MST-Department of Literature

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The Style and Performance of Kenyan Somali Oral Poetry
(Kenyatta University, 1994) Barre, Aden Muktar Haji; Austin Bukenya
This thesis investigates the style and modes of performance of Kenyan Somali oral poetry. Several aspects of the oral poetry of this community are discussed, including both verbal and non-verbal elements. In addition, the study identifies the relationship between poetic •• performance and social life. Some of the activities linked to oral performance which are discussed in the thesis are: pastoral duties, co rting, wedding and marriage ceremonies, child care and clan feuding.The main proposition of the study is that there is a close link between oral poetic composition and performance and a community's way of life. In the Kenyan Somali context, the performance of ral poetry derives 9irectly from the people's way of life, their everyday experiences in the vast arid environment of the North Eastern Province, their nomadic, pastoral actiVities and their Islamic faith. Conversely, the performance of the poetry and the community's response to it contribute significantly to the sustenance, enhancement and promotion of the community's activities and experiences.Based on field material collected in the North Eastern Pro vince of Kenya in 1991 and 1992, the study endeavours to interpret the oral poetry from the point of view of the people who perform it and among whom it is performed. Apart from locating the poetry ;within the geographical and socio-historical context of Kenyan Somali society, attempts are made• to identify its main categories,,' j ts recurren t topics and themes and t e major occasions of its performance.The study uses a composite stylistic and socio psycho!ogical theoretical framework to analyse the language, structure and techniques of performance of the poetry. It suggests that the community's response to the poetry is closely related to the stylistic and performing devices.
Conflict between self and otherness in selected writings of Nadine Gordimer
(1997) Mbugua, Wa Mungai; Imbuga, F.; Mpesha, N.
The problematics of this study hinge primarily on the relationships, in literature, between characters whose interactions are mediated by their colour. The focus is on what happens to the individual within the confines of a value system woven around race and how the overall conception of the self influences his/her perception of those that belong to different racial categories. The study is specific to the South African situation and analyses the effects of apartheid both as an ideology and system of (mal) government on human relationships at the individual and collective levels in the spheres of economics, political and social associations. These effects are studied in the dominant black and white groups. The origins of the self other conflicts are traced with a view to assessing how present interactions between black and white in South Africa adopted as the trope for race, influence character portraits in Nadine Gordimer's selected short stories. In this study, Gordimer's vision for a future post apartheid and multi racial South Africa is analysed. The aim is to establish whether as an artist she offers viable alternatives through which South Africans of all shades of colour can surmount the inter racial antagonism that has been uncalculated in them by apartheid. This has necessitated an exploration of the ambivalences inherent in the term ''white'' since it is the colour that forms the foundation of apartheid as an ideology. Where all issues have to be evaluated vis-ŕ-vis the colour white it is because ''white'' is the defining point in apartheid South Africa. Finally the study examines the factors that militate against the possibilities of white black cooperation that suggests themselves in Gordimer's selected writings. This is done in an attempt to assess whether the various races are either willing and eager or reluctant and unprepared for the challenging process of coming together as a unified society. The attention of the study is Gordimer's selected short stories and one of her novels. Where other writers are mentioned, and material other than her short stories cited, their relevance lies in how they help buttress the arguments and sharpen the focus of the present work.
The status of children’s theatre in Nairobi
(Kenyatta University, 1997) Kabui, Elizabeth Watetu
The overall objective of the research was to establish the status of children's theatre as an art form in Nairobi. The study reveals the forms in which children's theatre in Nairobi is manifested and critically examines the plot, characters, theme and style of plays perform ed for child audiences to determine whether they are suitable for them. Previous research has put more emphasis on the analysis of adult theatre hence the endeavour to open up the field of children's theatre in this study. The main assumption is that the value of children's theatre as a tool for education and entertainment has not been appreciated by artists in Nairobi. Data for the study was obtained through observation of plays performed for children and by children, questionnaires to primary school children from within Nairobi, interviews with theatre artists and through library research. Chief among the findings is that although children, through their participation in dramatic play reveal that they would enjoy theatre, only 1 out of 5 theatre groups in Nairobi perform plays for children, and this being only on festive seasons such as Christmas time. Thus much of what children are exposed to as theatre is not suitable for them in terms of plot, characters, theme and style. I have therefore made some recommendations on how to make children's theatre more relevant to the children.
