I remember that morning with Mĩcere Gĩthae Mũgo. It was in the corridors of the new Department of Literature at Nairobi University, which was born out of the abolition of the English Department. We lamented the fact that Jomo Kenyatta, the erstwhile hero of the independence struggle, had surrounded himself with Anglophiles and colonial loyalists like Charles Njonjo. Dedan Kĩmathi and the heroes and heroines of the Kenya Land and Freedom Army were being taken off the calendar of the very independence they had sacrificed their lives for. Mĩcere and I had the same thought. Write a play about Dedan Kĩmathi. But where and how to begin?
We drove to Karũnainĩ in Nyeri, Kĩmathi’s birthplace. We met men and women, some of whom had been Kĩmathi’s students. They pointed at a spot in the forest. That was where he was shot and wounded by an African traitor. In the course of our talks, I mentioned something about Kĩmathi’s death, thinking of his execution by the British in One of the women turned cold eyes at me. Dead? Then go and show us his grave.
That peasant woman gave us the theme of our play. To Kenyan people, Kĩmathi was still alive. Jomo Kenyatta and his cohorts of neo-colonials cou
The Participation of Women in African Litterature Pre and Post-Colonialism: The Life of Micere Githae Mugo by Caroline Gathogo
Micere Githae Mugo is an internationally known world speaker recognized for her literary works, essays and writings which she has used as a platform to advocate for social justice and human rights in Africa especially Kenya. She has been described by most of her colleagues as a teacher and a woman of virtue, integrity, principle, and benevolence. As an educator, she likes to challenge her students to think beyond what they learn in the books and what they hear. The challenge is to assist the student to become a critical thinker in order to come up with evidence and ideas that provide sufficient evidence. She cites John Mbiti “I am because we are and since we are therefore I am,” [1] an expression of the ideology of Ubuntu from the Shona of Zimbabwe and Nguni of South Africa. In East Africa the same concept is called “Undugu,” meaning that as humans we need each other in order to survive. This sense of community and belonging which is what she advocates is deeply rooted in African culture, in what it means to be human. She thereby challenges African so
I want you to know
how carefully
I watered the tender shoots
you planted
in my little garden.
Micere Githae Mugo,
On Thursday, 25 May , several of us, mostly women from across various continents, gathered at the Africa Literature Association (ALA) Annual Conference to honour Mwalimu Micere Githae Mugo on her 80th. Birthday. We were all happy to be there; some attending virtually via zoom from as far as Japan, Europe, and the rest from the United States. The room was full and those of us on the organised roundtable felt the enormity of this event. I had not anticipated the number of people attending to pay homage to one person: Professor Micere Githae Mugo, who could not attend in person. I was delighted that she was able to attend virtually, but alas, we did not see her face because she was in bed and quite sick.
I was grateful that she had followed us online. In those few minutes of our convening, I became acutely cognisant of the significance of the occasion. We had all come to honour and celebrate our sister Prof Micere Githae Mugo, but did we have some prescience? Wangui wa Goro and two others present at the conference had been discussing organising a r
Micere Githae Mugo is undoubtedly one of Africa’s foremost poets of distinction. Her iconic status as an activist, scholar and creative artist spans the colonial and post-independence era of Kenya’s political history. My tribute will highlight the ways in which Mugo’s collection, My Mother’s Poem and Other Songs () interrogates important issues of women’s empowerment, Pan-Africanism, and social justice that resonate with contemporary challenges to progress in Kenya, East Africa, the continent and beyond to the diaspora.
Micere Mugo’s poetry resonates her commitment to political activism, support for social justice and racial solidarity within a feminist framework. As a literary treasure of Kenya, her poetic expression foregrounds feminist expression as a lens to examine larger issues of the political and socio-cultural landscape of Kenya, the Black world, and the global arena.
In the same way as My Mother’s Poem and Other Songs, her earlier poetry Daughter of My People, Sing! () is described as a defining work infused with feminist elements, hope, and the promise of development in post-independence Africa. My Mother’s Poem and Other Songs convey these tenets to vividly
Biographies you may also like
Joe michael burke biography of albert einstein Albert Einstein was a theoretical physicist and the most famous scientist in human history. He developed the general theory of relativity, one of the two pillars of modern physics, alongside Missing: joe michael burke.
Albert camus biography yahoo answers Albert Camus, with his unique abilities, left a significant legacy that after many years of his demise, his works still attract the same attention. His ideas have confounded generations so Missing: yahoo.
Dipti ketkar biography of christopher columbus Between and , the Italian navigator and explorer Christopher Columbus [a] led four transatlantic maritime expeditions in the name of the Catholic Monarchs of Spain to the Caribbean and to Central and South America. These voyages Missing: dipti ketkar.
Anant agarwal biography examples Anant Agarwal? Hey there, I'm Anant and I'm passionate about helping people understand and level up their skills in Data Science and Artificial Intelligence, arguably the hottest jobs of the .
Gustav holst brief biography of william hill Gustav Holst “passed away quietly and peacefully” in London of heart failure on 25 May , at the age of His ashes were interred at Chichester Cathedral in Sussex, Missing: william hill.
Teori evolusi biologi menurut harold urey biography Harold C. Urey was awarded the National Medal of Science for outstanding contributions to our understanding of the origin and evolution of the solar system and the origin of life on Earth and .
Alexx ekubo biography graphic organizer Born on April 10, , in Lagos, Nigeria, Alexx Ekubo is an actor and model who has made a significant impact in the Nigerian movie industry, often referred to as Nollywood. Missing: graphic organizer.