Uhuru Torch Images in Selected Sukuma Praise Songs

Abstract

This article examines Uhuru (Independence)Torch images in selected Sukuma praise songs, highlighting their significance and the images they embody. The analysis of these songs attempted to capture the Sukuma imagination of the Torch—an independence symbol—in terms of sociocultural, political and economic dimensions. The purposively selected Sukuma praise songs contain Uhuru Torch attributes reinforced through the evocation of praise tones. The Torch is the focal point of these songs since the praising they imbue significantly extrapolate its significance to the society. The qualitative study explored in-depth the Sukuma sociocultural, political and economic practices embedded in the images of these Sukuma praise songs to assess their significance in capturing the Uhuru essence and what it represents. It analyses the Uhuru Torch images in Sukuma praise songs from two angles: the angle of bodily/physical sensation (images of fire and smoke of Uhuru Torch) and the association/comparison perspective (Uhuru Torch in the image of man and the mythological images of the Torch). At the centre of analysis of selected Sukuma praise songs are images interpreted in partnership with Uhuru Torch observable in diverse artistic contexts and perceptions of the Sukuma lore. The study found that these images are primarily a product of the human mind, which is machinery for digesting images for consumption and awareness of the society.