Gakaara wa Wanjaũ explained

Gakaara wa Wanjaũ
Birth Date:1921
Birth Place:Nyeri District, Kenya
Resting Place:Karatina
Nationality:Kenyan
Occupation:Gĩkũyu author, historian, editor, publisher
Known For:contributed to the preservation of indigenous languages[1]

Gakaara wa Wanjaũ (1921–30 March 2001) was a prolific Gĩkũyu author, historian, editor and publisher from Kenya.

Biography

He was born in Nyeri District, Kenya, in 1921 and attended a local primary school in colonial Kenya. He never finished high school and never received tertiary education. Nonetheless, he began a career as a writer in the mid-forties[2] when he started documenting events in his life, albeit discreetly.

Later, his books after having been banned and causing him to be arrested, were passed to be included as part of various syllabi for Gĩkũyu language instruction in the lower grades of primary school—mostly standard one, two, and three.[3] These books mainly included children's short stories—often a collection of folk-lore.[4] Teachers often used the popular introductory texts by writer Fred Kago titled Wĩrute Gũthoma (Foundations of Learning)[5] [6] [7] for the basics and supplemented[8] them with Gakaara's stories.

Gakaara wa Wanjaũ died on 30 March 2001, and was interred in Karatina.[9] Gakaara left a personal archive of more than 7,000 pages, a large proportion of which had been composed during his detention in the 1950s. Works of Gakaara wa Wanjau are archived at the Center of African Studies Library, University of Cambridge which were sourced from the Yale University Library microfilm collection of the Gakaara wa Wanjaũ papers.

Work

Bibliography

Notes and References

  1. East African Voice: The Wa-Nduuta Stories of Gakaara wa Wanjaũ. Research in African Literatures. Biersteker. Ann. Indiana University Press. 22. 4 (Winter). 63–78. 1991. 3820358.
  2. Web site: GAKAARA WA WANJAU—a prolific man of letters. kimaniwawanjiru. 2011-06-08. 2016-10-26.
  3. Web site: Mtandao wa Sanaa Kenya Gakaara wa Wanjau. kenya.spla.pro. 2020-05-24.
  4. Web site: Mtandao wa Sanaa Kenya Gakaara wa Wanjau. kenya.spla.pro. 2020-05-24.
  5. Book: Wirute Guthoma: Book 1. 1990. F.K. Kago. Evans Brothers Ltd. 978-0237511715.
  6. Book: Wirute Guthoma: Book 2. 1990. F.K. Kago. Evans Brothers Ltd. 978-0237511722 .
  7. Web site: Wirute Guthoma: Book 3. 1990-06-01. F.K. Kago. Evans Brothers Ltd. B012UTQNY0. 2016-10-26.
  8. Web site: Teacher's guide to Kamba. Longman's new Kenya language series. 1965. Fred K Kago . Longmans, Green. B0007JBEO0. 2016-10-26.
  9. "A Tribute to Gakaara wa Wanjau: A Literary and Cultural Icon Passes On", Free Media Foundation.
  10. Web site: GAKAARA WA WANJAU—a prolific man of letters. kimaniwawanjiru. 2011-06-08. 2016-10-26.
  11. Web site: Nyĩmbo cia Mau Mau: iria ciarehithirie wiyathi: gũkũngũĩra mĩaka 25 haraambee! : Nyayo! / Gakaara wa Wanjaũ. Catalog, Hathi Trust Digital Library. Gakaara wa Wanjaũ. etal. Karatina, Kenya. Gakaara Press. 1988. 2016-10-26.
  12. Web site: Uhoro wa Ugurani. Cristiana Pugliese (translator). Gakaara wa Wanjaũ. The first company of writers in Kenya: the African Book Writers Ltd, Karatina, 1946-1947. Nairobi. French Institute for Research in Africa. 1994. 6–13. 2016-10-26.
  13. Written in three languages as Gĩĩg̃ĩkũyũ, Kiswahili, and English. Web site: Mũrutani wa thiomi ithatũ hamwe = Mwalimu wa lugha tatu pamoja. A teacher of three languages together . Gakaara wa Wanjaũ. Gakaara Press. Karatina, Kenya. 1989.
  14. Book: Mĩhĩrĩga ya aagĩkũyũ / rĩandĩkĩtwo nĩ Gakaara wa Wanjaũ. Gakaara wa Wanjaũ. Gakaara Press. Karatina, Kenya. 1998. 2016-10-26.

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Gakaara wa Wanjaũ".

Except where otherwise indicated, Everything.Explained.Today is © Copyright 2009-2024, A B Cryer, All Rights Reserved. Cookie policy.