Matirî Ngemi

Mûkami Kîmathi (1930 - 2023) was Dedan Kîmathi's wife, a mother and grandmother and was actively involved in the struggle for independence and played a significant role in supporting her husband's activities. She faced imprisonment and harassment from the British colonial authorities due to her involvement in the Mau Mau movement.

Field-Marshal Mûthoni wa Kîrîma (born 1931) is a retired top-ranking female fighter in the Kenya Land and Freedom Army of the Mau Mau Uprising in the 1950s. Few Mau Mau women became active fighters, and Muthoni is the only woman to have attained the Mau Mau rank of field-marshal. Please listen, enjoy and share!

1. https://nation.africa/kenya/life-and-style/weekend/how-mukami-kept-kimathi-name-alive-over-the-years-4232706
2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muthoni_Kirima
3. https://www.youtube.com/live/OzKfTF_otPs?feature=share
4. https://www.mathaga.com/products/kirira-kia-agikuyu-by-m-n-kabetu?_pos=2&_sid=5679af2b9&_ss=r

In this episode, we delve into the life and legacy of Field Marshal Dedan Kimathi Waciûri, a senior military and spiritual leader in Kenya's fight for independence from British colonial rule. As the leader of the Mau Mau Uprising, Kimathi galvanized the Kikuyu people with his passion, strategic acumen, and unyielding spirit. Despite being captured and executed in 1957, his contributions to Kenya's struggle for freedom continue to inspire generations. Join us as we explore the complex life of this anti-colonial revolutionary, whose actions and ideologies continue to shape discussions about independence, identity, and the ongoing process of decolonization. To learn more, please listen and share!

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dedan_Kimathi
2. https://www.mathaga.com/products/dedan-kimathi-the-real-story-by-sam-kahiga?_pos=1&_sid=1195c2c80&_ss=r
3. https://youtu.be/zbMtnoSd06Y
4. https://youtu.be/Yz5jRjQJ6a4

Mûrathi Kairetu is a story of a girl who was a seer/prophet, who appears in the late 1940s. With special messages from "Ngai", she played a critical part in the resistance movement in Kenya. Little is known about or talked about her and her story is told in the book "Ûrathi wa Cege wa Kîbirû". To learn about her prophesies, listen and enjoy. 

Resources:

1. https://www.mathaga.com/collections/new-and-popular/products/urathi-wa-cege-wa-kibiru-by-d-kinuthia-mugia
2. https://a.co/d/2mXrv7I

Harry Thuku (1895 – 14 June 1970) was a Kenyan politician one of the pioneers in the development of modern African Nationalism in Kenya. He helped found the Young Kikuyu Association and the East African Association before being arrested and exiled from 1922 to 1931. In 1932 he became President of the Kikuyu Central Association, in 1935 founded the Kikuyu Provincial Association, and in 1944 founded the Kenya African Study Union. He opposed to the Mau Mau movement.

Mary Muthoni Nyanjiru (Birth date unknown -died March 16, 1922) was a Kikuyu woman and a political activist remembered for leading the protest after the arrest of Harry Thuku, that resulted in her death. Muthoni Nyanjiru was born in Weithaga, Murang'a, although her date or year of birth are not recorded. By the time she was shot and killed in 1922, she lived in Nairobi with her stepdaughter, Elizabeth Waruiru.To learn more about them, please listen, enjoy and share. 

Resources:

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harry_Thuku
2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Muthoni_Nyanjiru
3. https://www.mathaga.com/products/history-of-resistance-in-kenya-by-maina-wa-kinyatti-1?_pos=5&_sid=521ea7921&_ss=r&variant=41273150341288

The story of Gaciî wa Kîhara is a story of courage and undying love for our land and our families; pride for who we are and what is ours. This is an epic story of the man, the legend, Gaciî wa Kihara. Please listen, enjoy and share. 

Waiyaki Wa Hinga was a Mûthamaki who was a leader of Southern Gikuyu. A great man, a leader, a fearless warrior, a father of a large sub-mbarî, he was instrumental in sowing the seeds that would foreshadow and birth the resistance movement in Kenya. To learn about this great man, please listen, share and enjoy!

To learn more, click on the resources below:

1. https://www.mathaga.com/products/muthamaki-waiyaki-wa-hinga-paperback-the-untold-story-by-njoroge-regeru
2. https://artsandculture.google.com/entity/waiyaki-wa-hinga/m0hr7t39?hl=en
3. https://nation.africa/kenya/life-and-style/dn2/122-years-later-family-seeks-hero-s-burial-for-waiyaki-wa-hinga-1020822
4. https://nairobilawmonthly.com/index.php/2018/08/03/lawyer-traces-kikuyu-warrior-waiyaki-wa-hinga-to-maa-roots/
5. https://youtu.be/BzF8PlEKBRc
    

Wang'ombe wa Ihûra was a legend of a man. A brave warrior, a leader and a chief. If it wasn't for him, the destiny of the Agîkûyû might be different today. Please listen, enjoy and share the story of this great legend. 

Resources:

1. https://app.box.com/s/1nk7m2yjwythef91hqmy9teafprfpqkw
2. https://discover.hubpages.com/education/Chief-Wangombe-wa-Ihura

Wangu wa Makeri was a community chief, known as Headman, during the British colonial period in Kenya. She was the only female Kikuyu Headman during the period, who later resigned following a scandal because she engaged in a dance called Kibata.

Wangu wa Makeri was born around 1856 in Murang’a. She had no formal education; instead she worked on her parent’s farm as a labourer. To learn more about Wangu, please listen and share.

Below are some links to some resources:

1. https://www.mathaga.com/products/wangu-wa-makeri-by-mary-w-wanyoika
2. https://artsandculture.google.com/story/wangu-wa-makeri-the-story-of-the-fiery-kikuyu-chieftess/RgICpQ_bJ4-QLA
3. Mûcûngwa: https://youtu.be/GV715ovKpxA
    

Mûgo wa Kîbirû is believed to have been born in Kariara, Murang’a near Thika somewhere between the 18th and the 19th centuries. He was a famous Gikuyu Seer and prophet. It is not known who his parents were. To learn more about Mûgo wa Kîbirû, please listen and share.

Below are some links to some resources:

1. https://www.mathaga.com/products/urathi-wa-cege-wa-kibiru-by-d-kinuthia-mugia?_pos=4&_sid=0a4e7d8ec&_ss=r
2. https://mukuyu.wordpress.com/2014/09/13/cege-wa-kibiru/
3. https://artsandculture.google.com/asset/mugo-wa-kibiru-the-seer-kikuyu-community-shujaa-stories/qgEnNW7tf2iuIA?hl=en

This short teaser episode introduces Season 3 and discusses what we will cover. Enjoy!