By Lucy Ndichu
Sunday Standard Newspaper, March 12, 2000
6(a) Dr David Gain Maillu is a household name in Kenya. For many years, he has dominated the local scene with his books, some of which have been the subject of many heated debates. Those who read his books in the 1970s may only recall titles such as After 4.30 and My Dear Bottle. It may therefore come as a surprise to them (and perhaps many others) that he has no less than 60 titles to his name. He is also a great storyteller, artist, musician, poet, constructor, aspiring politician… He has attended and addressed many international conferences to discuss his books and they continue to attract a lot of interest from all corners of the globe.
6(b) But what kind of a person is David Maillu, the man? This is what I wanted to find out when I interviewed him recently. His house, when I get there, is just as I had
Expected. There are books, books and still more books everywhere I look. Dressed in a bright blue shirt, multi. coloured cardigan, brown trousers and shoes to match, Maillu welcomes us into his home in Ngei Estate, Nairobi, where he has lived for the last 25 years.
6(c) “This is my humble abode,” he says ushering us into the large sitting room with bookshelves lining every wall. Maillu launches straight into the interview. “Many people have misconception about who I am. I am a rather conservative but self-confident fellow, probably because of my background. I came from an extremely poor family and my first goal was to liberate my siblings from poverty. I have had to do so many things at the same time that I have become quite a complicated character in the process.”
6(d) Maillu was born in 1939 into a polygamous family. He was the second of three children in his mother”s house. His father died in the early 1940s and his mother re-married and had three more children,
6(e) “I come from a psychic family,” he declares out of the blue. At the incredulous look on my face, he elaborates: “My family can foretell events; my sister even practises psychic medicine. By the 1950s, I had for seen many of the things that are happening now.”
6(f) Of course, I want to know more about this curious subject and he obliges. “I was able to read human behaviour by studying people”s faces as far back as when I was in primary school. I could gauge a pupil”s intelligence just by looking at the face and skin colour. More so,” he continues, “I can read palms to tell your character, something many people do not believe in.”
6(g) As we continue chatting, Maillu confesses his great love of nature. At his home in Makueni District, he has a botanical garden where every living plant imaginable grows, and where he spends a lot of time with his family. “I have changed the landscape of my 9-acre plot over a period of 20 years. I also have a special interest in building, especially using locally available materials and technology.”
6(h) Maillu goes on to say that he is extremely concerned about the issue of poverty among the Kamba community. So much so that he together with the members of the community, has started building a dam to ensure a steady water supply.
6(i) At this point I decide to broach the subject of his books, especially the ones
whose content is rather explicit and which have been at the centre of many a
heated debate, whether in pubs or in more scholarly surroundings. Maillu
counters my question with one of his own. “Do you think my descriptions are
more graphic than those shown on television today? I am not a hypocrite. I hate
pretending. Those things I wrote about were, and still are, happening in our
society. But the books should not be used to characterize me. I am, and always
have been, a family man. Before I got married, I was busy taking care of my
brothers and sisters.
6(j) “Moreover, I am not a loud sociable person. I am an introvert. Although I wrote My Dear Bottle, I have never indulged in alcohol in my life, simply because I hate to be under the influence of any substance. I always like to be in total control over myself.”
6(k) The famous author goes on to say that although people may think they know him, the opposite is true. “Most people have no idea what kind of a person I am, or the ideas behind my books. Take for instance, After 4.30 in which I was merely sensitizing the ordinary rural girl about the complexities of social life in the urban areas. I had watched as their lives were torn apart by greedy, rich men and decided that I had a duty to inform them no matter what it took.”
6(l) From these views, Maillu obviously feels he has nothing to be embarrassed about.
“I would write a similar book again and again for its usefulness. Throughout my works, I have tried to impart knowledge and understanding on the relationship between the rich and the poor; the strong and the weak. This has been the central theme in my work.”
6(m) The author has also written numerous books for children but he reckons that the popular literature over-shadowed his other works. “I have written many books for children too. But the popular books overshadowed my contribution to children”s reading and most people have not been able to regard me as a serious writer.”