Aspects of orature in selected Gikuyu pop songs
(Kenyatta University, 1998-10) Wainaina, Michael
This study is premised on the notion that Orature is dynamic and that it adapts to changing historical and social realities mediating that reality based on keen observation and interpretation of phenomena. By taking cognizance of this, we sought to investigate the relationship that exists between Orature and forms of contemporary verbal expression particularly the pop song. Our task was to investigate how, why and with what effect aspects of Gikuyu orature have been reappropriated in the Gikuyu popular song. Aspects of orature, delineated as texts, style, technique and function have been identified in twenty Gikuyu popular songs and discussed in terms of their artistic, aesthetic and communicative significance. The process of change on the Gikuyu orature forms and ways in which these traditional oral forms adapt themselves to the new modes of thought through the pop song are also discussed. The study demonstrates that, while operating in contemporary situations and committed to, though sometimes limited by, contemporary imperatives, popular music is firmly tethered to a recognisable body of artistic resources in orature which serves as its inspiration and guide. In showing the crucial role that orature occupies in the Gikuyu popular song, this study has in effect reaffirmed the dynamism of orature forms and thus refuted the popular notion that orature forms are disappearing. In addition, this study demonstrates that, popular song is neither a departure nor necessarily a corruption of the traditional folk forms; rather than corrupting orature, the popular song breathes new life into it so that orature becomes relevant and potent in the contemporary society.
The use of myth in grace Ogot's prose fiction
(2009-04) Ojiambo, Evelyn Nafula
This study investigates the use of myth in Grace Ogot's prose fiction. It highlights tbe importance of myth as a vital artistic resource to the contemporary writer, the relevance of myth in articulating contemporary concerns, and the impact of myth in contemporary writing. According to Bernth Lindfors (1973), identifying myth in writing is not exhaustive analysis. He suggests an in-depth study of its impact on the written work. This study further investigates the importance of myth to the contemporary writer in terms of form, content and technique. The analysis focuses on the prose fiction of Grace Ogot namely, Land Without Thunder, The Other Woman, The Promised Land and The Strange Bride, which consist of her short story collections and novels. These are examined in order to demonstrate the vitality of myth in the short story and novel genres. The use of myth in Grace Ogot's fiction has not been comprehensively examined. Hence, this study seeks to show Ogot's contribution in using myth to address modernity and its complexities. Library research and textual analysis have richly informed the analysis in this thesis. The aesthetic approach as proposed by Isidore Okpewho (1983), forms the theoretical basis for analysis. Okpewho proposes an important relationship between myth and contemporary African writing, and perceives myth as a creative resource. The writer is seen to assume creative freedom at different levels while using myth, which Okpewho categorizes into four segments; Tradition Preserved, Tradition Observed, Tradition Refined and Tradition Revised. These form the four main analytical chapters of this thesis. In the first segment, the study investigates predominant mythic elements and how they are preserved in Grace Ogot's prose fiction. The second segment analyses the mythic elements appropriated in either form or content hence the mode in which they are observed. The third segment examines Ogot's working towards adopting mythic figures that allow or assist her in addressing modernity and in turn refines them. The fourth segment interrogates Ogot's total withdrawal form the use of myths and mythic elements and as a result works towards creating new myths that explore modernity. In so doing, the use of myth is revised. The study fmdings show that Ogot extensively borrows from the myths of her community. The myths are re-appropriated in either form or content or both depending on the concerns being projected. Grace Ogot's reliance on myth to explore modernity is greater than the need to create new myths. Her achievement is seen in the way she uses the familiar (myth) to address the unfamiliar (modernity). The study thus demonstrates that myth has served as a vital artistic resource to the African writer in articulating contemporaneity
The female character in selected works of kawabata yasunari
(2011-07-11) Maritim, Cheruiyot Eric; John Mugubi,; Masumi Hashimoto Odari,
