MST-Department of Literature

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Browsing MST-Department of Literature by Author "Alembi, Ezekiel"

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    An analysis of the context and meaning of the poetry within the Babukusu Khuswala Kumuse funeral ritual
    (2011-12-07) Musungu, Joseph Juma; Alembi, Ezekiel; Muigai Wa Gachanja
    The theme of death and dying in Africa has attracted a lot of studies mainly from anthropology, sociology and religious studies. Such studies include: Abrahamson (1951), Goody (1962), Sangree (1966), Mbiti (1969), Adeyemo (1979) and Gehman (1999). These studies have mainly focused on the causes of death, the meaning of death and the destination of the souls of the dead. In literature, few studies have been made on this theme. These studies have been broad covering many communities in Africa. Also, they have been general in the sense that they lack a specific guiding theoretical framework. These studies include: Finnegan (1970), P'Bitek (1974), Nandwa (1976) and Akivaga and Odaga (1982). It is in the light of the foregoing that this study comes up to study the poetry performed within the Babukusu khuswala kumuse funeral ritual. The study employs the ethno poetic theory to locate the poetry within the ritual to the community's setting. This theory provides an opportunity for the researcher to have a closer interaction with the community under study through field work. Such an interaction is vital in analysing the given poetry. In field research the study used participation and observation, interviews as well as review of documents to collect data. Our research team attended and participated in four funerals from different parts of Bungoma District. The funerals attended were limited given that this ritual is restricted to a few elderly male members of the community. The people interviewed were selected through purposive and snow-balle sampling techniques. The exercise set off with interviewing ten opinion leaders who were identified by ritual performers. These leaders then identified ten more people. The sample encompassed people from different parts of Bungoma district. The documents reviewed included textbooks, dissertations, articles in journals, government reports and review commentaries. In this study, it is revealed that the poetry within the ritual of khuswala kumuse is disseminated during the funeral of elderly male members of the Babukusu community. It has also been established that the poetry performed within khuswala kumuse transcends the funeral context. This poetry educates the community on matters of life and death. In relation to these findings, the credibility of this study is established.
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    An analysis of the style and social significance of the Abanyore children's oral poetry
    (2012-05-18) Alembi, Ezekiel
    This study focuses on the Abanyole children's oral poetry. Data used was derived from both children and adults. The study elucidates the context within which the poems are performed. It classifies the collected poems into two broad categories: lullabies and singing games; explores the stylistic components of the poems and synthesizes the social significance of the poems to both the Munyore child and the Abanyole community. The main contention of the study is that, firstly, the nature of the social milieu influences the content and form of the Abanyole children's oral poetry and hence such poetry is bound to be dynamic. Secondly, the older generation in the Abanyole community is central in the teaching and conceptualisation of the content and form of the children's oral poetry thereby endowing the poems with a pragmatic value. The poems analysed were collected through recording of performances on twenty-one primary schools while making relevant notes on the context of such performances. Children and adults were interviewed in order to assess the degree of involvement and the meaning of the poems to the children and for the children. In relation to the context of performance, the study has shown that: the poems are mainly sung during different games in a playful environment; the games are performed in a social context as expressed through various formations such as circles, lines and groups which are characterised by order and beauty; the poems are tools for cultural education as well as entertainment; and the poems are employed in work situations as a tool for motivation or emotional appeal. The analysis of style has revealed that these poems are rich in repetition, imagery, personification, sound of words, and that these words are carefully chosen to appeal to the emotions of the children. In terms of social significance, the study shows that the poems teach the children to face the realities of adult life. The study also shows that these poems act as tools for cultural identity and the style of its presentation. In view of these findings, the validity of the two contentions is established. Suggestions of avenues for follow up research as well as the literary significance of the children's oral poetry is outlined.