The Changamwe want recognition as an indigenous, marginalised, minority tribe

Cup pressure peaks as Shabana host Kenya Police in blockbuster quarter-final Football

Upper Hill coach Walgwe unperturbed despite drawing giants in Prescott Cup group phase Rugby

Changamwe women using traditional artifacts to grind cereals during the Wachangamwe Cultural Festival in Changamwe on Sunday / JOHN CHESOLI

The Changamwe, one of the 12 sub-tribes of the Swahili community in Mombasa, are now pushing for more recognition.

Led by Changamwe MP Omar Mwinyi, the Changamwe on Sunday said they have not been recognized as a minority tribe like the other minority tribes including the Taveta in Taita Taveta county.

Speaking at the culmination of the three-day Wachangamwe Cultural Festival on Sunday, which was the third edition, Mwinyi said there is strength in unity and called on the Changamwe community to stay united so as to have a louder voice.

“The Changamwe and the general Swahili nation is there but it has been forgotten. Even we, ourselves, have also forgotten about ourselves,” Mwinyi said.

He said the festival is meant to announce, in a louder voice, their existence so as to be treated like any other community in Kenya.

He lamented that the other day while in State House Nairobi, President William Ruto recognized other minority communities, but not the Changamwe.

“All the other indigenous, marginalized and minority communities were recognized. We were not. Yet we are indigenous, marginalized and are a small community,” Mwinyi said at the Ahmed Shahame Mwidani Techincal and Vocational College, where the festival took place.

The Changamwe, he said, occupied larger parts of Magongo area, which is in Changamwe constituency, and are the ones who gave out their land for the construction of Mombasa’s Moi International Airport.

“This means they are a kind and courteous community. But today, they are not recognized and have not been repaid in kind,” the MP said.

Mwinyi called for the embrace of traditions saying cultural heritage has the power to attract peace and harmony.

He however lamented the erosion of cultures among the younger generation saying although the world is becoming a global village, it is important to also remember cultures and traditions, which help prevent some of the ills in society today.

“Cultures and traditions help link different generations. They help one understand why things are the way they are. Let us not forget our cultures,” he said.

Culture, he said, erases the different social status and helps people bond more.

“As we gather here today, there is no rich man or poor man. We are all equal as the Changamwe,” he said.

Parents, he said, play a big role in the maintenance of cultures and traditions.

However, he noted that today’s parents are so westernized that they do not teach their children about their cultures and traditions, with many parents today, especially thise in urban settings, not even knowing how to speak their own cultural language.

“You find a house where both parents cannot speak their languages so they resort to Swahili and English. The children will never learn their traditional language,” he said.

“Today, even the Swahili children cannot speak Swahili. They speak rotten Swahili until you wonder if they are truly Swahili,” Mwinyi said.

The MP said cultural and traditional artifacts are not used anymore in the daily chores at homes.

In the past, he said, people like the Changamwe used pots to cook food and store water which then becomes cold.

And people were not getting sick.

“Today, we use hotpots, sufurias and microwaves. And we are getting cancers, growths and tumours, and other kinds of diseases,” Mwinyi said.

“Maybe we should go back to our traditional ways.”

He said the advent of social media has contributed to the erosion of cultures and traditions.

He called on parents and community members to help youth use social media positively to document cultures and traditions so as to bring positivity and not negativity as it is today.

His sentiments were echoed by Youth Affairs, Creative Economy and Sports CS Salim Mvurya who said cultures and tradition are some of the ways that help Kenyans live in cohesion.

Mvurya said every community in Kenya has its own cultures.

“We have to make sure we use our cultures to improve our economy,” the CS said.

“Let us not allow our traditions and cultures to be used to divide us.”

There are important things about the blue economy and fishing that can be learned from the Changamwe people, Mvurya said.

Jomvu MP Badi Twalib, who is a Jomvu, said the Jomvu and the Changamwe are brothers.

He said the county has recognized the Wachangamwe Cultural Festival and will from today be an annual event in the county’s calendar.

He said the Changamwe, just like the Jomvu, find to difficult get IDs because most people do not recognize that the Changamwe are a community on its own, just like the Jomvu.

He said MP Mwinyi, Senator Faki and himself are working with the deputy president Kithure Kindiki to ensure that the small tribes of the Jomvu and the Changamwe get their own codes with which to be referred to so that it becomes easy to acquire national ID cards.

He said the Changamwe community is registered and should be getting the opportunities that other communities are getting.

Mombasa Senator Mohammed Faki, also a Changamwe, said the Changamwe people are learned but most are discriminated against when it comes to employment opportunities.

“We thank you Governor Abdulswamad Nassir for lifting us by employimg one of us in Ibrahim “Babangida” Khamis as a CEC in charge of the blue economy and Alliy Goshi as a chief officer,” Faki said.

The senator called on Governor Abdulswamad Nassir to upgrade the pot market in Vyunguni, Jomvu.

“That is one of the main identities of the Swahili people. If you upgrade the area, it will be one of the biggest legacy you leave,” Senator Faki said.

Journalist Lulu Hassan called on leaders to work together regardless of their affiliation.