6(n) But why did he prefer popular literature while his contemporaries like Ngugi wa Thiong”o were writing serious books? “It is all about orientation. I come from a liberal background. I am a self-made man and my educational background has actually determined what I am today. People like Ngugi had a formal education which greatly influenced their thinking. I am lucky I did not go through long formal education which, in my opinion, imprisons the mind. Those who have gone through that kind of education cannot be explicit as I have been.”
6(o) Maillu went to school in 1951 at the age of 11. He sat his Kenya African Preliminary Education (KAPE) examinations in 1958. He then joined Machakos Technical School for three years and studied painting and decoration. While in the technical school, he embarked upon studying his secondary school education through a correspondence course. He continued extensive studying as he worked to educate his brothers and sisters. It was while he was working at the Voice of Kenya (now the Kenya Broadcasting Corporation) as a graphic artist that he met his German wife in 1969.
6(p) Maillu fondly recalls that he knew she would be his wife from the moment he sow her. “When I first met her, I terrorized her by telling her I was going to marry her. She was surprised as we had not met me before and thought my behaviour was rather forward, but we eventually became friends and married in January 1971. From the beginning, my wife has been a source of inspiration, never wavering even when things were very difficult. She has been a great daughter-in-law to my mother who passed away in 1st December 1998. Besides, she has been a good friend to my brothers and sisters. She has a gift of perseverance which has enabled her to cope with life in Kenya.
6(q) And what does Mrs Maillu think about her husband? “I consider myself lucky to be married to David. He has been a supportive and understanding husband and his brothers and sisters have also been wonderful to me.” Mrs Maillu remembers with nostalgia the day she met her husband through a colleague outside Church House in the city centre. “David had come to visit his friend and just as we were walking out, he introduced us. That day changed our lives.” Mrs Maillu is the eldest in a family of five. Her father was drafted into the army in the Second World War but never returned home. As the eldest, she was faced with the difficult task of supporting her siblings. “This background prepared me to cope with my husband’s family. We had to support both his and mine and though it has not been easy, I managed.” Both their parents are now deceased.
6(r) On Maillu’s books, Hannelore says, “People have over the years fussed over his books because they felt sex was a subject best confined to the bar. When my husband wrote After 4.30 and My Dear Bottle, children read the books and parents who have never discussed such issues with them became jittery. “There is nothing wrong with these books and the society must appreciate that these issues must be discussed openly.” However, she feels that major bookshop owners have not been supportive of African writers. “It is rare to find to find African authors in major bookshops in Nairobi. Since most of these shops are not owned by Africans, the owners have deliberately killed their work. Before the breaking up of the East African Community, these books were being sold in Uganda and Tanzania but today, books written by African writers are not even available in the city centre.”
6(s) Hannelore is a retired administrator for a German organization. She now works as a volunteer with several local and international organizations. In her spare time, she enjoys reading, watching plays, movies and operas.
6(t) So is Maillu still writing? “Definitely,” is his firm answer. He has been working with Prof Osaga Odak (who died last month), Mogoiga Seba, James Kagwana, Prof Ochola Oyayo and Prof Sam Munyuoki on a book on the Bible of African religion, KA: The Holy Book of Neter.
6(u) At my comment that this is a far cry from his earlier works, Maillu answers. “I am not a Christian, Buddhist or Muslim. But I do believe in a higher being and I have a wide knowledge on religious matters. I feel that African scholars have failed to apply their knowledge to daily life. The question which keeps coming to my mind is: how can the traditional African social fibre be modernised? “
6(v) Apart from writing, Maillu is also an accomplished artist. The walls of his house are adorned with several of his paintings. He is also a great guitarist but these, he says, are just hobbies. His greatest passion, however, is writing, and he feels that the book distribution network in Africa is very poor and reading habits are badly underdeveloped as people rarely read after leaving school.
6(w) “Unlike what happens in Western countries, African governments do not support the publishing industry. There should be more book fares and programmes in the mass media to promote written works. The colonialist used the book to colonise us and the book must be used to free our people. How can you promote African culture without emphasizing their written works?” he wonders. In the meantime, Maillu is in the process of re-issuing the titles that are out of circulation.
