Papers by Nicholas Mwangi
Journal of Global Faultlines
One of Africa's and the Caribbean's most fervent scholars of the late 1960s to 1980s was the revo... more One of Africa's and the Caribbean's most fervent scholars of the late 1960s to 1980s was the revolutionary intellectual, Walter Rodney. The year 2022 marks the 80th anniversary of the birth of Walter Rodney. We are now 42 years on from Rodney's assassination, and 50 years on from the publication of his most influential book, How Europe Underdeveloped Africa. This is an important year for organic radical intellectuals, activists, and social movements organizing against the hegemony of capitalism and imperialism. Rodney was 38 years old when he was assassinated by car bomb in Georgetown in 1980. In his short life, Rodney's contributions to the struggle for revolutionary change both within the university and through his participation in the people's struggles were unmeasured. Born in 1942 into a working-class family, Rodney attended the University College of the West Indies in 1960 and was awarded a first-class honors degree in history in 1963. He earned a Ph.D. in African History in 1966 at the School of Oriental and African Studies in London, England. As a scholar, Rodney combines intellect and revolutionary thought, often sacrificing the privilege and prestige of the academy for the liberation of the working and wretched masses in the world. In an era when the phrases "scholar-activist" and "public intellectual" have become popular, it is critical to borrow lessons from an intellectual revolutionary like Rodney to avoid the risk of reducing these concepts to a meaningless trendy exercise in populist rhetoric and empty sloganeering. Mao Zedong warns (1966: 14): A revolution is not a dinner party, or writing an essay, or painting a picture, or doing embroidery; it cannot be so refined, so leisurely and gentle, so temperate, kind, courteous, restrained and magnanimous. A revolution is an insurrection; an act of violence by which one class overthrows another. It is essential then that we grasp that it is the pursuit of revolutionary change that led to the assassination of Walter Rodney, and learn that such a pursuit is serious and difficult, is not fashionable, and will bring no funds or accolades! Rodney lived among the masses and actively engaged in fighting to end the horrors of capitalism and imperialism both in his home country, Guyana, and in Africa. He engaged closely with the academic, student-based, national and African, liberation-oriented struggles at the practical and the theoretical levels. Alieu Bah (2022) reflects on Rodney: A righteous child of the Third World who took the difficult path of merging intellectual vocation and social practice with sublime grace and incisive depth, and it is this that made him stand out from the lot that inhabited his time. He dared to question, historicize, contest the bourgeois academy and its lopsided knowledge production, and, not stopping there, to ground that work within the masses by being with them.
Groundings: Development, Pan-Africanism and Critical Theory
Nicholas Mwangi explores how our generation has been forcefully torn apart from the true history ... more Nicholas Mwangi explores how our generation has been forcefully torn apart from the true history of our land by hegemonies around knowledge and learning. He reminds us that though the neoliberal education system continues to depoliticise young people, we must dare to dream of a better society, educate ourselves politically, and organise towards a system that takes care of the majority and not a few in society, as Maina wa Kinyatti did.
Journal of the Korean Society of International Agriculture, 2021
The low productivity of indigenous chickens in Kenya and other parts of the world is partly attri... more The low productivity of indigenous chickens in Kenya and other parts of the world is partly attributed to poor management practices, in particular the lack of proper healthcare, poor housing and nutrition. However, studies have shown that poor nutrition is a major factor that contributes to the low growth rate and egg production in chickens. The objective in this study was to demonstrate and promote Ration A and B, for laying hens, to enhance egg production and household incomes. During the period 1 July 2018 to 31 March 2021, farmer groups interested in chicken production were selected in Embu and Tharaka Nithi counties. The criteria used in the selection of the farmer groups was chicken numbers, level of investment in chicken housing and equipment, interest in feed mixing, cohesion of farmer group, level of education and age of group members. Each farmer group was assigned a facilitator/extension officer who trained its members on various aspects of chicken production with special emphasis on Ration formulation, mixing and feeding of laying hens. After mixing the Rations, samples were collected for chemical composition analysis so as to assess whether the Rations mixed met Kenya Bureau of Standards [KEBS] (2014) quality standards. At least three farmers within a group feeding the †
A research project submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the award of the Degr... more A research project submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the award of the Degree of Master of Business administration (MBA), School of Business, university of Nairobi
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Papers by Nicholas Mwangi