READERS' CORNER: Let’s sing praises to literary greats when they’re still alive
READERS' CORNER: Let’s sing praises to literary greats when they’re still alive
By Francis O. Odipo
"She was a great novelist”. “His plays did not spare anybody.” “Her poems roared above the loudest lion”. These are some of the pieces we read when one of the great men and women of the letters passes on.
To say the least, these are crocodile tears, shed to deceive the public. Instead, let us praise and condemn these writers when they are still alive.
When great lettermen and women like Francis Imbuga, Grace Ogot, Chinua Achebe, Prof Ali Mazrui, Majorie Oludhe Macgoye and, recently, Elechi Amadi of The Concubine die, so much is said about them. Acres of space in the dailies are dedicated to them. I really do not know how all this helps the departed.
Why do we wait to shower these big minds with praise only when they are gone? If we feel we have things to say about a fallen member of the literati, the best we can do is to immortalise them in writing.
I believe that a true friend to an artist is one who tells them the truth. Court poetry has no place, especially when the poetry is about one who cannot hear.
Since it is wrong to engage in hypocrisy, I will not wait until they go to praise them. Today, I want to praise Austin Bukenya, Chris Lukorito Wanjala and David Kakuta Mulwa.
When I Met a Thief, “on the beach, on the coast…”, I met Mwalimu Austin Bukenya. Mwalimu, in “Whititude”, you touched on the standard attitude. You of The Bride are not just a teacher. You are a mentor. Unlike many who attempt to emulate you, you have always outdone them. You continuously wear your fingers every week to furnish your readers with Reflections of a Scholar.
The humility with which you handle yourself gives a true reflection of a scholar. Anyone who has had the privilege to interact with you leaves not just satisfied but literally enriched.
When I invited you to officiate at a writer’s forum in August last year, your reply still came from a scholar. “I will be delivering a paper in a similar function at Makerere.” In you, it is true that the higher one goes in academics, the cooler one becomes. You respect your students, peers and teachers.
When I hear the name David Mulwa, I don’t just see Redemption, I see Master and Servant. To me these are masterpieces. In bringing out the hypocrisy in church leadership, Redemption has no equal. Many would and still spend their last coin to watch you on stage. You are not just a teacher, you are a great thespian. I want you to know that you are not just any other David. Those in the Schools and Colleges Drama Festival look at you with awe and admiration. To the bench, you bring empathy and expertise and to the stage you bring teamwork and experience. You preach what you drink.
Chris Wanjala, Austin Bukenya’s bakoki, you are knowledgeable. You are a great critic. The theories of criticism you employ leave you more endeared to your audience than ever before. As a result of your deep and humble approach in aggressive literary criticism, you do not leave anybody hurt. Your mode of criticism does not heat. It lights up all your admirers.
Mwalimu, I will not wait to say this when you are no more. I want you to know how great you are. Who does not know your great contribution as the first editor of The East African Journal? Who does not know that it is at that time when it was a real regional academic journal? You are not just another statistic, you can be counted.
For the three greats, I did not want to say this when you are gone. I want you to know that in literary circles, you are already immortal. You created art, you were read, you are being read and will continue to be read.
For those who wait until a great has fallen to open their taps of praise, let them know where they lie. Let them know what you do not like about them. They will rectify, if the changing will lead them into the literary heaven.
The writer is a motivational speaker, author of Stella at Crossroads, The Bridgeline Revision Series and a commentator on matters education
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Avoid cheap guide books for set texts
By Rimita Mutethia Rukunga
Just like Hollywood is synonymous with the US film industry, Nairobi’s River Road is synonymous with substandard and contraband because of its notoriety in the production, feigning and selling of substandard and unaccredited products. Of interest here are the guidebooks for set texts approved by the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development.
Guide writers have thrown their energies and brains into writing cheap, substandard and misleading leaflets in the name of guide notes for books such as The River and The Source that is compulsory text. This they did just few weeks after these texts were approved by KICD.
Students and literature teachers should treat these leaflets with the contempt they deserve. Do not waste your cash on them.
One, the leaflets are not subjected to proper reviews by publishers. This is because the writers fear and lack confidence in their own work.
In any case, these writers stand very little chance of winning a competitive tender in the mainstream publishing world if their works are subjected to normal content, quality and organisational scrutiny.
Secondly, these ‘manuscripts’ lack in content and detailed analysis. The essence of a guidebook is to give extra facts and top up teachers’ notes hence sealing oversight holes as well as misinterpretations of such things as tropes, themes and character traits. They are also supposed to give hints on how to approach thematic, contextual excerpt and essay questions and the relevance of the whole story. If all this is considered, then it is unlikely that one will come up with a guide that is 50 pages or less analysing a book that is 300 pages or more. That is why I refer to such guides as leaflets. Such guides would not help even a cheat who carries one into an exam room.
