Pwani University has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Malindi District Cultural Association (MADCA) to collaborate in researching and documenting the Mijikenda cultural heritage for future generations.
The Mijikenda culture, under threat due to the influence of Western religion and modernisation, faces the verge of extinction, and the collaboration marks a significant step towards reversing this trend and preserving the progressive cultural practices of the Mijikenda people.
Speaking at the signing ceremony at the MADCA Centre in Sabaki, Malindi Sub County, Monday, MADCA founding Chairman Stan Kiraga highlighted the importance of the collaboration, which, he said, resonated well with the call by Africa's founding fathers. "This is the clarion call made by the first African presidents, such as Kwame Nkrumah, Julius Nyerere, and Jomo Kenyatta, whose call was that education should be beneficial to African communities," he said, adding, "Today, we are fusing education and culture because that is the foundation stone of development." MADCA Secretary General Joseph Karisa Mwarandu emphasized the partnership's role in helping current and future generations appreciate the Mijikenda cultural heritage and the call to return to their roots. "The signing of this MoU is a demonstration that educators and elders can work together.
Educationists have knowledge, while elders have wisdom.
