Who is dedan kimathi

Oxford University Press is a department of the University of Oxford. It furthers the University's objective of excellence in research, scholarship, and education by publishing worldwide. Sign In or Create an Account. Sign In. Advanced Search. Search Menu. Article Navigation. Close mobile search navigation Article Navigation. Volume Article Contents Christianity and Land. Fifty years after the declaration of the state of emergency, Mau Mau still excites argument and controversy, not least in Kenya itself.

Mau Mau and Nationhood is a collection of essays providing the most recent thinking on the uprising and its aftermath. The work of well-established scholars as well as of young researchers with fresh perspectives, Mau Mau and Nationhood achieves a multilayered analysis of a subject of enduring interest.

Born into an impoverished farm family in the Meru Highlands, Japhlet Thambu grew up wearing goatskins and lived to stand before his community dressed for business in a pressed suit, crisp tie, and freshly polished shoes.

We will only use your email address to notify you of new titles in the subject area s you follow. We will never share your information with third parties. New Titles Series Subjects Catalogs. Search search. Kimathi belonged to the Ambui clan, one of the nine clans that make up the Kikuyu, Kenya's largest ethnic group, which is concentrated mainly in the central part of the East African country.

Jomo Kenyatta, Kenya's founding president, was also a member of the Kikuyu ethnic group. Some historians argue that Kenyatta and Kimathi were not on the same page regarding Kenya's path towards independence. Whereas Kenyatta preferred a non-violent approach, Kimathi was of the opinion that only guns could secure Kenya's independence. Young Kimathi tried his luck in various jobs such as fulfilling clerical duties, tending after pigs and teaching. Armed with a good command of the English language, Kimathi charmed his way in and out of many jobs.

By this time, he was getting agitated with the way the colonial masters were running the country. Around , Kimathi joined other Kenyan freedom fighters in an armed independence movement, which later came to be known as Mau Mau.

He quickly rose in ranks and started administering the obligatory ritual oath to new members. In , when the British administration declared the state of emergency, Kimathi took to the forest close to Mount Kenya. He was considered the most feared among the three so-called field marshals who led the movement.

As part of a unit named the Kenya Defence Council, he set about organizing armed attacks against the British colonial government. Mau Mau was a movement founded with the purpose of removing white settlers who had taken up land previously owned by Kenyans.

Initially, Mau Mau fighters were mainly Kikuyu, whose territory was preferred by the white settlers, but later, Meru, Embu, Kamba and other ethnic groups joined in the struggle. Do you find this information helpful?

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Brown, L.