Independence Henry Muoki Mbunga Syracuse University Follow this and additional works at: https://surface.syr.edu/panaf_theis Part of the African History Commons, and the African Studies Commons Recommended Citation Mbunga, Henry Muoki, ""Thaai thathaiyai Ngai thaai": Narratives of Rituals, Agency, and Resistance in the KLFA (Mau Mau) Struggle for Kenya's Independence" (2013). Pan African Studies - Theses. 4. https://surface.syr.edu/panaf_theis/4 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the College of Arts and Sciences at SURFACE. It has been accepted for inclusion in Pan African Studies - Theses by an authorized administrator of SURFACE. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Abstract The purpose of this project is to examine the role of rituals in the Mau Mau struggle for Kenya’s independence. Traditionally, research on the Mau Mau has focused on the political and socio-economic aspects of Kenya’s anti-colonial struggle. As a result, the place of spirituality and, in particular, the role of rituals in the Mau Mau struggle has largely been ignored in existing literature. Initially, when KLFA rituals were studied at the height of the Mau Mau struggle, the task was undertaken by colonial anthropologists and psychologists who were often unable to escape the snare of racist and Eurocentric prejudices in their analyses. Subsequent revisionist studies have attempted to be more objective in their analyses, but the focus has mainly been on the elements and details surrounding the actual ceremonies, at the expense of how these rituals impacted individual freedom fighters.
    [Show full text]
  • Mau Mau Crucible of War: Statehood, National Identity and Politics in Postcolonial Kenya
    Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports 2014 Mau Mau crucible of war: Statehood, national identity and politics in postcolonial Kenya Nicholas Kariuki Githuku Follow this and additional works at: https://researchrepository.wvu.edu/etd Recommended Citation Githuku, Nicholas Kariuki, "Mau Mau crucible of war: Statehood, national identity and politics in postcolonial Kenya" (2014). Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports. 5677. https://researchrepository.wvu.edu/etd/5677 This Dissertation is protected by copyright and/or related rights. It has been brought to you by the The Research Repository @ WVU with permission from the rights-holder(s). You are free to use this Dissertation in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you must obtain permission from the rights-holder(s) directly, unless additional rights are indicated by a Creative Commons license in the record and/ or on the work itself. This Dissertation has been accepted for inclusion in WVU Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports collection by an authorized administrator of The Research Repository @ WVU. For more information, please contact [email protected]. MAU MAU CRUCIBLE OF WAR: STATEHOOD, NATIONAL IDENTITY AND POLITICS IN POSTCOLONIAL KENYA by Nicholas Kariuki Githuku Dissertation submitted to the Eberly College of Arts and Sciences at West Virginia University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in History Approved by Dr. Robert Maxon, Committee Chairperson Dr. Joseph Hodge Dr. Robert Blobaum Dr. Jeremia Njeru Dr. Tamba M’bayo Department of History Morgantown, West Virginia 2014 Keywords: war, statehood, stateness, security, mentalité, national identity, psychosociological anxieties Copyright 2014 Nicholas Kariuki Githuku Abstract The postcolonial African state has been the subject of extensive study and scrutiny by various scholars of great repute such as Colin Legum, Crawford Young, Robert H.
    [Show full text]
  • Annotated Bibliograpy on CIVIL SOCIETY
    CODESRIA Documentation and Information Centre Centre de documentation et d’information du CODESRIA CIVIL SOCIETY West Africa; Cameroon, Chad SOCIETE CIVILE Afrique de l’Ouest; Cameroun, Tchad Annotated Bibliography / Bibliographie annotée CODESRIA, February / février 2006 CONTENTS / SOMMAIRE INTRODUCTION (anglais) Page 03 INTRODUCTION (français) Page 04 GENERAL DOCUMENTS / DOCUMENTS GENERAUX Page 06 BENIN Page 89 BURKINA FASO Page 97 CAMEROON / CAMEROUN Page 103 CAPE VERDE / CAP VERT Page 116 CHAD / TCHAD Page 118 COTE D’IVOIRE Page 122 GAMBIA / GAMBIE Page 134 GHANA Page 135 GUINEA / GUINEE Page 149 GUINEA-BISSAU / GUINEE- BISSAU Page 153 LIBERIA Page 156 MALI Page 162 MAURITANIA / MAURITANIE Page 169 NIGER Page 171 NIGERIA Page 175 SENEGAL Page 213 SIERRA LEONE Page 226 TOGO Page 235 Annotated bibliography on Civil society: West Africa; Cameroon; Chad 2 Introduction The Council for the Development of Social Science Research in Africa (CODESRIA) http://www.codesria.org with the support from the Open Society Initiative for West Africa (OSIWA) http://www.osiwa.org has launched a twin project on civil society and governance in West Africa. Two other countries are also covered: these are Cameroon and Chad. It is within this framework that the Documentation and Information Centre of CODESRIA (CODICE) has produced this annotated bibliography listing several documents on civil society in Africa. These documents are mainly books, journal articles, conference papers, reports, theses and dissertations. The documents are mainly in English and French. Structure The bibliography comprises two main parts. In the first part are listed general documents on the theme of civil society. The second part is divided into sections by countries.
