Atu Mashuhuri

Mzee Abdalla Ali Mnyenze

Mrindi wa Kaya Chinondo · Wafwa 2021 · Chinondo, Kenya

Taswira ya msanii (penseli)

Mrindzi wa Kaya Chinondo

Gazeti ra Nation ririphotangaza chifoche Oktoba 2021, ramuiha Abdalla Mnyenze mzehe "ariyelongoza uhifadhi wa matsaka ga Kaya". Kpwa zaidi ya miaka kumi kabla ya hipho, aandishi a habari, asayansi na anasiasa ariofika Kaya Chinondo kala anakutana na mutu hiye mmwenga kanda ya tsaka. Iye ndiye kala anaeleza miko ya tsaka riro, na kugomba kpwa niaba ya azehe ariokala anaririnda.

Takuna mutu ariyeandika maishage. Makala ihi inakusanya gara garigoandikpwa ni magazeti na masomo mairi ga chitaaluma, na inaonyesa phara ambapho tagalingana. Mzee ni neno ra hishima kpwa mutu mzima.

Kaya Chinondo

Kaya ni chidzidzi chenye ngome chirichodzengbwa ni Amijikenda phatu pha wazi kahi ya tsaka. Muda mure bada ya vidzidzi hivyo kurichwa, matsaka garigovizunguluka garindwa dza phatu phatakatifu, phenye mbira za akare na fingo, hirizi ya kurinda iriyozikpwa tsini. Kaya Chinondo, iriyo phephi na pwani kusini phephi na Diani, ni mwenga wa makaya ga kare kuriko ganjina ga Adigo. Mwanahistoria David Sperling anataja Kwale na Chinondo kukala ndio makaya ga kpwandza ambago Adigo agaandzisha kusini mwa Mombasa. Mwaka 2008 matsaka ga makaya gaorodheshwa ni UNESCO kukala Phatu pha Urisi wa Dunia.

Chila kaya kala inatawalwa ni azehe a kaya iyo, ngambi, baraza ra azehe ririrokala rinarinda miko ya kaya na kulongoza mavoyo ga kaya. Kahi ya miaka ya 2000 na 2010, Mnyenze ndiye kala mzehe wa Kaya Chinondo ariyetajwa mara nyinji kuriko anjina kukala ndiye analongoza kaya iyo.

Mrindzi wa Kaya

Aprili 2008 gazeti ra East African Standard ramueleza "Mzee Ali Abdalla Mnyenze" kukala "mrindzi wa Kaya Chinondo, phatu phatakatifu pha Adigo kuriko phosi" na mwenyekiti wa kpwandza ariyeandzisha Kamati za Kaya za Pwani. Kpwa kumuhumira iye, gazeti riro raeleza miko ya kaya. Yeyesi ariyekala analonda kushiriki mavoyo ga kaya kala ni lazima akale ni Mdigo na akale na ndowa. Atu ariokala anaphiya kahi-kahi ya tsaka kala ni lazima avule virahu na avwale shuka (nguwo ya kawaida isiyo na mapambo). "Tahuruhusu uchi, soda, virahu wala marashi ndani ya makaya", waamba. Piya waamba: "Takuna kupingana kahi ya mila za kaya na dini zanjina. Mavoyo gehu hunagaelekeza kpwa Mlungu, ela piya hunahendza baraka za akare ehu".

Waambira gazeti riro kukala tsaweye, Mwinyikai Mwawandinda, ndiye kala mutu wa mwisho kuzikpwa Kaya Chinondo, mwaka 1942. Ripoti iyo-iyo yagomba kukala "azehe a Kaya Chinondo, achilongozwa ni Mnyenze, akaandzisha mradi wa njira ya kunyendekera tsakani". Kaya kala ikafungbwa kpwa atu osi ela atu achache a phapho ariotsambulwa, hadi mwaka 2001, atu a phapho ariphoandzisha mradi wa utalii wa chimazingira.

Sauti ya Matsaka

Kahi ya miaka iyo, matsaka ga pwani ya kusini kala ganalondwa sana ni atu analonda kudzenga. Februari 2009 gazeti ra Nation ramphiga picha "mzehe wa Kaya Ali Mnyenze" achionyesa mihi iriyokatwa ni mwekezaji kpwenye Chisiwa cha Chale. Mwaka 2014, achikala "mwenyekiti wa Makaya ga Pwani", waterya voyo ra azehe ra kuhewa hati miliki za matsaka matakatifu, achigomba kukala kugarinda ni "muhimu kpwa kurinda aina adimu za mihi". Mwaka 2015, wakati kala kuna mipango ya kutsimba madini adimu Kwale, waambira shirika ra habari ra Inter Press Service kukala Amijikenda "anadziona kukala akafungbwa kpwa chisomo na kpwa roho na matsaka gao".

Makaya piya kala ganavutiya anasiasa, na Mnyenze kala ni seemu ya habari iyo. Machi 2008 Kaya Chinondo yakaribisha azehe arioamvoyera baraka waziri Chirau Ali Mwakwere, na Mnyenze waamba kukala mavoyo dza higo gahendwa kpwa Kassim Mwamzandi kabla ya atu kutsambula vilongozi mwaka 1963. Mwaka 2019 walongoza mavoyo Kaya Chinondo ga kumrinda gavana wa Nairobi, Mike Sonko, ambaye gazeti ramueleza kukala "mutu ariye mashakani". Sherehe dza hizo tazikubalika ni azehe osi a makaya. Zinaonyesa kukala kaya kala bado ina nguvu nyinji, na kukala kala ni vigumu kuiusa kahi ya mambo ga siasa.