This study undertook to examine the enigmatic female characters in four works by Kawabata Yasunari: two novels, Snow Country and The Old Capital, and two short stories, `The Izu Dancer' and `One Arm.' The ultimate concern was on the social significance deriving from Kawabata's textual presentation of these characters in the selected works. The study was geared towards this end, with the socio-cultural context of the texts forming the point of departure. The premises of the research were that the characters projected have socio-cultural and literary sources, and are used by the writer to make a statement. Within these premises, the study objectives were to examine the pre-textual socio-cultural and literary contexts of the selected texts, outline the forms of the female characters, and ultimately to determine their significance as presented in the texts. The research process, including the analysis of the research texts and deliberation on the significance of the perplexing nature of the characters, was projected from Wolfgang Iser's theory of aesthetic response. This theoretical base was complemented with stylistic theory, especially in the analysis of the textual strategies constituting the forms of the characters. The research was qualitative in nature. Examination of the diverse critical views was conducted, and the selected research texts subjected to a critical analysis, with the cultural milieu in consideration. In addition to consideration of the socio-cultural milieu, stylistic examination of the textual strategies in the selected texts was also carried out. This enabled the validation of the attempt to draw the social significance of Kawabata's presentation of the problematic female figures in the texts. After the texts were subjected to the stated theoretical and methodological procedures, the female characters were found to be enigmatic and that behind this nature is a nuanced traditional Japanese aesthetic, which the female characters embody.
A literary study of dislocation in selected plays by JOHN RUGANDA
(2011-08-11) Gikunda, Njogu Jackson; Jackson Gikundu Njogu; Michael Wainaina; John Mugubi
John Ruganda is undoubtedly one of East Africa's most popular playwrights, going by the volumes of plays and sensitivity to the human predicament widely acknowledged by critics of his drama. Imbuga and Kyallo serve as prominent examples. Writting from the 1970s to 1980s when Uganda was undergoing one of its most restive socio-political moments, the epoch's influence on him is not in doubt as one reads the plays. It is however unfortunate that scant criticism has been accorded his works in relation to dislocation which is a major concern for the playwright. This study seeks to fill this gap by a literature analysis of three of his plays in relation to this theme. The study acknowledges the breadth and complexity of the theme by unpacking it into constituents of social-cultural aspects, political causations and exile. The texts selected for the study are Convenant with Death, (1973), The floods (1980) and Shreds of Tenderness (2000). Although each of these texts is being analyzed in relation to a specific objectives, the three are seen as connected in the realm of their social-historical influences and the playwright's commitment. Chapter One discusses the background and the research methodology while Chapter Two discusses the social-cultural aspects as seen through the experiences of one Matama, the protagonist in Covenant. Chapter One discusses the background and the research methodology while Chapter Two discusses the socio-cultural aspects as seen through the experiences of one Matama, the protagonist in Covenant. Three argues that a hostile political environment in the region is a major contributor to dislocation as proven in The Floods. Shreds of Tenderness is treated in chapter four. Wak witu, the symbolic refugee, is the subject. Through him, Ruganda presents dislocation through the exile dimension. In Chapter Five we estalish textual interwooveness, makes a summary, draws conclusions and makes recommendations for further studies. The study is library- based owing to the textual nature of primary and secondary sources of data. The study argues that the texts delve into the theme of dislocation in a combination of literary, historical and autobiographical patterning. Textual exegesis takes a form of reading guided by a synchronization of theories, drawn from Isaac Yetiv and Anne Gagiano. We conclude that dislocation is a product of interlinked variables, which enjoy a physical as well as a psychic quality. The study is a library - based owing to the texual nature of primary and secondary sources of data. The study argues that the texts delve into the theme of dislocation in a combination of literary, historical and autobiographical patterning. Textual exegesis takes a form of reading guided by a synchronization of theories, drawn from Isaac Yetiv and Anne Gagiano. We conclude that dislocation is a product of interlinked variables, which enjoy a physical as well as a phychic quality.
