Kenya schools should stop these ridiculous hakas

First off congratulations are in order to Alliance High school, Kenya’s future brain trust for winning the 2013 Prescott cup which is the oldest, most famous schools rugby tournament in Kenya. The last time they won the cup was in 2003.

Prior to the game, Alliance high school performed their version of the Haka to a disinterested group of RVA players. Some of these RVA players must have been scratching their heads wondering at these ridiculous looking Kenyan players.

In the past few years, it has become a tradition for verious Kenya schools to perform their version of the Haka, from Mangu to Kakamega high and others Last year I watched Mangu perform their haka complete with the throat slitting gesture to Ugandan opponents at the East Africa school games. Funnily enough some of the Mangu players had a shepish smile on their face which means even they knew they were being ridiculous. Then I tried to listen to the words and it turned out that most of it was incomprehensible gibberish. Chances are that some of them do not want to do the Haka but are doing so based on peer pressure. The onus therefore is on the school coach to end this nonsense.

Why is it ridiculous ?

To begin with, the Haka is not Kenyan. We Kenyans do not and have never done war dances prior to going to war. If Kenyan schools must pick a tradition then why not pick a tradition that is authentically Kenyan ?

Secondly the Haka is supposed to provide an element of intimidation. But judging by the disnterest on the RVA players, they clearly were not intimidated.

The only Kenyan haka that has ever been worthwhile was that done by Joseph Ogidi of the famed “Gidi Gidi Maji Maji” rapp duo. There’s was most done as a joke and if you can understand the words, its quite funny.

Kenyan schools should come up with their own traditions, with an emphasis on originality rather than copy Pacific Islander traditions that have no basis in Kenya.