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Item Spirit possession among the Mijikenda(Kenya Museum Society, 1989) Orchardson-Mazrui, E.The Mijikendal believe that illness results from possession by malevolent spirits. Pepo za mwiri, a "spirit of the body", manifests itself in various ailments such as malaria, whooping cough, arthritis and smallpox. Bodily possession is treated with therapy, herbal medicine and magical ornaments. Pepo za kitswa, an Arabic-speaking Muslim "spirit of the head", can cause mental disturbances and necessitates a lengthy course of treatment which is similar but also includes an important exorcism ceremony called ngoma za pepo, "spirit dance". Both kinds of afflictions are diagnosed by specialists, waganga, who first identify the spirit then prescribe the course of appropriate treatment. The identity of the spirit is learned when the healer speaks to it, saying "we are here to listen to your wishes; reveal yourself; we are friends", etc. The spirit is thought to respond to the healer via the possessed person who speaks the spirit's own tongue. Thus, the spirit may be identified as Arab, Pemba, Somali, Maasai, Mugalla, etc. Waganga, who may be men or women, are concerned with curing people and use "good" medicine (uganga). Wachawi practise "bad" medicine in great secrecy. The Mijikenda are convinced that wachawi still exist but, of course, no one who practises uchawi would admit doing so. The belief in the existence of "evil" medicine offers Mijikenda people a convenient excuse when they are in conflict with their community. By claiming to be possessed by an Arab spirit, or being the victim of uchawi, an individual may go to a Muslim muganga who will exorcise the spirit. When this happens, it is often said that the spirit wanted the individual to break with Mijikenda tradition2. Entrepreneurs for example have commonly adopted this method of distancing themselves from the community.Item Expressing Power and Status through Aesthetics in Mijikenda Society(Taylor & Francis, Ltd., 1998-06) Orchardson-Mazrui, E.This article pinpoints the dynamic interaction of aesthetics, power and status in 'traditional' society. The article adopts the functionalist approach as being the most appropriate in understanding the multi-functionality of aesthetics as it pertains to elders of privilege. The article postulates that certain aesthetic elements articulated and legitimized the political, economic and ritual power of privileged elders, and that they visually, contextually and perceptually marked out elders vested with authority from those individuals with no authority in the society. It argues that it was in the interest of privileged elders to appropriate certain aesthetic elements and imbue them with ritual and symbolic value in order to manipulate them to their advantage within the Council of Elders system which, though it is said to have been relatively egalitarian in its mode of operation, nonetheless was ruled by a small elite group.Item A Conceptual Framework for Research in Music and Music Education Within a Cultural Context(University of Ilinois Press, 2000) Akuno, E. A.Music education in Kenya has been, and continues to be conducted along Western theories which fall short of defining music as experienced within traditional African cultures (New, ¡980; Omondi, 1980; Kwami, 1989; Akuno, 1997; Kidula, 1998). Research in music, an attempt to find reality and meaning in it, involves discovering its components, how they make a cohesive and comprehensible whole, and how the produced item functions in the economy of the culture thai produces and consumes it. Since music must be understood from the participants 'point of view, a true understanding involves analysis within the context in which it is created and practised. The created music is influenced by the artist's understanding of the subject through experience and knowledge gained in that genre. Such experience, gained from casual, informal contacts or deliberate, organised instruction, is drawn upon for musical creativity as manifested in performance, response to musical stimuli as well as composition. This paper examines this process to come up with a conceptual framework for the understanding of music within a cultural context.Item Mila: exploring music education instructional promise of selected Kenyan folk songs(Kenyatta University, 2007) Njoora, T.K.Teaching Music with a Multicultural Approach has received significant scholarly attention as contemporary society seeks increased diversity avenues. Invariably multicultural instructional material is drawn from folksongs and material from world communities, which traditionally have received periphery instructional attention. This article examines the instructional opportunity presented in the rich cultural heritage of Kenyan folk songs in response to current music education trends. Choksy (1999) argues that one of the basic ingredients of Kodaly's (a Hungarian music educator, composer, 1882 -1967) method advocates for singing as the basis for music instruction, specifically the use of folk and art music. That since folk songs build on native speaking ability and therefore appropriate for early instruction. As the dawn of twenty-first century begins, the effects of global economy, world politics, technological advances, supersonic travel, media developments have turned the world into a seemingly global village. Nevertheless, the place and role of traditional music of various people of the world remain crucial to help us understand our roots and social identity. These are important links not onlyfor music education but also inforging the way for future social cohesion and solidarityItem A ‘Uses and Gratification Expectancy Model’ To Predict Students’ ‘Perceived Elearning Experience’(JSTOR, 2008) Mondi, Makingu; Woods, Peter; Rafi, AhmadThis study investigates ‘how and why’ students’ ‘Uses and Gratification Expectancy’ (UGE) for e-learning resources influences their ‘Perceived e-Learning Experience.’ A ‘Uses and Gratification Expectancy Model’ (UGEM) framework is proposed to predict students’ ‘Perceived e-Learning Experience,’ and their uses and gratifications for electronic media in a blended learning strategy. The study utilises a cross-sectional research design, and elicits data from secondary school students through a field survey-questionnaire. The findings suggest that there are significant relationships between five dimensions of students’ UGE for e-learning resources, and their ‘Perceived e-Learning Experience.’ It is plausible that these UGE aspects of students’ ‘communication behaviour’ towards electronic media are important determinants of effective integration of the e-learning resources in school-curriculum. While this research focuses on students at secondary-school level, some elements in the UGE model may apply to students using e-learning resources at other levels of their education. This model gives researchers and educators a new tool to forecast the success of development and deployment of e-learning resources in education systems.Item Synchronising pedagogy and musical experiences in early childhood: addressing challenges in preschool music education in Kenya(Taylor & Francis, 2009-08) Andang'o, Elizabeth J. A.This paper examines pedagogy in early childhood music education and the resultant learning experiences in music for children in Kenyan preschools. Two important principles proposed for the synchronisation of teaching and learning in early childhood music education are cultural relevance and developmental appropriateness. These terms are operationalised to suit the Kenyan context. The study described here examined pedagogical practices and children’s musical activities from both cultural and psychological perspectives, based on the rationale that music education should be both culturally relevant and developmentally appropriate. Results suggested that little planning was carried out prior to musical activities, and that the activities did not always benefit all the children. The results of this study may be applicable to early childhood music education in a significant number of Kenyan preschools, since the majority of preschool teachers are trained using the same curriculum countrywide, hence their approach to music education is bound to have many commonalities.Item Music and meaning: Some reflections through personal compositions(Taylor & Francis, 2010-08) Njoora, T. K.On 31 May 2007, with the cooperation of musicians from Kenyatta University1 and Goethe-Institute; (German cultural centre) in Nairobi, I had the privileged opportunity to share several premiere compositions with the audience in Nairobi as part of community reach out with ‘art music’. Regarding music composition, Barret (2003) argues that composition assists in expressive meaning-making for both the composer and the audience. But then (he argues) meaning is ‘culturally mediated…and is most effectively described as a dialogue between…the musician and the composer, the emerging musical work, the culture that produced the composer, and the emerging work’. For me personally, the compositions shared during the concert served several purposes – (a) sharing my creative world with the audience; (b) responding to music enthusiasts interests and academic requirements; (c) adding cultural capital to Kenyan art music; and (d) exploring some fundamental issues in meaning-making through music compositions. As Barret (2003) observes; Specific practices and connections, traditions from which they emerge become the cultural benchmarks against which other constructions and ways of communicating meaning are judged – and are often found deficient. In this paper I share some reflections of my creative exhibitions, my thoughts on meaningmaking and its unavoidable cultural underpinnings. At the same time, I interrogate some thoughts on the area of ‘creativity’, which is often considered abstract. Among the ideas discussed are the five discreet stages of ‘creativity’ as advanced by Wallas (1926) model of the process namely; (a) Preparation; (b) Incubation; (c) Intimation; (d) Illumination and (e) Verification. Ultimately, I hope that sharing this information will invigorate academic dialogue to contribute towards defining of current generation of ‘Art Music’ compositions in Kenya and ultimately for the benefit of the region (East Africa).Item Innovation: A measure for the control of cultural changes in the survival for the Luo thum traditions(Academic Journals, 2011) Orawo, C.N.Thum is amorphous because it has broadened its corpus to include not only the Luo lyre, but also the fiddle, accordion and guitar musics unlike what was before the coming of Europeans. The introduction of the acquired instruments became a threat to the well - being of thum . To counteract the threat, thum players adopted the trappings of the acquired instruments, reduced the size, painted the resonator, a nd tuned it to an octave higher than before. Further changes included the introduction of the toe - ring, ankle - bells, transfer of the sound hole from the membrane to the back of the resonator, change of costumes and the increased size of dance teams. The Eu ropean way of life offered a challenge to those members of society who refused to identify themselves with their traditional cultures. The Catholics were moderate than the Protestants and most of the young people attending Protestant schools had no respect for their traditional cultures. In areas where European influence was minimal, young people played and attended parties of thum performance. The structure and meanings of the genres in the context of Luo society and culture reveal the great influence of t he Luo lyre on modern genres. However, the lyre has changed because of the innovation of individuals. Although the similarities of styles may be due to the influence of