‘Parables’ of peace: a dialectic delineation of narrative-dynamics that can help children to cope with post-traumatic stress disorder(PTSD) in five children's stories from Rwanda
(2011-10-24) Mutua, Joseph Makau
Most emerging Rwandan post genocide children's stories indirectly tackle the 1994 genocide in thematic presentation. Coming from Rwanda is an interesting trend of representation of genocide inspired themes in a parable motif. This paper investigates why this is so. The selected stories from this region have specific patterns of representation of these trends. These patterns clearly follow a morally didactic way of dealing with aftermath of the genocide. This study examines how and why selected stories from Rwanda have employed this parable motif. The main focus of the study has been to examine how authors have employed style in dealing with genocide inspired themes to enable children readers (affected by the 1994 genocide directly or vicariously) to cope with post traumatic stress disorder. This is a psychological condition affecting people and children who have been exposed to extreme violent acts. The condition was first discussed among the Vietnamese war veterans. The main aim of the study has been to establish how deliberate use of style and thematic presentation can be used effectively to create tools of social change (children's stories with therapeutic power to help heal this disorder in affected children). This has been done with close reference to five selected children's stories by Musonza Ignatius, and Ntambajyana Sylvester. Musonza has written a story titled Tamari of Tamarinda, while Ntambajyana has written four children's stories titled, Two Cows, Our Second Father, Cow and Dog and Pig and Monkey, These selected stories have been used as the main point of departure to inform this study.
An analysis of semantic oddities and phonological manipulation in Jason Kap-Kirwok's poetry
(2011-11-02) Kaiuki, Faith Wambui
This study focused on semantic oddities and manipulation of sound aspects in two of Kap-kirwok's poetry collections namely: Heartbeats of the Mind and Loud Monologues Silent Dialogues. The study was premised on the knowledge that style is an important element especially as far as delivering the message of a literary writer is concerned. The study thus sought to investigate the rationale behind Kap-kirwok's employment of the above mentioned devices in his poetry. In an environment where people only seem to enjoy listening to recited poetry and with very little critical work on the same, we endeavoured to critique these two collections as a way of opening up the field for more critical work. The study was motivated by the wide gap we saw in our Kenyan literary scene where researchers were seen to have shied away from poetry, only focusing on such areas as the novel and oral literature. Our first objective was to identify and analyze examples of semantic oddities and phonological manipulation in the poems. Secondly, we sought to establish the significance of using these features as communicative devices. Finally, we also attempted to establish the poet's social vision. The study employed the sociological literary theory as well as the stylistics theory. The sociological literary theory was found to be useful in unveiling the message of the writer to the society. The stylistics theory also helped us analyse the relationship between form and content. The study adopted a qualitative approach. It utilized library research, which involves textual analysis of primary texts and use of secondary data. Purposive sampling was used to select poems seen to be rich in the above named aspects for analysis. The findings of the study show that Kap-kirwok has used both semantic oddities and phonological gymnastics as powerful tools to both embellish his work and also communicate his message to the society.
A literary analysis of dominic Githingithia's converational narratives
(2011-11-03) Lilian, Muteithia; Michael Wainaina Mwaura; Muigai Wa Gachanja
This study focuses on seven of Dominic Githingithia's narratives aired in a programme entitled Mathekania na Mataaro ma Githingithia (MMG), via a local vernacular radio station, Kameme 101.1 FM. This in translation means `Humour and Moral Teachings of Githingithia'. The central focus of the study is to identify and explore narrative techniques, to identify and analyze the literary aspects and to investigate the functional social relevance of MMG. This critical assessment is premised on the notion that orature is dynamic and that it adapts to cultural changes in line with information technological advancement in society. Githingithia's artistry embodies communicative and artistic importance worth critical literary analysis, enhanced by the complex narrative plotting and the artist's mastery of the Mkuyu language and style in the light of his skill in creating folklore from extant social experience. The advent of technology does not pose a threat to orature but rather, it avails a platform for the thriving of emergent forms of folklore namely electroture, a term we Qoined, which means electronically aided orature. Contemporary artists such as Domonic Githingithia are making use of modern information technology to create folklore which is skillfully transmitted via frequency modulated (FM) radio stations to a broadcast audience. For analytical purposes, the study has adapted a combination of three theoretical approaches, namely Gerard Genette's (2002) narrative approach, Okpewho's (1992) view on the artistic, linguistic and functional aspects of African orature, Quasthoof and Nicolous (1982) production schema of conversational narratives, in order to come up with operational tools which have acted as guidelines.
