Chenda Chenda Celebrations 2024 – Traditional Decision-Making as Evaluation

A blog post from Awuor PONGE & Grace Wanjiru MURIGO

​On Saturday, 7 September 2024, we travelled to Kilifi County in the Coastal region of Kenya to complete our study on the Mijikenda Kayas. The Study was titled: ‘Traditional Decision-Making as Evaluation: Developing Indigenous Evaluation Methodologies with Kenyan Communities’ and was part of the second phase of the Ford Foundation funding for EvalIndigenous Global Network through the International Organization for Collaboration in Evaluation (IOCE).

​On day 2 of fieldwork, Monday, 9 September 2024, we took part in the Mijikenda Cultural event dubbed the Chenda Chenda Celebration, that brings together all the 9 Sub-tribes from the 9 Kayas of the Mijikenda, to celebrate their cultural identity and unity and to reflect on their past performances as a community and make decisions regarding their future. During the Chenda Chenda 2024 celebrations, we captured the essence of the celebrations and getting general perspectives of the relationship between the celebration and community aspects of TATHMINI – Evaluation or reflection and decision-making.

Awuor Ponge posing with one of the event banners.

​The Chenda Chenda 2024 Celebrations at Kaya Fungo Giriama represented a mix of cultural pride, environmental awareness, and community challenges, reflecting the multi-faceted nature of contemporary Mijikenda society, while still retaining the indigenous nature of the society. The celebrations were marked by several significant highlights. The Chenda Chenda festival is usually held annually on September 9 (Nine-Nine or Kenda Kenda in Kiswahili, Chenda Chenda in Mijikenda, representing the nine tribes oof the Mijikenda) is a crucial event for the Mijikenda community. It serves as a platform to celebrate and preserve the rich cultural heritage of the nine Mijikenda tribes. The nine Mijikenda tribes are: Chonyi, Duruma, Digo, Giriama, Jibana, Kambe, Kauma, Rabai and Ribe.

The Research Team posing with some of the traditional entertainers at the event

The Research Team joining Traditional dancers in a photo session after enjoying their dance

​The theme for the 2024 festival was "Our Culture is Our Pillar". This theme was chosen to emphasize the importance of cultural values and to address the concern that many youths are not familiar with their cultural roots. The festival aimed to educate younger generations about their heritage and traditions. A key highlight of the 2024 celebrations was the focus on environmental conservation. The Kaya elders had set a goal to plant 20 million trees, though they managed to plant 10 million. This initiative was part of their efforts to raise awareness about climate change and the importance of environmental preservation.

The festival featured traditional music and dance performances, showcasing the vibrant cultural expressions of the Mijikenda people. These performances played a crucial role in fostering cultural appreciation, especially among the younger attendees. Activities were also designed to foster cultural appreciation among younger generations, especially cultural performances and exhibitions and acrobatic displays by the Mijikenda youth.

Young Mijikenda acrobats doing their art to entertain the participants

In the lead-up to the 2024 festival, there were strong calls for unity within the Mijikenda community. This emphasis on unity was particularly significant as there had been attempts by some leaders to organize parallel festivals, which the Kaya elders strongly discouraged. Unfortunately, the 2024 celebrations were not without controversy. Some chaos erupted during the festival, with political rifts overshadowing the cultural celebrations. This underscores the complex interplay between cultural events and political dynamics in the region.

​Renowned traditional Namba dancers, such as Kapombe Kashuru and Kadzo (also known as Mama Namba) from Magarini, were present at the celebrations. The Namba dance is an important cultural element that these performers use to convey messages of peace and unity. The event also featured various cultural exhibitions and performances that allowed attendees to experience and learn about Mijikenda traditions. These exhibitions included displays of traditional artifacts, costumes, and demonstrations of cultural practices. A variety of local Mijikenda cuisines were presented at the festival. This culinary showcase allowed participants to taste and appreciate the traditional foods of the community.

Mijikenda women demonstrating how they used to pound food using mortar and pestle

​The Chenda Chenda celebrations demonstrated traditional decision-making as part of evaluation processes. The festival was spearheaded by the Coastal Kaya elders, who used the occasion to address crucial issues and outline plans for regional development. This reflects the traditional role of elders in community decision-making and planning.

​The festival served as a platform for evaluating and preserving valued cultural traditions. By showcasing traditional music, dance, and other cultural practices, the community collectively decides which elements of their heritage to highlight and pass on to younger generations. The festival was also used as an opportunity to advocate for important social issues like girl child education and supporting the elderly. This demonstrates how traditional gatherings are used to evaluate community needs and make decisions on priorities.

Mijikenda women demonstrating the traditional method of grinding maize floor

​The celebrations aimed to bring together the nine Mijikenda sub-tribes, fostering unity. This reflects traditional methods of using cultural gatherings to evaluate inter-tribal relationships and make decisions about cooperation. Trees were planted as part of the festival, showing how traditional events are used to evaluate environmental needs and make decisions about conservation efforts.

Awuor PONGE & Grace Wanjiru MURIGO

EvalIndigenous members, Kenya

​Awuor PONGE, PhDSasakawa Fellowship Scholar, The Practice of International Development; Vice-President, African Evaluation Association (AfrEA); Africa Representative, EvalIndigenous Evaluators Network - EvalPartners; Associate Fellow i/c Research, Policy & Evaluation, African Policy Centre (APC); Adjunct Faculty, Gender & Development Studies, Kenyatta University
P.O Box 6314 – 00100, Nairobi, Kenya
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ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6656-1818