People's Resistance to Colonialism and Imperialism in Kenya

Shiraz Durrani

Description

This book looks at the third pillar of resistance to British colonialism - people's resistance, the others being Mau Mau and radical trade union movement. It brings together several aspects of people's resistance to colonialism and imperialism - before and after independence and includes resistance by nationalities, women, students, peasants and workers in what can only be described as people's resistance. While Mau Mau and trade unions were essential in the liberation struggle, on their own they would have faced innumerable difficulties to achieve their goal. Peasants, nationalities, women, children and young people, students, independent churches, independent schools, all played a part in reinforcing the organized and ideology led resistance of Mau Mau and trade unions.
Additional material is included to provide thought for reflections. The first two essays deal with the question of nationalities and with the contradictions between capitalism and socialism with the collapse of USSR. They point to the fact that that the struggle in Kenya influences, and is in turn influenced by, developments around the world. The next section is the presentation at the launch of Kenya's War of Independence in Nairobi on February 21, 2018. The final section contains solidarity messages from Shiraz Durrani, Abdilatif Abdalla and Kang'ethe Mungai at the event to commemorate and celebrate the revolutionary work of Karimi Nduthu held on March 24, 2018 at the Professional Centre in Nairobi.
The Kenya Resists Series covers different aspects of resistance by people of Kenya to colonialism and imperialism. It reproduces material from books, unpublished reports, research and oral or visual testimonies. The three aspects chosen for the first three publications in the Series - Mau Mau, Trade Unions and People's Resistance - make up the three pillars of resistance of the people of Kenya.

Sujets

• Colonisation

Informations

• Publié par: Vita Books
• Date de parution: 03 août 2018
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9789966114518
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 5 Mo

Extrait

PEOPLE’S RESISTANCE TO Colonialism & Imperialism In Kenya

Includes A Portrait of Resistance: Karimi Nduthu

Kenya Resists No.3

Kenya Resists No. 3

By Shiraz Durrani

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People’s Resistance to Colonialism and Imperialism In Kenya And Relections on Resistance

Selection from Shiraz Durrani’s from Kenya’s War of Independence: Mau Mau and its Legacy of Resistance to Colonialism and Imperialism, 1948- 1990 (2018, Nairobi: Vita Books).

And A Portrait of Resistance: Karimi Nduthu Presentations at the meeting to celebrate the revolutionary work of Karimi Nduthu held at the Professional Centre, Nairobi on March 24, 2018

Kenya Resists No. 3

Kenya Resists No. 3 (2018)

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VITA BOOKS

P.O Box 62501-00200 Nairobi. Kenya http://vitabooks.co.uk [e-mail]; [e-mail]

Series: Kenya Resists No.3

Distributed Worldwide by: African Books Collective PO BOX 721 Oxford, OX1 9EN [e-mail] www.africanbookscollective.com Copyright ©: Shiraz Durrani 2018

ISBN 978-9966-114-52-5 (Paper) ISBN 978-9966-114-51-8 (eBook)

Kenya Resists No. 3

Dedicated to Karimi Nduthu and all those who sacriîced their lives in the struggle for the liberation of Kenya.

Kenya Resists No. 3

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Kenya Resists No. 3

Contents Preface to the Series, Kenya Resists 7 Preface to Kenya Resists No. 3: People’s Resistance 10

PART 1: PEOPLE’S RESISTANCE 12

THE COLONIAL PERIOD 12 The Somali Nationality 12 The Kamba Nationality 17 The Maasai Nationality 20 South Asian Kenyans 22 Women 35 RESISTANCE AFTER INDEPENDENCE 42 Three Pillars of Resistance 42 Worker Resistance 46 Peasant Resistance 50 Student Resistance 54 The Whole Nation Resists 58 Conclusion: Uhuru Bado 62 References and Further Reading 68

PART 2: REFLECTIONS ON RESISTANCE 71

The Question of Nationalities in Kenya: A Force for Unity, not Division 71 Capitalism and Socialism: Has the Contradiction been Resolved? 81

PART 3: A PORTRAIT OF RESISTANCE: KARIMI NDUTHU. 1961 - 1996 84

Karimi Nduthu, 1961-1996: Patriot and Revolutionary Democrat 84 Kang’ethe Mungai: Karimi Nduthu: Reections on the Life of a Kenyan Hero 90  Abdilatif Abdalla: Ujumbe kwa Maadhimisho 95 Shiraz Durrani: Why We Can’t Forget Karimi Nduthu 99 Shiraz Durran: A Night to Remember, a Night to Forget 103 Appendix A: The Struggle For Kenya’s Future 107 Appendix B: Shiraz Durrani: Class Struggle & Kenya’s War of Independence p. 114

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Kenya Resists No. 3

Preface to the Series, Kenya Resists

Looking Back to Fight Forward

People need to know their history in order to understand their past and present and chart out the desired outcomes for the future – in the tradition of “Looking back to îght forward”. But in a class divided society where people do not have the power to keep their history alive, those who do have power manipulate, distort and hide historical facts and interpret history from their class perspective. They thus satisfy their class interests against the interest of working people.

Kenya won independence after a bloody confrontation with Britain after the sacriîces of lives, limbs, land and property of hundreds of thousands – not to mention collective punishments, unpaid, slave labour and concentration camps for millions. The sacriîces aected not only the generation involved in the war, but future generations as well. Those who fought in various ways for independence saw a minority elite, groomed under the watchful eye of imperialism, take all the power and beneîts of independence.

Among the losses that working people suered was the control over their history. Their oral histories were allowed to die with the death of those involved – directly or indirectly – in the War of Independence. Imperialism took charge of interpreting the anti colonial, anti imperialist war from their perspective, turning our heroes into villains and our enemies into heroes. Their version of history hid the achievements of people who refused to live on their knees and heaped praise on the Homeguards, the protectors of imperialist interest.

Few school textbooks depicting the reality of the war of independence exist after more than 50 years of independence; schools do not teach working class history of Kenya and radical trade unions do not feature in any curriculum – or in national consciousness. Bookshops and public libraries have poor collections on Kenyan history and even these do not show the anti-imperialist and class perspectives of the war of independence. Attempts by progressive historians and writers to address this imbalance by documenting people’s perspective of Kenya’s history have been ruthlessly stopped by the ruling elites directly or by intimidation. Kenya has seen over 50 years of lies, distortions, manipulation of history and hiding the loot of national wealth by the elite and their imperialist masters. And, at the same time, over 50 years of resistance to the lies, distortions, manipulation of history and hiding the loot of national wealth by working people is also hidden by the elite. 7 Kenya Resists No. 3