Agĩkũyũ - Mass Communication

Mass Communication:

Important communications in the Gĩkũyũ nation were relayed by means of ceremonial horns (coro). Unlike other African tribes the Gĩkũyũ did not employ drums in transmitting information. If drum messages were received from neighbouring tribes, they were relayed further in Gĩkũyũ country by sounding particular horns. The horn was used to announce the beginning of the planting season, during initiation ceremonies and when sacrifices were offered, to announce the day that an execution were to take place and at the end of the execution.

John Boyes in his book, How I became King of Wakikuyu relates the following account:

“ Continuing our journey, the next morning we fell in with some Kikuyu natives, they would not stop to talk to us, but off they went, shouting their war cries ,’Hur, he-ee.” Many and many a time I was to hear this inspiring cry, which was always used in times of danger or war from village to village and hill to hill……In a short time quite five hundred warriors fully armed, were drawn up outside the village…”