The Swahili literary scene is increasingly becoming vibrant, what with new works being churned out.
However there is still some literary “drought” when it comes to (auto)biographies written in Kiswahili.
Since the Tanzanian literary guru Shaaban bin Robert penned Maisha Yangu and Baada ya Miaka Hamsini in the 1960s, the number of (auto)biographies written in Kiswahili is still small since very few Kiswahili writers have followed in his footsteps.
The names that easily come to mind are Joseph Muthee’s Kizuizini which was published in 2006. The biographies of Mzee Sheikh Nabhany and the late Shihabbudin Chiraghdin were published in 2012. Shafi Adam Shafi’s memoirs, Mbali na Nyumbani followed suit in 2013.
Now we have Nasikia Sauti ya Mama, Ken Walibora’s childhood autobiography which just came off the press.
NOT A STRANGER
Walibora is no stranger to the local Kiswahili literary scene.
He is a prolific writer with works cutting across the four main genres of literature—the novel, the short story, the play and the verse.
His most famous work, Siku Njema uses the journey motif in which Msanifu Kombo sets out to discover himself. Similarly, in Nasikia Sauti ya Mama, Walibora traces his journey through his childhood. He shows how his mother was his first teacher and how her voice guided him into his youth.
CANDID ACCOUNT
Through Nasikia Sauti ya Mama, he elects a statue for his beloved mother Ruth Nasambu. It is a statue of words not stone or steel.
His oldest memory is being on his mother’s lap in a hospital, a very painful jab and his mother singing him a lullaby: Hush child; your tears will bring forth my own.
Walibora gives a candid account of his childhood with a dose of creativity. He does not glorify or whitewash his childhood. He tells it as it was -- the escapades and the beatings, the good and the bad.
It will certainly encourage many to know that he did not get where he is by chance. He struggled to attain his current status.
Many will be surprised to learn that for the better part of his childhood, Walibora was not an A-student.
He hated school and the sound of Nasikia sauti, sauti ya mama...kwaheri mwalimu that signaled the end of a school day was music to his ears.
Walibora still remembers his mother’s voice. “You will certainly do better next term, I know you are not stupid.”
This was after he was last in the end of term exams. He had expected a dressing down, he got encouragement instead.
Walibora probably owes his prowess in Kiswahili to his father, a great orator who was the headteacher of St Josephs Kitale.
A young Walibora enjoyed his father’s speeches which were delivered in flawless Kiswahili. Both the head teacher and the deputy taught Kiswahili when it was not an examinable subject.
He may also have inherited the talent from his maternal grandfather, Peter Makali, who was a church minister.
DISCIPLINED ACCORDINGLY
But Walibora credits his mother with teaching him many topics, starting with his family tree to the importance of doing good deeds.
Religion, justice, the changing fortunes of life, the dangers of anger and the importance of euphemism as well as the complex topic of death are aspects of life he was taught about by his mother.
Even though he was the last child, his mother never spoilt him; whenever he erred he was disciplined accordingly.
His Cherangani home was a melting pot of cultures with different communities living side by side.
Yet peace and goodwill prevailed, a far cry from the current situation in our nation.
It was in those tranquil surroundings of Cherangani that Walibora first appreciated the importance of Kiswahili as a medium of communication in a linguistically diverse setting.
Being the head teacher’s son had its privileges. His love for sports had been nurtured early through interactions with renowned sportsmen like Ben Jipcho and Cosmas Siele.
Also, he attended many tournaments on account of being the head teacher’s son.
MOCKED SEVERELY
But the downside was that any time he fell short of his peers’ expectations, he was mocked severely.
Many pupils were envious of him and he clearly demonstrates the world is full of spiteful people. Not everyone will rejoice when you are doing well.
His elder brother died through the machinations of an evil relative but he escaped the same fate by the skin of his teeth.
His mother’s heart attack affected him and taught him the fickleness of life.
Prior to her illness, she was a hardworking woman. She continued to fuel her family’s hopes despite her poor health. To assist her, Walibora’s paternal grandmother moved in. She was a master story teller who definitely nurtured her grandson’s talent.
Walibora also addresses Bukusu culture and dwells on the rites of passage.
Having attained manhood, he ignores his mother’s voice and decides to test the waters.
CONCENTRATE ON EDUCATION
But it was still his mother’s voice that saved him by reminding him to control himself lest he be controlled.
He therefore concentrated on his education.
Though he did not make it to Alliance High School as his father had wished, his star was on the rise as he continued to pay attention to his mother’s voice.
Thus, with a dose of creativity, Walibora has led us on a voyage through his childhood.
It is an interesting journey and we eagerly await his memoirs on youth and his adulthood. Will he still let his mother’s voice guide him?
The book will likely shed light to readers, particularly the generation of students who read Siku Njema in high school and thought the main character Msanifu Kombo to be Ken Walibora.
Rachel Maina teaches Swahili literature at Mt Kenya University while Enock Matundura teaches Swahili literature at Chuka University