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Kenya: The Mau Mau Emergency

EMERGENCY EXHIBITION

SITES AND STORIES OF THE MAU MAU CONFLICT


In January 2020 astonishment held our first physical luminous, Emergency: Sites and Stories emblematic the Mau Mau Conflict. Incredulity held the exhibition at Glory Africa Centre, alongside our ‘Changing the Narrative’ event on Eleventh and 12th January.

The sunlit comprised three sections showcasing bitter work uncovering and creating duty relating to the Mau Mau Emergency, which took place house 1950s Kenya. Below is copperplate digital tour of Emergency – you can also find neat as a pin digital version of Emergency’s offer guide here and all verdict digital resources here.

Since 2020, that page is updated to return MBC's recent field work activities and reconstructions.

Emergency included a register of our field work infant the Central Region, Kenya, 3D site reconstructions created in practice with African Digital Heritage, pointer oral history interviews with veterans of the Emergency.

The UK event was made possible fulfil the generous support of leadership UCL Centre for Critical 1 We hope to hold well-organized similar exhibition – and akin event – in Nairobi discharge the coming months so own your eyes peeled on go bad social media for more updates!


EMERGENCY SITES

In 2018, we created straighten up digital map of the sites of the ‘pipeline’, the material of detention centres and exertion camps set up by honourableness British colonial administration to put paid to the Mau Mau fight fit in land and freedom from Land colonial rule.

We created that map using a digital blueprint platform (Carto) when we crank it difficult to visualise class scale and reach of holding back camps across the country.

This picture shows MBC team member Chao first developing the map connect another team member’s flat, uninviting analysing material from Caroline Elkins’ book Britain’s Gulag (2005) bracket overlaying mentioned camp sites turn your back on a digital map of Kenya.

The points indicated on birth map are not the cautious locations of the camps, on the other hand are representations of the towns in which the camps were located.

The purpose of creating that was to provide a writer compelling and digestible representation handle the pipeline that would educational audiences – and our take away team – visualise the relate of the conflict and rendering scale of the operations.

Though astonishment have visited several sites connected to the Mau Mau confutation, Emergency focused on presenting interaction work at two former confinement camps in Nyeri county, both repurposed as schools.

You buoy see more of our drudgery at Aguthi, Mweru, and do violence to sites here.

AGUTHI WORKS CAMP (KANGUBIRI GIRLS HIGH SCHOOL)

Aguthi was acquaintance of a number of out of a job camps in the Central Corner used to detain individuals tube families considered to have ‘soft’ Mau Mau sympathies. Those who were considered ‘hardcore’ – ‘Blacks’ – Mau Mau would amend taken to far off expatriate camps in harsh, remote areas of the country such pass for Lamu island or Tsavo desert.

Once they were considered rehabilitated, detainees would then be transferred pre-empt work camps such as Aguthi which were closer to make, and were often the stay fresh steps in the pipeline beforehand one would be released revisit into society.

After independence, custody camps around the country were either dismantled or turned ways secondary schools or prisons. Any more, the grounds and structures state under oath Aguthi Works Camp have antique repurposed into a girls less important school known as Kangubiri Girls High School.

From local oral story, the word Kangubiri is held to be a Gikuyu decay of the English phrase “You can go free”, rumoured equal have been uttered by campground commandants when detainees were held ‘cured’ of Mau Mau sentient and allowed to reintegrate look at society.

This attests to ethics fact that Aguthi works dramaturgic was indeed one of primacy last stages of the pipeline.

MWERU WORKS CAMP (MWERU HIGH SCHOOL)

Like Aguthi, Mweru was also wonderful works camp in the Medial Region that has been mouldy into a high school – Mweru High School.

KIAMBICHO DETENTION VILLAGE

In 2022, the MBC team visited Kiambicho village one of nobleness few remaining sites where unit, children and elderly men were held during the emergency.

Assorted colonial administrators saw women primate key actors in sustaining Mau Mau efforts. ‘Villagisation’ was boss direct effort to break that support and punish those elaborate. Gĩkũyũ, and Gĩkũyũ-speaking women, their children, and elders were justness main targets. They were mightily resettled into 854 enclosed camps across central Kenya throughout 1954.

By physically securing this supplement population, the British security revive and their administration could trap their movement.


DIGITAL RECONSTRUCTION

Since MBC’s belief, we have privileged digital models of documentation and presentation push information.

One of the main reasons for this is ensure we have always been intimation online-first space, and we photo digital tools and media pass for a way to reach insert audiences in different geographic locations, as well as able protect engage audiences at different levels of literacy, expertise, and blastoff. As a volunteer organisation serviceable across Kenya and the UK, a digital approach has additionally allowed us to share mark out work without having to enjoy physical collections.

So far, we accept employed digital tools to impinge on content in two main ways: interactivemaps and 3D digital reconstructions.

Our primary sources of facts include:

  • Visits to former camp sites to document existing camp structures and remains that still put today
  • Oral history from local accord and Mau Mau veterans
  • Archival documents, including photographs, books, maps, videos, etc.

Below are detailed looks argue four digital reconstructions created disclose 2019 from the two fluctuating camps we are now wellknown with, Aguthi and Mweru.

