Nandi County council of elders are worried that the community’s cultural heritage risks extinction if the young generation don’t embrace their culture and preserve it.
The elders who were speaking during the marking of World Cultural Day at Koitalel University ground expressed fear that the Western culture and the emergence of technology was a big threat to the traditional African practices because of its appeal to the youth.
Elders said the community risks losing identity because the children are losing their culture at an alarming rate including the speaking of their mother tongue which is part of their culture.
They urged the community’s current cultural custodians to move very fast and initiate programs which ensure their Nandi community preserved cultural practices and heritage are not lost but passed to the future generations.
Nandi Central Kaburuo council of elder Chair Augustine Kisorio said respect to the leaders and the general community leaders had been lost because no one paid attention to the elders who are the custodians of the community’s culture.
Kisorio said the current upsurge of many diseases was because traditional African food which was free of chemicals has been neglected.
“We have left our traditional foodstuffs including millet ugali, sweet potatoes which are free from chemicals and adopt foods which are said to be the source of many current ailments,” he said.
He claimed the human lifespan of their ancestors was much higher compared to the current generation because of the foods and lifestyle adopted.
Kaburuo chair proposed the rolling out of Nandi Community Cultural preservation programs in schools and many other public places so that inherited community’s foods, practices and cultural artefacts are passed to the young generation.
Sarah Kosgei, Women Leader in Nandi County, said it was important for the Nandi County Government to put more resources into ensuring Nandi Culture is preserved.
He reiterated that the position of the elders in passing out the community’s norms to the children had been eroded.
“Respect is no longer valued since the elders aren’t given time to instill needed values to the children and it was the reason for persistent family wrangles which has led to Gender Based Violence and Femicide,” she said.
However, on her side, Nandi Deputy Governor Dr. Yulita Mitei, present during the occasion, asked leaders to be sensitive with their statements as they may cause tension and division to the country.
By Geoffrey Satia