a common cultural tradition and music conventions, the peculiarities are partly determi ned by different instruments, the decisive factor in the distinctive style of the genres being the composers’ own personality and individual creativityItem Tero Buru: The Luo Musical Extravaganza and a Rite in a Rite(Academic Journals, 2011-05-14) Orawo, Charles NyakitiTero Buru was one of the Luo rites of passage performed at the funerals of adult members of the community. As a funeral rite, it was performed as the last rite before the body of the deceased is washed and taken to the grave for burial. It was similar to the requiem, the contemporary Church Service performed by Priests at funerals of the deceased Christian believers in the Luo territory. In Tero Buru the eldest son of the deceased played a leading role. As earlier observed, there were two types of Tero Buru; the first type being performed on the burial day and the second type performed later, after the burial. Irrespective of the type preferred, there had to be a mini Tero Buru to enable the buried to take place. Tero Buru was a rite in a rite. The main rite, the funeral ceremonies itself could not take place unless there was death in the community. If the dead was an adult member of the community, then, Tero Buru rite had also to be performed as per the custom. Since death begot funeral ceremonies, death of adult members of the Luo community also begot Tero Buru. In short, Tero Buru was a rite in a rite. Tero Buru was a rite in which music played a very significant role. It was nothing but song and dance. The participants of Tero Buru literally sang, recited, played sound producing resources and danced. The sounds produced to which they pegged their movements were as varied as the groups involved in the Tero Buru activities. Because of the diversity experienced, performances at Tero Buru qualified not to be considered as a music performance but rather, an extravaganza, a musical extravaganza. This was because no one group could claim the monopoly or a leading role. All the participants claimed to play equal roles. They were all equal partners in the extravaganza. All were joined in the quest of fighting death; an enemy that had caused havoc in the community.Item The aesthetics of children’s theatre: appreciating and maximizing on the psycho-social potentials for social and economic advancement(International Journal of Humanities and Social Science, 2011-06) Mugubi, J.Item The aesthetics of children’s theatre: Appreciating and maximizing on the psycho-social potentials for social and economic advancement(International Journal of Humanities and Social Science, 2011-06) Mugubi, J.Item Musical Contexts as Bridge - builders in Early Childhood Music Education in Kenya(Min - Ad : Israel Studies in Musicology Online, 2012) Andang'o, Elizabeth J. A.The article presents information on the integration of music education in early childhood education in Kenya. It is stated that considerable progress has been made in the nationalization of early childhood music education; and children are taught indigenous Kenyan music in education, along with music from Western cultures. The above progress has been made despite several challenges, such as lack of music training among teachers; and the coexistence of multicultural communities.Item Healing Dances: A Case Study of the Luo Juogi and the Dawida Mwazindika Dances(International Journal of Business and Social Science Vol. 3 No. 2 [Special Issue – January 2012], 2012-01) Orawo, C. N.During miend juogi and mwazindika dance ceremonies, the dancers dramatize the activities of the healing process. To perform the act of cleansing the possessed, and the cleanser move to the possessed, and pours water on the head. During such activities, the dance becomes more provoking and involving. The dance climax is known as yiengo juogi, for juogi and benzi for mwazindika. This is one of awe, wonder and admiration at the techniques of the drummers, especially the ones who play master drums (min bul for juogi and the simba mbaa for mwazindika). The simba mbaa player steals the show, especially when hu zira ngoma or kushevera ngoma. The idea behind pouring water on the heads of the possessed is to assist them get rid of the evil spirits. The significance of the spirits is medical as it is believed that these spirits caused diseases whose cure lay in the dealing with them. It could be said that it was the diseases which were spiritualized, in the same way the illnesses were diagnosed in terms of the anger of the ancestral spirits, or the curse of the living parents. If it was stomach ache, headache, miscarriage and other diseases that are spiritualized, the techniques of treatment deal not only with the physical aspects; the patient was given herbs to drink or rub on the affected part, but at the same time receives psychological treatment as well. It is important to note that the complaints that deal with spirit possessions in the two communities are cases anxiety. The diseases attributed to ancestral spirits result from guilt as a dominant factor. This is because the ancestors are angry because they have been neglected, because somebody among the living has not done his/her duty.Item Indigenous Kenyan Music and Social Wellbeing: the Contribution of Arts Education towards a Healthy Society(2013) Andango, E.The discourse surrounding the term wellbeing is broad and wide since it encompasses a range of conditions by which a person's healthy state of being may be defined. These conditions include: inter alia, health, safety, welfare, comfort and happiness. In the current scholarship, it is becoming increasingly clear that a definition of wellbeing that focuses entirely on a clinical view of illness and health is inadequate because such definition fails to address a multiplicity of challenges that human beings confront on a daily basis. For instance, activities such as singing that invoke