Mungiki as youth movement: Revolution, gender and generational politics in Nairobi, Kenya

Like many other African countries, Kenya has a large and growing youth population. Some of the youths are mobilized into militant and political networks; one of these is the Mungiki movement. The article explores Mungiki’s combination of politics, religion and Kikuyu traditions. Using the examples o...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Young (Stockholm, Sweden) Sweden), 2010-08, Vol.18 (3), p.301-319
Main Author: Rasmussen, Jacob
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Gender
Generations
Kenya
Political movements
Politics
Religion
Social movements
Violence
Youth
Youth culture
Citations: Items that this one cites
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Summary:Like many other African countries, Kenya has a large and growing youth population. Some of the youths are mobilized into militant and political networks; one of these is the Mungiki movement. The article explores Mungiki’s combination of politics, religion and Kikuyu traditions. Using the examples of snuff tobacco, revolutionary talk and generational exclusion, it is argued that one way of understanding the connection between the various elements is to look at specific youth practices that cut across apparently separate activities. This reveals that youth in the Mungiki discourse is a highly gendered concept.
ISSN:1103-3088
1741-3222
DOI:10.1177/110330881001800304