Negotiation of Urban Identities in the Mũgithi and One-Man Guitar Performances in Kenya

Abstract

The 1990s marked the emergence of a relatively new genre in the contours of Kenyan popular culture. The Mūgithi performance signalled a beginning of new directions largely in Kenyan music, and specifically in the contemporary Gīkūyū music in terms of themes and style. The performance, mostly an urban phenomenon dominated by Gīkūyū one-man guitarists, is discussed in this paper as a major site for negotiation of identities and incorporates the interface and interplay between tradition and modernity especially in the urban setting. The paper begins by highlighting the inherent contradictions in creation and re-creation of urban identities as expressed in the music. The main argument here is that identities are always contested and that different socio-economic situations call for a negotiation, if not a re-negotiation of identities.