hideous murders, and madmen conducting irrational killing to that of Mau Mau
veterans being freedom fighters, liberators, and heroes.7 This shift has come in a
variety of forms.
In 2004, A Hot Sun Film movie entitled, The Oath, A Story of the Mau Mau
directed by Nathan Collett, was released. This movie is essentially the retelling
of the Mau Mau war by showing the tensions and conflicts that occurred between
and within the races in efforts to recast a new Kenya. The story starts with an ex-
Mau Mau veteran talking to school age children about a story called Mau Mau
and the struggle for Kenyan independence. Like the old Kenyan folklore stories
told by night fires, the children all listened acutely to the details of how Mau Mau
won independence for Kenya. However, it was the accompanying film
documentary that contextualized the movie and the historical relevance of Mau
Mau. The director and some of the cast provide their interpretation and meaning
of the movie and the history. The cast are all Kenyan, making the film particularly
relevant and personal, which came out in their descriptive testimonies. Like this
study, the movie is an intervention; it provides a Kenyan view of Mau Mau as
freedom fighters, highlighting the importance of this bloody but honorable past.
In addition, the presentation of the movie in English also suggests that it is
consciously targeting a global audience.
This is an example of the new spaces some have created to provide a
new perspective on the war. Mau Mau is intriguing because of the varied
meaning. There are still divisions, impressions, interpretations, and too many
7 Viewing and discussion, The Emerald Initiative Kenyan Association, January 2010 of Wendo Wa
Kavete. Kibwezi District. “Purification Ritual Performance”. December 2008. Video tape recording and
notes. Descriptions taken from interview comments.
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