Why university's attempt to revive oral tradition and history is important

Something is happening in some universities which appear to be forging ahead in promoting intellectual activities even when things look bad. They include the University of Embu. It is located far from major cities, which gives it a rural ‘atmosphere’. In rural areas, universities tend to stimulate urban sprouting. University of Embu, emitting a rural atmosphere, seems to be turning Embu into a potentially vibrant ‘big’ town.

Besides rejuvenating Embu, it appears to be deliberately cutting an intellectual niche for itself. It recently brought three entities together comprising the Ministry of Culture, Arts, and Heritage, through Principal Secretary in the State Department for Culture, the Arts and Heritage Ummi Bashir, the British Council’s Kennedy Gitu, and University of Embu officials led by Vice Chancellor Daniel Mugendi.

Their objective was to reflect on the place of oral traditions in the reconstruction of modern history by honouring a departed son of Embu, HSK Mwaniki, who popularised the history of Embu people. Mwaniki was therefore essentially the reason for scholars to come together.

Historians and related professionals descended on Embu from other universities, in and out of Kenya, officially to revisit ‘oral tradition’ as a research method. Prof Mugendi wants to uplift the intellectual reputation of his university and various university rankings, international and national, show him succeeding. Gitu, British Council representative, promised more cooperation with both the Ministry of Culture and with the University.

Ms Ummi, herself a student of international relations, was the star, being there to put her ‘cultural’ diplomatic skills into practice. She donated many books, made commitments to support the university’s desire to be a centre of cultural progress in Kenya, and excited the audience with her dreams of creating a ‘National Hall of Fame’ for Kenyans whose writings stimulate the mind and promote cultural awareness.

Oral traditions were popular in the 1960s and 1970s as newly trained scholars tried to recapture pre-colonial African histories as part of epistemological liberation. They became intellectual foot soldiers in the effort to decolonise everything and anything that had kept Africans in colonial epistemic bondage.

Since oral traditions had value to each discipline, they were thus useful whether one talked of history, theology, philosophy, culture, or literature. They were also important to national political leaders as instruments for regaining pre-colonial pride.

The difference was that the emerging national leaders were not interested in oral histories which could not always portray them as the heroes they purported to be. Since many who acquired post-colonial power positions did not ‘fight’ against colonialism, they did not want to be reminded of it. They then concocted historical amnesia of recent events and virtually made it national policy while trying to promote cults of personalities that Kenyans were expected to “praise” and almost “worship.”

With official post-colonial Kenya disdaining history, the country seemingly lost its consciousness because history tends to be the consciousness of society. It also lost its identity as well as sense of sovereignty and legitimacy in the eyes of the ruled.

The impression that foreign unelected forces were dictating policy in Kenya led to disconnects between the powerful, who became super rich, and the citizens wallowing in poverty. The 2024 Gen Z uprising exemplified this disconnect mainly because officialdom disregarded history.

The challenge is one of persuading Kenyans to trust an officialdom that works hard to ignore its consciousness, its history. Although the Ummi-Mugendi-Gitu collaboration is a start, it is insufficient for Kenya to regain its consciousness.

To succeed, the country might need an official reorientation regarding the place of history in safeguarding Kenya’s national interest, self-identity, sovereignty, and national consciousness. Can it?