This paper focuses on popular songs that were performed on Kenya's mega historical period of 2007/2008. The country experienced socio-political conflict precipitated on the winner of the Presidential race, hence the ethnic cleansing. New Historicism arrives at a deeper insight into the context of the songs. It is interested in the reconstruction of the actual relations among people at a particular time. The presidential aspirants named in the chaos, remain historical personages in Kenya. This discussion reveals the interaction between poetics and political history. The discussed poets immersed themselves in the real historical phenomena positioning themselves as spokespersons on the upheavals. The chapter is based on song-texts selected from Gikuyu artists who engaged the audience on the events.
This paper takes a critical look at the influences of Bertolt Brecht's dramaturgy on the works of African playwrights. It is evident that the theoretical approach and style of Bertolt Brecht has shaped the new narratives that has been unleashed on the modern stage. His devoted treatise on social theatre theory and the creation of storylines that are centred on around the emancipation of the people has served as a template for most playwrights in developing countries. This article looks at the deployment of the Brechtian Theatre model by two prolific African playwrights. Francis Imbuga's Successor and Ola Rotimi's If… from the popular nature of the storylines that captures the historicity that shapes the African political landscape, to the everyman characterization that the playwrights deploy; this nature of characterization easily speaks to the African because it propagates its historical and immediate challenges. All these attributes are firmly entrenched in Bertolt Brecht's Theatre. The article looks at the historical nature of the plays and their social relevance to the development of man in the modern society.
The state has traditionally undertaken maintenance of security and good order for the citizens. But due to the deficiencies in governments, other actors have been looked upon to supplement the supply of security services. The commercial security industry, which has developed and grown expansively, is one. The sector provides policing services to their subscribed consumers. Despite the commercialised security industry growing in Nairobi, Kenya, few studies have assessed the limitations of commercialised security to impact national security on national security positively. The study took on a cross-sectional survey design. A multistage sampling technique was employed to obtain the respondents. Questionnaires, scheduled interviews and structured observation were used to collect data. These descriptive statistics were used to summarise variables into thematic areas and convey key variables' characteristics. The study identified six limitations: not being armed with firearms was the most mentioned, poor working conditions of guards was second mentioned, lack of courtesy by guards was the third most mentioned, lack of trust by the state security agencies was the fourth, and last was, lack of regulation and licensing. The study concluded that the limitations of commercialised security on national security bring the hurdles the industry faces to the fore.Consequently, the country should have favourable mechanisms to oversee the industry's continuous reevaluation. The suitable means can only be realised through the stakeholders' consultation: the commercial security industry, the citizens and the state. Thus, the study recommended that the Private Security Regulation Authority start implementing some of the requirements in the PSRA No. 13 of 2016.It meant to streamline the industry in terms of the training of the security guards, remunerations of the security guards, minimum requirements for recruitment and working environments.
Die Artikelsammlung ist aus einem Forschungsprojekt zu "Gender and Society" der Kenya Oral Literature Association (KOLA) hervorgegangen. Das Augenmerk lag auf Geschlechtergleichheit und politischer Partizipation in traditionellen und modernen kenianischen Gemeinschaften sowie auf Geschlechter(un)gleichheit und Ressourcenkontrolle. Die Forscher(innen) untersuchten, welche Rolle Frauen und Männer bei Entscheidungen in den Bereichen Politik, Recht, Ressourcenkontrolle, Erbschaft spielten. Das umfangreiche Material, insbesondere zu ethnischen Bevölkerungsgruppen, wird in 15 Beiträgen präsentiert. (DÜI-Sbd)
