Introduction to ITAMUNARI

As was the Greek courts that endorsed Argumentation as key to logic, there existed among all tribes processes of engaging reasoning to critical and creative thinking with desirable outcomes to problem solving and finding pleasure in orderly verbal interaction. For before writing was seemed a perfection of human creativity, speech and its forms was regarded as the highest art of interpersonal interaction that over the millenniums did preserve cultures, perfecting them to the present day. Stories, traditions, expertise, history and much more sought preservation in speech, the ability to remember, retell, vary and modify.

At an early stage of child's 'let's pretend' games, a people's way of life moved from a generation to another. As children behaved, tuning their voices to suit a mother's, father's, grandpa's, they 'spoke' with a mind of 'creativity' which is all that makes the  present palatable or else it would be an argument, not argumentation. In this way, what happened in the families and community at large was relived by people who took imaginary roles. Boys did it while herding, girls did it while fetching water,  elders did it by the pot brew. They were majorly fictitious reconstructions of real life happenings, the human thing in them, for most were deviative happenings.

Pulled to school when the first Harambee Secondary Day School was opened in Maragoli - Chavakali, the homogeneous group of students who enrolled never shied from emptying their grievances and resentment among fellow students by opting for such a forum. A few rules in the game, simper than the Town Hall nature, a 'bussiness order' would have as mere accusations as to 'why you were seen with an illiterate girl'. And from that, knowing how creative a human can be, there would be all manner of accusations from a self driven plaintiff. It was the responsibility of the defendant to speak in a manner to reason with the plaintiff at what level which among the foolish would lead to fightings and grudges. 

With a limited time for such at school, but with more time away from school, these accusations endeavoured to develop people's reasoning and talking skills. Native teachers loved listening to students speak and one Briton, Jean Teacher, Jill Claridge Inyulu was incharge of a famous play that Late 60's and Early 70's old boys of Chavakali still speak of - 'Novee na matui uhul'li'. It was a classical Itamunari casting that was casted at Nationals, Nairobi winning several accolades.

What best can we do but to uphold the nature of Itamunari and use it as one of the Maragoli cultural preservation modes?