Uhuru wa Palestina ni Uhuru Wetu
Gatî mathi, no oria nkoro îkwenda: "There is no authority but your heart and its many, many multitudes" – Karwitha Kirimi, whose words weep with wisdom.
This past Thursday, a group of collectives here in Nairobi–Ukombozi Library and Feminist Conversations Kenya–organized an event titled “Uhuru wa Palestina ni Uhuru Wetu”, which translates to “Palestine’s freedom is our freedom.” Intended to be a teach-in on imperialism and colonialism between these two countries, the event unfolded more like a sacred venting and incantational healing circle than a conventional discussion series.
Kirimi’s offerings in particular moved me beyond belief:There is no authority more ancient than our hearts– And with everything that is in us today, we put ourselves in solidarity with everyone fighting for freedom Knowing that it is something inherent. Katheri gatî mathi, no oria nkoro îkwenda. The land has no authority– It is the heart that will do what it wants. Katheri gatî mathi, no oria nkoro îkwenda. We call in our ancestors from the Kenya Land and Freedom Army Katheri gatî mathi, no oria nkoro îkwenda We call in our ancestors, medicine women, herbs workers, root workers– People who we don’t even have the language to say what it is exactly that they do Katheri gatî mathi, no oria nkoro îkwenda. We call in the children– [Exhale] May we be worthy of the children.
The event was held at The Mist, an experimental music venue that doubles as a community organizing hub (the next night, The Mist invited Palestinian DJ Mouri to spin alongside some Nairobi legends which was so so beautiful to experience). By the time we got started with the teach-in, the space was full to the brim with people from all ages–there was a primary school student who came with his mom, and two high schoolers who came straight after their classes finished (and who were the first ones to share in the discussion session!)–a testament to how intentional Ukombozi and Feminist Convos KE are in their organizing + outreach.
Upon arrival, Asuwa from Ukombozi Library distributed a 10+ page pamphlet outlining Kenya’s political history from ‘independence’ to 2015, accompanied by a two-page speech/call-to-action around Kenya’s responsibility towards standing in firm and actionable solidarity with Palestine; and the teach-in began with a poetry reading by
, who delivered an invocation so raw and potent that it brought tears streaming down my face within the first few lines. I archived the session via audio recordings, and have transcribed the rest of Karwitha’s words below.The song that the villagers would sing was “Katheri gatî mathi, no oria nkoro îkwenda” And it’s my grandmother’s favorite song Katheri gatî mathi, no oria nkoro îkwenda. Those few words are the only poem that I bring to you today. A rough translation is: There is no authority It is the heart that will do as it wants. And it was a message to the state Because they, like us, were living under governments that don’t honor the truth of the people That is the song the women would sing as they were burying their beloveds– “Katheri gatî mathi, no oria nkoro îkwenda” There is no authority but your heart and its many, many multitudes.
[At this point,
asked if we had done a welcoming acknowledgment to the ancestors to open up the session yet, and since we hadn’t, they then proceeded to channel this improvised invocation which is perhaps the most powerful one I have ever been present for to-date]:We call in our elders, we call in our ancestors, we call in all those who knew a freedom sweeter and fuller than the state. We call in everything and everyone in our blood that honors the truth that is more potent than the state. We call in everything– We call in every song, We call in every lightening, We call in every tree, We call in every stream That knows that freedom. [Exhale] Katheri gatî mathi, no oria nkoro îkwenda. There is no authority more ancient than our hearts– And with everything that is in us today we put ourselves in solidarity with everyone fighting for freedom Knowing that it is something inherent– Katheri gatî mathi, no oria nkoro îkwenda. The land has no authority, It is the heart that will do what it wants Katheri gatî mathi, no oria nkoro îkwenda. We call in our ancestors from the Kenya Land and Freedom Army Katheri gatî mathi, no oria nkoro îkwenda. We call in our ancestors, medicine women, herbs workers, root workers– People who we don’t even have the language to say what it is exactly that they do Katheri gatî mathi, no oria nkoro îkwenda. We call in the children– [Exhale] May we be worthy of the children. Katheri gatî mathi, no oria nkoro îkwenda. We call in the wind Katheri gatî mathi, no oria nkoro îkwenda. We call in the water Katheri gatî mathi, no oria nkoro îkwenda. We call in the land Katheri gatî mathi, no oria nkoro îkwenda. We call in our comrade ancestors across time and space– Katheri gatî mathi, no oria nkoro îkwenda. Katheri gatî mathi, no oria nkoro îkwenda. May our speechlessness be an offering as well– May the words that we can not find invite us into deeper action Deeper into freedom’s belly. Katheri gatî mathi, no oria nkoro îkwenda. We bless the future that is assured because yes– Palestine will be free in our lifetime. Katheri gatî mathi, no oria nkoro îkwenda Because yes, we will be free in our lifetimes. Katheri gatî mathi, no oria nkoro îkwenda Because Congo will be free in our lifetimes. Katheri gatî mathi, no oria nkoro îkwenda Because the people of Tigray will be free in our lifetimes. Katheri gatî mathi, no oria nkoro îkwenda. Because our land– [Exhale] Katheri gatî mathi, no oria nkoro îkwenda. Katheri gatî mathi, no oria nkoro îkwenda. Because the children will grow up knowing love Katheri gatî mathi, no oria nkoro îkwenda.
I can not emphasize enough how foundationally nourishing it was to witness Ukombozi/Asuwa/Feminist Convo KE/Mumbua/Karwitha/Mogoi/Achieng and everyone else in action.
Getting to contribute to convenings here in Nairobi has been a blessing of the most humbling calibre. I co-facilitated the discussion portion alongside Asuwa, sharing excerpts from Robert Weisbord’s African Zion & an abridged historiography of Britain’s efforts to ‘gift’ the Zionist Congress a 200 square-mile swathe of land in Kenya to establish the Israel Colony in 1903; but even as I was preparing to do so I felt overcome by a sharp feeling of impostor syndrome. Reading the pamphlets that Ukombozi distributed, which were full of facts and stories I knew little-to-nothing about made me glaringly aware of how my proximity to the imperial core as someone who grew up in America, who is afforded the mobility of an American passport and sheltered by America’s currency is one that sculpts–and perhaps even corrupts–the specificity of my practical awareness. Thursday’s session–feeling the piercing velocity of Karwitha’s offerings, seeing the rigor of Ukombozi’s pamphlets–was the most recent in a series of collaborations that have pushed me to grow in proactive reflection. I am still feeling through this (nothing in particular was brought up during the event to provoke this aside from feeling tender to the difference between knowing something’s stakes in theory versus living its depths each day), but it felt necessary to name as I process what deepening in commitment actually looks like long-term.
May our speechlessness be an offering as well–
May the words that we can not find invite us into deeper action
Deeper into freedom’s belly.
–Karwitha Kirimi
Thank you again to
for all of your incantation. Your words will live in my heart for a long, long time to come. (I highly recommend signing up for their Substack if you haven’t already!)With Love & In Solidarity,
Neema 🤍
my heart <3 thegio neema. this is so beautiful. that acknowledgement by Karwitha is humbling. like you, i feel equally challenged by the distance between my proximity to theories vs practice/action rooted in our homeland (kenya & mama africa). any chance that one could get access to the 10+ page pamphlet outlining Kenya’s political history from ‘independence’ to 2015?