On Mau Mau with Mavingo and Birte
Welcome to Episode 2 of the Thuulizane Podcast!
We have in the last fortnight had two significant visits to East Africa. I can only speculate on the coincidence. In Kenya, King Charles and his Queen Camilla were received for a state visit while Germany's President Frank-Walter Steinmeier arrived in Tanzania. Both envoys being two former colonial powers in the countries of their destination.
In Tanzania, President Frank-Walter Steinmeier issued a German apology for the atrocities performed on the Tanzanian people by the German colonial powers in the Maji Maji rebellion of 1905-1907. King Charles' mention of deep regret for the wrongs committed by the British in Kenya, fell short of an actual apology to the descendants of the harmed. Speculations exist on why an apology was omitted but there is no doubt that Kenya still bears the scars of Britain's heavy handedness of the time. Scars on its land, its systems and most importantly and painfully, on its people.
Mavingo in my opinion embarks in a hero's task. That of giving those who suffered in those times a voice and a channel to tell their stories as they experienced it and in their own languages. A privilege that is denied to many other fighters who suffered under the hand of the British colonial regime. There is an estimate of 11,000 deaths of Mau Mau by British force and a recorded death of 32 Europeans who lost their lives to the Mau Mau. Not to mention those who were taken to fight for the British in WW2 who never came back home, no word or solace for their families. As Kenyans, we have a lot to expect of the British in their recognition of atrocities.
Still, the aim of this episode is not to ignite any sort of uprising but instead to assist with the healing of a people who still fight the shadows of the events of that time.
I highly encourage listeners to go through the links below for more context on the Mau Mau and info from the episode.
· Wiki on the Embu people [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Embu_people]
· The BBC News perspective of King Charles and Queen Camilla's [https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-67265085] Royal family's recent visit to Kenya.
· National Army Museum's information on the Mau Mau uprising [https://www.nam.ac.uk/explore/Kenya-Emergency#:~:text=Although%20the%20Mau%20Mau%20murdered,they%20had%20few%20modern%20weapons.]
· Al Jazeera Documentary [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xEwOICbKXcw&ab_channel=AlJazeeraEnglish] following a group of Kenyan's seeking justice for Britain's role in the torture during the 1950s Mau Mau uprising.
· British propaganda of the day [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eOiIf-mLiQc&ab_channel=BritishPath%C3%A9]: how the British communicated to their nationals the need to use force against the Mau Mau. Justifying torture and dehumanizing a whole group of people fighting for their right to self-determination.
· Article from a former Kikuyu Home Guard Newspaper article on a proud former Home Guard [https://www.standardmedia.co.ke/entertainment/news/article/2001262952/mau-mau-struggle-they-hated-us-but-i-dont-regret-being-a-home-guard]
· Information on the Mungiki [https://www.refworld.org/docid/52a72f7e4.html] a controversial ethnic organisation in Kenya
· Cultural entropy is a thought-provoking concept that helps us understand how cultures change and evolve over time. Just like the vibrant rhythms and diverse melodies that fill our continent, culture too has its own rhythms and melodies of transformation. For further reading see Fernandez Velasco, P. Entropy, prediction and the cultural ecosystem of human cognition. Synthese 201, 94 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11229-023-04089-3 .
This episode was recorded at SEMABOX studios Located in: Baraza Media Lab, Riverside Drive, Nairobi. Hosted, edited and produced by Teresa.
Want to interact with Mavingo and Birte? Catch them on untoldstories.kenya [https://www.instagram.com/untoldstories.kenya/] on Instagram as you also peruse their amazing work.
Want an event with a difference, contact the mentioned Kwiminjura group via leader John on +254746425822 and add some culture to your fun!
As usual, thank you for joining us for the episode and stay curious!
Murathimwo!
