Mekatilili Wa Menza remembered in colourful affair
Kilifi County Governor Amason Kingi (left), accompanied by other leaders, join traditional dances that were entertaining guests on arrival at Bungale during the "Mekatilili" cultural festivals held near the grave of Mekatilili wa Menza, the first Kenyan freedom fighter. PHOTO | GEORGE KIKAMI | NATION MEDIA GROUP
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On Wednesday, Kaya and cultural elders donned in traditional regalia graced the occasion as they sang praises of the heroine who has now received special attention after the government as her statue will be erected Nairobi.
Hundreds of people thronged the sleepy village of Bungale in Magarini on Wednesday to commemorate the late freedom hero Mekatilili Wa Menza .
This marks the 100 anniversary since her death in 1914.
Mekatilili Wa Menza led the Giriama community in rebellion against the British colonialists between 1913 and 1914. She opposed white occupation and forced labour on local youths in the country.
She was captured and detained in Kisii prison but escaped and walked back to the Coast. She was arrested again and locked up at Kismayu, in present-day Somalia but again, ran back to her home in Bungale, where she died in 1914.
SPECIAL ATTENTION FROM GOVERNMENT
On Wednesday, Kaya and cultural elders donned in traditional regalia graced the occasion as they sang praises of the heroine who has now received special attention after the government as her statue will be erected Nairobi.
Women wore traditional mahando as men wore white kikoys, and as they sang in unison, the rich cultural dressing was a sight to behold.
Speakers at the event called upon the young generation to respect the elderly and listen to their stories to learn the history of struggle and the peaceful lives the elderly enjoyed in their heydays.
