Let's Encourage Sheng in Kenyan Literature

This article first appeared on Saturday Nation, January 18, 2014 under the title; “To Get Students to read, write in Sheng”

The prospect of using Sheng in literature among Kenyan writers is entirely positive. Sheng cannot be “a language for criminals,” as Kennedy Echesa Lubengu describes it in one of his past articles. Rather it gives the East African region (especially Kenya) a sense of identity. It springs from a combination of English words with local ones – like Swahili and Kikuyu words. Killing Sheng is like wallowing to Western colonialist directive in language terms.

In the Kenyan 8-4-4 school curriculum, African languages and other relevant essentials are discouraged inapplicable in composition writing. Examiners award marks only for impeccable Queen Elizabeth English. The way we struggle to muster English is the way Westerners should do in respect to African languages, like Sheng. At least this might bring unity of languages.

Using Sheng in literature also points at the growth of African languages. I wouldn’t be wrong by maintaining that Kenyan youth should be among the greatest readers, for literary future of the country is in their hands. Since Sheng is most popular among the youth, writers should employ the language to keep youthful eyes glued on literary books.

Kwani Trust has entirely achieved this. Since purchasing a Kwani Journal on August last year, several of my fellow students have read it for its regularly well-used Sheng words, although few. They have even been attending the monthly Amka Space literature forum at Goethe-instutit Nairobi.

Sheng further arouses reading interest. A reader is usually anxious to see how Sheng words affect and work with English ones and the whole work. Literary originality initially began in West Africa, with Amos Tutuola, and later Chinua Achebe; who faced stiff criticism for using Pidgin-English (a mixture of Igbo and English) in his writings, notably “A man of the people”. Osi Ogbu has also used the language in his novel; “The Moon also Sets”.   

©2014 Peter Ngila

Let's Enjoy Our Trash; Mochama - Section the Last

A literary work which is 'positive' and 'righteous' can't fit in any society. No society is that clean as we all owe our origin to our first parents - Adam and Eve. The devil is the one who cheated them to disobey God. That the serpent always tries to conquer us shows that our hands many a times get soiled through committing sin. The pen exposes such trash. Without its presence, words can barely exist. And if they do, they may be corrupted in meaning and relevance.
 The late humourist, Wahome Mutahi of the whispers fame, in Doomsday, exploits terrorist attack on the American embassy in Anyisa - typically Kenya. Sadam Hussein decides to settle scores with America through that cowardly act. The writer wants to wide-open the reader's eyes to see the negativity of terrorism and corruption as human bodies get burnt beyond recognition, economies pinched.

In Jail Jugs, Wahome satirises the terrible condition of our jails. Using Albert Kweyu’s first-person narrative voice, he divulges how inmate life is worthless to wardens. For example, if a prisoner dies, he is just dumped and his scanty possession sent back to his people explaining that 'he has been defeated by his sentence.' After Pepeto and Fixer escapes from prison, the rest of the prisoners are starved for days, as though they can produce the escapees with every baton-connection onto their knee caps or skulls.

Ngugi wa thiong'os Devil on the Cross addresses neo-colonial themes such as corruption and human extortion. Jacinta Wariinga gets sacked for defying her boss’ advances. Devil on the cross uses satire to expose extortion of the rich by the poor. The International organisation of thieves and robbers (IOTR) convenes a meeting in Ilmorog to make local property guards account how much each has stolen from the people and to suggest how robbery can be improved in the country.

Throughought Aminata, the late master playwright, Francis Imbuga, explores exploitation of women rights in society. Aminata's uncle and the chief of Membe village, Jumba, struggle to deprive her of her father's (Pastor Ngoya's) inheritance of land. He complies with Aminata's brother, Ababio, to achieve his plot, and sows seeds of discord between brother and sister.

Otieno Kembo, in Margaret Ogolla's The River and the Source, after the death of his brother Chief Owuor Kembo and Akoko's husband (Owuor Kembo), grabs his brother's wealth. He also seats on the throne, and runs the Sakwa community ruthlessly. Since the right king is too young to rule, Otieno does not follows chik - the community's way of life of acting as the infant's patron until the former comes of age. Akoko goes to Kisuma (Kisumu) to seek the white man D.O's help in ousting her brother-in-law from the throne. Writers have to deal with tenderness of words only. Nothing else to worry about as 'trash' events always compete with each other for human awareness. Let us follow Mochama's counsel and embrace our 'trash' the way it should be.

© Peter Ngila 2013

 

Let's Enjoy Our Trash; Mochama - Section the Second

In Peter Kimani's Before the Rooster Crows, socially unacceptable happenings breathe life into the novel. Daughter suffers rape under her own father. Mumbi, Muriuki's childhood girlfriend, escapes sexual assault from the village to the city of Gichuka where she becomes 'a girl of the night.'

The protagonist, Muriuki, avenges his girlfriend's death by murdering the British young navy officer killer, Sam Dessertstorm. Muriuki is then sentenced to life imprisonment by the president, after the judge - Harkman Anderson himself 'is found guilty of leading the suspect to commit a crime - to kill on the basis of whiteness versus blackness'. There are several flashbacks illuminating Kimachia's bloodshed struggle against the British during the Mau Mau.

Henry Ole Kulet's Bandits of Kibi also explores societal atrocity. The whole Masai community suffers dearly in the hands of intra-ethnic clashes; which claims the lives of many, including Mama Manta's son - Lanto. It's interesting to note how Kulet, the winner of the 2013 Jomo Kenyatta Prize for literature with Vanishing Heards, parallels these clashes with the post election violence which dogged the country in 2007/2008.

My Dear Bottle, authored by David G. Maillu, takes the reader through the main character's great friendship with the bottle - beer. He thinks that it directs him to good things like winning women easily, while it really makes life miserable for him. He has nothing to show from his job, and his wife severally runs away.

© Peter Ngila 2013