Grounding Orality and Indigenous Epistemologies: Interpreting Bosco Mulwa’s Song “Kithio Kya Mukamba” through Decolonial Lens

Indigenous African epistemologies, cultures, and languages embody religious sensibilities through intricate, provocative, and pluralistic expressions captured by orality as a genre. captures. Orality is rooted at the intersection of land, ancestors, and communal life. These epistemologies offer a rich tapestry of knowledge transmitted through oral traditions contested as new ways of knowing and knowledge production. Oral genres such as storytelling, proverbs, chants, and songs serve as vehicles for expressing complex religious and philosophical ideas. These reflect a dynamic interplay between the sacred, the lived experiences, and the cultural contexts of African societies. This paper will analyze Bosco Mulwa’s song “Kithio Kya Mukamba kyaendie naku” (“Where did Kamba culture disappear to?”)[1] to explore how Indigenous African orality encapsulates the multifaceted nature of religious sensibilities, highlighting its capacity to convey diverse and evolving spiritual insights while preserving communities’ culture and language. Descriptive analysis based on decolonial theories will ground the interplay between oral traditions and indigenous knowledge systems. The paper underscores the significance of orality in preserving and conveying African religious thoughts embedded in the song’s performance. I argue that African orality as a grounded methodology provides a rich and nuanced approach to knowledge production and preservation transgenerationally. With the centrality of oral traditions and integration into academic research, scholars globally can gain deeper insights into divergent cultural, social, and religious practices, thus preserving their identity, integrity, and relevance in knowledge production.

[1] See https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=14b2b6O-Yl4