Political Songs, Collective Memories and Kikuyu Indi Schools

Abstract

Korwo nĩNdemi MathaathiBaba ndagwĩtia kĩrugũNjoke ngwĩtie itimũ na ngo,Riu baba ngũgwĩtia gĩthoomo.Ndegwa rĩu gũititũire,Thenge no iranyihanyiha,Ndiri kĩrugũ ngagwitia,Riu baba ngugwitia gĩthoomo.Maitũ nĩakwĩrĩte kaing,Ona niĩ nĩngũmenyithl˜tie,Ndirĩ kĩrugũ ngagwĩtia,Rĩu baba ngũgwĩtia gĩthoomo.Njamba ĩrĩa nene Kĩnyatta,Rĩu rĩoimĩte Rũraaya,Jomo nĩoimĩte na thoome,Ningĩ Jomo mũthigaani witũ.Njamba ya bata hĩndĩ ĩno,Kaarĩkayo no gĩtboomo,Wambu githĩto gĩthoomo,Baba, niĩno ngakĩina kaarĩ.Njambo cia baba hĩndĩ ĩno,]omo njamba ĩnyuagwo ĩmwe,Jomo mũraata wa andũairũ,Nowe Jotno mũraata wa twana1.1If this were Ndemi and Mathaathi's era,Father, I would plead for a feast,Then demand a spear and a shield,But now, father, I plead for education.Bulls are now depleted,He-goats are also fewer,No banquet shall I ask,Now, father, I plead for education.Mother has often told you,Even I have informed you,No feast shall I demand,Now, father, I plead for education.The courageous warrior Kenyatta,Has now arrived from Europe,Jomo came through open gates,Equally, he was our negotiator,The important warrior of today,His song of joy is education,Is Wambu's honor not education?Father, how then shall I find my joy?Brave warriors of today,We drink to Jomo the fearless one,Jomo, friend of all Black people,And Jomo the friend of children.2Peris Wanjira Gachaũ was eleven years old when she first attended Ngoigo Independent School in 1948. She enjoyed, most of all, singing the songs her teachers taught her and other students concerning the significance of education, stolen Kikuyu land, and the promise of African independence in Kenya. “Our teachers taught us lessons of our history, culture, elders, as well as our future; and we sang in the mornings, in the afternoons, and on our way home from school, everyday.” According to Mrs. Gachaũ, the song Korwo nĩ Ndemi Mathaathi was popular among her classmates and the Kikuyu elders of her community because “everyone understood the importance of education and uhuru.” But this song most likely represented more than education and freedom to the people of Ngoigo. This song also acknowledges the memory of Kikuyu customs, the continuous transformation of Kikuyu tradition to modernity, the changing armature of Kikuyu leadership, and the future negotiation process for communicating with the outside world.