September 7, 2024

Chenda Chenda Cultural Festival 2024

Chenda Chenda Festival: A Celebration of Mijikenda Culture and Unity The coastal region of Kenya is set to come alive on September 9, 2024, as the annual Chenda Chenda Festival takes center stage in Kayafungo, Kaloleni Giriama, Kilifi County. This vibrant celebration of Mijikenda culture and heritage promises to be a day filled with music,…

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Erick Saddam

September 4, 2024

The Mijikenda Circumcision Tradition

The Mijikenda Circumcision Tradition: A Deep Dive into a Cultural Rite Circumcision among the Mijikenda community has always been a profound and celebratory tradition, reflecting deep cultural values and communal ties. This rite of passage, historically significant and richly ceremonial, highlights the intricate practices that mark a boy’s transition into manhood. A Community Celebration In…

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Erick Saddam

August 19, 2023

Giriama Names

Giriama Nomenclature Giriama people speak Kigiriama, or Kigiryama, a sub-language of the Mijikenda. Kigiryama like all the nine tribes closely have related languages belonging to the Bantu language that forms part of the more prominent Niger-Congo language family. Giriama are amongst the largest (or the second largest after Digo) of the Mijikenda There is politics…

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Erick Saddam

April 20, 2023

History of The Giriama people

  History of The Giriama people Giriama are part of Mijikenda people whose oral history relates that the ancestors of the Mijikenda, who were then one people, lived in a place called Singwaya, believed to be north of Tana River and south ofJuba River in Somalia. However due to conflicts with other communities there they…

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Erick Saddam

April 19, 2023

Giriama Traditional Wedding

Kuhaswa – Traditional Giriama wedding The parents of the bridegroom look for the bride. They go to the bride’s home and the bridegroom’s father introduces himself and then says ”Fudzire mala Mudzungu wa utsunguni”. We have come to look for the cucumber, which is painful. The father of the bride answers ”nauhambale” let the painful…

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Erick Saddam

April 19, 2023

The ‘mad’ Kenyan woman who rattled the British

Mekatilili wa Menza Mekatilili wa Menza may have been in the freedom struggle scene for a short time, but her contribution in raising the African consciousness among the Giriama people of the Coastal Kenya was immense.Mekatilili was one of the first women in Kenya to rise up against the British in 1913. Her bravery, oratorical…

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Erick Saddam

February 1, 2023

Mepoho: The Tale of the Magical Giriama Woman

Mepoho: The Tale of the Magical Giriama Woman Mepoho was a Giriama woman who lived in the 13th century. The Giriama are a subgroup of the Mijikenda, or 9 villages, who largely reside along the the Kenyan Coast. Legend has it that, some women who had gone to get water one chilly morning found Baby…

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Erick Saddam

October 29, 2022

Mashujaa Day

Mashujaa Day is observed on October 20 every year. However, in case this date ever falls on a weekend, the day is shifted to the following Monday, which is then declared as a public holiday. ‘Mashujaa’ is the Swahili word for ‘Heroes,’ and because of this, Mashujaa Day is called ‘Heroes’ Day’ also. This significant…

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Erick Saddam

October 7, 2022

Utamaduni Day

UTAMADUNI DAY CELEBRATION Utamaduni Day is a public holiday in Kenya observed on October 10th each year. The day has been set aside to celebrate the country’s rich cultural diversity and heritage. Previously it was celebrated to honour Daniel Arap Moi, who was the former president of Kenya. Until 2020, this holiday was called Moi…

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Erick Saddam

August 18, 2022

CHENDA CHENDA FESTIVAL

The Mijikenda people, a vibrant and diverse community along the Kenyan coast, hold a deep reverence for the number nine, known as “Chenda” in their language. This seemingly simple numeral carries profound cultural significance, serving as a unifying thread that weaves together the rich tapestry of Mijikenda heritage. The number nine is not merely a…

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POSTED BY

Erick Saddam