Marjory Nyakiago Kimani (author of Micii ni Micii), 8th born in a family of eleven, 8 girls and 3 boys was born and educated in Mathira, Nyeri, Central Kenya. She attended local Schools before joining Tumutumu for upper primary. She proceeded to Alliance Girls’ High School where she was exposed to different extra curricular activities such as drama, house competitions in traditional songs; where students had to memorize the songs in different languages from different communities in Kenya and practice new movements. She found this very fascinating, and since then developed a special liking for using her mother tongue as a way of communicating with friends.

After High School she took up secretarial training. While working for a law firm in Nyeri, her boss who was Asian would sometimes ask her to translate client’s statements from Gikuyu to English and vise versa. At that time she was also taking guitar lessons and tried out composing gospel and secular songs. She recorded one. Then the thought of writing a book came into her mind and settled on writing family based stories.

Born and brought up in the Gikuyu rural background, Marjory Nyakiago Kimani has witnessed the evolving of the Gikuyu family set up to its current form. A cultural enthusiast, she believes in the family as the basis of any sound society. She also believes that the truly African family story cannot be told adequately in a foreign tongue, which is all the more reason why she chose her native tongue to tell the story. Her novel, M?c?? n? M?c?? exhibits the passion in telling an African story in an African language. M?c?? n? M?c?? is her view of what a family is; its values and its place in modern African society.
Marjory’s story does not end there. In the year 2007, she established Furaha Cultural Centre in Math?ra, Nyeri district where cultural activities take place including language lessons. More recently, in 2009, she established Bondeni Cultural Centre in Nyandarua district. Marjory is also the Patron of Kigamba Traditional Dancers in Limuru.

As she is proud to point out, her inspiration for culturally based activities comes from her late father who directed drama in the village social hall during the emergency period of the 1950s. As it turns out, her family members are similarly emergency: one sister is a story teller in America, another good public speaker. One brother is a much sought-after master of ceremonies, while another one has written a large collection of stories.
For Marjory, writing M?c?? n? M?c?? marks the peak in this fulfilling passion. She is currently working on Volume (II) of M?c?? n? M?c?? as well as working on an English Translation of M?c?? n? M?c??.
M?c?? n? M?c?? will be published in May 2010. Watch this space for the announcement on publication.

Marjory’s profile in G?k?y?

Marjory Nyak?ago K?mani, n? mwana wa kanana har? ny?mba ya air?tu anana na ar?me atatu. Aciar?irwo Math?ra, Ny?r?. Athomeire cukuru ya m?ceni ya T?m?t?m? ag?coka ag?thi? Alliance Girls High School. Aing?ra Alliance n? akorire ma?nd? maing? mageni, ta m?thako ya ngerekano na ny?mbo cia k?ina na ing? cia makinya cia nd?r?r? itigaine th?in? wa Kenya. Mbere ?yo ndaigu?te thiomi ing? cia k?nd?ire tiga G?g?k?y?. N?agegire m?no n? k?igua thiomi icio itagan?te, na kuuma hau ak?menya bata wa k?bar?r?ra na g?t?m?ra r?thiomi rwake kwaran?ria na and?.

Ar?kia cukuru n? athomeire w?ra wa karani. N?acokire ak?and?kwo w?ra ?cio n? wakiri ?mwe m?h?nd? m?ci?-in? wa Ny?r?. Tond? and? amwe mar?gamag?r?rwo n? wakiri ?cio mooi o G?g?k?y? k?r?a wakiri ?cio atamenyaga, Marjory n?ateithagia k?mata?r?ra. N??nd? wa w?ra ?cio wa g?ta?ra n? aguc?r?irio n? r?ciria r?a kwand?ka mabuku na r?thiomi rwa r?u. Thutha ?cio n? athomeire k?h?ra ngita na ak?amb?r?ria g?tunga ny?mbo na ak?ruta rw?mbo r?mwe. N? acokire ag?tigana na ny?mbo ak?ona mw?twa wake n? k?gana ng’ano na ag?tua ar?and?kaga ng’ano cia ma?nd? ma k?-m?ci? na ?nd?ire.

N??nd? wa g?ciar?rwo na k?rererwo G?k?y?-in?, Marjory Nyak?ago n? eyoneire ma?nd? maing? ma k?-m?ci? mak?gar?r?ka kuuma m?ikar?re ya g?-tene nginyagia ya k?-r?u. N? endete ma?nd? ma k?nd?ire m?no na et?k?tie at? m?ci? n?guo k?humo k?a m?t?r?re mwega. Ning? n? et?k?tie at? ng’ano cia k?nd?ire iting?gan?ka wega na thiomi ng’eni. N?k?o and?k?te ibuku r?a M?ci? n? M?ci? na G?g?k?y? . M?ci? n? M?ci? n? r?gano rwa ?r?a Marjory et?k?tie m?ci? wag?r?ire g?korwo, hamwe na k?iguithania m?ikar?re ya g?tene na k?r?u.