The name is absent

Chapter 6 The Mau Mau Oath and Gender

“As forest guerillas and as civilian supporters of Mau Mau, women proved to
be dedicated and competent, and men were obliged to acknowledge the
contribution of women in the liberation struggle. "¹

Tabitha Kanogo

Introduction

In Kenya, pre-colonial politics and especially war were the important
business of men; women were relegated to the domestic sphere. All political
matters like kithitu oathing were handled solely by adult men.² Women were not
allowed to have anything to do with the dangerous oath; if there were court
disputes involving women, men had to oath on their behalf.³ Through the
introduction of new laws, however, colonialism created new gender roles that
were well entrenched by the 1950s.

Women seized new political spaces of freedom including their eventual
participation in Mau Mau oathing and the war. Interestingly, although the oath
was once the sole domain of men, the Mau Mau rebellion -reclaiming African
land for Africans against the British colonists - became a moment women
embraced to recast gender boundaries and contribute to the politics of the
country. Not only did women oath, they also administered the oath to men,
women, and children. Women were initially challenged by males who wanted to
limit their participation to traditional support roles; however, they rose above

' Sharon Macdonald, Pat Holden and Shirley Ardener. Images of Women in Peace and War, Chapter
“Kikuyu women and the politics of protest: Mau Mau” by Tabitha Kanogo (London: Macmillan Education
LTD, 1987), 95. QuotebyKanogo.

² Ueda, “Kithitu amoung the Kamba”.

³ Lindblom, The Akamba in British EastAfrica, 170-171.

151

<<   159   160   161   162   163   164   165   >>

More intriguing information