    [Show full text]
  • Individualism and Community in the Novels of Ngugi Wa Thiong'o
    o n- b-c\S RECONSTRUCTING IDENTITY IN POSTCOLONIAL AFRICAN FICTION: Individualism and Community in the Novels of Ngugi wa Thiong'o Dianne O. Schwerdt A thesis submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Department of English University of Adelaide November L994 N,n' t\t t\ \'\ct" CONTENTS Abstract I Statements Í1 Acknowledgements lV 1. Introduction: Defining the Territory 1 2. Reconstructing the Past: Ngugi's Kenya 42 3. The Divided Individual: Social and Cultural Displacement in The River Between andWeep Not, Child 73 4. Redef,rning the Emergency: The Fragmented Community in A Grain of Wheat r20 5. Individual Choice and Communal Solidarity: Class Alliance in Petals of Blood r64 6. The'Way Home: Restoring Community in Devil on the Cross and Matigari 205 7. Conclusion: Redefining the Future 247 Works Consulted 270 ABSTRACT The intention of this thesis is to examine the way in which Kenya's most significant writer, Ngugi wa Thiong'o, has portlayed the impact of colonialism on the relationship between individualism and community in postcolonial Africa. The views ù expressed in his fiction ale shaped as much by the political, economic, social and cultural forces that have eroded communal structures and values, as by African resistance to those folces. They reflect not only his own disillusionment, but the disenchantment felt by many African intellectuals in the aftermaths of national independence. The changes expedenced by Afiican societies as a rcsult of colonial intervention in Africa were characteristically lapid. Ngugi poltrays tl-re processes by which traditional alliances between individuals and their co--.rnities were disrupted, and the various ways in which new relationships wele forged that could fiuitfully accommodate emerging identities that were not necessarily grounded in the traditional community.
    [Show full text]
  • Poems at the Edge of Differences Universitätsverlag Göttingen Poems at the Edge of Differences New English Poetry Renatepapke Mothering in by Women
    his study consists of two parts. The first part offers an overview of feminism’s the- Tory of differences. The second part deals with the textual analysis of poems about ‘mothering’ by women from India, the Caribbean and Africa. Literary criticism has dealt Renate Papke with the representation of ‘mothering’ in prose texts. The exploration of lyrical texts has not yet come. Poems at the Edge of Differences Since the late 1970s, the acknowledgement of and the commitment to difference has been fundamental for feminist theory and activism. This investigation promotes a diffe- rentiated, ‘locational’ feminism (Friedman). The comprehensive theoretical discussion of Mothering in feminism’s different concepts of ‘gender’, ‘race’, ‘ethnicity’ and ‘mothering’ builds the New English Poetry foundation for the main part: the presentation and analysis of the poems. The issue of ‘mothering’ foregrounds the communicative aspect of women’s experience and wants by Women to bridge the gap between theory and practice. This study, however, does not intend to specify ‘mothering’ as a universal and unique feminine characteristic. It underlines a metaphorical use and discusses the concepts of ‘nurturing’, ‘maternal practice’ and ‘social parenthood’. This metaphorical application supports a practice that could lead to solidarity among women and men in social and political fields. In spite of its ethical – po- litical background, this study does not intend to read the selected poems didactically. The analyses of the poems always draw the attention to the aesthetic level of the texts. Regarding the extensive material, this study understands itself as an explorative not concluding investigation placed at the intersections of gender studies, postcolonial and classical literary studies.
