What is this?

Let me tell you a story. Nearly six years ago, a friend of mine invited me to go for a test drive with him on an old vehicle he was restoring. So I went. For reasons I have never known, we made a stopover someplace in Ngong, near the Ngong hills. The road we had taken was a bit rough. You see, there was a railway under construction; Kenya’s newest baby, the Standard Gauge Railway.

The railway had taken a route that would have it tunnel through the hills. The tunnel had recently been completed, and we had stopped at a great vantage point to take in this marvel. The sun was setting so we enjoyed that short moment and off we were again to a place called Ruthigiti and onward home. Here begins the story of Kîrîma.

After this seemingly obscure event, things unfolded fast.

This is the story of my encounter with the beauty of my people. Of the satisfaction and thrill of finding my story as it was told by my predecessors. This is the story of a fire that cannot be quenched, of the sweet nourishment of the waters of truth.

This is home. This is where the ancients lived, this is the land that fed them. Since Gîkûyû, the creation of Ngai and husband of Mûmbi. Since the days of Wanjirû their daughter to the one that has been born as you read this.

If you are an African, you must feel a certain stirring desire to know your people better. I found out that the story of the Agîkûyû is hidden in the language. I have met so many sons and daughters of Gîkûyû who do not understand the language. Kîrîma is a vessel. This is your culture, your story, presented to you by one of your own.

I hope that these posts ignite in you a desire to learn your language. Only there can you experience the true world of your people. This is not limited to the Agîkûyû. It is for all who seek to find their roots and eat the fruits of their ancestors’ tree. But I am of the Gîkûyû. I can only tell my own story. I can only feed from my own mother’s breast. Only the waters of the mountain’s springs can nourish me.

I am Waiyaki. Stay with me.