Here are my issues with the Sauti Sol’s “Tujiangalie”
1. Sauti Sol begins “Tujiangalie” with “barua toka Jaramogi na Ngengi,” and release it a day before the sons of the two men affirm the handshake and take a trip to Ngengi’s grave? That’s just weird.
2. Then they ask Mboya angekuwa mambo yangekuwa sawa…isn’t it Mboya who wrote Sessional Paper no 10?
3. Then there’s “Michuki alisema tufungeni mikanda…” yet there were rumors of Michuki’s self interest in the seat belt business. And as Gathara often tells us, the accidents are due to bad road design, not lack of seat belts
4. They sing: Kura zetu zilitugawanya….come on, we all know what happened. Kura zillibiwa…
5. Then the line…so when you make your bed oh…
In other words, are Kenya’s problems really the people’s fault, so that it is only solved tukijiangalia?
6. The part where I just said I’m not with Sauti Sol is where they sing “Vision2030 itabaki ni story…yet Vision 2030 is a big problem and is behind many of our troubles, especially in healthcare and infrastructure
The revolution is being hijacked. Someone has advised Muigai to tolerate a little ranting about the economy as we approach the SAPs in a few days, when things will get worse. Musicians who normally call themselves pro-Muigai or non-political have intuitively picked up that they are allowed to speak against the debt and hard times we’re headed for, but just don’t direct it at Muigai or a particular politicians. So these musicians are giving us a vent, but they are not really calling for change. They’re telling us tujiangalie (we fix ourselves).
But someone on twitter responded to my concerns with this observation, which is really on point. He said: “hmmm…that song is meant to those buggers who voted twice.”
These songs are meant for Uthamakistanis. Uthamakastanis are being allowed to rant about the mess we’re in, but not enough to point at Muigai as the problem and their choice to vote him in a mistake. Rather, they’re being told to look to themselves. In other words, keep remaining isolated.
Fanon warned us that colonialists had mastered that tactic: “In former times, the colonialists have encouraged and supported these modes of expression. In fact, the occupying power assimilates stinging denunciations and exposures of distressing conditions and passions in a cathartic process. Support for these expressions prevents them from being put into action and helps clear the atmosphere.”
Those who steal our land and taxes are also stealing our language.
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