The Symbolic Deviation of Rural Women Characters in Lauretta Ngcobo's Novel: And They Didn't Die.
(2011-11-17) Njeru, Faith Wambogo
This study examines how Ngcobo in the novel And They Didn't Die (1999) depicts the rural women characters' digression from what was considered to be the norm. From our research, we found the `normalcy' to be the oppressive forces that impinge on the women's liberty. The forces include: the hostile climate, patriarchy and apartheid. The artistic portrayal of these forces through the use of symbolism was analysed. The research found that the perceived normalcy is entrapping. Hence we have investigated how the rural women characters stretch their boundaries of social conventions in which they are confined. The assumption is that when entrapped, women can defy and act in defence of what they perceive to be their rights. In our supposition, we concur with Wieringa (1995) that women have been subverting the codes that undermine the spaces in which they move in more creative and Machiavellian ways. The study employs four strands of feminist theory: the social eco-feminist, radical feminist, Marxist Feminist and African Feminist Theories. In engaging the social eco-feminist theory, the study portrays the relationship between the exploitation of women and that of nature. We also demonstrate the author's use of symbols, some of which are related to nature and to some extent they are a backup in highlighting the characters and the conflicts in the story. This makes the weaving of the text as clear as possible. In so doing, the study divulges the crucial role of symbols in portraying their totality in the work of art. The use of radical feminist theory helped in interpreting patriarchy as illustrated by apartheid and African culture. The Marxist Feminist perspective helped in analyzing the capitalistic nature of apartheid and highlighted how the women characters subverted the system's schemes. The African feminist perspective creates a fair gender rapport between females and males and attempts to appraise literature by using African's aesthetic standards, worldview and experience. Apart from examining the deviation of rural women characters from the perceived norms of apartheid, patriarchy and environment, the study finally appraised the women's endevours in over coming the challenges.
An analysis of the style and meaning of the poetry within the Tugen Soro wedding ritual
(2011-11-17) Keitany, Ambrose Rotich
This study focuses on and examines the wedding poetry of the Tugen community with a view to uncovering the function of the poetry and how it reflects the social and moral values of its people. It investigates the style, performance and meaning of the oral poetry within the soro ritual. Further, it seeks to reveal the significance of the poems to the lives of the Tugen and in particular the importance they attach to its performance. This study was undertaken through both library and field research. In field research, the study used observation, interviews as well as focus group discussion to collect data. Our focus was mainly on style and performance as it brings out and enriches the meaning of the poetry. Similarly, the study seeks to unveil the significant literary qualities of the Tugen wedding poetry especially its stylistic features. The research work is motivated by the fact that although a number of wedding songs have been collected on past researches, it has received little analysis from scholars. therefore, this study seeks to fill this gap in social knowledge. The study is guided by Ethnopoetics theoretical framework. Ethnopoetics examines oral art in reference to the society that creates and performs the art. This theory is relevant to interpreting wedding poetry as it explores the use of poetic imagery and cultural verbal symbols. This theory provides an opportunity for the researcher to have a closer interaction with the community and the study through fieldwork. Such an interaction is vital in analyzing the given poetry. In the final analysis, the investigation reveals the messages embedded in the wedding poetry and provide an understanding , of the Tugen worldviews.