Thirdly, there is a high probability that these guides contain misleading interpretations due to the rash with which they are produced and lack of expert screening. That the authors produce the guides in less than two months makes one suspicious of their understanding the style, thematic motifs and characterisation.
Finally, these guides are exceptionally cheap. Cheap is expensive. They are normally priced at Sh250 or less. Reliable guide books, owing to the high cost of production, will cost above Sh350.
When purchasing guidebooks, teachers and students are advised to have a relative gauge of quality by looking at the published work. If the guide is printed on poor quality paper, shun it.
Look out for the pertinent elements you expect from a guide, such as themes, style, characterisation and revision exercises.
The writer is an IT consultant, lecturer at Laikipia University and the writer of a guide book to Half a Day and other Short Stories, (2007) and the River and the Source (2015) both published by Jomo Kenyatta Foundation Publishers. [email protected]
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Why creative industry is not growing
By Vivere Nandiemo
There has been a vibrant discourse on the state of the arts and the creative industry in the country. Indeed, scores of scholars have continued to decry the debilitating standards in the creative industry. While the creative industry in the country has grown over the last couple of years, the question of quality has formed the basis of concern for many.
There are certain unique factors that continue to compromise the quality of artistic and creative output in the country. However, the copycat habit currently pervading the creative scene is greatly to blame for the low standards. Unfortunately, this copycat culture has permeated virtually all the spheres of our society — entertainment, business, culture, lifestyles to the arts. We use short-cuts to achieve success. Majority of us have embraced laziness to the extent that the ingenuity in taking short cuts is celebrated more than hard work. Even our learners in schools have resorted to cheating to pass exams. On our TV stations, scores of programs look similar and are aired at the same time.
We copy programs from the West. Shark Tank airs in the US. It features budding entrepreneurs. Now Kenyan TV stations are awash with similar programmes.The music industry is the most affected by this copycat menace. Our musicians sacrifice creativity at the altar of instant fame. It is common to see budding musicians striving to sing like established artists. The incessant conflicts among local musicians over allegations of some musicians ‘stealing’ lyrics from others is a reflection of this culture.
Nigerian and Tanzanian music has dominated the Kenyan airwaves. In a bid to compete, our local artists have taken to copying their lyrics and dance moves instead of carving out their own niches. The comedy industry has not been left out either. Budding and some fairly established comedians thrive on copying jokes from each other. That is why they survive only on the hackneyed tribal and sexist jokes.
Arts and the creative industry play a vital role in the socio-economic development of a country. However, for the industry to realize this role, it must be authentic and original. To salvage this industry, we must put an end to the pervasive copycat habit.The writer teaches literature at Sakuri Girls’ Secondary School in Kuria East, Migori County. [email protected]
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Education policy should not be easy to change
By Kingori Mwangi
I wish to sincerely thank Saturday Nation for this platform on which literary scholars, teachers, lovers of literature and the general readership meet to exchange ideas. The major problem with the English subject at KCSE is not poor teaching, lack of reading by students, set books or any of the suggested reasons by contributors to this page. The problem is our education system.
Allow me to elaborate. To say that Kenya is a dumping ground, testing field, laboratory, a waste bin of world education systems is to be fair to the planners of education in this nation. It leaves one wondering whether educational policies in Kenya are official or personal. Consider this: When it was decided that English and literature would be considered as one subject, it was the then Education PS, Prof Karega Mutahi who announced it. In countries we try to equate ourselves to, such as USA and Britain, education systems are not issues to be determined by ministers of Education but by serious commissions. Where in the world does a country change its education system over several times in a decade?
The writer lives in Gilgil, Nakuru County
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Nyanza award offers hope to young writers
By Daniel Many
On August 27, I travelled to Kisumu to attend the first Nyanza Annual Literary Festival. I was among the three short listed for a literary prize in the poetry category.
Other categories included fiction and screen/stage play. The event, which was organised by Jakki Kerubo, brought together writers from the lake region.
It was aimed at appreciating budding writers. Kerubo is based in the US. She is the founder of Nalif. Many literary festivals and awards are centred around Nairobi.
It is very difficult for a budding writer to penetrate the congested literary scene in the city, which is still dominated by big names. NALIF, therefore, offers budding writers a chance to have their work read, judged and even published.
It gives budding writers an opportunity to meet other published writers and to grow. Troy Onyango and Redscar Odindo scooped the prizes. I congratulate them.
The writer is a poet