human emotions remain largely unaccounted for in such simplistic definition of wellbeing. Thus, this paper interrogates the relationship between music and social wellbeing, with a particular focus on indigenous Kenyan music. The thesis of the entire discourse is that indigenous Kenyan music, by virtue of its communal nature, plays an integral role in social wellbeing and ultimately, the health of those who engage in it. Using the biopsychosocial model as its conceptual framework, the paper explores how indigenous Kenyan music can be utilized in promoting the social wellbeing of individuals in the society.Item From Firesides to the Modern Lounge: A Critical Appraisal of Film and Television Fairytales in Kenya(School of Visual and Performing Arts Kenyatta University, 2013) Muigai wa Gachanja; Kebaya, CharlesVladimir Propp, in 1928, published a groundbreaking text; Morphology of the Folktale, in which he outlined and defined the characteristics and morphology of fairytales. His work not only changed the study of folklore but also made scholars to rethink the way in which stories and storytelling affect the fabric of society and its ideals. Since 1928 to the present, there have been tremendous changes in the way in which stories are told. For instance, technology has changed the way people interact and communicate with each other. In the same vein, media and film conglomerates have taken a leading role in creating and/or reconstructing folktales for their audiences. This implies that the modern lounge has replaced traditional storytelling modes as children tune in to television for filmed stories. Thus, using critical theory and already aired Know Zone 1 folk tales, this paper examines how film and television fairytales are built and in the process establishes how traditional pedagogical values of these narratives are negotiated as the tales conform to modern technology. Further, while exploring traditional narrative types and motifs as portrayed in the selected fairytales for this study, we examine how these narrative texts reflect contemporary ethnographies of fan culture and the existence of multiple versions of seemingly fixed texts. In this endeavour, the study adopts a content-based analytic approach in presenting a detailed exegesis of the modern film and television fairytales in Kenya and uses psychodynamics of orality in appreciating these emergent forms of storytelling in the contemporary society.Item Innovation in Pedagogy: 2-D Animation as Information Communication Technology (lCT) Software for the Government's. One-Laptop-per-Child (OLC) Project(Riara University, 2013) Vikiru, GeorgeItem Creativity and Aesthetics: A Case of Women's Beaded Ornaments in the Kenyan Coast(2013) Orchardson-Mazrui, E.Available literature on traditional African Art virtually ignores women's creative and aesthetic sensibilities in artistic production. When women's traditional African art is mentioned, focus is made within the crafts, giving an impression that crafts are less significant than art forms such as sculpture; which are produced by men. This situation obscures the significance of African women's art in society. Hence, through an in depth analysis of selected women's beadwork from the Kenyan coast, this paper examines creativity, aesthetics, and symbolism in these works of art. The paper is of the opinion that women's beadwork can be placed within the realm of poetic idiophones as found in poetry where the repetition of words, sounds, and rhythm heighten a poem's aesthetic effects and invoke various images in the reader. It is our contention that women's beadwork is a valuable contribution to the stylistic and aesthetic continuum peculiar to the East African coastal strip. Further, using the headwork under discussion, the paper shows the interrelationship between Mathematics and Art and Design demonstrating that coastal women created aesthetically pleasing beadwork using elements and principles of art, and certain mathematical formulas. The paper employs functionalism and formalism theories to interrogate its concerns. The functionalist approach recognizes that the aesthetics in artefacts seek to satisfy psychological, social, economic and cultural needs of the society. Even though the functionalist theory has come under sharp criticism and waned in interest, it is useful when applied to beadwork under discussion. However, since aesthetics is often culture-bound, we need to appreciate functionality within the context of the society or community under discussion. Additionally, the paper utilizes the formalistic theory, which looks at the application of elements and principles of art to achieve a unified formal quality in an art object.Item Structure in Cinema: A Synthesis of Pleasure and Edification(2013) Mugubi, J.Item Creativity and Interdisciplinary Linkages: the Visual and Performing Arts and Other Disciplines(2013) Digolo, B.A.Creativity has been linked to various contexts and meanings in the cultural, political, economic, religious, and educational milieu. Though most of the early writers attributed the concept of creativity to the arts such as literature, contemporary views of the term creativity literally cuts across all disciplines. A variety of definitions that have been given to the term may be summarized as "the ability to generate innovative ideas and to manifest such ideas from thought into a concrete reality.” The foregoing definition indicates the importance of creativity as an essential aspect of innovation and invention and hence, underscores the importance of creativity, not only in the arts like literature but also in many other professions such as teaching, engineering, medicine, agriculture, law, architecture, sports and games, economics, technology, political science among others areas. This forms the basis of this paper as we seek to elucidate on the interdisciplinary links between the visual and performing arts with other disciplines.