Semantic absurdities and social vision for Africa in Jared Angira's poetry
(2011-11-17) Nyagemi, Bwocha
This is a study of the semantic absurdities in Jared Angira's poetry and the social vision for Africa as espoused in his poetry. The study explores Tides of Time: Selected Poems (1996) and Lament of the Silent & Other Poems (2004). It identifies and analyzes the use of paradox, oxymoron, irony, contrast and juxtaposition which are collectively referred to as semantic absurdities. This is the craft within the poetry that helps unveil the message Angira has about the poor and other downtrodden groups of people in society, and unearth his social vision. Although Angira's poetry has been anthologized by a number of writers from Africa, it is important to note that most of this poetry goes uncritiqued. As far as we have established, no one has studied our proposed topic in the few studies conducted on the poetry of Jared Angira. This has provided us with a wide gap on which we have based our study. We seek to establish what Angira is saying about the poor masses that populate our society, the underlying factors for such a grim situation and the probable way out as suggested by the artist. The study has employed Practical Stylistics and Marxist Literary Critical approaches whereby the poems that are rich in the selected semantically absurd words and/or expressions have been analyzed in a bid to decode the message encoded therein, and also the espoused social vision. The work is to be structurally divided as follows: The first section will be made up of conceptual Chapter 1 that maps out the way forward for the study. Chapter 2 deals with the semantic absurdities in Tides of Time: Selected Poems, the message for the poor and downtrodden in the society and social vision borne in the poetry. Chapter 3 focuses on the semantic absurdities in Lament of the Silent & Other Poems, the message for the poor and downtrodden in the society and social vision borne in the poetry. Chapter 4 which is the conclusion highlights the point of convergence of the two anthologies and discusses the relation of the findings to our objectives. It recommends the aspects that could be studied by lovers of Angira's poetry. The study has tackled some of the aspects of both form and content in Angira's poetry.
An anlysis of selected plays presented at the kenya schools and colleges' drama festival
(2011-11-17) Shikuku, E. Tsikhungu
This study is a critical response to the need of having an in depth study of plays presented at the Kenya Schools and Colleges Drama Festival. This Festival, which was started in 1959, has received scanty scholarly attention yet it has provided an important avenue in educating and entertaining Kenyan people. Our study limited itself to the plays presented by the primary schools to the Festival. Primary schools have participated in this Festival from 1980. Using Theory of Children Literature and the Stylistic Approach as the axis of operation, this study was conceived to analyse some of the winning plays presented by the primary schools to the Festival. Five plays were selected and treated to an intensive reading and analysis. The selection was on the basis of availability; thus the first five winning plays we got from the schools were used. The analysis entailed a thorough examination of the plot, use of language, character and characterization as well as the thematic concerns raised in the scripts. While the Stylistic Approach guided the study in the overall stylistic and thematic appreciation of the works, the Theory of Children's Literature was used to create focus on the scripts as children's plays. During the analysis it was found that the selected plays stood the test of literariness. They were imaginatively created and embellished with stylistic devices worth literary attention. At the same time the playwrights tackled issues that affect the contemporary society. However the plays were not written from a child's standpoint as they ought to have been. They tackled issues from an adult's point of view. The language used was found to be too complex for a person whose mental capacity is not fully developed. This study therefore confirms the veracity of the concerns raised in the reports by the adjudicators and rapporteurs of the 2002 and 2003 editions of the Kenya National Schools and Colleges Drama Festivals. The study recommends serious critical appraisals of the plays presented at the Festival because it is a fertile ground from which plays can be published. Scholars of literature and the general reader interested in children's studies will find this study useful in their literary pursuits. Creative writers and publishers of children's literary works may also find the insights in this study useful in their work.
A history of Kenya film: the evolving image of the African
(2011-12-02) Diang'a, Rachael; Oluoch, O.; Oluoch, O. G.