Mgbwanga na Chanzo cha Maarifa

Mnyenze piya watsapiza maarifa kpwa atafiti. Oktoba 1996 msomi Hassan Ndzovu wamuuza maswali "Abdallah Mnyenze wa Kaya Chinondo" kuhusu adisi za kuandzishwa kpwa kaya, na kuhusu imani za Adigo dzulu ya utsai. Mdigo Mohamed Pakia, mtaalamu wa mimea na vira atu anavyoihumira, anamtaja "Abdallah Mnyedze, Kaya Chinondo" kukala wa kpwandza kahi ya azehe a kaya ambao waauza maswali, na anamshukuru kpwenye tasnifuye ya 2005. Pakia piya anaeleza Abdalla Mnyendze ariyekala anahenda kazi ya uganga kula ofisi yenye bango ra "Dr. Mnyendze", na tupa za dawa za mihi zirizotengezwa. Anaonyesa kukala mgbwanga hiye kala bado anagomba kukala mamlakage ganatuluka kpwa "alimue amanyikanao". Madzina ganaandikpwa tafwauti, na inaonekana, ela si kpwa hakika, kukala maelezo higa ganagomba kuhusu mutu mmwenga.

Mambo Gasigomanyikana kpwa Hakika

Taimanyikana kpwa hakika ariphovyalwa. Habari ya chifoche kpwenye Nation ya tarehe 13 Oktoba 2021 yataja umriwe kukala miaka 93, ichimaanisha kukala wavyalwa kama mwaka 1928. Ela Ndzovu wamuandika kukala ana miaka 55 mwaka 1996, ichimaanisha kukala wavyalwa kama mwaka 1941. Habari iyo ya chifo taitaja tarehe kamili ya chifoche, ela inagomba tu kukala kala ni mkpwongo.

Dzinare rinaandikpwa dza Abdalla Mnyenze, Ali Abdalla Mnyenze na Mnyenze Abdalla Ali. Vyeovye piya ni tafwauti: mwenyekiti wa Kamati za Kaya za Pwani au wa Makaya ga Pwani, mwenyekiti wa Baraza ra Azehe a Kaya a Mijikenda, na, wakati wa chifoche, mwenyekiti wa Azehe a Kaya a Kwale. Yaweza kukala ni makundi tafwauti kpwa nyakati tafwauti, au njira tafwauti za kuripoti cheo chimwenga.

Gara Arigoricha

Ariphofwa, mwenyekiti wa Chama cha Azehe a Kaya, Mwinyi Mwalimu, waamba kukala Mnyenze "kala ni mshauri mkpwulu hata kpwa azehe anjina, na walongoza kuamuwa mambo muhimu ga chisomo chehu". Mdzukuluwe Hamisi Kapera waamba atu kala anammanya dza mutu "ariyehala mafundzo gosi kula kpwa akare ehu". Kaya Chinondo bado inaima kanda ya mahoteli ga Diani. Iyo ni kazi ya azehe anji ambao madzina gao tagamanyikana, na Mnyenze ndiye ariyekpwedza kumanyikana ni atu a kondze.

Vyanzo

  1. Siago Cece, "Kwale mourns Kaya conservation champion", Daily Nation, 13 October 2021. https://nation.africa/kenya/counties/kwale/kwale-mourns-kaya-conservation-champion-3582044 (read via the Internet Archive copy of 13 October 2021).
  2. Patrick Beja, "The Mijikenda's closely guarded 'kayas'", East African Standard, 26 April 2008. Reproduced at https://mwakwere.blogspot.com/2008/04/mijikendas-closely-guarded-kayas.html
  3. Bozo Jenje and Winnie Atieno, "Elders seek Kaya title deeds to block grabbers", Daily Nation, 8 September 2014, with file photograph of 2 February 2009 (Internet Archive copy).
  4. Miriam Gathigah, "On Kenya's Coast, a Struggle for the Sacred", Inter Press Service, 23 June 2015. https://www.ipsnews.net/2015/06/on-kenyas-coast-a-struggle-for-the-sacred/
  5. "Rituals: Kaya elders conduct prayers to protect Sonko", The Star, 9 November 2019. https://www.the-star.co.ke/news/2019-11-09-rituals-kaya-elders-conduct-prayers-to-protect-sonko/
  6. "Mwakwere anointed Mijikenda leader", Daily Nation, 26 March 2008. Reproduced at https://mwakwere.blogspot.com/2008/03/
  7. "Community wants sacred Kaya Kinondo in Kwale marketed to the world", The Star, 2 November 2021. https://www.the-star.co.ke/counties/coast/2021-11-02-community-wants-sacred-kaya-kinondo-in-kwale-marketed-to-the-world
  8. Hassan Juma Ndzovu, "Indigenous and popular Islamic therapies of restoring health and countering sorcery among the Digo of Kenya", International Journal of Sociology and Anthropology 5(7) (2013): 233–242, notes 5 and 16 (pp. 234–236).
  9. Mohamed Pakia, African Traditional Plant Knowledge Today: An ethnobotanical study of the Digo at the Kenya Coast, Dr. rer. nat. dissertation, University of Bayreuth, 2005, pp. ii, 35, 62, 120, 137.
  10. David Colton Sperling, The growth of Islam among the Mijikenda of the Kenya coast, 1826–1933, PhD dissertation, SOAS, University of London, 1988, pp. 27, 31, 158.

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