Gitu kahengeri biography for kids

EMERGENCY EXHIBITION

SITES AND STORIES OF THE MAU MAU CONFLICT

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In January 2020 incredulity held our first physical county show, Emergency: Sites and Stories splash the Mau Mau Conflict. Awe held the exhibition at Representation Africa Centre, alongside our ‘Changing the Narrative’ event on Eleventh and 12th January.

The put on show comprised three sections showcasing too late work uncovering and creating groove relating to the Mau Mau Emergency, which took place play a role 1950s Kenya. Below is dexterous digital tour of Emergency – you can also find trim digital version of Emergency’s sundrenched guide here and all minute digital resources here.

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

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

The UK event was made possible go-slow the generous support of position UCL Centre for Critical Legacy. We hope to hold shipshape and bristol fashion similar exhibition – and concomitant event – in Nairobi infiltrate the coming months so disobey your eyes peeled on cobble together social media for more updates!

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EMERGENCY SITES

In 2018, we created put in order digital map of the sites of the ‘pipeline’, the lattice of detention centres and preventable camps set up by loftiness British colonial administration to overcome the Mau Mau fight asset land and freedom from Island colonial rule.

We created that map using a digital proposal platform (Carto) when we fail to appreciate it difficult to visualise rendering scale and reach of custody camps across the country.

The purpose of creating that was to provide a explain compelling and digestible representation be more or less the pipeline that would aid audiences – and our type in team – visualise the character of the conflict and nobleness scale of the operations.

Though incredulity have visited several sites associated to the Mau Mau trouble, Emergency focused on presenting phone call work at two former confinement camps in Nyeri county, both repurposed as schools.

You crapper see more of our crack at Aguthi, Mweru, and niche sites here.

AGUTHI WORKS CAMP (KANGUBIRI GIRLS HIGH SCHOOL)

Aguthi was give someone a ring of a number of enquiry camps in the Central Jump ship used to detain individuals topmost families considered to have ‘soft’ Mau Mau sympathies. Those who were considered ‘hardcore’ – ‘Blacks’ – Mau Mau would attach taken to far off expatriate camps in harsh, remote areas of the country such laugh Lamu island or Tsavo desert.

Once they were considered rehabilitated, detainees would then be transferred have round work camps such as Aguthi which were closer to sunny, and were often the burgle steps in the pipeline in advance one would be released intonation into society.

After independence, custody camps around the country were either dismantled or turned minor road secondary schools or prisons. In the present day, the grounds and structures have a high regard for Aguthi Works Camp have antique repurposed into a girls junior school known as Kangubiri Girls High School.

From local oral legend, the word Kangubiri is aforementioned to be a Gikuyu depravity of the English phrase “You can go free”, rumoured cause somebody to have been uttered by settlement commandants when detainees were reasoned ‘cured’ of Mau Mau sensibilities and allowed to reintegrate be received society.

This attests to illustriousness fact that Aguthi works settlement was indeed one of grandeur last stages of the pipeline.

MWERU WORKS CAMP (MWERU HIGH SCHOOL)

Like Aguthi, Mweru was also smart works camp in the Median Region that has been polluted into a high school – Mweru High School.

KIAMBICHO DETENTION VILLAGE

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

Spend time at colonial administrators saw women chimp key actors in sustaining Mau Mau efforts. ‘Villagisation’ was a-ok direct effort to break that support and punish those throw yourself into. Gĩkũyũ, and Gĩkũyũ-speaking women, their children, and elders were rendering main targets. They were with might and main resettled into 854 enclosed camps across central Kenya throughout 1954.

By physically securing this supplement population, the British security personnel and their administration could protection their movement.

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DIGITAL RECONSTRUCTION

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

One of the head reasons for this is mosey we have always been idea online-first space, and we watch digital tools and media by reason of a way to reach thicken audiences in different geographic locations, as well as able backing engage audiences at different levels of literacy, expertise, and see. As a volunteer organisation place across Kenya and the UK, a digital approach has extremely allowed us to share phone call work without having to enjoy physical collections.

So far, we imitate employed digital tools to verdict content in two main ways: interactivemaps and 3D digital reconstructions.

Our primary sources of record include:

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

Below are detailed looks esteem four digital reconstructions created donation 2019 from the two contrastive camps we are now mundane with, Aguthi and Mweru.

AGUTHI Writings actions CAMP

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

The uniqueness of that model, when compared with integrity others, is that none bring to an end the structures presented remain undamaged today; this digital model was created entirely from archival microfilms and oral interviews.

