A JOURNEY THROUGH CREATIVITY AND UNORTHODOX LITERARY CRITICISM: LESSONS FROM THE MASSES OFFERING CRITICISM IN A VERNACULAR LANGUAGE IN KENYA

Abstract

I cannot boast of being a literary critic of any shade – neither am I well tutored
in the literary world – but I read and enjoy literature and have incorporated
others into my reading world. I, therefore, feel greatly humbled standing in
front of this grand gathering of academic and language greats to express my
brief and non-academic wandering into the world of literature. Being a
linguist, what I present here today is not an academic treatise on literary
criticism and creativity but thoughts, recollections and experiences I have had
in my dalliance with literature.
Allow me to digress. In March 2000, the first 24-hour wholly vernacular
station in Kenya opened its doors. It was, and still is, known as Kameme FM.
Being a lover and an ardent advocate of the use of vernacular languages, I
frequently tuned into the station and was elated. I promptly wrote an
application (in Gikuyu) requesting to be given time to air an academic
programme which I christened “Book Review” in the application. The objective
of the programme would be to “read” and “review” literature books in Gikuyu.
Since there were not many books written in that language, I proposed to “read
and translate books written in English and Kiswahili into Gikuyu” in keeping
with the station’s goal of broadcasting in Gikuyu. I had in mind a programme
along the lines of “Books and Bookmen”, which I had tuned in to for quite some
years. At that time, the programme was presented by now Professor Egara
Kabaji of Masinde Muliro University and, among its pioneer participants,
Professor Chris Wanjala of the Department of Literature at the University of
Nairobi.
But I did not have the intention of having a replica of Kabaji’s programme.
I had thought of ways of making the programme interactive and I was lucky,
given the current advancements in communication technology. I did not want
to lecture as Kabaji did. My intention was to go through the book as written
and then give listeners a chance to call in and give a critique, however
uneducated the response would be. I intended to start with a review of school
set books on offer then. When the then station’s owner – Ms Rose Kimotho –  heard about my idea, she liked it. The station was in the process of looking for
new and fresh programmes and talents and she thought my proposal sounded
unique and fresh. But there was skepticism all over: how could one possibly
review English books in Gikuyu? All the same, some had some sort of faith in
“this young university lecturer … maybe he has a way of doing it.”