MAILLU THE BUILDER
6(x) A part from all his other talents, David Maillu is also a builder. At his home in Koola village in Makueni District, he has constructed a house like no other. Surrounded by a key apple fence and a rich variety of plants from allover the world, the cool temperatures are welcoming when we visited the homestead on a very hot and dusty day. The compound is soothingly quiet apart from the singing birds. It strongly contrasts with the neighbouring farms. which have been scorched dry by the January sun.
6(y) We go looking for Maillu as there is nobody to meet us, We find him with two farm hands and his cousin, John Kimuyu, busy in the process of building a kitchen.
As we stand there. full of wonder at the variety and style of buildings in his compound, he hastens to explain: “I always had a great interest in building and construction. All the buildings in this compound have been constructed to my specifications using local materials. My background in art and design has helped come up with ideas for the buildings.”
6(z) Maillu has designed a house based on the traditional Kamba hut. The house has been constructed from a collection of stones from all over the country. It is supported by three reinforced steel pillars, which have then been plastered and decorated like tree trunks. Clay bricks are being used to construct the kitchen, on top of which is a water tank, also built from a collection of stones. “The water in this tank will be heated and supplied to all the houses. Since there is a lot of space under the tank, I have decided to add a bathroom,” says Maillu.
6(za) His cousin, who has been involved in the building, explains the steps followed to build each structure. The main structure has three floors, each made of stones collected from as far away as Naivasha. “Whenever I travel, I use a pick-up, which is how I have transported all the stones.
6(zb) Next to the storeyed house is a traditional African hut with an underground section, On top of the hut is a profusion of plants. “The beauty of this kind of structure (the hut) is that it regulates temperatures, making it ideal for all weather conditions. “
Maillu”s 9-acre farm is a sight to behold. Mango, olive and palm trees are just a few of his collection of plants, “I have travelled across the world and every time, I bring a new plant home. This collection has taken me over 20 years to put together,” he says, obviously proud of his work. In addition to this house, to which Maillu intends to retire, he is also I constructing a museum and a bookshop,
6(zc) “Writing books is not enough to preserve our culture. We have to do more by preserving artifacts. I have a collection of artifacts from various parts of my community which will be kept in the museum.” He adds that he will also establish a bookshop where he hopes to sell books at reduced prices, “I would also like to I show films and slides which will help people understand our culture.”
6(zd) Maillu says his intention is to encourage and develop reading habits in the rural areas, especially on African writers.” He also intends to build a place where artists can go for retreats. Having seen the buildings and the botanical garden, I agreed that this would make an ideal place for such events.
6(ze) The author is also involved in community development, He has single handedly mobilized his neighbours into building a dam on a 40-acre piece of land across Malooni River. “I believe the lack of water has greatly contributed to the rising poverty in Ukambani. With availability of water, we can at least feed ourselves.”
But he feels that the local administration has ignored his contribution, hence the amount of time it has taken to finish this particular project,
… AND MAILLU THE POLITICIAN
6(zf) Apart from being a storyteller, writer, artist, poet, builder and musician, Maillu is also an aspiring politician. During the last general elections, he contested a parliamentary seat in Kaiti Constituency on a KANU ticket. He even wanted to take on President Moi for the country’s top seat. But despite not making it, Maillu has not given up. He has now formed a political party – Communal Democracy of Kenya (CDK). “I have a different constitution from all other political parties in Kenya because I have done research on African ideology and I want a party with a vision,” he says.
6(zg) “The difference between all the political parties, including KANU, is that they are all the same,” Maillu firmly declares. CDK has not been registered yet as he was waiting for the right time and reckons it will renew the spirit of Kenyans. Maillu says that the imported political systems used in Africa have failed miserably because they do not take into account cultural aesthetics.
6(zh) On the on-going constitutional debate, Maillu says, “What is missing in this country and all other African countries is simply commitment. The words of our National Anthem make up the highest form of constitution. The current mood is dramatically coloured by a fight by each party for supremacy. They each want to ensure the Constitution favours them, which should not be the case. It would be great if the constitutional reform was done outside each party”s ambition for the presidency.
