9 August 2020

Celebrating Mekatilili wa Menza




Today’s Doodle, illustrated by Nairobi-based guest artist Wanjira Kinyua, celebrates legendary Kenyan activist Mekatilili wa Menza, known for inspiring the Giriama people to resist colonial rule in the early 20th century. Today on the Kenyan coast, the resilient legacy of Menza is commemorated during the festivities of the traditional Malindi Cultural Festival, an annual celebration of local history and pride.

Mnyazi wa Menza was born in the Giriama village of Matsara wa Tsatsu in coastal Kenya during the mid-19th century. By the early 20th century, British colonial rule had threatened the sovereignty and freedom of the Giriama people with forced labor and taxation. At a time when women’s power was limited within her society, Menza was compelled to organize her people against colonial control.

Today revered as one of Kenya’s first Mau Maus [freedom fighters], Menza traveled from village to village spreading messages of opposition, performing the ecstatic native dance of kifudu to draw large crowds and then unleashing her powerful oratory skills to garner support. Today’s Doodle artwork features a depiction of Menza leading the energetic kifudu dance that called so many to action.

Menza’s leadership contributed to uprisings by the Giriama against the British in 1913 and 1914, and despite her multiple arrests and imprisonments, her campaign of resistance proved successful. The British ultimately relaxed control of the region, effectively granting the demands for which Menza and the Giriama had fought tirelessly for.