Sheng-speaking children in the 21st Century

By Rez Wambui

Without kids in our midst, we have no business talking about tomorrow. At one point in time, they will continue our existence in this life. Kids are vital and a true story. Kids are innocent and humble in heart. They mostly imitate their older siblings or parents. They learn a lot of stuff from older people.

We have the 21st century kids who not only know a lot of stuff but also learn at a very young age. They know about Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. They know about dancehall music; they watch movies too with or without parental advisory. Some kids even answer back their parents, refuse to do homework and even get so mad that they sleep hungry. They even have mood swings, skive off school and refuse punishment.

It is true that children emulate what older people around them do or say and what they are exposed to, but who is to blame?

My main issue is how they speak or rather how they express themselves. Am not talking about kids who are airlifted or driven to Brae Burn, neither Im I talking about kids who speak better English than their parents or go for holiday and school trips in Seychelles or Cuba.

It is also not the kids who don’t know what a matatu is or who live in a pent house where all children in a family have their own bedrooms, water from the shower and even go shopping in places you only hear on radio. NO.I am talking about kids living in the slums.

Most of them foot to school and they are hardly lucky to catch a matatu there. Their school has seven teachers, the head teacher included, yet they have eight classes. They are so crowded that they sit four on a two metres’desk. Some don’t even have uniforms, pens, and books. But trust me, kids are kids and they have no hard feelings whether rich or poor; catch them when they are having a conversation if you doubt me.

Kids in the slums speak sheng in school and at home. Stuff like “Mchongowano, duffo mpararo, chips mwitu,” all started with these less fortunate kids. They have picked up words in sheng and they now use them in their conversations with their peers. Its what they hear anyway and so to them it is not wrong (I am not saying its bad to speak slung). You hear them saying, “Acha za ovyo (stop nonsense), Niaje (hi), Budako ni mzae (your dad is old), ule dem ako na haga (that gal has a big ass) twende kuduff idhaa ya break (lets go swimming at break time), Hee Mary ananuka nyora (Mary is smelling urine).

This is what they hear either at home or from their friends and as innocent as they are, they adopt such words and use them in their speech.

Now, honestly, is this a problem? You all have different answers I know. Some of you will say its shady, others will say it will affect their grammar (which I don’t see how), wengine najua mnasema wanabonga lugha ya madingo (others are saying they are speaking thug language or street language). Irrespective of your above answers, all of you speak sconsciously or sub consciously. Maybe you are swearing. “I don’t talk that sh*t!!” Ok. Fine.

Why would a bunch of working men in their late 30s in the CBD call each other on Friday and you hear, I quote “Niaje jo. Sa Leo form ni gani? (Hi there what’s your plan for leo {read today}). And it becomes even worse when the middle class people try to swag it up by saying stuff like, “Hey, kwani what happened jana? (Hey what happened yesterday?) Or a mother telling her son, “We, toka apo ama nkuvunje mbaya”(You, get out of there or I beat you up thoroughly).

So, good people of Kenya, its high time we checked what we really speak and remove the logs from our own eyes. Speaking Sheng is not so weird; something the society should goggle at.

It is totally the opposite of that and somehow admirable. And artful too. Most people look at me speaking Sheng and wish they could whip me. They say, “Uyu dem ni wa ghetto”(This girl is from the ghetto).Others giggle with excitement and wished I was their friend. Others tell me, “Unabonga poa unanibamba”(You speak so  well you are amusing me). And ooh! Its trendy too just like fashion.

So don’t be caught saying madiaba (Ass) in 2012.It’s so nineteen kitambo/ba4 (Old school). And there is no government school teaching slung. It’s as natural as it is and from the grassroots. Plus not all new words make it to fame or to the Sheng dictionary. If you invent your word and don’t market it don’t expect people to understand you. There is competition and only words, which make a bit of sense or sound funny and weird make to see the light of the day.

Finally, each informal settlement in Kenya has its own Sheng and just as Juacali (Kenyan artist) says,“ Kuna Sheng ya nax ama eastlando, lakini si wote tunaelewana.”(There is Sheng from Nakuru or East lands but we all understand each other). I agree with him. In whichever way you take it, I am not praising Sheng ( Sio debe napigia) Not justifying it too. I am trying to be realistic. Its slowly crawling in our society and before long it will be our national language (I believe it already is) and a must-know.

And what with corporate companies talking about bamba, bankika, and call rate inakatsia, hahaha! See! Let’s talk about this next time…and next time you greet a kid ‘Niaje!, don’t wait for ‘Mzuri sana’.You can even try ‘Habari yako.. I think you know what the kid will tell you…‘Poa/fit’. We are done here.

First published in December 2012.