This is a study of the development of the Kenyan film with specific regard to the evolving image of the African. The study gives a postcolonial exploration of the depiction of the African in selected Kenyan films. It assesses the extent to which the colonial experience influenced the portrayal of the African in the selected Western films. The study proceeds to find out how the portrayal of the African in the Western films has informed the re-presentation of the African in the Kenyan films. The overall methodological approach to this study is mainly qualitative in nature. The primary sources of data consisted of informal interviews, which enabled the researcher to elicit the respondents' views about the topics of discussion. The researcher also employed free observation when viewing the films. Secondary sources mainly consist of library research whereby critical works on African Cinema were consulted. These included both literature and film material. The study is limited to four purposively sampled films namely, Out of Africa, Kitchen Toto, Kolormask and The Battle of the Sacred Tree. The theoretical assumptions of the study were confirmed. The study reveals that the Kenyan filmmaker attempts to correct the negative depiction of the Africans in Western films. This, however, fails to give a more truthful depiction of the African than the Western film. This is due to the ambiguities of a post-colonial set-up in which the Kenyan filmmaker as well as his/her audiences operate.
An analysis of tragicomic techniques in selected plays of David Mulwa
(2011-12-07) Karanja, Esther Wahu
This study focuses on three plays by Kenyan playwright, David Mulwa, critically analyzing and discussing them as tragicomedies. The aim is to identify and evaluate to what extent the application of tragicomic techniques has affected the aesthetic quality and effective communication in the selected plays. These plays, written and published in English are Redemption (1990), Clean hands (2000) and Glasshouses (2000). Using a modification of Northrop Frye's theory of tragicomedy known as the Ironic mode, we identify the combining element between tragic and comic material in the plays as irony. This theory helps in the analysis of the thematic concerns, artistic techniques, plot and characterization as features of tragicomedy found in each play. The theory also helps in the analysis of what features Mulwa borrows from either tragedy or comedy. The analysis establishes other techniques like flashbacks and Biblical allusions used to reinforce irony. The analysis also brings out how the protagonist of each play pursues a disappointing goal (he is a crossbreed between the tragic hero and the comic fool). Tragicomedy presents an unrealized tragedy using comic devices to reflect reality. The plays have only been analysed as dramatic texts to demonstrate that tragicomedy offers hope to humanity amidst life's problems. Mulwa in his plays articulates issues like parent-youth conflicts, change (in both the individual and society), women liberation and the devastating effects of the AIDS pandemic. The kind of reality reflected in the plays has been analysed by relating the social context inside the plays to the social context outside them. The social context outside the plays is taken to be what is happening in Kenya or in the world as a whole. All this has been achieved through extensive library research, Internet services and critical analysis of the plays.
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.
The worlds in-between of an Asian african Writer: a postcolonial reading of selected novels of MG vassanji
(2011-12-13) Makokha, J. K. S.
MG Vassanji has written five novels tracing the movements of Asians from South Asia in the late nineteenth century to East Africa, and then from Africa to North America in the 1960s and 1970s. The community of Asians who came to East Africa before or at the time of British imperialism has now given rise to several other generations that in popular East African discourse are known simply as the "Asians." However, these so called Asians are actually Asian Africans, children of a bicontinental heritage as is evident in the Asian African Trust Heritage, a department of history at the National Museums of Kenya in Nairobi. In East Africa, this community inhabits a middle area, both in colour and in status, between European whites and African blacks. The attempt to make sense out of inhabiting "worlds in-between" the Black and White has in fact become a congenital theme and leitmotif in almost all genres of writings of Asian Africans from East Africa. The imaginative writings of Asian African writers such as Peter Nazareth, Jagjit Singh, and Kuldip Sondhi who wrote about the Asian African experience in East Africa in the 1960s and early 1970s serve as prominent examples. This literary agenda persists in the oeuvre of the more contemporary Vassanji, especially in our two novels of focus, The Gunny Sack and The Book of Secrets. It is argued Vassanji's community, historically and socio-politically, was strictly never a part of the Black/White (post) coloniality but a community in-between the two, the Black/White (post) coloniality but a community in-between the two, an interstitial community. In the present work, an exegesis of the two novels takes the form of a reading guided by postcolonial perspectives drawn from Homi K. Bhabha, in The Location of Culture. Being a conceptual study that relies entirely on library research, this work is guided by a comprehensive research methodology as discussed in chapter one. In chapter two the socio-historical and literary experiences of Asian Africans of East Africa have been reviewed as part of focussing the problematic of the study. This extra-literary information depicts the unique experiences of Asian Africans as an interstitial community in East Africa and provides useful perspectives for reading Vassanji's novels, The Gunny Sack and the The Book of Secrets. Chapter three argues that interstitiality is the central idea around which the plots of The Gunny Sack are built. Setting or fictional locations in this novel are viewed as part of Vassanji's strategy, underscoring Asian African interstitiality. The Book of Secrets is treated in chapter four. Nurmohammed Pipa, the quintessential Asian African, is the subject. Through him, his community's racial stereotyping is traced through historical lineage, and given both depth and meaning. Chapter five, the conclusion, gives a summary of the study. It also raises issues pertinent to future research in this area.
