Muthoni Likimani
Muthoni Likimani | |
|---|---|
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| Born | Muthoni Gachanja 1926 (age 97–98) |
| Nationality | Kenyan |
| Occupation(s) | Writer, broadcaster |
| Notable work | Passbook Number F. 47927: Women and Mau Mau in Kenya (1985) |
Muthoni Gachanja Likimani (born 1926) is a Kenyan activist and writer, who has published works of both fiction and non-fiction, as well as children's books.[1] In her career she has also been a broadcaster, actress, teacher and publisher.[2] She was the first Kenyan beauty queen, the first African to establish a public relations firm in Kenya and one of the country's earliest female authors.[3]
Biography
Muthoni Likimani was born and raised in Kahuhia Mission, Murang'a District, Kenya, the daughter of Mariuma Wanjiura and Rev. Levi GochanJa. Her father was one of the first Kenyan Anglican church ministers.[4] She taught at Kahuhia Teachers’ Training College, before undertaking further studies in Britain and Israel, becoming involved in broadcasting and public relations.[3] She went on to become one of the first women producers at the Kenya Broadcasting Corporation, working on women's and children's programmes,[1] and was a freelance broadcaster for the BBC.[5] She founded Noni's Publicity, a public relations company that also undertook publishing, including producing the periodical Women of Kenya.[4]
Her first novel, They Shall Be Chastised, was published in 1974, followed by What Does a Man Want? in the same year. In 1985 her third and most important book appeared, Passbook Number F. 47927: Women and Mau Mau in Kenya, its title a reference to her identity number during the
In the 1980s, Likimani became a Nairobi city councillor, which position she held until the government replaced the council with a city commission.[4] Her autobiography, Fighting Without Ceasing, was published in 2005.
In 2007, she received the World YWCA Council Award in recognition of dedicated leadership for her involvement as a Women's Rights Activist.[5] In 2014, she was appointed Peace Ambassador in Kenya of the International Forum for the Literature and Culture of Peace (IFLAC).[6]
Personal life
A
Selected works
- They Shall Be Chastised. Nairobi: East African Literature Bureau, 1974. Kenya Literature Bureau, 1991, ISBN 978-9966440945.
- What Does a Man Want? Nairobi: Kenya Literature Bureau, 1974. Noni's Publicity, 2001, ISBN 978-9966441201
- Passbook Number F. 47927: Women and Mau Mau in Kenya. Basingstoke and London: Palgrave Macmillan, 1985, ISBN 978-9966967206.
- Women of Kenya: In the Decade of Development. Nairobi: Noni's Publicity, 1985.
- Fighting Without Ceasing, Nairobi: Noni's Publicity, 2005, ISBN 978-9966967268.
References
- ^ a b c Maxine Beahan, "Muthoni Likimani (1926– )", in Pushpa Naidu Parekh and Siga Fatima Jagne, Postcolonial African Writers: A Bio-bibliographical Critical Sourcebook, Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press, 1998, pp. 296–299.
- ^ a b Adeola James, "Muthoni Likimani", In Their Own Voices: African Women Writers Talk, James Currey Ltd, 1990, pp. 59–62.
- ^ a b c Emeka-Mayaka Gekara and Julius Sigei, "Muthoni Likimani: Beauty queen who broke glass ceiling", The Nation (Kenya), 28 June 2013.
- ^ Henry Louis Gates(eds), Dictionary of African Biography, Volume 6, Oxford University Press, 2012, pp. 499–500.
- ^ a b c "Life Journeys", Footprints Press, 21 November 2011.
- ^ Solveig Hansen, "A strong voice from Kenya: Muthoni Likimani appointed IFLAC Peace Ambassador", IFLAC News, 18 February 2014.
External links
- "Muthoni Likimani: Story of a Legend", Africa Creates, 25 July 2013.
- "Capital Talk Muthoni Likimani", K24TV interview Part 1; "Capital Talk Muthoni Likimani Part 2", "Capital Talk Muthoni Likimani Part 3", "Capital Talk Muthoni Likimani Part 4", YouTube.
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