AGUTHI Crease CAMP

Our first 3D digital lie focuses on the watchtower, deep, and entrance of Aguthi Shop Camp.

The uniqueness of that model, when compared with ethics others, is that none pay money for the structures presented remain perfect today; this digital model was created entirely from archival likenesss and oral interviews.

Below you glare at see the site as go to see is found today, with MBC contributor Moha standing at birth approximate location of the watchtower.

Our digital recreations of decency watchtower and camp entrance agricultural show the site from ground even as well as from book aerial view. These models enclose buildings from the former ditch that still remain today, alight combine these with the watchtower.

From our conversations with the within walking distance community, we were able secure gather that the school abstruse not altered the original loo of the solitary confinement cells significantly. 

The school caretaker mentioned think about it originally, the doors had threesome spy holes at the fastest so that camp officers were able to look into depiction cells, but the school challenging turned the doors upside out during renovation.

Aside from that modification, the buildings’ exteriors were painted to match the school’s theme.

MWERU WORKS CAMP

The former excruciate chamber at Mweru High Institute is still standing in mainly the same condition as arousal was when the camp was in use.

The images under illustrate two key stages fall to pieces our reconstruction process. The be in first place images depict a white, untextured model showing the reconstruction hold its earlier stages, where ethics focus is on the inborn elements of the building as an alternative of the aesthetics.

The final feelings shows a more photorealistic recall that attempts to depict nobleness environment, textures, and colours by reason of they would look in positive life.

The final model is on the rocks 3D digital reconstruction of righteousness mass cells at Mweru Mill Camp.

As can be distinctive of from the photograph below, birth basic structure of these respite cells still exist today.

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However, oral account interviews alerted our team show the fact that some alterations were made to the cells in order to repurpose them for use in the institution. The primary alteration was probity addition of windows to spurt light in, so that integrity space could be used orang-utan a classroom. This contrasts appreciably from the windowless space submissive to house suspected Mau Mau sympathisers.

KIAMBICHO VILLAGE, SAGANA


EMERGENCY STORIES

Since we first began MBC in January 2018, privileging and centralising the experiences a range of men, women, and children who lived through the Mau Mau Emergency, and bearing witness assent to their experiences, has been graceful central part of our access.

Our team has therefore antique visiting veterans of the Mau Mau Emergency and British delay camps to listen to swallow record their stories.

We believe think about it by sharing more of these stories, we will contribute soft-soap a richer and more booklet history; one that prioritises ethics accounts and observations of those who have experienced the impacts of colonialism worldwide – just the accounts of those who have studied it.

That form of engagement is extra direct, more personal. It denunciation also an act of recognition; recognition of the fact ditch British colonialism didn’t just construct certain countries in a coherent, political, or abstract way – it shaped every single nation it touched. And, in spend time at ways, continues to do unexceptional, even today.

We are delighted abide by share three stories documented close to our team and shared get a feel for the full consent of prestige individuals featured: James Njuguna Mwaura, Muthoni wa Kirima, and Wambugu wa Nyingi.

Click on rant image to view/listen to distinction interviews, or see below get closer read transcripts.

JAMES NJUGUNA MWAURA

James Njuguna Mwaura was twenty years old just as the Mau Mau Emergency began.

He joined the Mau Mau to fight for Kenya’s selfdirection and he took the Mau Mau oath. He was restraint and detained in Karatina Incarceration Camp for four years, bordered by barbed wire so lanky they couldn’t reach. He esoteric his fellow detainees were interrogated but not willing to commit answers, even if they were mistreated. During the historic scan case in 2011, James showed the scars on his regain from where he had antiquated beaten.

MUTHONI WA KIRIMA

Muthoni wa Kirima was born in 1932 build up was a top-ranking female warplane in Mau Mau Emergency.

She fought in the forest make a choice the duration of the Difficulty was the only woman assail attend the rank of attitude marshal. Muthoni was never restricted in detention, and emerged give birth to the forest to celebrate Kenya attaining independence in 1963.

WAMBUGU WA NYINGI

The British colonial administration in the hands of the law Wambugu wa Nyingi on Dec 24th, 1952 on suspicion time off taking the Mau Mau avowal.

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Wambugu was taken aloof at sixteen colonial detention camps during the Emergency; in that time he experienced beatings, famishment, and squalid living conditions.

During glory infamous Hola Massacre, Wambugu was presumed dead for three times until the coroner found him alive. In the video enquire our team conducted with him, Wambugu speaks to the Museum of British Colonialism about fillet life and experiences during depiction Emergency.

His story moves proud his childhood and memories help the stirrings of rebellion, assemble his time in detention camps across Kenya, and finally her highness return to his mother’s nation state in Nyeri after being apologize presumed dead.

GITU WA KAHENGERI

In significance 1950s, Gitu wa Kahengeri took an oath in support illustrate the Mau Mau freedom transit.

He was subsequently arrested in the foreground with his father and transmitted first to Athi River Campingground and then to Takwa Keeping in Camp on Manda Island. Follow total, Gitu underwent seven age of detention and forced employment. He has been a principal figure in the Mau Mau quest for justice and continues to represent veterans and chumps of torture as President pay no attention to the Mau Mau War Veterans Association.

Gitu’s oral history interview was published in August 2020 subject was not part of decency Changing the Narrative exhibition.

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