A literary study of power relations between ruby and the convent in Toni Morrison's novel, Paradise
(2011-12-13) Mirungu, F. H.; Oluoch, O. G.; Wafula, R. M.
This study is an exploration of the power relations in Toni Morrison's Paradise. This research analyses the power relations between Ruby and the Convent bringing out their effects on the characters in the novel Paradise. It also delineates the factors that influence the exercise of power and authority in the novel. The metanarrative discourses that have influenced the events and the characters in the novel are studied with a view to determining the influence of the prevailing discourses in Morrison's work. Using New Historicism as the method and theory of analysis, this study examines power as not emanating from one central position, but as an aspect of society that is present in all areas of life. Foucault's views on power guide the study. According to Foucault, power passes through both the dominated and the dominating. The interplay of different discourses in Ruby and how victims of power relations oppose these relations is established. The effects of the opposition on the victimizers are noted. The ideas of Dr. Martin Luther King and Booker T. Washington underpin the characters of Reverend Misner and Steward Morgan respectively. The tension that informs their relationship can be read as generational, but it is developed as an interactive interplay between text and historical context. Slavery has had a profound impact on the African American psyche. Relevant information on slavery, emancipation and the Civil Rights Movement is analysed to establish its influence on the events and characters in Paradise. Using her interpretation of these important events, Morrison tilts power relations in favour of the African American, in a bid to enable him to survive under difficult circumstances. Morrison's vision for the blacks in America, as brought out in Paradise, forms the conclusion of the work. She desires that different races of America learn to live with each other, avoiding making judgements about each other on the basis of colour and gender. America should revisit its founding history so as to uproot racism by the roots and accept change and diversity.
Portrayal of the Yoruba Metaphysical world in Wole Soyinka's Death and the King's Horseman and ,The strong breed
(2011-12-13) Miti, Ann Kula
This study is an investigation of how the Yoruba metaphysical world has been portrayed in Wole Soyinka's Death and the King's Horseman and The Strong Breed. It involves an examination of which of the Yoruba myths, how and why they have been incorporated in the two texts. The central position given to the Yoruba myths and rituals issues from the view that these myths and rituals are media through which a people's conception of the universe (metaphysics) is revealed. The study set out to achieve its objectives through utilisation of three theoretical approaches: Sociological Theory, Myth Criticism and Stylistics. The sociological theory looks at the two plays and their author as products of a society. The same theoretical position also view literature as a means through which society can learn from its past and present, and get direction into the future. Myth criticism aids the study by analysing the myths and rituals while stylistics handles the dramatic techniques employed in the plays. The study makes use of library and Internet research. It employs extensive reading of secondary texts to aid in the understanding and analysis of the primary texts. The content analysis of the plays involves close textual analysis which links details of style and characterisation to the metaphysical theme. The conclusion of the study is that Soyinka uses myths and rituals as raw material for his creative work. Soyinka however does not bow fully to the prescriptions of his people's myths and rituals. He introduces a new dimension to the people's social order. At the end of the plays, he has replaced the old order of subjection of the individual's will to societal prescriptions, with individual choice and freedom. This act indicates a clear reading of the times; the modern era whose hallmarks include insistence on freedom for the individual.

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