Political Songs, Collective Memories, and Kikuyu Indi Schools

Korwo nĩ Ndemi Mathaathi	If this were Ndemi and Mathaathi's era,
Baba ndagwĩtia kĩrugũ	Father, I would plead for a feast,
Njoke ngwĩtie itimũ na ngo,	Then demand a spear and a shield,
Riu baba ngũgwĩtia gĩthoomo.	But now, father, I plead for education.
Ndegwa rĩu gũititũire,	Bulls are now depleted,
Thenge no iranyihanyiha,	He-goats are also fewer,
Ndiri kĩrugũ ngagwitia,	No banquet shall I ask,
Riu baba ngugwitia gĩthoomo.	Now, father, I plead for education.
Maitũ nĩakwĩrĩte kaing,	Mother has often told you,
Ona niĩ nĩ ngũmenyithĩtie,	Even I have informed you,
Ndirĩ kĩrugũ ngagwĩtia,	No feast shall I demand,
Rĩu baba ngũgwĩtia gĩthoomo.	Now, father, I plead for education.
Njamba ĩrĩa nene Kĩnyatta,	The courageous warrior Kenyatta,
Rĩu nĩoimĩte Rũraaya,	Has now arrived from Europe,
Jomo nĩoimĩte na thoome,	Jomo came through open gates,
Ningĩ Jomo mũthigaani witũ.	Equally, he was our negotiator,
Njamba ya bata hĩndĩ ĩno,	The important warrior of today,
Kaarĩ kayo no gĩthoomo,	His song of joy is education,
Wambu githĩ to gĩthoomo,	Is Wambu's honor not education?
Baba, niĩ no ngakĩina kaarĩ.	Father, how then shall I find my joy?
Njambo cia baba hĩndĩ ĩno,	Brave warriors of today,
Jomo njamba ĩnyuagwo ĩmwe,	We drink to Jomo the fearless one,
Jomo mũraata wa andũ airũ,	Jomo, friend of all Black people,
Nowe Jomo mũraata wa twana.1	And Jomo the friend of children.2

I

Peris 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."³ According to Mrs. Gachaũ, the song Korwo nĩ Ndemi Mathaathi⁴ was popular among her classmates and the Kikuyu elders of her community because "everyone understood the importance of education and uhuru."⁵ 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.

For Peris Gachaũ, this song and others kindled vivid memories of local Kikuyu leaders, teachers, and important visitors who once marveled as Indi school children performed songs and recited passages of Kikuyu history in English.⁶ Mzee Kĩnũthia Mũgĩa best summarized the significance of teaching historical songs to Kikuyu children when he declared that "music was not just for entertainment, it was also used to remember our history. In Africa, music and history have traveled hand in hand for generations."⁷

II

Only a few historians have examined the texts of Kikuyu songs associated with independent schools before or during the "Mau Mau" rebellion. For years, fragments of political and cultural songs have lingered in the minds of many elders. However, with the ever-changing norms of modern Kenya, opportunities for Kikuyu elders to share the historic significance of these songs are rare. Hence the primary argument of this paper focuses on the interplay between reconstructing a Kikuyu collective memory of the independent school experience and analyzing local historical events recorded in the texts of political songs that once expressed the determination of ordinary Kikuyu people. In this paper the works of anthropologists, psychologists, and ethnomusicologists provide analytical insights to examine how memory and music operated together in Kikuyu independent schools to shape emerging concepts of Kikuyu ethnicity, identity, and nationalism.

The first part of the paper explores the concept and utility of collective memory as a tool for studying the shared...