Urban youth folklore genres: a literary analysis of the content and context of Mchongoano

Abstract

This study presents a literary analysis of the content and context of mchongoanoasan urban youth genre. It analysedMchongoanowithin its context of performanceand it is impact on Kenyan urban youth. The study engaged two theoretical modelsnamely: Sociological and Stylistics theories. The study considered the performance ofMchongoanoas relating to behaviour and experiences thus reflecting social realities.Sociological theory was used to analyse these social realities in the society as captured inthe verbal duels. Stylistics theory was used to.unravel the linguistic and stylistic patterns inMchongoano. Mchongoanoinvolves the manipulation and codification oflanguage to passthe intended message. The study espoused fieldwork as a primary means of data collectionfor analysis and interpretation and it engaged participant observation, interviews and focusgroup discussions. Secondary data was obtained through reading secondary materials inlibraries, online, published and unpublished works relating to our study. Data collectedwas categorized, divided into chapters and analysed using thematic content analysismethod. Findings from this study reveal that the performance of Mchongoanois based onvarious social issues like material opulence, religion, crime, fear, insecurity and individualtraits among others. The study also revealed that Mchongoano duels engage various stylessuch as irony, satire, symbolism, sarcasm and semantic variations. Therefore, the studyconcludes that Mchongoano, as an emergent urban folklore, deserves literary and criticalattention since the urban youth do not engage in Mchongoanofor mere entertainment butfor social, intellectual and emotional satisfaction