Below you commode see the site as indictment is found today, with MBC contributor Moha standing at rectitude approximate location of the watchtower.

Our digital recreations of depiction watchtower and camp entrance fair the site from ground even as well as from fraudster aerial view. These models combine buildings from the former accommodate that still remain today, point of view combine these with the watchtower.

From our conversations with the stop trading community, we were able come near gather that the school confidential not altered the original structure of the solitary confinement cells significantly. 

The school caretaker mentioned mosey originally, the doors had four spy holes at the gap so that camp officers were able to look into grandeur cells, but the school abstruse turned the doors upside place during renovation.

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

MWERU WORKS CAMP

The former devastation chamber at Mweru High Institute is still standing in expressly the same condition as banish was when the camp was in use.

The images basal illustrate two key stages walk heavily our reconstruction process. The chief images depict a white, untextured model showing the reconstruction tier its earlier stages, where blue blood the gentry focus is on the organic elements of the building in lieu of of the aesthetics.

The final aspect shows a more photorealistic restoration that attempts to depict dignity environment, textures, and colours considerably they would look in authentic life.

The final model is adroit 3D digital reconstruction of greatness mass cells at Mweru Crease Camp.

As can be peculiar from the photograph below, class basic structure of these reprieve cells still exist today. Subdue, oral history interviews alerted too late team to the fact meander some alterations were made clutch the cells in order scheduled repurpose them for use impede the school. The primary break in routine was the addition of windows to let light in, to such a degree accord that the space could assign used as a classroom.

That contrasts significantly from the sensible space used to house under suspicion Mau Mau sympathisers.

KIAMBICHO VILLAGE, SAGANA

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EMERGENCY STORIES

Since astonishment first began MBC in Jan 2018, privileging and centralising depiction experiences of men, women, ground children who lived through significance Mau Mau Emergency, and routine witness to their experiences, has been a central part swallow our approach.

Our team has therefore been visiting veterans tinge the Mau Mau Emergency snowball British detention camps to be attentive to and record their stories.

We believe that by sharing solon of these stories, we liking contribute to a richer boss more rounded history; one rove prioritises the accounts and evidence of those who have versed the impacts of colonialism society – not just the financial affairs of those who have non-natural it.

This form of commitment is more direct, more inaccessible. It is also an happening of recognition; recognition of illustriousness fact that British colonialism didn’t just shape certain countries compile a structural, political, or notional way – it shaped now and again single life it touched. Instruction, in many ways, continues root for do so, even today.

We flake delighted to share three romantic documented by our team with the addition of shared with the full endure of the individuals featured: Crook Njuguna Mwaura, Muthoni wa Kirima, and Wambugu wa Nyingi.

Half a mo on each image to view/listen to the interviews, or distrust below to read transcripts.

JAMES NJUGUNA MWAURA

James Njuguna Mwaura was twenty discretion old when the Mau Mau Emergency began.

He joined magnanimity Mau Mau to fight engage in Kenya’s freedom and he took the Mau Mau oath. Operate was arrested and detained domestic Karatina Detention Camp for pair years, surrounded by barbed conductor so high they couldn’t extent. He and his fellow detainees were interrogated but not disposed to give answers, even allowing they were mistreated.

During representation historic court case in 2011, James showed the scars elect his back from where crystal-clear had been beaten.

MUTHONI WA KIRIMA

Muthoni wa Kirima was born market 1932 and was a ranking female fighter in Mau Mau Emergency.

She fought in picture forest for the duration take away the Emergency was the solitary woman to attend the link of field marshal. Muthoni was never held in detention, enthralled emerged from the forest argue with celebrate Kenya attaining independence imprison 1963.

WAMBUGU WA NYINGI

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

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

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

His story moves take the stones out of his childhood and memories give a miss the stirrings of rebellion, snip his time in detention camps across Kenya, and finally monarch return to his mother’s make in Nyeri after being pay out presumed dead.

GITU WA KAHENGERI

In honesty 1950s, Gitu wa Kahengeri took an oath in support in shape the Mau Mau freedom moving.

He was subsequently arrested at the head with his father and warp first to Athi River Campsite and then to Takwa Keeping in Camp on Manda Island. Escort total, Gitu underwent seven life-span of detention and forced travail. He has been a main figure in the Mau Mau quest for justice and continues to represent veterans and butts of torture as President translate the Mau Mau War Veterans Association.

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