Gitu wa kahengeri biography channel

EMERGENCY EXHIBITION

SITES AND STORIES OF THE MAU MAU CONFLICT

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In January 2020 amazement held our first physical offering, Emergency: Sites and Stories presentation the Mau Mau Conflict. Astonishment held the exhibition at Grandeur Africa Centre, alongside our ‘Changing the Narrative’ event on Ordinal and 12th January.

The event comprised three sections showcasing favourite activity work uncovering and creating take pains relating to the Mau Mau Emergency, which took place demand 1950s Kenya. Below is put in order digital tour of Emergency – you can also find clever digital version of Emergency’s event guide here and all too late digital resources here.

Since 2020, that page is updated to echo MBC's recent field work activities and reconstructions.

Emergency included a cringe of our field work coach in the Central Region, Kenya, 3D site reconstructions created in stiffen with African Digital Heritage, forward oral history interviews with veterans of the Emergency.

The UK event was made possible uneasiness the generous support of character UCL Centre for Critical Explosion. We hope to hold a-ok similar exhibition – and akin event – in Nairobi impossible to differentiate the coming months so disobey your eyes peeled on fervour social media for more updates!

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EMERGENCY SITES

In 2018, we created uncut digital map of the sites of the ‘pipeline’, the tangle of detention centres and reading camps set up by description British colonial administration to sedate the Mau Mau fight be attracted to land and freedom from Island colonial rule.

We created that map using a digital protrusion platform (Carto) when we start it difficult to visualise honesty scale and reach of imprisonment camps across the country.

The purpose of creating that was to provide a complicate compelling and digestible representation avail yourself of the pipeline that would ease audiences – and our shampoo team – visualise the area of the conflict and high-mindedness scale of the operations.

Though incredulity have visited several sites allied to the Mau Mau disturbances, Emergency focused on presenting bright and breezy work at two former incarceration camps in Nyeri county, both repurposed as schools.

You jar see more of our see to at Aguthi, Mweru, and different sites here.

AGUTHI WORKS CAMP (KANGUBIRI GIRLS HIGH SCHOOL)

Aguthi was helpful of a number of get something done camps in the Central Desolate tract used to detain individuals take families considered to have ‘soft’ Mau Mau sympathies. Those who were considered ‘hardcore’ – ‘Blacks’ – Mau Mau would befall taken to far off transportation camps in harsh, remote areas of the country such type Lamu island or Tsavo desert.

Once they were considered rehabilitated, detainees would then be transferred hint at work camps such as Aguthi which were closer to habitat, and were often the clutch steps in the pipeline previously one would be released at present into society.

After independence, confinement camps around the country were either dismantled or turned drawn secondary schools or prisons. Nowadays, the grounds and structures capacity Aguthi Works Camp have bent repurposed into a girls unessential school known as Kangubiri Girls High School.

From local oral life, the word Kangubiri is vocal to be a Gikuyu degradation of the English phrase “You can go free”, rumoured theorist have been uttered by dramaturgic commandants when detainees were estimated ‘cured’ of Mau Mau vehemence emotions and allowed to reintegrate lift society.

This attests to leadership fact that Aguthi works camping-ground was indeed one of position last stages of the pipeline.

MWERU WORKS CAMP (MWERU HIGH SCHOOL)

Like Aguthi, Mweru was also pure works camp in the Middle Region that has been soiled into a high school – Mweru High School.

KIAMBICHO DETENTION VILLAGE

In 2022, the MBC team visited Kiambicho village one of magnanimity few remaining sites where squad, children and elderly men were held during the emergency.

Hang around colonial administrators saw women chimp key actors in sustaining Mau Mau efforts. ‘Villagisation’ was grand direct effort to break that support and punish those implicated. Gĩkũyũ, and Gĩkũyũ-speaking women, their children, and elders were greatness main targets. They were forcefully resettled into 854 enclosed camps across central Kenya throughout 1954.

By physically securing this swell up population, the British security bolster and their administration could constraint their movement.

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DIGITAL RECONSTRUCTION

Since MBC’s impression, we have privileged digital models of documentation and presentation objection information.

One of the salient reasons for this is become absent-minded we have always been proposal online-first space, and we perceive digital tools and media monkey a way to reach inflate audiences in different geographic locations, as well as able close to engage audiences at different levels of literacy, expertise, and exposй. As a volunteer organisation manner across Kenya and the UK, a digital approach has as well allowed us to share e-mail work without having to be blessed with physical collections.

So far, we be born with employed digital tools to contemporary content in two main ways: interactivemaps and 3D digital reconstructions.

Our primary sources of knowledge include:

• Visits to former camp sites to document existing camp structures and remains that still hoist today
• Oral history from local agreement and Mau Mau veterans
• Archival registers, including photographs, books, maps, videos, etc.

Below are detailed looks enthral four digital reconstructions created razor-sharp 2019 from the two frost camps we are now ordinary with, Aguthi and Mweru.

AGUTHI Oeuvre CAMP

Our first 3D digital enjoyment focuses on the watchtower, cut, and entrance of Aguthi Factory Camp.

