ORAL NARRATIVE PERFORMANCE AND THE CONSTRUCTION OF BUKUSU PERCEPTIONS ON COMMUNAL COEXISTENCE BY JOSEPH JUMA MUSUNGU A PhD Thesis Submitted in Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Award of the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Literature, University of Nairobi OCTOBER, 2016 DECLARATION This thesis is my original work and has not been presented to any other examination body. ___________________________ _________________________ Joseph Juma Musungu Date This thesis has been submitted with our approval as University of Nairobi supervisors. ________________________ __________________________ 1. Dr. Joseph Muleka Date ___________________________ _________________________ 2. Dr. Godwin Siundu Date ___________________________ _________________________ 3. Prof. Helen Mwanzi Date ii DEDICATION This thesis is dedicated to the memory of my late parents: Michael Wekesa Musungu and Lenah Nafula Musungu. iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS In the process of research and writing this thesis, I have received tremendous support from various sources some of which I wish to acknowledge. To start with, my gratitude goes to the University of Nairobi in general and the Department of Literature in particular for a chance to pursue my PhD. I am particularly indebted to my three supervisors Dr. Joseph Muleka, Prof. Helen Mwanzi and Dr. Godwin Siundu for the support and guidance I have received from them. Their critical comments, candid evaluation, suggestions and practical assistance have been great sources of inspiration. My sincere thanks also go to my colleagues Daniel Ngugi, Eric Wamalwa, Michael Okoda and Ben Wekesa for their encouragement during our days at St. Augustine University of Tanzania in Mtwara. At Kibabii University, I wish to acknowledge the support I have received from my colleagues Zak, Christine and Felix. In addition, I thank the Dean, Faculty of Education and Social Sciences, Dr. Rispa Namasaka for her understanding and generous spirit every time I had to come to the University of Nairobi for my research-related travels. I also wish to acknowledge the oral artists who performed the twenty narratives in this thesis. They displayed a high sense of enthusiasm and willingness to help. These men and women not only performed the narratives but also gave me time and ideas as I collected data. Lastly, I wish to very sincerely thank my family members for their moral and material support. My wife Martha, specifically encouraged me to stay late into the night working on this thesis. My children – Hosea, Ephraim, David and Michael – were all sources of inspiration. For Delphine, I lack words with which to express my gratitude. I sincerely thank all who have contributed in different ways towards the full realisation of this study. May God bless you all. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS DECLARATION............................................................................................................... ii DEDICATION.................................................................................................................. iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ............................................................................................ iv ABSTRACT.................................................................................................................... viii CHAPTER ONE ............................................................................................................... 1 Introduction....................................................................................................................... 1 1.0 Background to the Study............................................................................................... 1 1.1 Statement of the Problem.............................................................................................. 8 1.2 Research Objectives...................................................................................................... 9 1.3 Research Assumptions.................................................................................................. 9 1.4 Justification of the Study ............................................................................................ 10 1.5 Scope and Limitations of the Study............................................................................ 11 1.6 Literature Review........................................................................................................ 11 1.7 Theoretical Framework............................................................................................... 20 1.8 Research Methodology ............................................................................................... 28 1.9 Ethical Considerations ................................................................................................ 34 1.10 Conceptual Definition of Terms ............................................................................... 34 1.11 Conclusion ................................................................................................................ 39 CHAPTER TWO ............................................................................................................ 40 Performance and Meaning in Bukusu Oral Narratives .............................................. 40 2.0 Introduction................................................................................................................. 40 2.1 Place and Role of Context of Performance in Bukusu Oral Narratives...................... 42 2.2 The Social and Cultural Context of Performance in Bukusu Oral Narratives............ 48 2.3 Oral Performance and its Contribution to Meaning-Making...................................... 62 2.4 Audience Involvement in Bukusu Oral Narrative Performance ................................. 74 2.5 Conclusion .................................................................................................................. 79 v CHAPTER THREE........................................................................................................ 80 Recurrent Themes in Bukusu Oral Narrative Performance ...................................... 80 3.0 Introduction................................................................................................................. 80 3.1 Heroism....................................................................................................................... 80 3.2 Social Justice............................................................................................................... 87 3.3 Friendship and Honesty .............................................................................................. 92 3.4 Generosity and Hospitality ......................................................................................... 95 3.5 Love and Affection ..................................................................................................... 99 3.6 Hatred and Jealousy .................................................................................................. 103 3.7 Conclusion ................................................................................................................ 105 CHAPTER FOUR......................................................................................................... 107 Language Use and Construction of Bukusu Perceptions on Communal Coexistence ......................................................................................................................................... 107 4.0 Introduction............................................................................................................... 107 4.1. Opening and Closing Formulae ............................................................................... 108 4.2 Imagery and Symbolic Language ............................................................................. 115 4.3 Diminutive and Augmentative Language ................................................................. 121 4.4 Coded Songs in Bukusu Oral Narrative Performance .............................................. 128 4.5 Strategic Repetition................................................................................................... 133 4.6 Conclusion ................................................................................................................ 134 CHAPTER FIVE .......................................................................................................... 136 Bukusu Oral Narrative Performance and the Construction of Identities............... 136 5.0 Introduction............................................................................................................... 136 5.1 Who is a Bukusu? ..................................................................................................... 136 5.2 Construction of Gender Differences in Bukusu Oral Narratives .............................. 139 5.3 Construction of “the Other” in Bukusu Oral Narrative Performance....................... 145 5.4 Conclusion ................................................................................................................ 168 vi CHAPTER SIX ............................................................................................................. 169 Conclusion ..................................................................................................................... 169 6.0 Introduction............................................................................................................... 169 6.1 Summary..................................................................................................................