Description
Book SynopsisLong thought lost, hidden, or destroyed, the transcript of Mau Mau anticolonial revolutionary Dedan Kimathi’s 1956 trial during British colonial rule unsettles an already controversial event in Kenya’s history and prompts fresh examinations of its reverberations in the postcolonial present.
Trade Review“Had Julie MacArthur produced a volume containing simply the text of Kimathi’s trial that achievement alone would have been worthy of high praise. To bring together the additional documents presented here – and garner the participation and resultant scholarship of these contributors – is an extraordinary accomplishment. Faculty might assign
Dedan Kimathi on Trial in the undergraduate classroom, but perhaps most importantly, it will be read and fiercely argued over in Kenya.” * Canadian Journal of African Studies *
“[This] publication accords Kenya and the world yet another moment of serious reflection and stock taking in revisiting one of Africa’s most compelling moments in the history of resistance against colonialist and imperialist injustice.”
“The scholarly reflections brought together in this volume reveal the deep historical significance of figures like Kimathi, the moral lessons we can learn from the past, and the continuing relevance of the struggle for independence in Kenya today.”
“With the proceedings and exhibits of Kimathi’s show trial produced in gripping detail, and essays showing why this trial mattered far beyond a Nyeri courtroom in 1956, MacArthur superbly situates Kimathi’s fate amidst African resistance to crumbling empire.”
