Meja Mwangi is among the 1970s generation of fiction writers who set a new tone in contemporary writing in Kenya. But he looked beyond books to movies and gained experience working in various capacities in major international films that were shot in Kenya. Our writer John Kariuki talked to him about his work and dreams.
How many books have you published so far and which was the most successful?
Honestly I have not kept count but maybe around 20. My latest is Rafiki Guitar Man.
For successes Bush trackers was a good seller following the shooting in 1978 of the film based on the book. The film was directed by the late Gordon Parks Jr who was a big name in Hollywood and was able to draw a lot of attention to both the film and the book.
Parks died from the plane crash at Wilson Airport before the film was completed and his colleague Gary Strieker took over the mantle to see the project through. I sold many copies of the book outside Kenya Cinema during the screening of the film and was a big seller in that account. But to me the volumes are not always the best measure for success and I consider satisfaction for the reader as the best way to judge success. That is what really matters to me.
How was the books market like in the 1970s?
It was very vibrant in that reading was a popular recreation for most Kenyans who could afford a book. They carried a book to the restaurants, offices and many read at home. They read widely and bought books not only by Kenyan writers but from across Africa.
So what has changed?
The fascination with technology especially the smart phones and social networks has brought in a whole new concept of leisure. It mostly relates to youth who would be the biggest market for books and most of them prefer to listen to music, play games or other entertainment through their phones and this has replaced reading as a pastime.
The magazine culture has also been affected and most young people buy magazines to check out fashions and not for serious reading as it used to be.
Do you see hope for books then?
Certainly. There was a time I thought that reading would fade out completely, but I see it reviving once the young have overcome their fascination with technology and direct that same energy that they have for electronics to the books and reading shall be big or even much bigger than in the past. But we are talking about the next generation of youths.
Socially, what else has changed?
I think as a country, Kenya is going through a phase of fascination with outside world which has deflected attention from our own stories and hero concept and this has affected reading of Kenyan writers.
Why is that so?
The catalyst to the reading culture of the 70s generation was their interest in African stories and people that was driven by the emphasis on literature in our schools.
But this died and the interest in African or Kenyan literature is not as big as it used to be. Many of the younger people have no idea who Ngugi wa Thiongo or Ali Mazrui are and yet these were the icons of African writing.
Culturally, there
has been a
major shift to foreign characters and stories that is largely driven by televisions and Hollywood movies. It is the reason that we have not created social heroes and the focus on politics has stolen the limelight from our own creative writing. I believe the interest generated by biographical books by the likes of late Njenga Karume and others were largely due to their position in politics and not the potency in the creative sense or the essence of their stories.
Maybe, there is a lack of relevance and writing in sheng would help?
Not quite because Sheng is very unstable and varies from region to region even within Nairobi. It would help if it were stable and words or references retained their general meaning but this is not the case and at the current pace the inconsistency rules it out.
What about the Kenyan Diaspora market?
That is no longer a market for Kenyan writers and many of them tend to adapt to overseas preference and become totally different people. There isn’t that much interest in African writers abroad and the few survive in institutions and probably at the back shelves of book stores but never on the mainstream.
You took an interest in movies?
I was in a group that had hoped to pioneer a Kenya film industry in the 1970s and I decided to work on foreign productions coming to Kenya as a learning process before I got to making my own movies.
So which movies have you worked in?
I was on Out of Africa as a third assistance director and the role is really a messenger on the set who is used for all manner of chores. But one gets to see how the directorial and others aspects of the production work which is the best kind of learning that one can get.
So how was it and what were your impressions of the director Sidney Pollack and Robert Redford, the main actor?
Redford was very reserved and gave the impression of a person out here to do a job and not socialise. He was a big name and kept very much to himself and in any case had nothing to do with me because I was low on the pecking order.
But the director Sidney Pollack was a totally different personality who greeted everybody by their first names and took a personal interest in those working for him even though he did not really need to.
But it is alleged that he made unsavory remarks about Kenya that caused a backlash — stopping Hollywood films from coming to the country.
He was a very likeable personality and I do not recall him making any nasty remarks about Kenya that some people claim that he made.
So where would that impression have come from?
I have no idea but the shooting was a trying experience where the crew was tormented by heavy rains that at times ripped off the tents and gave us all a hard time and may be one could make a remark that is misconstrued.
I was also involved in White Mischief, Kitchen Toto, and Shadow in the Sun shot in Kenya and Gorilla in the Mist that was based on the book by Dion Fossey who was active in the conservation of primates in Rwanda.
Any challenges?
We had a
rough
time with Kitchen Toto that was a Mau Mau story where I served a casting agent. One has to understand the sensitivity of the Mau Mau issues and animosity amongst cast members in the film scene in Kenya all came to play during the production.
On one scene the Turkana cast were required to bath in the river in the Kakamega forest where the film was shot and the idea was to have the red hair dye drip into the river. It was a long shot that did not reveal the details of the bodies of those concerned. However, I got a summon from then Eastern Provincial Commissioner Samuel Kobia on allegations that we were making a pornographic film in the forest.
But I assured him that it was not true and put the record straight. He took my word for it but with a caution that should it turn out that I had lied, he would come back for me.
However, the matter did not rest there and later I got visitors from the police demanding to be shown the footage and explained that they had instructions from State House. We showed them. When they left they appeared unconvinced.
The contested parts were later edited out because they lacked the desired impact.
So have you made a movie?
Not really, but I hope to although I cannot say when.
What is the challenge in Kenya?
The main problem is the story and its execution and I believe that is the crux of the matter. So far that story and its telling has eluded us and until we get it right, there will not be a film industry.
You do not see funding as a major issue?
Not the way it has been portrayed. The case about funding is that the money is there but one has to question the criteria used to give it. So far, it appears largely to be accessed by people who lack credibility in the field and one can guess that even the officers authorising the funding probably do so with vested interest. There should be a way to determine the eligibility of the beneficiaries and scrutinise the process to ensure fair play.
What are you up to now?
I’m off to Dar to work on my next book. I need a quiet place in order to concentrate and TZ is just right for me.
Does it pay to be a professional writer?
It depends on one's needs. If you are looking to a flashy lifestyle, then try and find something else to do. This really is a labour of love. But I manage.