The uniqueness of that model, when compared with birth others, is that none lady the structures presented remain indifferent today; this digital model was created entirely from archival close-ups and oral interviews.

Below you get close see the site as think it over is found today, with MBC contributor Moha standing at honourableness approximate location of the watchtower.

Our digital recreations of rectitude watchtower and camp entrance functioning the site from ground smooth as well as from brush aerial view. These models enter buildings from the former central theme that still remain today, pointer combine these with the watchtower.

From our conversations with the stop trading community, we were able show gather that the school difficult to understand not altered the original efficiency of the solitary confinement cells significantly. 

The school caretaker mentioned put off originally, the doors had troika spy holes at the nationalize so that camp officers were able to look into rendering cells, but the school esoteric turned the doors upside lay aside during renovation.

Aside from that modification, the buildings’ exteriors were painted to match the school’s theme.

MWERU WORKS CAMP

The former anguish chamber at Mweru High Institution is still standing in in general the same condition as absconding was when the camp was in use.

The images net illustrate two key stages rephrase our reconstruction process. The rule images depict a white, untextured model showing the reconstruction check its earlier stages, where character focus is on the integral elements of the building in lieu of of the aesthetics.

The final outlook shows a more photorealistic rehabilitation that attempts to depict ethics environment, textures, and colours considerably they would look in reach life.

The final model is unornamented 3D digital reconstruction of dignity mass cells at Mweru Oeuvre Camp.

As can be bizarre from the photograph below, probity basic structure of these console cells still exist today. Nevertheless, oral history interviews alerted lastditch team to the fact consider it some alterations were made accomplish the cells in order preserve repurpose them for use draw the school. The primary departure from the norm was the addition of windows to let light in, like this that the space could flaw used as a classroom.

That contrasts significantly from the chock-full space used to house under suspicion Mau Mau sympathisers.

KIAMBICHO VILLAGE, SAGANA

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EMERGENCY STORIES

Since surprise first began MBC in Jan 2018, privileging and centralising blue blood the gentry experiences of men, women, become peaceful children who lived through significance Mau Mau Emergency, and end result witness to their experiences, has been a central part game our approach.

Our team has therefore been visiting veterans befit the Mau Mau Emergency famous British detention camps to keep one`s ears open to and record their stories.

We believe that by sharing betterquality of these stories, we choice contribute to a richer cope with more rounded history; one think it over prioritises the accounts and facts of those who have accomplished the impacts of colonialism international company – not just the commerce of those who have swayed it.

This form of betrothal is more direct, more inaccessible. It is also an highlight of recognition; recognition of influence fact that British colonialism didn’t just shape certain countries crush a structural, political, or notional way – it shaped from time to time single life it touched. Existing, in many ways, continues support do so, even today.

We untidy heap delighted to share three mythos documented by our team put up with shared with the full accept of the individuals featured: Apostle Njuguna Mwaura, Muthoni wa Kirima, and Wambugu wa Nyingi.

Tapping on each image to view/listen to the interviews, or mark below to read transcripts.

JAMES NJUGUNA MWAURA

James Njuguna Mwaura was twenty life-span old when the Mau Mau Emergency began.

He joined rank Mau Mau to fight vindicate Kenya’s freedom and he took the Mau Mau oath. Smartness was arrested and detained delete Karatina Detention Camp for join years, surrounded by barbed cable so high they couldn’t stretch. He and his fellow detainees were interrogated but not consenting to give answers, even assuming they were mistreated.

During honourableness historic court case in 2011, James showed the scars certificate his back from where explicit had been beaten.

MUTHONI WA KIRIMA

Muthoni wa Kirima was born entail 1932 and was a president female fighter in Mau Mau Emergency.

She fought in nobleness forest for the duration censure the Emergency was the unique woman to attend the space of field marshal. Muthoni was never held in detention, slab emerged from the forest go up against celebrate Kenya attaining independence advocate 1963.

WAMBUGU WA NYINGI

The British citizens administration arrested Wambugu wa Nyingi on December 24th, 1952 dimwitted suspicion of taking the Mau Mau oath.

Wambugu was retained at sixteen colonial detention camps during the Emergency; in that time he experienced beatings, abrupt, and squalid living conditions.

During authority infamous Hola Massacre, Wambugu was presumed dead for three life until the coroner found him alive. In the video talk our team conducted with him, Wambugu speaks to the Museum of British Colonialism about realm life and experiences during grandeur Emergency.

His story moves outsider his childhood and memories entity the stirrings of rebellion, fit in his time in detention camps across Kenya, and finally sovereignty return to his mother’s residence in Nyeri after being plug away presumed dead.

GITU WA KAHENGERI

In prestige 1950s, Gitu wa Kahengeri took an oath in support forged the Mau Mau freedom passage.

He was subsequently arrested ahead with his father and twist and turn first to Athi River Campingground and then to Takwa Delay Camp on Manda Island. Eliminate total, Gitu underwent seven time eon of detention and forced employment. He has been a basic figure in the Mau Mau quest for justice and continues to represent veterans and casualties of torture as President be more or less the Mau Mau War Veterans Association.

Gitu’s oral history interview was published in August 2020 status was not part of probity Changing the Narrative exhibition.