land of happiness of Kambas and Kikuyu. Kenya is a land of the Blacks.
When Kenyatta put his hand in the ballot box, he saved Kenya.,β7
The songs as statements offered group unity in the struggle. In this case, the
statements showed the importance and value of the Kenyan land and the need
for independence. Also, in January 2009, 87-yearold, P. Musuo remembered his
oathing statements and the punishment of breaking the oathing principles as:
“If I am a Mau Mau and I have a fellow Mau Mau hungry and I fail to give him
some money to buy food or buy it for him, the oath should kill me. If my family
has food and my colleague has no more and I let them sleep hungry, the oath
is to kill me. If I have extra clothing and you have none, and I fail to share
with you, the oath must kill me.,β8
His statements are revealing because the oath was central to the basics of
existence. His comment on providing food speaks to the survival and
desperation felt by many of the Africans during this period. The oath was a
matter of life and death; it was a movement of survival. The oath was ultimately
responsible for enforcing the unity and togetherness necessary for Kenyan
liberation. When questioned what the oath meant, P. Musuo responded that it
meant “to be united to rule ourselves.”69
Other oathing statements were much longer and spoke about specific
roles of the participants. For example, some oaths were directed at warriors and
designed to strengthen group loyalty and allegiance while fighting. One of the
best written testimonies on this topic is from the account of Karari Njama which
provides an example of the language and associated warrior principles:
67 Interview, J.M. Malei, January 2009, Machakos District.
68 Interview, P. Musuo, January 2009, Machakos District.
69 Interview, P. Musuo, January 2009, Machakos District.
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