    [Show full text]
  • Ngugi Wa Thiong'o's Fight Against Colonialism and Neocolonialism ;An
    NGUGI WA THIONG'O'S FIGHT AGAINST COLONIALISM AND NEOCOLONIALISM: AN EXPLORATION OF THE THEME OF BETRAYAL by James Stephen Robson B.A., Simon Fraser University, 1972 A THESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF ARTS in the Department of English 0 James Stephen Robson SIMON FRASER UNIVERSITY December 1987 All rights reserved. This work may not be reproduced in whole or in part, by photocopy or other means, without permission of the author. APPROVAL NAME : JAMES STEPHEN ROBSON DEGREE : MASTER OF ARTS TITLE OF THESIS: NGUGI WA -THIONG '0's FIGHT AGAINST COLONIALISM AND NEO- COLONIALISM: AN EXPLORATION OF THE THEME OF BETRAYAL EXAMINING COMMITTEE : Chairperson: David Stouck Ma1 colm Page. Senior Supervisor Professor of Engl i sh Chin Banerjee Associate Professor of English Diana Brydon External Examiner Associate Professor of English Date Approved: December 4, 1987 PARTIAL COPYRIGHT LICENSE I hereby grant to Slmn Fraser Universlty the right to lend my thesis, project or extended essay (the title of which is shown below) to users of the Simon Fraser University Library, and to make partial or single copies only for such users or In response to a request from the library of any other university, or other educational institution, on its own behalf or for one of Its users. I further agree that permission for multiple copying of this work for scholarly purposes may be granted by me or the Dean of Graduate Studies. It is understood that copying or publlcatlon of thls work for financial galn shall not be allowed wiPhout my written permission.
    [Show full text]
  • Preliminary Program 61St Annual Meeting
    Preliminary Program 61st Annual Meeting Energies: Power, Creativity and Afro-Futures November 29 – December 1, 2018 Atlanta, GA Program Committee Chairs: Nana Akua Anyidoho, University of Ghana Mark Auslander, Michigan State University Local Arrangements Committee Chairs: Jennie Burnet, Georgia State University Harcourt Fuller, Georgia State University Pamela Scully, Emory University Program Theme The theme of this year’s Annual Meeting is “Energies: Power, Creativity and Afro-Futures.” The theme statement reads as follows: For the annual meeting of the ASA in Atlanta (2018), we reflect on ‘energy’—its production, extraction, distribution and exchange—as a heuristic to understand Africa’s past and to imagine its futures. Energy has rich literal and metaphorical resonances in reference to extractive and entrepreneurial economic activities; the production of knowledge; human mobility and labor; performance, ritual and spirituality; and crime and social unrest. We call on scholars to explore the theme of energy, in both material and symbolic terms, and to reconceptualize dynamic fields of action in the economy, politics, culture, arts, and environment—across time and space, within the African continent and across its diasporas. Regional and trans-national energy industries and other extractive undertakings have profoundly refashioned modern African landscapes. Petro-chemical industries, often allied with military and national security formations, have at times deepened economic inequality, posed threats to civil society and democratic institutions, and challenged environmental and human ecologies. At other moments, hydrocarbon-based systems have stimulated sociopolitical movements, catalyzed local entrepreneurship and even artistic creativity. The notion of energy is also salient to historical explorations of contestations over human energies in African societies.
    [Show full text]
  • Ngũgĩ Wa Thiong O
    Critical Theory Institute University of California, Irvine 2010 Wellek Library Lecture Series www.humanities.uci.edu/critical Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o (Distinguished Professor of Comparative Literature and English, University of California - Irvine) The Hegelian Lord and Colonial Bondsman: Literature and the Politics of Knowing Monday, May 17, 5:00-7:00pm Wednesday, May 19, 5:00-7:00pm Friday, May 21, 5:00-7:00pm Humanities Gateway, Room 1030 Critical Theory Institute Following Monday’s lecture the audience is 433 Krieger Hall UC Irvine cordially invited to attend a reception for Irvine, CA 92697-5525 Ngũgĩ in Humanities Gateway, Room 1010, Phone: 949-824-5583 7:00PM-8:00pm. Director: Kavita Philip Admin. Coordinator: Lisa Clark For information concerning accommodations for disabilities, please [email protected] contact Lisa Clark at 949-824-5583 Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o: A Bibliography for the Occasion of the 30th Wellek Library Lectures Compiled by John Novak, UCI Research Librarian An electronic version of this and previous Wellek Library Lecture bibliographies with working electronic links will be maintained at this Web site: http://www.lib.uci.edu/about/publications/wellek/wellek-series.html Table of Contents Works by Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o Memoirs .............................................................................................. p.1 Novels and Short Stories .................................................................... p.1 Plays ................................................................................................... p.2
    [Show full text]
  • Militant Femininity in Southern African Poetry: a Discussion of Selected Poems by Micere Mugo and Gladys Thomas
    1 Militant Femininity in Southern African Poetry: A Discussion of Selected Poems by Micere Mugo and Gladys Thomas Accepted for publication In Power and Nationalism. Ed., Falola, Toyin and S. Hassan (Trenton: Africa World Press, 2008) pp. 435-450. Abstract This paper is based on selected poems by Micere Mugo and Gladys Thomas that were written during the apartheid period but were unavailable for critical evaluation because of apartheid circumstances. Focusing on the exigencies of the period, it discusses how context helped to emphasize the militant disposition of the female characters. It analyzes their contribution in the domestic, public, and in-between spheres as well as their visioning of contemporary Southern African and global calamities, showing intersections shaped by gender, class, and postcoloniality in their personalities. Introduction Any quality may appear in any human being and should be evaluated on its own merits, not in terms of gender of the person in whom it appears. (Hunter College Women’s Studies Collective 2005, p. 6). The above quotation that emphasizes the non-gendered nature of human traits is important in appreciating militant femininity. Militant femininity may sound contradictory because militancy is usually excluded in traditional virtues of femininity that often connotes the temperate, submissive, and inactive (Hlatshwayo 1998, Chisholm 2003). These virtues are usually valued for their cooperative cum communal stance. However, in embattled settings where hostility is part of life, militancy is imperative 2 because of its role in antagonism. In this essay, “militancy” implies more than the dictionary definition of the term as “the use of force or strong pressure, or supporting their use, to achieve one’s aims” (Webster 1999), because it goes beyond the external experience described in this definition to include the internal one evoked by the wrangling within the soul.
