By S, KNA
The State Department for Culture and Heritage in collaboration with the Kenya National Library Services (KNLS), has embarked on plans to establish a Hall of Fame, to honor and celebrate Kenya’s literary heroes.
The Hall of Fame to be established at the Sanaa Center Auditorium at KNLS Maktaba Kuu Headquarters in Upper Hill Nairobi, will be dedicated specifically to contain literary works of renowned authors.
Principal Secretary (PS), Ummi Bashir, said the establishment of the site, which will be the first one in the country, was one way of celebrating the many authors, who have left a mark in the country.
This, she said, will help the generations to come, remember the history of the country by acting as a repository of cultural memory, shaping national identity and providing a platform for reflection on past events.
She said the site will serve to preserve the memory of great literary scholars and authors such as Ngugi Wa Thiong’o, Ali Mazrui, Mzee Jomo Kenyatta, Prof. Grace Ogot, Joseph Muthee who authored Mau Mau Detainee among others.
Speaking at the University of Embu, Saturday, when she graced a History Conference organized to celebrate scholarly legacy of Prof. Stanley Mwaniki, who hails from Embu, PS Ummir said without such a site, their names and valuable contributions, risk being forgotten over time.
“The site will provide a permanent and centralized place, where visitors can connect with works and legacies of these great scholars and also help current and future generations, pursue excellence and make their contribution as well,” she noted.
She said another reason for the initiative, was to help inspire new generations of content creators, authors and writers, to carry forth the torch of telling our stories.
PS said the initiative seeks to recognize and also induct Kenya’s literary icons into the Hall of Fame, by systematically documenting their biography and work in a digitized form.
Ummir said the Auditorium will also help preserve all the artefacts, many of which are in risk of being lost, where others have been stolen.
“As you are aware, some of our artifacts were stolen and taken out of the country during the precolonial era and as a nation, we are trying to get them back home in our museums and archives,” she noted.
The PS at the same time commended the University of Embu, for recognizing the contribution of Prof. Mwaniki, in emphasizing the importance of oral tradition, as a source of historical knowledge.
Through various books such as Embu Traditional Songs and Dances, Embu Historical Texts, Mbeere Historical Texts and Roots, Migrations and Settlement of Mount Kenya Peoples: Focus on The Embu, Prof. Mwaniki has documented and interpreted oral traditions of the Embu community.