Sitawa Namwalie
Palestine and the Mau Mau
Unsuspecting History,
Marches out of open mouths of ordinary people,
Turns others into pariahs,
Walking savages, dangerous terrorists,
Animals of every description,
An insect or two, or ten,
Mainly cockroaches, universally hated by everyone.
History is relentless,
Ordinary people tired of the same boot on their backs,
Are transmogrified like Jesus on the cross.
And so, blinded, join the side of their oppressor.
Old grandmother’s from this land of savage Mau Mau sons and daughters, who yell in the swamp,
So recently declared unspeakable, by forces out to civilize,
Bow their heads in night long vigils,
To pray to the God of Israel,
Beseeching him, to save Israel from the Palestinian pestilence,
In this case, the blessed are even more blessed.
History repeats itself,
Nyaguthie, an old grandmother from this country, that came to be known as Kenya,
Whose body still remembers the tenderness of the birth of her sons and daughters,
Destined to be massacred by the same civilizing forces,
Now bows her head to pray to the God of Israel,
To give the Jewish arm strength,
To annihilate the sons and daughters, of Samira a Palestinian mother,
Whose body screams in memory of her birthing pain?
History stands as witness.
The civilizing forces, have turned a corner.
After 2000 years,
They now declare, the death of one Jewish baby an unbearable atrocity.
5,000 dead Mau Mau babies, oops I mean 5,000 Palestinians babies,
Will have to wait their turn,
For now, they are necessary collateral in a war for justice.
Sitawa Namwalie is an award-winning Kenyan poet, playwright and performing artist known for her unique dramatized poetry performances, which combines poetry and traditional Kenyan music. “Cut off My Tongue,” was her first production and has toured Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda and the Hay Festival, UK. She has been a fellow of the Sundance Theatre Lab. Her growing body of work includes articles, short stories, dramatized poetry productions and plays, “Homecoming” (2010), “Silence is a Woman”, (2014), “Black Maria on Koinange Street”, “Room of Lost Names” (2015 translated into French in 2020), “Taking my Father Home” (2020), Escape a musical (2021).
Sitawa lives and works in Nairobi, Kenya. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Botany and Zoology from the University of Nairobi and a Master of Arts degree in Environment, Society and Technology from Clark University in Massachusetts, USA. Sitawa has achieved excellence in many areas of life, including representing Kenya in tennis and hockey in her youth.
Olive leaves cast shadows against a light brown surface
