Wam Literature

The book Blossoms of the Savannah explores both the positive and negative cultural practices. H. R Kulet describes intimately those cultural practices he believes are best and on the other hand, lets us in on some of the cultural practices he believe were injurious. Interestingly, the negative cultural practices are aimed at women. The most poignant cultural practice that negatively affects women is Female genital mutilation. Although according to Parmuat, the practice was started by women to resist the evil Ilarinkoi, it continued to cause wanton pain and torture on women. Taiyo and Resian are determined to fight it. Resian manages to evade the brutal practice however Taiyo barely makes it having been forcibly cut. FGM is a global menace affecting millions of women in Africa and Asia. Although its benefits are only anthropological, its effects are very damning and could lead to death.  Second among the negative Nasilian culture is early marriage. Resian still has go...

Torvald Helmer's affections towards his wife can be confused as genuine love. However, hidden deep within the feelings of love is a classical male chauvinist.  The play, A Doll's House by Henrik Ibsen presents various characters with different perceptions of what is expected of in society. Such characters have deeply embedded moral standing that determines how they relate with other members of the society and how they conduct themselves as society men. Among such characters is Torvald Helmer. In order to fit into a modern self-righteous society, Helmer displays impeccable civility and mannerisms that reward him as a bank manager. In order to keep certain respectability around him, Helmer decides to cut off any unsavory characters around him. Krogstad becomes the unfortunate victim of Helmer's plan. However, Krogstad cannot go down without a fight. Apparently, Krogstad, as it happens, had connived with Helmer's wife, Norah in a ploy that could destroy Helmer's o...

Norah represents women who accept society's bias against until it intrudes on their independence. These women may look docile and accommodating, however, when they choose to react, they do not bow down to apologies and mere promises. Their only goal is to reinvent themselves before entering again into normal life. There was a post on Facebook the other day advising women who cannot submit not to try marriage. The author of the post expressed outrightly that marriage was a subordination institution and those who thought that equality existed in such institutions were just dreaming. I paraphrase of course. This post got me thinking and using my photographic mind a wandered through the successful marriages I had seen and the not-so-successful ones trying to authenticate this hypothesis. Although I tried to justify this statement, most of my study subjects were in the fifties and sixties or even older. At this age, many of these so-called successful marriages were built on th...

Blossoms of the Savannah is a book by H. R Ole Kulet. The writer does seem to be at home with polygamy and that is why he beautifully models Simiren's home as a home of prosperity and love. Polygamy is a common practice in Africa, especially among the political elite. Traditionally though it was the norm for a man to have more than one wife. However, with the advent of Christianity, society has adopted a monogamous way of life. Though on paper, and in keeping up with teachings of the Bible, many seem to have adopted monogamy, the practice of many wives is still prevalent. Some call them mistresses while in Kenya, we have MWK (Mpango wa Kando.) By extensions, we have newer models of 'slay queens' who may be in the category of the traditional class of concubines. With the growth of such 'out of the norm' institutions of marriage, one may hope that literature on polygamy will try to model it on the side of the disadvantaged cultural practices. Ole Kulet, however, fe...

Biblical Allusion involves the use of direct references from the Bible either by borrowing a story, a character, event among others within the context of a larger story. In this case, we are going to interrogate how H. R Kulet has employed this style in Blossoms of the Savannah. I should point out in the outset that, Kulet borrows heavily from the Bible than we care to see and understand while reading the book. To begin with, Resian compares her tribulations in the hands of Olarinkoi and his mother to the trials and testing of Job of the Bible (pg230). This allusion helps to build hope in Resian that no matter what the circumstances, she would prevail. Also, it opens her mind to more brutal suffering that she herself could not handle.  Secondly, when Olarinkoi pays her a visit after her recovery, Resian knows that she is on the verge of the eleventh hour. While waiting for Nabaru, her only hope out of her hell in Inkiito, she experiences helplessness that only comes w...

Tradition is people’s beliefs and practices which in this case has been passed on from one generation to another. In the book, Blossoms of the Savannah, the author H.R Kulet explores the tradition of the Maa people. Using the Nasilian community, the book looks at the socio-economic and political set-up of the Maasai people. The Maa people, in this case, the people of Nasila, have several traditional practices. To begin with, they threaded female genital mutilation is the heart of the story. When Kaelo’s family relocates to the village, Mama Milanoi fears for her daughters (pg8). As it seems urbanization had shielded them from the fearful mutilation. Another practice is polygamy. Kaelo seems contended with his lean family and wife but his brother Simiren bathes in the glory of four wives and more than sixteen children (pg16). Curiously enough the author does not give the definite number of Simiren’s children. I should point out that, in many African traditions, children are not coun...

The pearl is a story about pessimism written by John Ernst Steinbeck. In the book, John tackles various issues among them poverty, oppression, colonialism, and fate.  Most of us subscribe to various religions, sometimes out of choice and majorly out of our parents' choice. Religion is generational, and those who choose different paths are called rebels or outcasts. Although the world has only several religions, such religions come with different sects which create sectarian extremisms and loyalty beyond our own imagining. Another thing that religion builds is fear for the deity. It is this fear that a lot of priests prey on to create loyalty and a stream of submissive souls who can do everything for them. John Steinbeck explores these issues in The Pearl in a compelling manner without any prejudice. Kino’s people have their own religion based on the various traditions revealed in the book. However, it is the new religion that seems to command loyalty and supremacy. W...

Blossoms of the Savannah is a 2008 novel by H.R Kulet which focuses on the issue of FGM and the quest to end it among the Maa people among other issues. The River Between is a 1965 book by Ngugi wa Thiong'o which addresses among other things the question of female circumcision and its impact on the society. Female Genital Mutilation is one of the traditions that has received a lot of criticism because of its impact on the psychological and physical well being of the girl child. Despite the heavy campaigns against it, the vice has continued to thrive among certain communities in Africa, Asia, and the Middle East. As a practice, the vice is carried under cultural or religious viewpoint. In this avenue, some anthropologists condemn those against the vice for cultural infringement. However, Scientifically, there are no known benefits accrued from the practice. In practice, female circumcision takes different forms. Firstly, there is clitoridectomy which involves the part...

Many cultures practice the art of paying the bride price. In fact, it is one of the traditions that is okay with many women and men. Ask anyone out there whether they object to payment of bride price and the rude remark would be, "How would you feel if your own daughter was married to a stranger without receiving anything in return?" I have been asked this question several times when I bring up a discussion on bride price. Today as I write this piece I am confused on whether I support bride price or not. I imagine my daughter years from now looking at me with teary eyes demanding to know why I gave her out for 'Free.' In the beginning, before I had been asked the question, I thought I would be the proud father who declared triumphantly that, "As long as you two are happy, you have my blessings." Anyway, time will tell. Before we discuss the issue of bride price, I wish to point out that bride price and dowry are two different entities. Bride price is the ...

Feminism emerged as a movement to fight for the social, political and economic rights of the women. It is more of a political movement that recognises the individuality and sexuality of women and how historically and religion wise have been segregated. Before the advent of feminism, women lived under the tutelage of their male counterparts. For instance, a woman did not have any right to choose whom to marry, it was the prerogative of the male family member to choose. In the TV Serial, Rome, Julius 'Octavian' Caesar, who later became Augustus Caesar, makes a decision that affects both his mother and sister in a way unimaginable. The mother, Artia of the Julii is in love with Marcus Antonius (Mark Antony) and she plans to marry him. However, Caesar decides it will be impossible for the two lovebirds to make it official. For political reasons, he settles for his sister Octavia as a suitable wife for Mark Anthony! There are many examples of male subjugation in numerous cultu...