Enabling Visibility of the Jina as an Oral Cultural Form in Kenya’s Coastal Region

by Dr Gloria Ajami Makokha, Uppsala University

On 23rd December, 2025, I convened a ‘Majina ya Khanga/Leso Awareness and Publicization Drive’ at Kenyatta University’s Mombasa Campus in Mombasa, Kenya. The event was supported by the British Institute in Eastern Africa (BIEA) through its Impact Grant Award, and formed part of my ongoing postdoctoral research under the Uppsala University based African Literary Metadata (ALMEDA) project. Titled “Beyond Speech: Enabling Visibility of the Jina as an Oral Cultural Form in Kenya’s Coastal Region,” the initiative extends my broader research on ephemeral oral cultural forms across coastal Kenya and Tanzania. But beyond research dissemination, the day was about something more grounded: returning knowledge to the community, listening attentively, and reaffirming the lived significance of the khanga. At the heart of the engagement was a simple but powerful reminder: Always Read The Jina. Whether buying, gifting, or receiving a khanga, its message matters.

The jina is not decorative excess; it is context, intention, and voice. In emphasizing this, the session opened space for intergenerational dialogue on meaning, memory, and everyday expression.

Participants reflected on how majina continue to encode social commentary, emotion, and identity across shifting cultural landscapes.

The event also brought together key figures whose work intersects with khanga’s history and cultural practice. Among them was Muneeb Kaderdina of Mali ya Abdalla, representing a family legacy in the khanga trade dating back to the late nineteenth century and credited with introducing majina to their designs in Kenya. I was also honoured by the virtual presence of Ashleigh Harris, Principal Investigator of ALMEDA, alongside Dr. James Kathuri (KU Mombasa Campus Director), Dr. Simbili Maurice Mwichuli (Coordinator, SLASS, KU Mombasa Campus) and Margaret Anunda (Assistant Registrar, KU, Mombasa Campus). This engagement reaffirmed the value of impact-driven, community-centred scholarship. It underscored that khanga is not a static artifact but a living cultural archive, one sustained through use, interpretation, and circulation. My sincere gratitude to the British Institute in Eastern Africa (BIEA) for supporting this worthy cause.

Khanga si vazi tu, ni ujumbe, ni kumbukumbu, ni utambulisho.

About the author:

Gloria Ajami Makokha (PhD) is currently a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the European Research Council funded African Literary Metadata (ALMEDA) Project, based at Uppsala University’s English Department. She is also a lecturer of Literature at Kenyatta University’s Department of Literature, Linguistics and FL.