    [Show full text]
  • Introduction
    Notes Introduction 1. William W. Baldwin, Mau Mau Man-Hunt: The Adventures of the Only American Who Has Fought the Terrorists in Kenya, New York: Dutton, 1957, 18, 49, 98, 174. 2. New York Times, June 12, 1955. 3. The militant African opposition in Colonial Kenya was denoted as “Mau Mau,” not least by those who fought them. They have also been referred to as the Land and Freedom Army. The origin of the term “Mau Mau” is contested. See e.g., George Bennett, “Revolutionary Kenya: The Fifties, a Review,” Race, 8 (Number 4, 1967): 415–420, 415, MSS/10/87, Kenya National Archives–Nairobi: hereafter noted as KNA: According to this author, the first African who disclosed the existence of the liberation forces in a police station in Naivasha, Kenya, asserted, “ ‘I have been given MUMA,’ an oath. The European being neither able to pronounce nor spell [the term] correctly created his own pronunciation . ‘Mau Mau’.” But see P. Godfrey Okoth, United States of America’s Foreign Policy toward Kenya, 1952–1969, Nairobi: Gideon S. Were Press, 1992, 1: “Mau Mau” writes this author is a “garbled expression referring to a repeti- tion of the word ‘uma’ or ‘get out’ ” Note also the existence of the “Mau Escarpment,” an essential part of the topography of Kenya. Beryl Markham, whose writings about Kenya helped to bring this nation to a wider audience in the North Atlantic commu- nity, spoke wistfully about the “slopes of the Mau.” See Beryl Markham, West with the Night, Surrey, UK: Virago, 1984 [First published in 1942], 136.
    [Show full text]
  • From Kenya to the US and Beyond
    Justice Matters: From Kenya to the US and Beyond There was no single historical work written by a Kenyan telling of the grandeur of the heroic resistance of Kenyan people fighting foreign forces of exploitation and domination . Our historians, our political scientists, and even some of our literary figures were trying to document the same colonial myths [about] Kenyan people . We agreed to co-author a play on Kimathi . a hero of the Kenyan masses. Preface, Ngugi wa Thiong’o and Micere Githae Mugo, The Trial of Dedan Kimathi (Nairobi: East African Educational Publishers, 2006, first pub. 1976, Repub. 2006) The Trial of Dedan Kimathi, a powerful drama co-written by Ngugi wa Thiong’o and Micere Githae Mugo communicates across time and space from its setting in 1956 Kenya to speak to us in 2014 United States about issues of justice, and about ongoing divisions of race, language, gender, and class in our society. The play, resonating from within Kenya’s heart and its history, reaches across continents to touch us locally, in our Southern California communities, and indeed wherever, in the US or globally, injustice prevails, wherever ordinary people are oppressed under poverty, under racial, gender, and other dominations. Ngugi and Mugo excavate a misrepresented segment of Kenyan history, “reconstructing it imaginatively”, even “resurrecting Dedan Kimathi” as a hero of the Kenyan people, disrupting negative myths about Kimathi propagated by the British. Kimathi was the leader of the armed guerilla struggle of peasants and workers, called the Kenya Land and Freedom Army, an organized, disciplined force, mainly peasants of the Gikuyu group and others in Kenya.
    [Show full text]