| dc.description.abstract | This study is based on the premise that Luo and Luhya children’s singing games are
creative works that subtly reflect the aesthetics of the two communities. The aim is to
critically examine how the performance of the singing games and their texts reflect the
aspirations, norms and values of the macro cultures of the two Nilotic and Bantu
communities respectively.
The sampled singing games include those done in the traditional setting, sung in
vernacular and those that are taken from the urban or cosmopolitan settings. Our findings
reveal that Luo and Luhya children’s singing games are a significant resource in
communicating the values of the two communities.
Luo and Luhya children imitate their physical and social environments and dramatize
about the aesthetics of the communities. This dramatization reflects both traditional
values and the new emerging values that have been necessitated by the introduction of
western values, formal education, Christianity and others.
In these singing games Luo and Luhya children are able to socialize, learn and also
uphold the values of unity and respect for one another. The singing games are significant
in the learning process and character development of the children involved in the
performance. Luo and Luhya children’s singing games play a significant role in socializing the children
in their different societies. The socialization makes the child to be rooted in the
aesthetics and aspirations of his/her society.
Urban children’s singing games that are sung by Luhya and Luo children reflect the
child’s creativity, improvisation and the ability to borrow from various sources. The
singing games utilize various sources, including the electronic media, print media and
also rhymes from other cultures.
Children’s singing games are repertoires of a people’s aesthetics. Apart from directly
teaching the participants cultural issues and requirements, the singing games are crucial
to the participants’ social and moral development.
Luo and Luhya children’s singing games reflect the macro culture of the Luo and Luhya
communities respectively and to a great extent the changing values in the Kenyan society.
The study also gives some insights arising from the findings that can be of benefit to
future researchers. There is need for researchers to focus on children’s singing games as
creative works and discover their role in the social and moral development of the child
and also find out how these creative works can be used in an educational set up. | en_US |
