CONSTRUCTION OF MASCULINITY IN KENYAN POPULAR MUSIC: A CLOSE ANALYSIS OF SELECTED KAMBA POPULAR PERFORMANCES DANIEL CATHERINE NDUKU C50/80489/2015 A RESEARCH REPORT SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF THE REQUIREMENT FOR THE AWARD OF DEGREE OF MASTERS OF ARTS IN LITERATURE UNIVERSITY OF NAIROBI. NOVEMBER 2020 DECLARATION This project is my original work and has not been presented for examination in any other university. Signed_________________________ Date ______________________ Catherine Nduku Daniel C50/89489/2015 This project has been submitted with our approval as University supervisors: First Supervisor: Dr. Joseph Muleka Signed_________________________ Date ______________________ Second Supervisor. Dr. Makau Kitata Signed_________________________ Date ______________________ i DEDICATION I dedicate this work to my husband Jeremiah David Muthama Muthembwa; your love patience and encouragement inspired me. To my sons and daughters; you believed in me and this gave me strength in hard times. You gave me the reason to do it all. To my parents Daniel Kithuva and Grace Ndinda; the lessons you gave me taught me never to give up. To my friends; your counsel came at the right time. And above all to God whose grace was always sufficient. ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENT My utmost gratitude goes to the almighty God for the gift of life, knowledge and wisdom that led to the successful completion of this project. I owe a great deal of gratitude to my dear supervisors Dr. Joseph Muleka and Dr. Makau Kitata without whose guidance this project could have remained a dream. You were patient with me even when I seemed to take eternity to complete this project. I also stretch my gratitude to the entire staff of the Department of Literature at the University of Nairobi for their unwavering intellectual support. Special gratitude to all my lecturers, Prof. Henry Indangasi, Prof. Ciarunji Chesaina, Prof. Peter Wasamba, Prof. Hellen Mwanzi, Prof. Monica Mweseli, Dr. Makau Kitata, Dr. Tom Odhiambo, Dr. Jennifer Muchiri, Dr. Godwin Siundu, Dr. Masumi Odari and Dr. Mirriam Musonye for your intellectual support. On the same note I would like to acknowledge the selected Kamba popular artists whose oral poetics I used as the basis of my data collection. These include Alphonse Kioko alias Maima, Alex Kasau alias Katombi, Ben Mbatha alias Kativui Mweene, Dominic Muasya Mbithi alias Vuusya uungu and Kennedy Wambua Ngunze alias Ken wa Maria. I would, in appreciation, like to acknowledge my father and mother both of whom prayed for me ceaselessly. On the same breadth I acknowledge my fellow students for your intellectual company along this journey. Finally, I extend special appreciation to my loving and caring family. To my dear husband Jeremiah David Muthama Muthembwa who wholeheartedly provided both emotional and financial support to me even when he had to sacrifice so much. And to my sons and daughters for their encouragement through the tough times during my study and research. iii ABSTRACT In the contemporary world popular music has become a fertile ground for the demonstration of masculine identity with artists making songs an arena for the exhibition of masculine identity. The current study, construction of masculinity in Kamba popular music endeavors to interrogate selected Kamba popular songs, showing how hegemonic masculinities are celebrated and revered. The study analyses the content of the selected songs in order to expose music as a medium for normalizing, transmitting and reinforcing the perceived male superiority versus female inferiority. The study highlights the discourses of masculinity vis a vis feminity. The impetus of the study was borne from the realization that spoken language could be used as a vehicle for the transmission of societal ideas and for the construction of a gendered identity. The study was limited to the construction of masculinity in selected Kamba popular songs. It worked on the hypothesis that there are stereotypical roles attributed to masculine and feminine genders. The artists’ choices and language used was what made the songs present both genders differently and stereotypically. Appealing language was used to refer to men whereas demeaning language was used to refer to women. Aesthetics has been established to play a vital role in the construction of gender and even women themselves play a role in the construction of a gendered identity through their sexualized dance in the music performances. The study has highlighted how popular songs disseminate messages which mirror dominant hegemonic attitudes and believes about sexuality. Young men and women who listen to this kind of music will, with time, perceive the sexual stereotypes as the norm. Performativity theory aided in the interpretation of the connotative meanings in the Kamba popular poetics. Ethnopoetics theory was also found appropriate as it privileged the literary aesthetics of the poetics. Finally, the feminist theory was used as the study touches issues to do with women. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS DECLARATION....................................................................................................................... i DEDICATION.......................................................................................................................... ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENT ..................................................................................................... iii ABSTRACT ............................................................................................................................. iv CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION .................................................................................... 1 1.1 Background of the study ...................................................................................................... 1 1.1.1 Brief history of the Akamba community .................................................................... 2 1.2 Statement of the problems ................................................................................................... 4 1.3 Research Objectives ............................................................................................................. 5 1.4 Research Hypotheses ........................................................................................................... 5 1.5 Justification of the study ...................................................................................................... 5 1.6 Scope and limitations of the study ....................................................................................... 6 1.7 Theoretical Framework ........................................................................................................ 6 1.7.1 Introduction ................................................................................................................. 6 1.7.2 Performativity Theory ................................................................................................. 6 1.7.3 Feminist Literary Theory ............................................................................................ 8 1.7.4 Ethnopoetics ................................................................................................................ 9 1.8 Literature review ................................................................................................................ 10 1.8.1 Introduction ............................................................................................................... 10 1.8.2 Review on the meaning of masculinity ..................................................................... 10 1.8.3 Historical background of Kenyan Popular Music ..................................................... 11 1.8.4 Review on traditional views on masculinity. ............................................................ 12 1.8.5 Review of gender related studies .............................................................................. 14 1.8.5.1 Global studies......................................................................................................... 14 1.8.5.2 African studies ....................................................................................................... 16 1.8.5.3 Kenyan Studies ...................................................................................................... 17 1.9 Research methodology ....................................................................................................... 18 1.9.1 Introduction ............................................................................................................... 18 1.9.2 Research Design........................................................................................................ 18 1.9.3 Data collection .......................................................................................................... 19 1.9.4 Data Sampling ........................................................................................................... 19 1.9.5 Data analysis ............................................................................................................. 19 v CHAPTER TWO: DISCOURSES ON MASCULINITY VIS-A-VIS FEMININITY IN KAMBA POPULAR SONGS ............................................................................................... 21 2.0 Introduction ........................................................................................................................ 21 2.1 Women as sexually immoral, men as hypersexual. ..........................................................